Analysis: Too Tall a Story for Wurz
Injured Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was not the only McLaren driver cursing his misfortune after being ruled out of Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix
Alexander Wurz, the Formula One team's official reserve, has waited four years for a chance to race again and when it came along at last this week the Austrian knew he could not take it.
The lanky 31-year-old has yet to drive the 2005-specification McLaren because he has been too tall to fit into it until now.
Although the team have pulled out all the stops to get one ready for Wurz to drive in Friday practice in Bahrain, Spanish second test driver Pedro de la Rosa will be Montoya's race replacement.
It is a situation that might have some drivers tearing their hair out in frustration but Wurz put on a brave face on Thursday.
He recognised that, with no experience of the car at a circuit he has never before driven, it would have been too risky to select him.
"Not knowing how I will physically sit in the car -- because I didn't fit properly until yesterday almost and they are still getting parts flown out tonight for me -- would have been a mega risk for the team," he said.
"We had a long meeting, almost until midnight," he added.
"I said to the team that if I were the team boss, I would go for the safe option which is currently putting Pedro in because he has far more miles in the car. I have zero.
"I am a human being. Of course I would like to race, no question," added the Austrian. "But there's no reason to go home and cry in the corner. I can go home and slit my wrists or I can just get on and I'm a guy who just looks forward."
Until now, Wurz has been able to test only with last year's car. Now at least he can at least get his hands on the new machinery and hope to replace de la Rosa as a Friday driver later in the season.
"I'm happy that we could make me fit even for this Friday because it was very close," he said. "It was a big, big effort for the team to make everything happen for now.
"We are fighting here for millimetres, which is normal in my career, but it is the layout inside the cockpit which is very compact.
"We are not talking about sitting comfortably. We are talking about being able to perform," added the Austrian.
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix