Shades of Depailler on the Abu Dhabi podium

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Current page

163

Current page

164

Current page

165

Current page

166

Current page

167

Current page

168

Current page

169

Current page

170

Current page

171

Current page

172

Current page

173

Current page

174

Current page

175

Current page

176

Current page

177

Current page

178

Current page

179

Current page

180

Current page

181

Current page

182

Current page

183

Current page

184

Current page

185

Current page

186

Current page

187

Current page

188

In the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leader Kimi Räikkönen’s testy response to his race engineer’s radio offer to keep him informed of the gap from his pursuers will surely pass into Formula 1 legend.

I am delighted that the Finn’s comeback victory is not, by and large, being added to the true Lotus tally accumulated between 1960 and 1987, for apart from the same lettering and the brand projection the modern Renault team based in Enstone has sweet Fanny Adams to do with Colin Chapman’s great creation. Their ‘Lotus’ Grand Prix victory should statistically stand alone.

But I could easily imagine the self-possessed Räikkönen’s testy “Leave me alone I know what I’m doing” being uttered by the equally curt and abrupt Jochen Rindt if only ship-to-shore radio had ever been in use between him, out on circuit in the Lotus 49 or 72, and either Colin or another of Team Lotus’s finest in 1969-70.

It’s always a delight to see a cool, concentrated sporting winner expose hyped-up TV excitability for being just that. I wouldn’t describe the race engineer’s well-meant offer as being due to excitability, but David Coulthard’s podium interview for global TV in Abu Dhabi certainly bordered upon it when he rashly encouraged Kimi to expound upon how “he felt” upon achieving this first Grand Prix win since he had only returned to Formula 1 at the start of the season. Fairly recently retired racing drivers really ought to know better, especially when a winner as cool as the unimpressable Finn stands before them. Kimi’s refusal to gush for the cameras, or to enthuse for poor David, was entirely predictable and the Scot’s evident discomfort I must confess was quite entertaining to watch.

In fact it reminded me very much of a genuinely quivering Jackie Stewart who really was bursting with excitement brandishing the TV microphone under Patrick Depailler’s nose immediately after the little Frenchman had won the Monaco GP for Tyrrell in 1978. Jackie was thrilled not only because it was Patrick’s maiden Grand Prix victory, but it was also the first for Tyrrell at Monaco since JYS himself had won there four years previously.

“Patrick!” Jackie bawled in such an excited Clydeside falsetto you could hear the exclamation marks: “You’ve just won the world’s most glamorous Grand Prix! Tell us how you feel! This must be the greatest day of your life!”

And dear old Depailler, at that time the consummate Mr Cool, adopted a contemplative expression before he thoughtfully replied: “Nooo I don’t think so. I ‘ave ‘ad better…”. I think he possibly mentioned the birth of his son…

Note to TV interviewers, remember the measure of your man before asking bloody silly cliché questions. And let’s hear it again for Kimi Räikkönen, a grown man’s racer.