I am about to depart from a misty Paris, bound for Atlanta and then on to Austin. Some people may think this is a bit late in the day to be going, but I’ll be there on Thursday evening, so it is not very different from European races. With a 20-race calendar every day at home counts and I will discover Austin after the race, as we have to sit around in the city for a couple of days before bouncing down to Brazil on Wednesday afternoon. I dare say that they will be a fair bit of hoop-la going on in the next couple of days and I can happily live without that. It is good to be in the final straight now and I am curious to see whether Sebastian Vettel can wrap up his third consecutive title this weekend, or whether Red Bull racing will fall over themselves again and set up a showdown in Brazil. That would be nice, but the Red Bull has been so much better than the Ferrari this year that it is hard to imagine Alonso being able to take the fight to Vettel. And one cannot count out the likes of McLaren and Lotus getting mixed up in the showdown to make life more difficult for the two challengers. There are plenty of other things to watch out for further down the order as well, so it is bound to be a pretty interesting weekend.
The sad news today is that my mate Gary Hartstein has not had his contract renewed by the FIA for next year. This is a little odd, but I guess it is part of the Frenchification of the FIA that has been going on quietly since Jean Todt took over. One hopes that whoever replaces Gary will be amenable and bilingual and will create the kind of respect that Sid Watkins and Gary have had over the years. Drivers do not want some anonymous doctor at their side after a big crash. They want the reassurance of someone they know and like. Gary has always been one of the good guys and has helped most of the F1 circus over the years as the F1 “village” doctor. He very kindly helped me to get access to a top specialist when I had a back problem a few years ago. Above all, however, I shall miss our paddock chats each weekend because, like most doctors, Gary cut through the bull and spoke a lot of sense.
For many years Gary was the “token” American in F1, which was odd considering that he was based in Belgium, where he was a key player in the A&E department of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) in Liège.
Sorry to hear about Gary. That’s a loss for all. Austin is a very music orientated city. As you’re hanging out after the race, you may want to check out some music. The best known is Antones http://www.antones.net/ but music is everywhere there!
Safe travels Joe – If you have any time during your stop in Atlanta drop me an email and I’ll send you my cell number. Would love a chance to chat with you for a few minutes. I am disappointed that I am unable to go to Austin and will have to watch from home.
As always, best wishes…
Of course, to win on Sunday, Seb V needs to qualify 21st
Yes, I thought it was strange to read that he had been ‘dropped’ by the FIA. As you say, let’s hope that the replacement can garner the same respect and affection as Gary and Sid before him. Though I can imagine this is something that the FIA could easily cock up!
Very sad news about Dr. Hartstein.
But hey, he’s only been in the medical car for 15 years — what can he have learned, what relationships can he have developed, in that short a time? And of course motor-racing injuries are just like any other sports injury — a spring to the helmet at 175 mph is basically the same thing as a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Surely it was an easy decision for the FIA to replace him with someone more politically acceptable who doesn’t know one end of a racing car from the other.
Joe, a couple of places you may want to try while in town are Hut’s Hamburgers and Vespaio. Hut’s has incredible burgers and is an Austin institution. Vespaio on South Congress has excellent Italian food, a quality establishment. Enjoy your stay in Austin, one of the best cities in the U.S. It will be a huge improvement over Indianapolis!
Having now read his tweet, the manner of his departure seems distinctly cold and ungrateful on the part of the FIA. Has he done an Adam Parr?
Has any of the sponsorship speculation come to fruition? I figured if there is an American company joining the circus in a sponsor capacity, now would be the time to announce it!
This is very sad news indeed. Gary is a wonderful doctor, a great guy and is much loved by everyone in Formula One. Maybe the FIA could be persuaded to think again, the drivers know him and trust him. Maybe Mark and Fernando could speak to the right person on behalf of all the drivers. Worth a try.
See u in austin
I really don’t understand why Gary Hartstein has been ditched. I would have thought that it made sense to keep the line of succession from Sid Watkins. I see no logic in breaking that line. If Gary Hartstein was good enough for Sid Watkins he should be good enough for anyone.
Makes you wonder if Gary only lasted as long as he did because he was Sid’s protegé. They probably thought ‘no Sid, no story’.
Cold, but very ‘business-like’. He’ll probably be replaced with cheaper-to-employ circuit (or continent) specific doctors.
No consistency.
“…like most doctors, Gary cut through the bull and spoke a lot of sense.”
And I think that’s one of the things I like best about you Joe. You have a wonderful talent for bringing some good old fashioned common sense to the insane world that is Formula One. Thank you!
Has dear Mole gone back into hiding again?
Will Prof. Gerard Saillant take over ? One of the world’s top orthopedic surgeons – Pironi, Schumi, Ronaldo, etc – Deputy President of the FIA Foundation and, in the words of an FIA article “the chief mdedic of motor racing”. And, of course, French. Or is emergency trauma work very different from his experience ? And is he too busy with his day job ?
Could Gary be a casualty of the new order, the F1 strategy group? Or did he upset Bernie?