In Haas F1, two young riders are debuted this year, who will have to learn literally on the go, although in the formula 2 Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepine showed speed, will to victory and other necessary qualities.
What is the situation in which the American team turned out to be compared with what happened in the 90s with the Jordan team, because inexperienced, but promising pilots often performed. Former technical director of Jordan Gary Anderson recalls those glorious years on the pages of The Race.
In my time in Formula 1, I always liked to work with inexperienced, but targeted riders who had something to prove. I was lucky in Jordan, I dealt with several such pilots, and I would allocate the duet of Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Iquine, which was at the end of the 1993 season.
When Eddie Irvine joined Jordan in front of the Japan Grand Prix 1993, our team experienced a strange period. The debut season with the car 191 was excellent, but the next, when we used Yamaha engines that stood on Jordan 192 was unsuccessful, and in the fall of the 93rd we still tried to return to the previous level.
Rubens performed with us from the beginning of that season, and he had to be difficult, how many partners changed all the time. Ivan Capelli, Thieri Busien, Marco Apache, Emanuel Haspatti - I did not talk about any stability.
When Eddie joined us, the experience of performances in the racing of the Japanese National Formula Nippon series, and in Suzuk, he finished the sixth behind Rubens - exactly then, returning to one circle with the leader, Ayrton Sennoy, he overtook him. This is a famous story.
Eddie had a difficult character, and Rubens with him had to be difficult, but as a real professional he was revealed and normally fulfilled his tasks.
Until 1994, they did not manage to work normally. In the Interlace, Eddie occurred an incident, because of which he was disqualified for one race, and then, when we tried to appeal, but unsuccessfully, the disqualification period was increased to three races. Then Rubens got into an accident in the immolo, and then the death of Senna put the strongest imprint for the entire season.
At the Grand Prix of the Hungary of 1994, Eddie and Rubens ran into the highway, after which I gathered them together and politely asked to understand myself. As it was possible to expect, this did not happen, but a positive moment was that both 100% were laid out on the track. Even experienced and more good riders do not always do it.
I liked to work with young guys, because they are more sincere and open people. In 1994, I performed the duties of Racely Engineer Rubens, and we were fine. He always agreed with my suggestions when we discussed the settings of the machine.
Eddie rather was a representative of the old school, it is in its traditions when the leading role belongs to the rider, and not an engineer. Interestingly, his engineer was then Andy Green - now he is a technical director of Aston Martin. And at that time I often watched Andy sits, clutching the head, because he preferred a scientific approach to setting up the car, but he knew that Irvine would like to do everything in his own way!
At the same time, Rubens and Eddie knew how to squeeze everything from the car, and the engineers do not need anything else.
A difficult period began at Barrichello, when he had suspicions that we were all on the side of Iquine. The owner of the team of Eddie Jordan - Irishman, like Irvine, besides, Eddie had a friendly relationship with Jan Phillips, the commercial director of the team, and Rubens seemed to remain in the minority. He began to lose the former purposefulness, although there were no reasons for this.
Once I took it to the side and diplomatically explained that it was time to grow up and make decisions on my own. I remember, I told him: "There are so many people around you who ordered flights, book hotels, rent cars for you and even put your alarm clock at the right time. How can you decide yourself at the same time, at what moment to slow down in front of the first chic in Monza, if you don't accept any decisions in everyday life? "
Rubens listened to my words, and in the future his surroundings, accompanying the Brazilian in the days of racing, was much smaller.
But in general, Barrichello and Irvine constituted a good duet, in 1994 and 1995. We have repeatedly achieved good results. Much says the fact that both then won the race, speaking for Ferrari.
Source: Formula 1 on F1news.ru