tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9284635.post4546907381326803395..comments2023-10-19T10:21:32.190-05:00Comments on In Other Words: Top Gear remembers Ayrton SennaPaul Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00974655628067266530noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9284635.post-67839871430931757102014-03-21T20:53:25.818-05:002014-03-21T20:53:25.818-05:0065 poles . . . all with the single hour-long forma...65 poles . . . all with the single hour-long format involved. None of the single-car or knockout formats we now see in F1 where you need to be P1 just at the last session.<br /><br />Would a team owner want that Ayrton-style aggression in a driver today? INDYCAR drivers, because of what they've learned on the superspeedways (Pocono, Indianapolis, Texas, and Fontana), and the engine rules, are more prone to give and take, prefer to keep the car in one piece to avoid the 10-point penalty for an engine change caused by an engine damaged in a crash. <br /><br />F1 and to an extent, GP2 drivers are the only ones that seem to say "let's race hard, let's not care about keeping the car in one piece". Checkers or Wreckers.<br /><br />The typical Saturday night racer (where NASCAR develops) and even club racer you see in sportscars are more likely to say, "No, I'll just keep my car in one piece, I have to pay the bills when I crash, I have to repair my own car. I can't afford it, so we'll give now, but I'd rather have a car that can last a season without serious repairs." (When Dale Earnhardt Jr came up the ranks, he had to do everything himself.<br /><br />A driver such as Ayrton would NEVER be allowed in today's motorsport with the "If you crash, you must pay for this and repair it yourself" mentality. <br /><br />Could Ayrton Senna have made it in a heats-and-feature style where you had to perform well in your qualifying race, then run the feature?Bobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02366544608847776006noreply@blogger.com