And The Winning Number Is…
Written by George Katinger · June 22, 2004
BMW-WilliamsF1 may as well hold a lottery for their replacement of Ralf Schumacher for the next few races. The possibilities are endless and may result in some added income Frank and Patrick had not anticipated. Then again, the medical bill for Ralf’s adventure in Indiana isn’t a freebie, is it?
guardianunlimited.co.uk: Villeneuve in the wings for Williams
f1.racing-live.com: Ralf to sit out ‘two Grands Prix’ - doctor
grandprix.com: The second Williams at Magny-Cours
Before digressing into the options of his replacement, we all need to be thankful for the relatively happy outcome of Ralf’s massive introduction to the concrete walls of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Most of all Ralf. All of the outrage fans express over the shortcomings of the sports drivers takes away from the ever present danger they all risk every time out in the car. Regardless of our personal sentiments we should all wish Ralf a speedy recovery and a safe return to the show.
But in the meantime….who will be considered by Williams as the designated auditioner for next years seat? And will it be only one substitute driver or more, depending on the length of Ralf’s abscence? It wouldn’t be fair to driver or team to offer a one shot race audition to the likes of Jacques Villeneuve, would it? Followed by Marc Gene and/or Antonio Pizzonia?
Frank and Patrick know what Gene and Pizzonia are capable of, as they are the team’s test mules. How well they perform on race weekend may be open to speculation and a possible test. Especially Pizzonia, as he floundered about at Jaguar at his first race opportunities. But they are known quantities, and Gene performed admirably last year filling in for Ralf after his Imola wreck.
No, the logical choice would be to give the ride to Jacques for two or three races to see if he’s still got two characteristics; the ability to drive well, and the inability to keep his mouth shut and ego contained. And there would be no more pretense about will they or won’t they offer him a test. They could offer him the ultimate test, two or three real races with some time to get accquainted with the car and it’s setup. Even if he could drive like the devil himself, the first wrong word out of his mouth and the team could be justified in sending him home. I’m sure Juan would welcome him with open arms, and give him all the insight he could offer on the cars driving tendencies. Sorry, I’m starting to sound like that writer from Fun-1!
But what other drivers names can we enter into the raffle? They would have to be available, either presently unemployed, underemployed, or testing for other teams. The name that immediately jumps out is BAR tester Anthony Davidson, who has done spectacular work and is an important component of Sato’s and Button’s success this year. Other names that are sure to be bandied about are Justin Wilson and the previously tested Scott Dixon, both currently involved in American racing. Either would give their eye teeth for the shot, and with the cozy relationship between Chip Ganassi and Frank Williams, Dixon would be the easiest.
How’s this for a long shot…Timo Glock. A German lad that Williams could buy on the cheap from Jordan and warehouse him till next year if he shows promise. He did demonstrate some skills in his Canadian race debut two weeks ago, didn’t he? And a Deutshlander pilot would make BMW very happy, jah? If he does really well, it just might end Ralf’s career at mid season. After all, he is going to Toyota next year, isn’t he? So why not use the rest of the year as advanced training for whomever the brain trust selects.
It will be a very nervous few days for all those hopefulls out there, not to mention poor Ralf watching his career possibly ending.
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I think it will be Scott Dixon, assuming he’s free on the correct weekends, I haven’t checked the sched.
Here is a long shot with some name recognition.
Christian Jones, son of 1980 Formula One World Champion Alan Jones. He has run in the European F3 series so he has that connection. Currently he has blitzed the Asian F3 series with 4 wins in 4 starts.
It would be hard to find a longer long shot than Christian.
Here is his website for a little background (http://www.cjmotorsport.com/)
IRL Drivers are busy on the French GP, but free for the Brit GP. Champ Cars are busy both weekends.
The regulations for Drivers in a season are as follows:
FIA Sporting Regulations, Para 58, sub Para 1:
During a season each team will be permitted to use four drivers (excluding any third driver taking part in either of the free practice sessions on the first day of practice)…
So Mr Frank and Mr Patrick can try out JV and pop in one other if he cocks up. JV is a good choice, with Pizzonia on stand by, I think Gene will say in the test team next year no matter what. He’s up there with Luca Badoer and Alex Wurz IMO.
And it’s Fun-1 with a capital ‘f,’ although I’m not sure if our mention deserves a brickbat or a bouquet!
A really, really long shot: Jeff Gordon. Well, it would be pretty cool and could make F1 more popular in the US at least. And maybe some of us would have more respect for NASCAR if Gordon actually could compete.
Jeff’s working every weekend till October…
Jeff will be working every weekend till October every year for the rest of his racing career.
His over the top enthusiasm is genuine, but no F1 team has the time or resources to pour into his F1 driving education. Not to mention Jeff wouldn’t like the cut in pay.
George–>Check this out:
http://www.indystar.com/articles/6/156515-5566-155.html
It seems that Frank is ready and willing if Jeff wants to give it a shot.
Thanks for the link Bobber, but it doesn’t sound realistic to me. Frank Williams is nothing if not a genius in trend setting, witness his early drop of tobacco sponsors and bringing on Nicquiten (forgive the spelling!) as sponsor. Maybe he is trying to get ahead of Redbull’s “all American” racing effort and steal the best road racer in the states. What a trend, maybe Tony Stewart will follow him. Tony would always give you something to talk about, for damn sure!!
Gene has earned a drive and Pizzonia is not so far off the pace either. Bringing in JV or any outside driver would seem a bit strange when you already have such talent on the payroll. Scott or Jeff would perhaps be better able to assess the car and test JPM’s current motivation though. A statement is expected tomorrow.