This week’s Trackside was on Nigel Mansell’s much-vaunted return to Silverstone with Grand Prix Masters. It may have been a disappointment for Mansell and fellow British driver Derek Warwick, but the ex-F1 pilots still gave us a fantastic race.
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Tags: f1 / formula one / grand prix / motor sport
Ben
20th August 2006, 8:57
Why is there always unnecessary drama with Mansell? He spends the whole GPM weekend moaning that the series needs investment, and then rips off the fans who, lets face it, only came because he was racing (I believe the pull of the Christian Danner fan club does not reach to Milton Keynes) by pulling off to sulk because he spun on the warm up lap and realised he couldn’t win. Yes its disappointing to have a bad qaulifying session and weekend strewn with mechanical failures, but that doesn’t mean that you should short change the paying specators because you don’t think you can win.
Having watched the GPM series of the TV I must say that I feel it has a long way to go before it becomes anything like a viable series. Firstly the grid has got to be bigger and with more ‘name’ drivers. The grid at Silverstone last weekend read like a Did Not Pre-Qualify list from the late-1980’s, in fact Eric Van Der Poele was rendered speechless when he realised he would be racing a single seater car on a Sunday afternoon.
The concept is first rate and with only 5 or 6 more big name drivers the series could become a major draw. Until then I find it hard to see the people of Qatar and South Africa shelling out to see Elizeo Salazar and Alex Caffi.