JT - George Daniels, inventor of the coaxial escapement (an improved version of the lever escapement, the mechanism which regulates timekeeping in a mechanical watch) and perhaps the most influential watchmaker of the 20th century passed away late last month. He was also an automobile collector and avid vintage racer. You’re now a small part of the fabric of the modern watch industry. What are your thoughts on Daniels passing?
SJ – I never met the man but I certainly know about him very well. I’m not entrenched in the watch industry the way I am in racing. I don’t know all of the players yet. But I’ve read a lot about him as a fan of watches and I knew that he was a racing enthusiast so I was very aware of him.
He was one of the premier watchmakers in history and everybody within the watch industry had a massively high regard for him.
JT – Daniels is one of several high profile people in the watch industry to pass away recently. Others include Gino Macaluso (founder of Girard-Perregeaux and JeanRichard), Gerald Genta (watch designer for companies including IWC, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Omega, Bvlgari and his own eponymous brand) and Rolf Schnyder (CEO of Ulysse Nardin). These and other senior members of the watch world contributed greatly to mechanical watchmaking but with their passing the watch industry must continue to move forward. Where do you see progress being made today?
SJ – I think the biggest progress is in CNC (computer numerical control machining). You can manufacture watch components in such a precise and efficient way now. In the era these gentlemen were a part of, certainly initially, it used to be that all of that production had to be done by hand.
They could labor away for years trying to build one special piece. Now they design and build a component on a CAD (computer aided design) program. Boom! Next thing you know, there’s the prototype component in two weeks if you’re really pushing it. I think that’s a huge difference that technology is making.
There is a great amount of interesting interpretations on how to show the time, with some very complicated movements and technical solutions, without the CNC manufacturing they would most likely be impossible to make, or they would have taken several years to be realized.
JT – What are your thoughts on the most recent F1 race, the debut Indian Grand Prix?
SJ – Just from watching on TV which is never the same as being on the track itself, it looked like the track was interesting and most of the drivers seemed to have positive comments about it. But again, there was not too much passing. The result was the same as it looked after lap one with the same driver leading. Whether that’s another Tilke trait (well-known circuit designer Hermann Tilke, designed the Buddh International Circuit) or coincidence I don’t know.
But it looked like the overall show was good. There was a big crowd and they seemed to be very enthusiastic about it. I think it’s fantastic that F1 is in India now because that’s obviously another enormous automotive market that’s opening up. It strikes me that they got a better level of interest there than in China for example.
JT – What’s your view of the latest incident between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton which occurred during the race?
SJ – Here’s my take. I think they’re both sick and tired of being around each other. And of course it’s just coincidence that it happens to be that way. I think it was unfair to put the blame on anyone, in my view it was a racing incident and if anything I think it was a almost clumsy situation on both sides this time.
Lewis wasn’t committed enough. Massa left the door open in the beginning of the corner, far too open to then defend. It was just a mess. It was a very low percentage move from both of them really. But as we’ve discussed already, it’s a typical problem when you’re not 100 percent confident as a driver, things don’t come easily. Making the right decision happens so quickly, and it has to be instinctive. You can’t commit half-way to a move. You either commit and go for the move or back off.
I don’t necessarily agree with the FIA using a different ex-driver as the steward at ever GP, It’s like they almost feel like they have to do something to justify themselves being there. There will always be incident from time to time when two people race and it doesn’t necessarily have to be anyone’s fault.
JT – There are 19 races on the calendar for the 2011 season. It’s been a long haul so far. What was the longest season you raced in F1? And, do you think the longer schedule is taking a toll on drivers and teams?
SJ – I don’t think it was ever more than 16 races when I was driving. Yes, I think scheduling these days is a huge drain across motorsports. It’s hard on families and the divorce rates are horrendous. The teams, the drivers, the guys are never home. It’s the nature of the beast now but it’s tricky.
Obviously, the more races there are the more revenue is generated. But I think there has to be a balance. When we did 16 races - that was quite a good schedule. When you get up near 20, that gets very tough. There are still two more races left to do. Then they (F1) have maybe a month off and it’s back to the testing program. That goes through the winter and then you’re straight back into the season schedule again. It’s always been intense in F1 but I’ve never known it to be this intense.
JT – What do you think of Sebastian Vettel’s performance this year, putting aside the fantastic car that Adrian Newey and Red Bull Racing have given him?
SJ – Right now I think he’s as good as anyone in F1, if not better. If you compare his performance to [Mark] Webber’s last year and then look at it this year, he’s a level above that now. The gap between he and Webber is constantly several tenths. Webber hasn’t really been close to Vettel in any race this year. He’s elevated his performance again this year and he’s got so much better than he was before. We talked about it in previous blogs and I thought that once he clinched the 2011 title he’d get even better. That’s exactly what’s happened. He’s driving so relaxed now that he’s doing everything absolutely perfectly.
He’s qualifying on the pole consistently and banging out fastest race lap with just a few laps left in the races. It’s just like walking on the pavement for him right now. It’s all absolutely natural for him and it’s the best state of mind you can be in as a driver. I’ve been there, we’ve all been there. There are stages when you have the best car, the best team and all the confidence in the world. It’s magic. You don’t even think about it. Everything’s so effortless.
JT – Another F1 grand prix effort was announced recently in New Jersey. The Grand Prix of America is supposed to debut there in June 2013, running along the banks of the Hudson River just across from Manhattan. Meanwhile, the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas is still supposedly on-track for November 2012. What are your thoughts on the U.S. potentially having two F1 grand prix?
SJ – If they both happen I think it’s fantastic. But I can’t help but be cynical though. It’s not because this is being done in America. I just think that anyone who is trying to build a grand prix circuit with private funding has got a huge battle in front of them. I don’t know how you make the numbers work.
It’s such a huge investment and if you look at the most recently constructed grand prix tracks around the world they’ve mostly been funded by government money. They don’t have to show a profit necessarily because they are built partly to help promote a country or region or whatever.
But then you have the Singapore Grand Prix which is maybe the smartest example because they run on the streets and the investment there is different. Obviously it has been a huge success as well. Since the grand prix in New Jersey is being run on the streets that could make sense. All of the street races, wherever you go, whether they’re F1 races or IndyCar races, are generally big success initially. They take the race to the public, not the other way around.
I think Austin will be a struggle. They’re fighting tooth and nail to get the funding they need to finish the project.
JT – It does seem possible that there is enough interest to support two F1 races in the U.S. and certainly, it has been a long held desire of F1 to be in the New York City area.
SJ – From that point of view the New Jersey race is fantastic. I think the two obvious areas where they should have a grand prix are either in Los Angeles or New York City. I think if it comes off, the New Jersey race will be phenomenal.
JT – Scott Dixon has, among other drivers, been doing significant testing of the new IndyCar Dallara chassis. What do you hear about how testing is progressing?
SJ – Seemingly, all of the drivers are impressed with the car despite the way it looks. So far it’s performing quite well apparently. I think all or most of the drivers will rotate through the testing of the cars. There are at least two cars running now, one Chevy-powered car and one Honda-powered car. The drivers are splitting the driving duties between ovals and road courses. If the performance is there maybe the look will eventually grow on you also…
