Most of the sites have carefully avoided mention of Bridgestone's "green tires" to be used during the Japanese GP in Fuji. I can understand why such an item should be lost when there are momentous things like the loss of the Canadian GP happening but, I'm sorry, I just cannot resist it. There is something so delightfully apt in the idea that I have to poke a little fun at it.
Bridgestone's green-striped tire
Of course, the tires will not be completely green; as the photo shows, just the grooves will proudly proclaim the sport's commitment to environmentalism. In fact, there is nothing green about the tires apart from the fact that they will carry a little green paint. This is F1, after all, and what matters is the appearance of being enviro-friendly, not the reality.
It is all the fault of the FIA, apparently; in June they launched a campaign called Make Cars Green, a catchy title if ever there were one. And the idea is that F1 will lecture the rest of the world on motoring with as little impact on the environment as possible. This, from the governing body that has frozen their gas-guzzling engines for five years, thereby preventing the introduction of alternative fuels long enough for the sport to be even further behind road cars than it already is.
It is appearance that matters. At least Honda's vile color scheme can be vaguely justified by the fact that the parent company sell the occasional hybrid; F1 does nothing comparable, the much-vaunted KERS being intended as a way to give extra power rather than lessen the need for fuel to be burned. If the governing body were seriously interested in environmental measures, it would be looking at the use of alternative fuels, rather than seeking ways to make the internal combustion engine last a little longer.
Who does the FIA think it is fooling anyway? The public has been battered by propaganda regarding the use of fossil fuels for decades and the car companies have been working on solutions for just as long - since when does anyone need F1 to masquerade as the trend setter in this particular arena? All this hype merely serves to bring the energy wastage of the sport under closer scrutiny, encouraging the public to see it as a main offender against the environment.
And what does the FIA's campaign offer in the great environmental war? Well, guess what, dear motorist, it seems that it was your fault all along and the FIA has a list of ten pointers to help you mend your ways. No matter that they are the same old hackneyed points made for years and obvious to anyone who wants to save on a bit of gas - this is the FIA talking and so these must be the very latest thing.
It is the first point that gives the lie to all this posturing: Buy Green. That means that it must already be possible to buy cars that are greener than most (and we all know about the various manufacturers' offerings); so how can F1 claim to be leading road technology in all this? If we were to follow the sport's example, we would be demanding big V8 engines that consume gasoline as though there were no tomorrow.
I could go on and on about the hypocrisy at the heart of the campaign but my readers know my views on the matter only too well. Let me just mention the awful color clashes we will see in Fuji when the tires are fitted. And that will be appropriate too, given the way F1 seems determined to turn itself into a traveling circus. Welcome to F1, the sport that makes you laugh one minute and cry the next.
But, whatever you do, remember to check those tire pressures...