Here's what I've been thinking about this week ... and I know I've covered this topic before, but fresh fodder has me scratching my head again and wondering, "How does this guy pull it off?"
I'm talking about Bernie Ecclestone, of course, the head supremo and dictator (can't call him benevolent, except perhaps to Vettel) of Formula 1.
An article popped up on Sunday on Racer's site about how F1 drivers now face a longer walk in the paddock thanks to Bernie: F1 Paddock Set for Motorhome Mix-Up. The short version: Bernie ordered team motorhomes to be arranged differently in the paddock, forcing drivers to traverse a longer distance between their team hospitality setups and garages. On one hand, I can't argue with what seems to be a means of making the drivers more accessible (though to whom? media? who else is allowed into that rarefied area?). On the other, I wondered why this is news. Though the last line of the report does hint at the reporter's own thoughts on the situation ... "forcing drivers and team personnel to walk further and face more interaction with each other and paddock members."Indeed. As they should.
But the prize of the week was the article on Jalopnik, and really, I want to make sure none of you miss it. It's The Hater's Guide to F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, and it reminds us of these gems of Bernie's:
Bernie on Danica: "You know I've got one of those wonderful ideas ... women should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances."
Bernie on Hitler: "... apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done."
Bernie's 82 and currently involved in a bribery suit that could land him in jail (it goes to trial in October). Either way he won't be around forever. I wonder the same thing the author of the article does: what will happen to F1 when he's gone?
What do you all predict?
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