iSport | For the Fans, by the Fans

We’re close to mid-way in the 2009 season and the on-track action has been exciting to say the least…well of course you really need to be a Brawn fan to agree with that!! But if you are, how many of you exist?

Pardon my arrogance, but this clearly is what seems to be the question of many. They say that Brawn GP is heading the Ferrari way. Reminiscence to the Italian teams domination of 2002, where the Scuderia not only won the Driver and Constructors crown but also created the record of winning the maximum races in a season.

Also I must add that it was not just the team – but their German driver Michael Schumacher too went on to clock the highest number of wins that season. This has prompted a few to even draw parallels between the 7 time World Champion and Brawn GP winner Jenson Button – but that ‘few’ only includes Brawn GP boss Ross Brawn till date!

I will stay away from opening the statistics book and just state the obvious – 2002 was also one of the most boring seasons that F1 witnessed. One team and one driver dominated proceedings – occasionally the team’s number 2 driver won a race or two. That the number 2 driver in 2002 was Rubens Barrichello is only a co-incidence!

In 2002, while many complained of boredom and kept away from the sport, there was also a faction [and a majority at that] who just simply loved to see Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari win everything that year. They just simply loved the fact that their Scarlet cars were unbeatable all year long. All the other teams including the Mclarens used Ferrari and their performance as a benchmark all season. But that was Ferrari…

2009, Brawns have emulated their success on track and how. Ross Brawn who was the architect of Ferrari’s 2002 season has managed to repeat the same with his 5 month old team. Jenson Button has won all but one race this season – and has rarely been challenged for any of his wins! Rubens too has shown pace, but as always the bad luck of the team has hit him more than his Brit team-mate. And this is Brawn…

While the entire motorsport fraternity including the fans were happy to see the Brawns make it to the grid last minute in Melbourne, they were also happy to see them claim the chequered flag. It was a perfect rag-to-riches story in the multi-million dollar world of Formula1. The Brawns have continued their wining streak ever since, which is great for the once struggling Honda team, but their over-dominance now has lead to – boredom!

Formula1 has once again become predictable. Jenson on front row – Jenson on the top step. While it does take a lot for the team and the driver to keep doing it race after race – over dominance will lead to a drastic fall in the viewership figures. We have already had Ringmaster Bernie express caution.

While the 2002 dominance was ‘justified’ enough – why not the 2009 one? Unfortunately for Brawns, they don’t have a following yet! Ross has been a great contributor to modern day Formula1, but his work has mostly been behind-the-scenes. Jenson on the other hand, had a fantastic debut with Williams before disastrous seasons with Renault and Honda. He’s been around long enough and has failed time and again to have ‘lost’ his fan following. He’s a hit with the ladies – but that unfortunately doesn’t add up as ‘fan base’.

An underdog status is what they started off with and their performances have elevated them to ‘favourites’ for the season – but their success has come in such a short span that they have barely attracted any fan following. The fans are still in the Ferrari, Mclaren and the other camps hoping and expecting that their teams will bounce back and claim some glory this season.

So while the others wait for their teams to be back in form – the Brawns will surely have sealed all possible championships in 2009. Lets hope that they do build a fan following en route and more so that there is ‘some’ challenge from the other teams too!!