Testgate: The new “Spygate” of Formula One

If the perpetual discussions on the secret tyre test between Pirelli and Mercedes make you want to blow your head off, rest assured you are not the only one. It seems that the so-called sporting experts and reporters have no other sports to cover and nothing else in F1 to talk about. It’s just a tyre, for God’s sake! Well, it might be true. And I may come across as a hypocrite for embarking on writing the present treatise after this last observation of mine, but the fact is that it has been quite some time that such an event has rocked F1. The “spygate” scandal happened way back in 2007, and it was high time we had a fresh scandal to spice things up. After all, what’s a sport without a couple of scandals to rock it from time to time?

So, without testing your patience and wasting more keystrokes, let’s come directly to the crux of the matter. If you know a hoot about F1, you will be aware that the FIA International Tribunal is going to inquire into the testgate scandal involving Pirelli and Mercedes this month. The tribunal has supreme authority when it comes to meting out punishment in the matter, which may range from a simple fine to a loss of points for Mercedes up to an outright ban for the team as well as possible loss of contract for Pirelli. The decision of the tribunal will rest on two vital points. First and foremost, whether the secret test was indeed deliberate or a comedy of Shakespearean proportions. And equally important, did Mercedes gain any undue advantage due to the tests? Let’s examine these facets one by one.

1. Was the entire test incident deliberate?

We can’t exactly get into the minds of the Pirelli and the Mercedes management but from what has come into the news until now, it seems almost certain that the entire issue surrounding the tyre test was anything but a gaffe. Why? Well, here are some reasons to start you on.

i. FIA rules are known to all

Mercedes had been a part of F1 in different capacities since as long as you can remember. Pirelli too has been the tyre supplier for F1 since 2011. So they can’t get away with it all with the excuse that in the least, it was ignorance and at most, it was just a faux pas. Even the leaked letter to the teams clearly stated the rules regarding in-season testing.

ii. Initial evasion of issue by Pirelli

Pirelli director Paul Hembrey tried to evade questions on the testgate scandal initially and later on even tried to undermine the matter. To make matters worse, contradictions were found between Pirelli’s claims that all teams were invited to the tests, and the teams’ outright denial of it.

iii. The use of black helmets

If the parties didn’t have any ulterior motive, why then did the Mercedes drivers wear black helmets instead of their usual yellow ones? Their claim that it was just to ward off star-eyed spectators seems ludicrous.

Now to further establish that the incident was indeed deliberate, the next question that arises is – what would be the pros and cons of such a secret test?

Cons

a. Test-agreement already in place

According to Pirelli’s contract with FIA, it can conduct 1000 km of test with each team. If that is the case, why on earth would it go for a clandestine test with Mercedes?

b. Revelation was just a matter of time

Could the Pirelli and Mercedes bosses be so stupid as to surmise that the issue was never going to be known to the world? In the cut-throat competition of F1, the teams are forever at each other’s necks and the scandal had to come out into the open sooner or later.

Pros

a. Quick-fix solution

After all the flak it was facing, and in fact still is, Pirelli was looking for some fast changes to the tyres at least by the June 30 British Grand Prix. If it had to go by the sporting regulations, it would first have to notify each and every team about the test and obtain their unanimous agreement before embarking on the test. Needless to say, it wouldn’t have happened in a jiffy.

b. Similar demands by other teams

After all the brouhaha over the supposedly competitive advantage obtained by Mercedes as a result of the 3-day test, it seems highly unlikely that the other teams would like to be left behind. And apart from the time factor, conducting tests with, say, Red-Bull after all the racket it was causing regarding “real” racing and stuff would mean that Pirelli could no longer live in denial of the fact that they had screwed up and it would seem like a step to appease the high and the mighty.

2. Did Mercedes gain any undue advantage?

Coming to the second issue, did the clandestine tyre test help Mercedes in any way? There are two sides to this coin as well. Let’s view them one by one.

Yes

a. Testing always helps

Just as Sebastian Vettel opined, each test kilometre is an advantage, and if we agree with him, the Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton had a huge advantage over their rivals going into the Monaco Grand Prix, which Rosberg curiously won.

b. 2013 car and drivers used

Ferrari too had conducted a similar test in April but had cleverly or conscientiously used its 2011 car and their development driver Pedro de la Rosa. Using the same car and drivers from the present season would obviously provide Mercedes an advantage.

No

a. Race results

Firstly, if the Mercedes drivers were indeed in an advantageous position due to the tyre test, what happened to that advantage in the Canadian Grand Prix where Rosberg and Hamilton finished 5^th and 3^rd respectively? Secondly, while Hamilton has been consistently coming 3^rd to 5^th in all races except the Spanish Grand Prix, Rosberg was already on an upward spiral as his finishes from the Chinese Grand Prix up to the Monaco Grand Prix will show.

b. Blind test

If the claims of Pirelli and Mercedes are true, then the entire test was conducted by the Pirelli engineers and no data was transferred between the two parties, bringing to an end any reservations about unfair advantage to Mercedes.

As is apparent from our discussion so far, the testgate incident is anything but simple as there are a lot many dimensions to it. But ending on the same note as we started this little treatise, it is after all a sport and by the time you have read this, a couple of thousands children would have been born and an equal number of people would have left this planet for their heavenly abode. The world is anything but a game after all. So go to bed and get some sleep and hopefully by the time you open your eyes again, some of my more revered compatriots would have written some even more fascinating articles on the issue. Trust me, your ordeal is anything but over.