Brought to you by TJ13 Courtroom Reporter & Crime Analyst: Adam Macdonald (@adamac39)

[For those who are new to the page; TJ13 attempts to remove certain aspects of the race to give a fairer reflection of the race result.]

First impressions will, I am led to believe, last forever.  Therefore, those that have more of a propensity to certain results will be expected to do so for all of time.  The harsh reality for a driver that does not find his feet immediately is that he will most probably face an impossible battle to win the doubters over.

I know I have been guilty in the past of writing off the chances of Marcus Ericsson to deliver results given his previous career in GP2 and route into the ‘big time’.  Credit where it is due as the Swede drove an impressive race to bring home his best finish in the sport.   However, there were still those who boasted his success was only down to the misfortune of Kamui Kobayashi, forced out of the race before it had even begun.

Once more there is a demonstration of why GP2/3 and other feeder series require greater spotlighting and media coverage.  Drivers would be afforded more time to adjust to life in the higher tier, as well as a range of other benefits. Well done to Marcus for his result, although to me it simply highlighted the problems young drivers face.  Something needs to change.

Kamui Kobayashi leaps clear of his car after pulling up on the formation lap

So what really happened?

Kamui Kobayashi: Another week, another retirement for the green team as their existence continues to lie in the balance.  It must be heart-breaking for the Japanese fans to watch their idol fail to finish each race, so fingers crossed for some better luck at his home race.  He is reinstated to 21^st place.

Nico Rosberg: Nothing the German could have done about a contamination to his steering column.  The most telling piece of footage of the weekend was the exchange between Toto and Nico in the garage.  Allegiances will become more prominent as the fight for the title tightens.  After his DNF here, winning is everything for Nico.  At least he gets awarded 2^nd position here.

Daniel Ricciardo: Even though he had car troubles, it is not for certain he would have been able to pass his teammate.  Whether Red Bull should have enforced team orders is another matter.  He remains in position.

Jenson Button: As the other McLaren driver overheated, the older statesman was forced into retiring from the race.  He may soon be forced into retirement if Honda get their way with Alonso.  After such a promising drive, Button deserved a decent points haul.  He is reinstated to 9^th place.

Esteban Gutierrez: Having shown so much promise in the races early stages, the anger that came out was understandable as the Mexican was robbed of the first point of the season.  He is reinstated to 10^th place.

Adrian Sutil: The regular result of a DNF for Sutil was no different here in Singapore.  He is reinstated to a net 16^th place.

Max Chilton: While he did pick up a puncture forcing him to pit once more, it almost certainly would not have made much difference to the end result.  Chilton stays in position.

The Verdict
This leaves the revised results table looking like this:

Below, the revised World Drivers’ Championship:

*Those with 0 points will not be ordered

What they would have said

Either way, the momentum is most definitely in the Hamilton camp as we head to the Suzuka.  Were the gap down to just 15 points then we would still be talking about whether Rosberg can hold on for the Championship win.  Perhaps the poor reliability is a blessing in disguise as the mind-set is completely different, now needing to beat Hamilton.  If he is going to win in 2014. he will have to do it the hard way.

Had Magnussen and Kvyat not had problems with overheating cars and malfunctioning drinks bottles, their races would have been differently, or so they say.  However, call me a sceptic, but it seems a very convenient excuse to me for a slow car, at least for Kvyat.  An issue of driver safety to be addressed for years to come perhaps.

Quote of the Day

Seth Godin the American author, entrepreneur, marketer, and public speaker once said, “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”

Time to get back to basics then

In an age where so much is invested into car development maybe someone should remind the designers it is humans that drive the cars.  It doesn’t matter how complex your front wing becomes, if your driver isn’t cared for then it will affect their race.