Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Frankly Frankl - it will be a cracking season! - Frankly Frankl-life, luck, love and automobiles



Like most of you I am counting the days to 2019’s first race in Melbourne. Lots of new cars, lots of new faces. Some of them will look like schoolboys and let’s face it that is what they were until recently . Amazing, especially if you  realize that Louis Chiron started the Monaco GP in 1955 when he was nearly 56 years old!
Yes folks, times have changed . These days these kids are more or less bred for racing. Go-karts, simulators, video games. By the time they get to Melbourne they will know all the corners by heart. In the not so olden days Jim Clark or Graham Hill would walk the circuit . They would also drive stick shifts instead of pulling leavers. The steering wheel was just that and not a myriad of buttons and switches.

Still, even though the engines don’t sound like the V12s, V10s or V8s when the lights go out in a few weeks time it will still be fast and furious.

The new owners are having a real go. In Bernie’s days everything was very strictly controlled, the paddock had massive minders whose vocabulary consisted of one word: NO!

Now the whole ambiance is far more relaxed, a welcome change. I think Liberty Media were hoping to move faster with at least 25 races in 2019 but they’ve discovered that the teams, essentially the circus was not prepared to move so fast. I can understand it. If you watch the physical work as well as the huge concentration during the race you can understand it. One tiny mistake-and there have been several-can lose your driver the race. One slow tire change and there goes the victory to someone else. And when it is over the mechanics have to pack absolutely everything in record time. Yes, the boxes are precisely labeled but someone still has to dismantle everything and get all the equipment on the way to the next race, sometimes a few days away. The so-called double headers are an absolute nightmare. Mexican GP on October 27 and the US GP is just one week later in Austin.

So if your driver has a big crash-think Alonso in Spa, the car has to be  for rebuilt for Monza which  is the following weekend.   

So full credit to all the teams for getting it right every single time in 2018. Well done to Liberty for starting the races 10 minutes after the hour, they guessed, correctly that TVs-like mine- have to be warmed up from their slumber.

There is a very sad anniversary coming up in a few days-Michael Schumacher’s awful skiing accident in Meribel. I’ve skied there many times and so have tens of thousands of people, it is not a difficult piste. Michael was an excellent skier and the fittest sportsman I’ve ever met. A truly million to one accident which essentially robbed us of a great driver, father and philanthropist who gave millions to charity anonymously. If my good friend Jon McEvoy’s recent article is correct Michael was actually watching a race  on television with his mentor and FIA President Jean Todt. I just hope he will be well enough to  enjoy seeing  his son Mick on the F1 grid in 2020.
Now on to domestic matters. Some of you may know that a few weeks ago I became a grandfather for the very first time. The enclosed picture says it all.





I saw the family in Florida where I also had a chance to catch up with David Hobbs. Known him for a long time, his book-co-written by my very old mate Andrew Marriott is excellent.



My revised and updated book-Frankly Frankl- life, love, luck and automobiles is selling well. FORZA subscribers have been kind enough to buy it and with the 55 dollars all sent notes, observations, anecdotes. The print run is limited-499 copies just like Ferraris used to be until recently. The talk and book signing in Miami was a big success as was Doug Dolton’s local auto emporium full of fascinating cars. And- you will like this-I sold 20 copies at Rustic Bakery one Saturday afternoon. Great crowd, a 488, an F12-the locals loved it!





`If you would like a copy please send me an e mail to andrewfrankl@me.com .

So until March happy motoring.
All the best for the holidays from
FORZA’s GP editor
Andrew Frankl