A minor story yesterday sparked a surprising amount of comment in the forums: Michael Bartels complained that Mercedes seems to ignore German drivers when a seat at McLaren goes begging. He points to the recent choice of Kovalainen over Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil as examples, even mentioning Ralf Schumacher as a possibility, and contrasts this with BMW and the string of young Germans given a chance by the Bavarian/Swiss team.
Although the reaction from F1 watchers has been scorn at Bartels' apparently blind patriotism, we should not criticize him too strongly. The fact is that, although F1 enthusiasts tend to rise above questions of nationality when considering drivers, the press and its public are much more aware of a driver's national origins. We only have to look at the fuss in the British press over the rise of Lewis Hamilton to remind us of how nationalistic things can get in the wider world. The reporters' job is to sell newspapers and they know that their readers will lap up anything that supplies their need for a national star.
It is not a phenomenon confined to Britain; after Senna's death, Brazil was desperate for a driver to continue his domination and they turned to Barrichello as a possibility. That mantle has passed to Massa now and may well have something to do with his excellent form when racing in his own country.
Fernando Alonso seems to have created a F1 fanbase in Spain almost single-handedly, confirming that success will bring thousands of new viewers to the sport. It is nothing new that nationalism has a part to play in F1.
Bartels' comments also remind us that McLaren is regarded in Germany as the Mercedes team, thanks to their investment in the team. Remember how there was discussion in Germany early in 2007 about how the German anthem, rather than the British, should be played on occasions of McLaren victories. That seemed a strange idea to the British fans, so accustomed to seeing McLaren as essentially "their" team, but the Germans had a point; Mercedes involvement with the team is sufficient for it to be considered Anglo-German at least.
But I think Bartels is getting it wrong on two points. Most obviously, it is not Mercedes that decides on the drivers for the team; they leave that to Ron Dennis and McLaren policy has always been to select the best drivers available regardless of nationality. One could even make a decent case for the team favoring Finns over the last decade or so - hardly a nationalistic attitude from a bunch of Brits and Germans.
And that brings us to the greatest misconception revealed by Bartels' comments: the suggestion that Mercedes has a policy when it comes to drivers. Although, like many other manufacturers, it has run national youth schemes in the quest to find new drivers, if it has a policy at all in F1, it is the same as McLaren's - to hire the quickest driver it can. That is why they leave the choice to McLaren.
Nationalism is something that no team can afford in F1. Even though Vijay Mallya has made it clear that he would love to have an Indian driver in the Force India team, he also has the sense to know that it will not happen until one of his countrymen has demonstrated the talent and experience to compete with the best. All teams depend on success to ensure survival and picking a driver because he happens to speak the right language is not the way to go.
I can think of only one instance where a team was deliberately nationalistic in their choice of drivers - and that was more a case of reverse nationalism. Enzo Ferrari preferred not to hire Italian drivers for fear that they would be killed in one of his cars. There were exceptions over the years but they were few and far between.
So I think Bartels is merely using the press to gain some publicity. He must know that it's an issue that is bound to have support in Germany and, if stirring things up a bit gets his name on the front pages, no harm is done.
Although the reaction from F1 watchers has been scorn at Bartels' apparently blind patriotism, we should not criticize him too strongly. The fact is that, although F1 enthusiasts tend to rise above questions of nationality when considering drivers, the press and its public are much more aware of a driver's national origins. We only have to look at the fuss in the British press over the rise of Lewis Hamilton to remind us of how nationalistic things can get in the wider world. The reporters' job is to sell newspapers and they know that their readers will lap up anything that supplies their need for a national star.
It is not a phenomenon confined to Britain; after Senna's death, Brazil was desperate for a driver to continue his domination and they turned to Barrichello as a possibility. That mantle has passed to Massa now and may well have something to do with his excellent form when racing in his own country.
Fernando Alonso seems to have created a F1 fanbase in Spain almost single-handedly, confirming that success will bring thousands of new viewers to the sport. It is nothing new that nationalism has a part to play in F1.
Bartels' comments also remind us that McLaren is regarded in Germany as the Mercedes team, thanks to their investment in the team. Remember how there was discussion in Germany early in 2007 about how the German anthem, rather than the British, should be played on occasions of McLaren victories. That seemed a strange idea to the British fans, so accustomed to seeing McLaren as essentially "their" team, but the Germans had a point; Mercedes involvement with the team is sufficient for it to be considered Anglo-German at least.
But I think Bartels is getting it wrong on two points. Most obviously, it is not Mercedes that decides on the drivers for the team; they leave that to Ron Dennis and McLaren policy has always been to select the best drivers available regardless of nationality. One could even make a decent case for the team favoring Finns over the last decade or so - hardly a nationalistic attitude from a bunch of Brits and Germans.
And that brings us to the greatest misconception revealed by Bartels' comments: the suggestion that Mercedes has a policy when it comes to drivers. Although, like many other manufacturers, it has run national youth schemes in the quest to find new drivers, if it has a policy at all in F1, it is the same as McLaren's - to hire the quickest driver it can. That is why they leave the choice to McLaren.
Nationalism is something that no team can afford in F1. Even though Vijay Mallya has made it clear that he would love to have an Indian driver in the Force India team, he also has the sense to know that it will not happen until one of his countrymen has demonstrated the talent and experience to compete with the best. All teams depend on success to ensure survival and picking a driver because he happens to speak the right language is not the way to go.
I can think of only one instance where a team was deliberately nationalistic in their choice of drivers - and that was more a case of reverse nationalism. Enzo Ferrari preferred not to hire Italian drivers for fear that they would be killed in one of his cars. There were exceptions over the years but they were few and far between.
So I think Bartels is merely using the press to gain some publicity. He must know that it's an issue that is bound to have support in Germany and, if stirring things up a bit gets his name on the front pages, no harm is done.