Motor Mouth: Eddie Jordan Speeds You Through the 2011 F1 Season
New champ, new generation, new rookies and the return of KERS: F1 legend Eddie Jordan on the top five reasons to be excited about Formula 1 in 2011.
The lights go on. And then they go off. And it’s Go! Go! Go! Then you sit on the sofa, while men with hotter girlfriends than you risk their lives for 25 Championship points. F1 is back and, as usual, nearly everything is different – the cars, the tyres, the schedule, the rules and many of the drivers have all changed since 2010. In fact, just about the only thing that remains the same is the TV channel, ESPN STAR, but even that’s different now we talk to Eddie Jordan on the top 5 reasons to be excited about F1 in 2011.
The new champ
“Sebastian Vettel is like a rugby player. He puts himself on the line every time, which is why he fails to finish some Grands Prix, but also why he deserved to win last season’s Championship. His all-out style means you shouldn’t take your eyes off him for a second.”
The new generation
“There are two categories of F1 drivers. There are those who are intimidated by Michael Schumacher and there are those who aren’t. These guys, who include Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, are enormously quick, attacking, in tune with their car, and full of belief in their own ability. That’s why they’ll be in the title scrap come the season’s end.”
The even newer generation
“At least four drivers will make their debuts this season – Belgian Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Mexican Sergio Pérez, Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado and Scotsman Paul di Resta. I see the Brit as the pick of the bunch. He’s a quality driver, who has taken the Force India seat after time in DTM [German Touring Cars] and as a test driver, so expect him to shake things up.”
The new cars
“KERS – the Kinetic Energy Recovery System – is back, and this season every team has to use it. Judging by history, this gives the ones with a Mercedes engine an advantage, but I am sure the Red Bull boys will have something up their sleeve. I wasn’t a big fan of KERS initially, but it’s definitely going to shake things up. Drivers have 6.6 seconds’ worth of boost and it’ll be fascinating to see what they do. Some will use it to attack, some to defend and some will use it to try and steer clear of the first corner melee.”
And the same old story
The first race of the season and the big drivers had lots to prove. Hamilton was yet again left biting the curb by Vettel who nailed it again, and Petrov managed to sneak past Alonso to take the 3rd spot.
- The first Indian GP is on Oct 30, 2011
- Karthikeyan missed the first GP
- Finishes November 27 in Brazil
Championship odds: Sebastian Vettel 11/4; Fernando Alonso 3/1; Lewis Hamilton 9/2; Mark Webber 14/1; Michael Schumacher 14/1
From the April 2011 issue of FHM India.
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