Good on ya’, Daniel Ricciardo. One of the first tweets I saw on the morning after the Spanish Grand Prix came from the Toro Rosso driver. Obviously still in good form following another impressive race, Ricciardo had this to say:
"Glad to see Alonso not get penalised for picking up his home flag. Would have been pathetic if he was. Can't believe it was even contemplated"
Spoken like a true Aussie. Which is significant because Alan Jones was the ex-driver steward on duty in Barcelona and I’ll bet a Pound to a pinch of kangaroo poo that Jonesey had a hand in kicking this nonsense into touch.
Yes, yes, I know Alonso had contravened Articles (Loose), Section 3, Paragraph 96A ‘Handbags and Gloveboxes’, stating that a driver must not speak to strangers and, if a foreign object is picked up, it must either be handed to the Customs Officer stationed at the entrance to Parc Fermé or, if possessing a financial value, it must be rushed by armed guard direct to the office of Mr Ecclestone, who will divide the proceeds 98 per cent to CVC Capital Partners and 2 per cent (less FOM tax) to the teams.
And, yes, I know the rule is to prevent a driver picking up a slab of ballast disguised as a bar of chocolate and slipping it into his pocket before stepping onto the post-race scales. But, please! In a sport systematically stripped of character over time, why on earth can a local winner not lift his supporters with a flutter of national pride, particularly in a country that hasn’t had much to shout about in recent years?
Ayrton Senna developed this into a patriotic art. On his slowing down lap, he would seek out anyone willing to let him have the green and yellow symbol of a country that meant so much to the proud Brazilian and his grateful followers. Not only would Senna brandish the flag from the cockpit, he would take it with him to the podium. This was before they brought in a procedure that just falls short of sniffer dogs, an x-ray scan and body search before celebrations can officially begin.
Jones must have had a wry smile when the subject of Alonso’s shocking act of insubordination came up. His mind will have gone back to the 1980 French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, a race Jones won for Williams and, in the process, ‘stuffed the bloody French’.
F1 was in the middle of a power struggle between FISA (the sporting arm of the FIA) and the aforementioned Mr Ecclestone’s nascent FOCA organisation representing the British teams. Jones had won the Spanish Grand Prix, only to lose the victory at a stroke when FISA outlawed the race. And the signs were that Williams were in for a hammering in France when Ligier drivers Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi qualified first and third, the blue cars split by Rene Arnoux’s Renault. But Williams and Jones had a trick or two up their sleeves.
Recognising that tyre wear would be crucial (sound familiar?), Williams spent practice focusing solely on the 54-lap race by trying different rim sizes and Goodyear compounds. Come Sunday afternoon, the three French cars took off like scalded cats but, in searing heat, the 170-mph Courbe de Signes began to take its toll on the left-front. Jones, biding his time and running larger front wheels than those on the Ligiers, gradually moved forward. By lap 35, he was in the lead. And there was nothing the Ligiers could do about it (Arnoux having retired early on).
The pièce de résistance was provided by Ian Anderson when the Williams crew chief thrust a large Union Jack into his driver’s willing hand. With the other, Jones raised a finger briefly at the FISA dignitaries watching unhappily from the side.
There were no recriminations. And not a single complaint about Goodyear’s tyres. Ligier were deeply unhappy. But Williams had got it right on the day.
Maurice Hamilton
Follow on Twitter @MauriceHamilton
This article first appeared on ESPN F1 http://blogs.espnf1.com/Maurice-Hamilton/2013/05/flying_the_flag_of_common_sens.php
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Memory added on May 16, 2013
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