Underneath It All 12/03/2008 Here's a news item that seems to have slipped by most sites: Coulthard buys Aussie undies for F1 season. Now, I can understand why the F1 greats chose to pass over such an apparently frivolous snippet but I let it through to Formula1Sport for two reasons.Firstly and most obviously, it's amusing. Underpants are rarely mentioned in the context of F1 but they are guaranteed to raise a laugh. Also, in the dim recesses of my memory there are vague hints that there may have been a driver who always wore the same pair of underpants when racing - a lucky charm. I may be confusing this with Senna's belief that he should always wear a particular nomex suit for luck, but my excuse is that I am old and my memory is not as well organized as it used to be.Beyond the matter of comedic relief, however, the item raises questions of sponsorship. Is it possible that David has managed to acquire backing from Underdaks and that he is required to announce his preference when interviewed in Australia? Reading his quoted remarks again, I am struck by how much they resemble an endorsemet for the amazing "holeproof" product.I have not noticed any tiny Underdak tags stitched to his race suit, however. It is entirely possible that David is genuinely so impressed with the underpants that he felt a gratuitous mention worthwhile. And I have no doubt that Underdak will experience a sudden surge in sales figures in the days to come. After all, if they work for a race driver in the extreme conditions in which he plies his trade, they must be more than adequate to the task of cuddling the nether regions of the likes of thee and me.The whole story illustrates how careful any public figure has to be nowadays. Imagine if David were sponsored by Jockey and then inadvertently mentioned his Underdak preference in an unguarded moment; the response of the sponsor would be justifiably incensed, perhaps even amounting to withdrawal of support. In a small team that could mean the difference between survival and demise - and the driver could find himself in the unemployment line very quickly.It is no wonder that quite often in after-GP interviews, drivers are seen to be about to remove their caps, only to change their minds as they remember the terms of their advertising contract. The cap must be worn even if you're sweating like a pig underneath it.There has been some complaint lately in the F1 blogosphere that drivers lack character these days. We all know and understand the corporate demands they have to obey in the modern world but there is more, much more, it seems. Every advertiser wants his piece of flesh and, presuming that David was not inserting a required plug into his comments, it is refreshing to see him so relaxed as to discuss the important matter of underwear. Good on yer, DC!Now, where can I get some of these remarkable underpants...?
Clive
Don Speekingleesh DC was the one with the lucky red undies as far as I can remember. Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive Ah, interesting - I was pretty sure I'd read about that somewhere, just couldn't remember the details. Thanks, Don.And now we know that Underdaks can be obtained in red! Date Added: 12/03/2008
Mad Do the lines of light coming from his bum have anything to do with these miraculous undies? :p Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive Knowing the Aussies, Mad, I'm quite certain that's the whole idea! :D Date Added: 12/03/2008
Craig Yep it was DC who had the lucky pants, this from The Observer in 2003 :Last time a journalist asked you about your lucky pants? Pretty recently. However, I can officially confirm that the lucky pants have been retired for some time now.I'm pretty sure I've heard him talk about Underdaks before - maybe around this time last year as he says he buys 40 pairs every time he goes to Australia! Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive Which makes it sound as though he really has done a sponsorship deal. How disappointing. But thanks for the info, Craig - there is obviously a lot more to this than meets the eye! ;) Date Added: 12/03/2008
Ollie Didn't Massa have a lucky pair that he wore during the 2006 Brazilian race? I'm sure he let some like that slip during an interview. I'll have a dig around... Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive I think you're right, Ollie - but knowing my memory, don't count on it. At this rate, we'll discover that all the drivers have an underwear fetish of one sort or another... ;) Date Added: 12/03/2008
Arnet I hardly think a man of Coulthard's means needs to mention his unmentionables in public for a paycheque. Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive They say that Bernie chases every penny, Arnet - and look how rich he is. Advertising income is a major contributor to the drivers' incomes and it's entirely possible that DC is not above topping up the monthly earnings with a check from Underdak. He has never been amongst the top earners in the sport and he has his retirement to think of, too... ;) Date Added: 12/03/2008
Arnet Well, he is Scottish......... Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive Good point - hadn't thought of that... :D Date Added: 12/03/2008
Steven Roy There have been a whole string of drivers who have claimed to have worn lucky underpants. DC 'retired' his after he had an accident that somehow resulted in them becoming exposed in his mother's presence. I don't know if this was at the trackside or in the medical centre. He had been wearing them for many years and apparently there was not a great deal of material left resulting in him exposing more that his underpants. Date Added: 12/03/2008
Clive Which explains why DC now insists upon the the underdaks - they're "holeproof"! Let's face it, we're definitely getting to the bottom (pun intended) of this whole business! Date Added: 12/03/2008
