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The 2013 Formula One has been nothing short of crazy, with defending champion Sebastian Vettel on top of the Drivers’ Championship table with a stunning 197 points, only halfway through the season. The championship race is still wide open, however, according to the German.
This season has also seen a number of disappointments by the teams, drivers, the FIA among other things. So here are the top ten disappointments of the 2013 Formula One season:
10: Ban on media in the Pit Lane
This decision was taken after the 2013 German Grand Prix, where cameraman Paul Allen was hit by a badly fitted wheel from Mark Webber’s car and had to spend the night in the hospital.
The incident wasn’t anyone’s fault as the pit crew of Red Bull Racing released Webber early and this led to detachment of the wheel from his car and directly colliding with the cameraman, who wasn’t wearing any safety gear.
9: DRS Zone
The Formula One drivers’ were free to use their Drag Reduction System (DRS) wings anytime during the practice and the qualifying but citing safety reasons the FIA restricted the use of DRS only to the DRS Zones that are predetermined for a circuit. The FIA has introduced two DRS Zones in every circuit of the 2013 calendar, where the DRS wing can be used.
Red Bull Racing’s drivers German Sebastian Vettel (L) and Australian Mark Webber. (Getty Images)
8: Mark Webber’s retirement
In June 2013, Mark Webber announced his retirement from Formula One racing at end of the 2013 season. The 37-year-old Red Bull Racing driver, who had 12 successful seasons in Formula One racing and is retiring at the end of his 13th.
The main cause of this is said to be the spat with teammate Vettel, but Webber himself has said nothing thus far. Whatever the reasons may be, the fans will surely miss the Australian.
7: Sebastian Vettel controversy
In the final laps of the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix, The Red Bull Racing drivers’, Webber and Vettel, stood 1st and 2nd respectively. The team has clearly ordered them to hold their positions till the end of the race, but Vettel against his team’s orders, overtook his teammate to win the race.
Webber clearly showed his frustration in the post-race interview. Vettel, later on, apologised for his disregard towards team’s orders but refused to apologise for winning.
Fernando Alonso of Spain and Ferrari drives during practice for the Indian Formula One Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit on October 28, 2011 in Noida, India. (Getty Images)
Although Fernando Alonso stands second in the Drivers’ Championship table, he is a whopping 46 points behind the three-time world champion Vettel. Alonso hasn’t grabbed any pole positions so far this season and has had only two wins.
And this is arguably low by both Ferrari’s and the Spaniard’s standards. However, he has managed to six podium finishes till now. Even so, the fans expect much more from him as Lewis Hamilton is not far behind at the 3rd position.
5: Cancellation of Indian GP
In 2013, the shortage of dates led to cancellation of the Indian GP from the 2014 Formula One calendar; a massive blow to the Indian fans, who really took a lot of pride in hosting the spectacular event.
The FIA later announced that the Indian GP will return in the 2015 Formula One calendar, but will be held in March instead of October.
An Infiniti Red Bull Racing mechanic works on wheels and Pirelli tyres in the paddock during practice for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 19, 2013 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Getty Images)
4: Pirelli
The tyre controversy came into light during the 2013 British Grand Prix, where not one, but three cars faced tyre failures. Similar incidents occurred when Vettel and Alonso faced tyre failure during the practice of 2013 Belgian Grand Prix. This led to various talks regarding the tyre quality provided by Pirelli and whether or not they should be continued as the tyre manufacturer from 2014 onwards.
3: Force-India Mercedes
Force-India Mercedes did not have a great start to season as their drivers, Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta finished 7th and 8th, respectively in the 2013 Australian Grand Prix and both retired in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Later in the season, Adrian Sutil gave an amazing performance in a number of races but lost out on a podium finish due to the team strategy. Force-India Mercedes, who currently stand 6th in the Constructors Championship table, need to work on their team strategy if they want to move up the table.
Fernando Alonso of Spain and Ferrari and Felipe Massa of Brazil and Ferrari attend the drivers parade before the German Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring on July 7, 2013 in Nuerburg, Germany. (Getty Images)
2: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton, who switched from McLaren to Mercedes this year, had a comfortable start to the 2013 season. Hamilton grabbed consecutive poles in the British, German, Hungarian and Belgian Grans Prix but only managed to win one of them.
This result was seen disappointing because, the former world champion failed to lead the races for long even after grabbing the pole position. He currently stands 3rd in the Drivers’ Championship and has half a season left to improve his performance and results.
1: Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa has unarguably been the biggest disappointment so far, in this season. The Ferrari driver hasn’t managed a single pole position and only one podium finish. This performance has led Ferrari to re-think his future. Team principal, Stefano Domenicali, has admitted that Massa will stay at the team if he manages better results during the second half of the season.
