Motorsport: All eyes on Austin for the US Grand Prix

NZ Herald

20 Oct, 2017 03:59 PM4 mins to read

Brendon Hartley performs his mandatory jump out test for the FIA at the US Grand Prix. Photo / Getty Images

It seems as if the Formula 1 season has been going on for a long time this year.

Probably just my imagination though, and in fact it has to be just that because the 2017 season is actually one week and one race, due to the German event being dropped, shorter than in 2016.

This weekend sees the start of the final rush of three races in the Americas before the 2017 finale in Abu Dhabi and whatever reference anybody in New Zealand makes to the United States Grand Prix happening at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, it will be with Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Brendon Hartley in mind.

Frankly, that very statement makes me smile and I wish Brendon the very best of fortune over this weekend. It will be perhaps the most exciting of his life. Exciting too for his family and all those in New Zealand who have seen, helped, mentored and supported Brendon, and there are many, as he clawed his way through this toughest of sports to the top of his own personal sporting career mountain.

More words have been written about him this last week or so than almost any other single sportsman so I need not add any more to that total but, suffice to say, I, like many others, will be glued even more attentively than normal to the TV as the Grand Prix weekend plays out. His presence on the grid adds a considerable amount to a season that promised so much but seems to have already lapsed into a certain conclusion.

Despite the wonderful efforts of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo bringing a welcome breath of fresh air to the racing it was the anticipated battle between the red and silver cars that held the season's focus. Unfortunately the disastrous performances by Ferrari, drivers and team alike, have virtually wiped them from the horizon of contenders for the drivers' title. Still possible mathematically of course but highly unlikely and the spectre of the one horse winning the race to the title is close to certain.

Up to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari, distilled down to Hamilton and Vettel, was close and exciting with uncertainty surrounding the race winner as each event unfolded. At Monza the Ferrari seemed strangely off the pace and Hamilton took the championship points lead with a decisive victory only for the Scuderia to come back a little at the next race in Belgium.

Since Monza Ferrari have struggled to be consistent in performance with Hamilton scoring 73 points more than Vettel. Sebastian Vettel in particular can shoulder a good deal of the responsibility for the Ferrari failures of late. Road rage in Baku, Azerbaijan, then causing the start line demolition of not only himself but innocent teammate Raikkonen and even more innocent Red Bull driver Verstappen in Singapore, destroyed any possibility of at least one race win and maybe even two.

Not content with shooting themselves in the foot in Singapore the team then loaded the gun again, took careful aim, and shot themselves in the other foot at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Mechanical reliability issues have crept back into the lexicon of the team evoking memories of the confused and shambolic Ferrari of past years. The very simplest of things, a spark plug, albeit a pretty expensive spark plug at almost NZ$100, caused the car of Vettel to retire in Japan and both Vettel and Raikkonen's cars have been recent victims of an apparent turbocharger issue, although, characteristically the team are publicly light on the detail. The Ferrari team must get back on track at the USGP this weekend.

In 2016 Mercedes dominated the USGP with Hamilton leading the way and if he can manage to reprise that this weekend then Vettel will have to finish fifth or better to keep the chase for the title alive.

For me, for once, the battle at the front will be almost a sideshow as my focus will very much be on Toro Rosso and Brendon Hartley with the fervent hope that Hartley's team mate, Daniil Kvyat will not live up to his nickname of 'Torpedo' and have Hartley in his sights.