Fractal Is the Observer to be considered a 'quality' newspaper if it has to resort to reporting on DC's undies?I have no doubt that. rather like 'the man in the street' who may have a St Christopher medallion in his/her car or perhaps someone who crosses themselves when a hearse passes, DC is a man of habit and perhaps a few superstitions of his own. Bless him.It is no great surprise that he should mention his preferred choice of apparel. It is after all a matter that we all concern ourselves with. Do we have clean undies in case we are knocked down by an errant motorist? With the new rules in F1 it will only be a matter of time before someone (pick the driver of your choice) fails to nail the corner and perhaps the buttocks will clench a little to late for them and they are carted off to see the Medics. The shame of being seen in anything other than a Designer outfit! Oh my, I shudder to think of the outcome. Soiled daks? phew! Bet THAT wouldn't get a mention!Traction control could take on a whole new meaning.Anyway, all that aside - I simply want to say that I have been reading during the 'quiet' season and will continue to do so during the upcoming REAL season. I will read and I will watch with interest as all you delightful pundits and fans have their pet theory proved or maligned. I have delved into the new postings on the 'new' site and am delighted to report that all is well. I am forever a fan of F1 and of these informative blogs.As for the coming season - well I hope that the youngster does well. That he can drive is not in question. But, Kimi is so cool and he is driving the red car so that is always a plus. So he cannot be ruled out by any means.Did you notice how I skirted around all the others?I hope that all political (ie, Max shuts up and Bernie spends money on frivolous things to keep him occupied) shenannigins take a back seat to the driving that we all wish to see.I saw a 'Preview' of the season on ITV the other day. I was apalled to see a young woman interviewer spending time with Ferrari as they spent a winter break away from it all. She; 'goshed' and 'awed' her way through the piece. She sat beside Kimi as he rode up the Ski-slope and gushed with excitement when he said he wasn't a skier... the first name of this hapless 'reporter was lost to me but I did notice the surname - Ecclestone.Lets hope for a wonderful season. Keep up the writing (like I need to mention!)Fractal Date Added: 13/03/2008
Clive "Traction control could take on a whole new meaning." I roared with laughter at this one - very apt indeed, Fractal!Thank you for the kind comments. It is a pleasure to write for such a discerning readership and I know my fellow contributors at F1-Pitlane feel the same way. And the new season is but a couple of days away - let battle commence!Oh, and that Ecclestone lady - could that have been Bernie's daughter, Tamara? Date Added: 13/03/2008
Journeyer Yup, that was Tamara, all right. I think that was for the show she and her sister were trying to pitch to ITV. I don't know if they picked the show up, though.I remember watching that video back in January (because the interview was at the Marlboro winter break at Madonna di Campiglio). Michael was amused throughout the interview, to say the least. Date Added: 13/03/2008
Björn Svensson A little of this, and a little of that.I don't know if it is a low in the stream of good news, or that you just wanted to have some easy gossip to be able to relax for a while, but i can say that though it's amusing to read about how well informed you people are about the drivers underware, i can't say i find this kind of news really amusing.Could it be that this new site you're on, are taking a little to much of your time and energy to let you write those quality-posts you have written up to now? Any way, to be honest i really did not appreciate it, it is much more fun and informative to read the blogs from their original site's.To have a kind of "gathering", where many of bloggers write about something more an maybe not as interesting as their main subject for the day, sounds to me as a bad idea.I think were better of visiting your collection of links, and surfing to the sites and read the news where they are written from the beginning.What i would find quite scary though, would be if any driver was to have such accident as to that their butt were to be exposed, i'm quite sure there would not be much driver left but his butt, considering how well protected and strapped in they are these days.Then, i think we all have to congratulate Fractal on leaving the longest reply ever written on this subject. At least until i sat my mind on to giving a comment on just about everything i read here.Anyway, just to ad to what Fractal said. I might not be as a frequent commenter as Arnet or Steven Roy, but i'm always reading what you and the others write. Mostly i read it on my cellphone, and that's why i can't comment. Your page is not compatible with my phone.And rest asured that i will stay on for as long as you keep writing. It is really a good way to get informed about the more delicate questions in F1. Date Added: 13/03/2008
Björn Svensson I am truly sorry for the awful spelling in my recent reply. I truly regret not reading through it before hitting the button. That will not happen again. Date Added: 13/03/2008
Clive The post is really in fun, Björn - a bit of light relief at the end of a long off season. I know DC's underwear really isn't all that important, except to David himself, of course. ;)As for F1-Pitlane, it doesn't actually take that much time and energy from the individual writers. As I explained in an article on F1P, I find it needs rather different articles from F1 Insight's and a change is as good as a rest. It won't detract from what I write here, I promise.Ultimately, it is hoped that F1P will be a one-stop resource for those who want their information without having to go to several sites. The writers' personal sites are aimed at readers who have rather more time to browse and comment, I think.Thanks for the loyalty and kind comments, by the way, and don't worry about the occasional typo or spelling mistake. It's only with myself that I require perfection on that score. ;) Date Added: 13/03/2008
Kathryn S Oh dear, I almost hurt myself laughing about the possibility of Jockey's "withdrawal of support." I frequently wear "Jockey for Her" and would be most distressed if they withdrew their support of me.I am a huge fan of this blog and have been lurking for quite some time. I had hoped that my initial would be an incredibly insightful post, rather than a comment on undergarments...but this was just too good to pass up. Date Added: 13/03/2008
Clive Thank you, Kathryn, and I see you have a discerning eye - not many noticed the sly double entendre hidden in the Jockey paragraph, I think. ;)It's great that you have been persuaded into the world of commenting, too. Welcome! Date Added: 13/03/2008
verasaki thanks for keeping the off season entertaining-and imformative. maybe now the 08 season is here you could make thursday the day you do the lighter hearted posts. i'd hate to see them go away. i've a feeling this may be a brutal season. hopefully in a good way. Date Added: 14/03/2008
Clive Interesting thought, Vera - I'll give it some thought. The main problem is that this kind of story doesn't turn up to order - and generally I need something with a twist in it to do the lighter posts. I suppose I could save them up for Thursdays, however... Date Added: 14/03/2008
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