Schumi to take Massa's place

Well, following the comment I added to my last blog post, Ferrari have announced that Michael Schumacher is indeed going to stand in for Massa at the European Grand Prix, and for as long as Massa is out. Schumacher hasn't raced for a couple of years but has kept training. It'll be interesting to see how competitive he is, and also whether Kimi Raikkonen ups his game with his former rival as a team-mate.

At 40 years old, Michael doesn't have youth on his side any more, but there are plenty of drivers that have raced in F1 beyond that age - although not many in the modern era. Incidentally, Damon Hill stopped at 39.

Why are Renault appealing?

In the very same race weekend that saw Felipe Massa's nasty accident and the same week that saw the tragic death of Henry Surtees from a wayward wheel, the Renault team made a very big mistake by sending their star driver out from the pits without all four wheels firmly attached to his car. They then didn't call him in or tell him to stop, even though it was blatantly obvious the wheel was going to come off the car.

When someone gets hit by a flying racing car wheel, they die. We saw it last week with Surtees in F2, and we saw it in F1 not so long ago when fire marshal Paolo Ghislimberti was killed when a wheel from Jarno Trulli's Jordan hit him at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix.

We all know that motorsport is dangerous - it says so on every Formula One ticket - but Renault's cavalier attitude to safety in this case is unacceptable. Any decent team would accept that the steward's decision to ban the team from the next race is completely justified, and if anything somewhat lenient. But instead Renault have announced they are going to appeal the ban.

My question is, what do they expect to gain from this action? The evidence is clear, so their appeal stands little or no chance of success. Moreover, to attempt to worm their way out of this in the wake of Henry Surtees' death and while Massa was lying unconcious in hospital was hardly sensitive, and is not going to win them any brownie points with F1 fans - quite the opposite. Renault shot themselves in the foot by not stopping Alonso when they could, and have now shot themselves in the other foot by appealing the ban. So now, and here's a lovely mix of metaphors for you, they don't have a leg to stand on.

Photo credit: Vïctor J. Tornet

Clip on ties

More and more schools are introducing clip-on ties as part of their uniform in place of the more traditional variety. Apparently this is "because of fears of ties getting caught in equipment or strangling pupils", according to a BBC report. It does lead me to wonder how many such incidents took place over the last year to warrant such a change - or is this another example of non evidence based decision making?

There is much more to be learned at school than just what's in the curriculum. Pupils learn how to interact with one another, they learn the importance of authority, obedience, and teamwork, and they learn how to dress smartly. They also learn how decisions are made, and can see the difference between good and bad decision making.

If it wasn't for the requirement to wear a tie at school, I very much doubt I would have learnt how to tie a tie knot competently. If I then started to go to job interviews and carry out office work without the ability to tie a tie, it could have blown quite a dent in my career. But perhaps more importantly, the decision seems to have been made based on completely groundless fears, with no firm evidence to back them up. Children learn more from the example that their parents and teachers set than from what those grown-ups say. So if school authorities don't back up their decisions with clear evidence, and don't consult those whom are affected by the decisions, they are setting a bad example and neglecting their educational duties.

Clip-on ties have their place - I used to be a member of the British Red Cross Society who have insisted on the use of clip-on ties for decades, but that's because when you're treating patients with certain conditions it's not uncommon for them to grab at your tie. But for everyday use in schools, there's simply no justification to insist on the clip-on variety.

Image credit: Plasmafire; more details here.