Skip to main content

Time to Head off...

Image
By

Patrick Head has finally called it a day and quietly departed from the Williams F1 team to pursue his lifelong ambition of being a pole dancer.

Well, one of those facts is correct, anyway.

Head has been in F1 longer that I've been unclear as to what the hell it is I am actually doing - and believe me, that's a bloody long time indeed.

The somewhat intimidating Head was engineering Robin to Frank Williams' making-the-deals Batman, and the pair of them have racked up brilliant championships with some of the greatest names in F1, including my favourite, Damon Hill.

But the team haven't won a race since that surly chap with a penchant for swearing, wild talent AND massive recklessness (not to mention a commendable ability to annoy the hell out of Schumi), Juan Pablo Montoya, was with the team in the mid 90's. Heading for 20 years later at an alarming rate, it's clear that the once great team have lost their way, and have been quietly putting new people in place to try and recapture their glory days.

Head was the man who oversaw the early careers of most of the top engineering guys now playing leading roles in F1, and a man to strike fear into the hearts of the drivers. Getting a bollocking from Patrick must have been like being shouted at by a truck - he was pretty likely to run you over for good measure too.

That he has left when the team is at its lowest ebb is a shame. I'm sure he would love to be there when they win their next race, but retirement age is upon him, and the youngsters are needed to bring fresh thinking and a return to the days when seeing a Williams-Renault meant you were looking at the race winner before the lights had even gone out.

I hope that day comes soon. Thanks Patrick - F1 won't be the same without you. Or those shades.

(CD tonight is some OTT rock from The Darkness - Permission To Land. *Rock hand gesture and pout*)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malaysian Grand Prix - Vettel hot, but not bothered

By
Malaysia. It's always hot, and it always rains. Except the 2nd part is no longer true (unless you count the drizzly bit around lap 14). Saturday's qualifying session had highlighted the fact that Red Bull and McLaren seemed well matched on pace, but also that Ferrari were struggling. Whilst Vettel bagged another pole, followed by Hamilton, Webber and Button, Alonso was only 5th, and Massa 7th, with Nick Heidfeld an excellent 6th on the grid between the two red cars. At this point, I would like to break momentarily for a small rant: How many times do I have to say Heidfeld is good? Why wasn't he given a top drive years ago? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU BLIND!!!?? Ahem. The Hispanias somehow managed to a) turn up b) remember to bring cars c) get both of them on the track d) actually get both of them within 107%. Pretty remarkable really. Oh, and it didn't rain. Race day looked a more likely candidate for a drop of the wet stuff. The start was exciting, with...
5 comments
Read more

"It's all gone quiet..." said Roobarb

By
If, like me, you grew up (and I’m aware of the irony in that) in the ‘70s, February was a tough month, with the sad news that Richard Briers and Bob Godfrey had died. Briers had a distinguished acting career and is, quite rightly, fondly remembered most for his character in ‘The Good Life’. Amongst his many roles, both serious and comedic, he also lent his voice to a startling bit of animation that burst it’s wobbly way on to our wooden-box-surrounded screens in 1974. The 1970s seemed to be largely hued in varying shades of beige, with hints of mustard yellow and burnt orange, and colour TV was a relatively new experience still, so the animated adventures of a daft dog and caustic cat who were the shades of dayglo green and pink normally reserved for highlighter pens, must have been a bit of a shock to the eyes at the time. It caused mine to open very wide indeed. Roobarb was written by Grange Calveley, and brought vividly into life by Godfrey, whose strange, shaky-looking sty...
Post a Comment
Read more

A fisful of change at the shops

By
A recent day out reminded me how much the retail experience has altered during my lifetime – and it’s not all good. I could stop typing this, and buy a fridge, in a matter of seconds. The shops are shut and it’s 9pm, but I could still place the order and arrange delivery. I haven’t got to wander round a white-goods retail emporium trying to work out which slightly different version of something that keeps my cider cold is better. It’ll be cheaper, too. But in amongst the convenience, endless choice and bargains, we’ve lost some of the personal, human, touches that used to make a trip to the shops something more than just a daily chore. Last weekend, we visited a local coastal town. Amongst the shops selling over-priced imported home accessories (who doesn’t need another roughly-hewn wooden heart, poorly painted and a bargain at £10?) was one that looked different. It’s window allowed you to see in, rather than being plastered with stick-on graphics and special offers calling ...
2 comments
Read more