A Formula One dream team

My dream Formula One team

When I think about my dream Formula One team, the first combination which pops in my mind without getting second thoughts is Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Until FIA comes up with a rule which says the race should be without any team strategy—the team cannot be partial to a driver – this combination will remain just a fairytale team. Both the racers have the same goal, that is to win. They are not among the drivers who will ever agree to compromise on their wins. They are here to race, to win and make their country proud. Whereever the race is, you get to see hundreds of German and Spanish flags waving around the circuit.

Take the example of Felipe Massa and Alonso – there are many occasions when Massa sacrificed his position for Alonso’s win. On the other hand, Mark Webber and Vettel have no such understanding, which is commendable. In this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, Vettel ignored the team orders of staying behind Webber and finishing second. This showed his fighting spirit— according to me, he did not commit any mistake by ignoring the orders. That is why he has reached the heights at such a young age.

My choice of driver’s combination

I would then settle with Vettel and Michael Schumacher. There is a great bonding between these Germans which is important for having a good atmosphere in a team. In present teams, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg share a good relationship since they are childhood friends. There were many occasions when Hamilton revealed after the race that Rosberg was a better driver in that particular race; which is hardly seen in any other team. The factor of sharing a good relation with your teammate, which plays an important role in the success of a team, can be fulfilled by Vettel and Schumacher.

Test Driver – Sebastien Buemi

My choice for the test driver would definitely be Sebastien Buemi, former Toro Rosso’s driver and present test driver for Red Bull and Toro Rosso. His presence in Toro Rosso, which happens to be Red Bull’s sister-team, itself indicates his abilities. He had decent junior championships like the 2004 German Formula BMW championship where he finished third and that was won by Sebastian Vettel.

In 2005, Buemi was beaten by Nico Hulkenberg, just by five points. From Toro Rosso, first Vettel and now Daniel Ricciardo have been chosen by Red Bull. So it’s just hard luck that Buemi hasn’t got a chance to drive for Red Bull. Moreover, he is just 25, so he has a lot of time left to learn and improve, provided he gets the opportunities to prove himself.

My dream team’s principal

Ron Dennis would obviously be my first choice for my dream F1 team’s principal. He joined McLaren in 1980 when the team was in a bad phase. Within four years, along with the car engineer John Barnard, he made them the front-runners. In the 1984 season, the title winner and the runner up—Niki Lauda and Alain Prost respectively, were both McLarens.

The combination of principal-engineer matters a lot. When you look at the recent years of formula one, this fantastic combination has been repeated in the form of Christan Horner and Adrian Newey. They have won three Constructors Championships in a row from 2010-12, but are still one behind Dennis-Barnard who won four in a row, from 1988-91. Red Bull has the advantage of 103 points over Ferrari who is second in the race of this year’s Constructor’s Championship.

Will we ever get to watch Vettel and Alonso wearing the same jersey? Can Horner and Newey break Barnard-Dennis’s record of Constructor’s Championships? What’s in store for Buemi in future? Formula One keeps on getting more and more interesting as the days pass.