sport
Ask Eddie Irvine
One of the most colourful and controversial characters to have graced the Formula 1 circus, Eddie Irvine is on hand to answer your questions during the 2007 season. So if there's anything you want to ask the 1999 World Championship runner-up, simply email editorial at sport@virginmedia.co.uk and we'll speed our questions to Eddie after each grand prix of the season.
Elaine Williams-Revell: Hi Eddie. Have you ever considered a career as an F1 TV presenter in the future? We do miss you and wished that you would return. We wish you well in the future.
EI: I’ve not really considered this for several reasons. Firstly, I live in America, which is the biggest reason. Secondly I don’t really want the commitment of having to report every Sunday morning somewhere and thirdly, I’ve never been asked! Thanks for your kind comments.
Linda Simpson: Eddie, are you still annoyed about the missing fourth tyre in what could have been the year you won the world championship? I've always been suspicious about that!
EI: Basically, it was a classic case of what could go wrong did go wrong. It was the classic aeroplane accident scenario. If you have an engine failure in an aeroplane, the plane won’t crash. If you have bad weather, the plane won’t crash. If you have a pilot error, the plane won’t crash. If you put all three together, you’ll have a big problem. That’s what happened in the Ferrari pit. Salo wasn’t supposed to come in that lap but his engineer didn’t clarify to him not to come in that lap. I came in that lap and my tyres were out because I was the one who was supposed to come in. They then threw my tyres away to get Salo’s tyres and when I came in, one tyre had bounced all the way down to the back of the garage! It was a series of things that just added up to make a huge disaster. It was the perfect storm in a way! It was just one of those things you can’t plan for. But I just sat there and stayed quite calm, which is what I was quite good at. I was paid to do that job and from an early age I knew that if you stayed calm you’d do better, which was why I was so good at starts because you had to approach it like a pilot, very calmly and analytically. We sat down afterwards and analysed it quite calmly and that was that.
MJ: Hi Eddie. Loved ya m8, great racer. Will u answer the one question no one else will? Do you think adverts ruin F1 for the TV fans? Thx
EI: The problem is with the scheduling. I think the ads should stream along the bottom and can’t see why there’s some ruling as to why they can’t do that. To be honest, I don’t know why you would advertise in the middle of a grand prix because everybody who advertises is hated by the people watching it! I don’t want to be the name popping up there. Imagine seeing ‘buy Irvine beer’ just as Lewis goes to overtake someone! I don’t want to be that beer.
Ray: Do you think you could have been better if the girls and parties had not got in the way?
EI: No. It makes no difference at all. When you’re in the car, you’re in the car and when you’re out of the car, you’re out of the car. I just think generations have changed now. Kids these days have been brought up playing computer games. In my generation we were out running around the town and on our bicycles throwing stones at houses and buses. You got rid of your energy in other ways.
email your questions to Eddie at sport@virginmedia.co.uk
