From the Pulpit
Matt Bishop checks out this year's preseason preparation with one eye on the past and asks: Will the real James Hunt please stand up...
Preparation is everything in Formula One, we are told, and it's probably a pretty accurate maxim. So as you read this column, assuming you're reading it on Thursday, March 15, then you're reading it in F1's twilight zone: the short period between the end of everyone's preparations and the beginning of the opening race weekend. And contrary to what that old racing adage would have you believe, it isn't when the flag drops that the bullshit stops; no, the bullshit stops tomorrow.
Right now, though, people - drivers, engineers, team principals et al - are still talking about preparation. Preparation in terms of wind tunnel hours, simulator work, testing kilometres, build quality - and also, of course, in terms of driver fitness, driver focus and driver commitment. Not surprisingly, therefore, what Kimi Raikkonen did last weekend is currently being roundly 'dissed' Down Under.
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