The Australian Grand Prix has ended, but the shock and controversy surrounding the event continues to dominate headlines. It seems organizers are threatening to sue over a lack of “sexiness,” as the cars simply weren’t loud enough to “shake the bones” of spectators. Second-place winner Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified, and fans are split on whether or not the disqualification was justified.
There was a lot of drama this past weekend, and we promise to cover it all in the paragraphs below.
The Formula One Cars Were Simply Too Quiet
Australian Grand Prix organizers are upset that the Formula One cars weren’t louder. Apparently, the “sexiness” of the event was significantly reduced by the quieter race.
“Previously, it shakes the bones,” said Andrew Westacott, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s chief executive. He went on to lament that he didn’t require earplugs in the pit lane. These statements were made after the race.
Westacott blames the lack of “sexiness” on contract changes. He believes that Formula One fans did not get what they paid for, as the new turbocharged V6 engines offer little in terms of ear-piercing screams, such as last year’s V8 engines gave off. This quieter spectacle has prompted rumors of an impending lawsuit, especially considering that Westacott is currently pouring over contracts and looking for breaches.
“We pay for a product, we’ve got contracts in place, we are looking at those very, very seriously because we reckon there has probably been some breaches.”
Second-Place Winner Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull is Disqualified
The disqualification of second-place driver Daniel Ricciardo caused a great deal of controversy, and was especially unfortunate for local fans.
Ricciardo would have been the first Australian driver to finish on the podium, but his second-place standing was officially revoked after stewards ruled that his car “exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow.” Red Bull has officially announced that they plan to appeal the decision.
Michael Caruso Takes Nissan Motorsport’s First Podium
It wasn’t all doom and gloom over the weekend. The Australian Grand Prix had some positive surprises, including the mid-size Nissan Altima, which raced to third-place victory during Friday’s exhibition round and landed driver Michael Caruso on the podium, for his very first podium victory. The victory took place during Friday’s exhibition round; a 10-lap race at Albert Park.
The American mid-size sedan is considered a family car, and was 2011’s second best-selling car in the United States, and it truly surprised everyone when Michael Caruso raced it to victory against what some would consider faster vehicles.
Winner Takes a Back Stage to Grand Prix’s Controversies
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took home the coveted first-place trophy and that’s no big surprise, considering how well Mercedes tested during the preseason. Unfortunately for Rosberg, his win is shadowed in the media by the above mentioned controversies. Overall, Rosberg did his best and came out the victor and that deserves just as much reporting as anything else.
