Where Are The Fighting Spirits?

"Slow down, Lewis"- "Push harder, Kimi" - "Don't overtake him,

Kamui" - "We'll undercut him in the pits, Checo". The insistent 

voices of the 'driving instructors' in their headsets are turning 

today's F1 stars into remote-controlled robots and robbing the sport 

of a vital dimension in which fighting spirits are able to flourish.  

Surely trying to overtake a car in front should be a basic

instinct for every driver in every race, but the current climate

of caution actively discourages aggressive all-out attacking and

strives to bully even the hardcore racers into submission. Yes,

there is more overtaking than ever - especially since a quarter

of the teams are ill-equipped to fight off the advances of their

richer rivals - but instead of relying on a driver's fighting

spirit the vast majority of passing manouevres are now the product 

of APE (Artificial Performance Enhancers) such as DRS, KERS and 

tyres deliberately designed to degrade. 

Moreover, rather than leave the drivers to their own devices the

bossy team strategists issue stern radio commands instructing the

drivers where, when and how to use them. Some of these 'team

orders' are a reflection of the embarrassing depths of spectacle-

denying conservatism into which the sport has descended: Why does

natural-born speedster Raikkonen ever need to be told to pick up

the pace? Does former champion overtaking tryer Hamilton really

need a voice in his helmet to tell him its OK, or not, to pass the car
in front? Why not give thrilling risk-takers like Kobayashi the freedom
to fully engage in the cut and thrust they love?

The pushy puppeteers who pull the drivers' strings from the

computer-controlled perspective of the 'Prats Perch' along the

pit wall constantly strive to curb the enthusiasm of the real

racers in the field. Today's climate of middle-of-the-road

moderation, which encourages a safe but sure approach, means

drivers can more easily stay within their comfort zones. As a

result the majority are more likely to set their minds in cruise 

control and become passive to the point that they are unable to 

summon up the sheer force of will that personifies a fighting spirit. 

Very few current drivers are notable for demonstrating the 

fearsomely forceful mindset that made heroes of some of their 

predecessors. A classic example was the renowned daredevil Gilles 

Villeneuve, whose primitive 'rage to win' meant he never stopped 

pushing as hard as he could on every lap, even in practice.

Nigel Mansell was another driver with a tremendous fighting

spirit. Hugely determined, immensely aggressive and

breathtakingly brave, he was one of the most exciting drivers

ever. Mansell was a driven man and it showed. His take-no-

prisoners philosophy was elemental: drive as hard as you can all

the time.  

No driver tried harder or pushed himself further in pursuit of

the extremes to which only the greatest drivers go than Ayrton

Senna, whose constant search to extend his personal limits, to go

faster than himself, let alone his rivals, were there for all to

see. The spectre of Senna's yellow helmet looming up their

mirrors was often enough to persuade his more submissive peers to

immediately get out of his way. 

It's much harder to see today's fighting spirits, but a shortlist

of those with real racer inclinations reminiscent of past masters

would likely only comprise about a third of the current grid. 

Spot The Fighting Spirits (grandprixphoto)

o