Formula Max?

The tides are definitely turning in the world of Formula 1, what we thought would be a straight forward season for the Silver (or are they black now?) Arrows isn't really straight forward for Toto and Co. Those pesky Red Bull's are back with their leader Christian Horner to upset the apple cart, but they're only upsetting it for Mercedes-Benz and their loyal support base or which many only discovered F1 in the past 4 years because they rest of us are thoroughly enjoying the competitive nature that this season is throwing at us each and every race week. From strategies to tyre compounds, its been eventful to say the least and with "Super Max" extending his lead this past weekend to 32 points over current champion Lewis Hamilton, it ensures that this season is going to be guaranteed excitement all the way through. Lewis has to dig deeper and not just rely on thinking of the late Madiba everyday to get his 8th world championship title. While most would agree that his team need to do more to assist him, his fan base would argue that its the driver not the car, so whatever the case maybe, Mercedes -Benz in general need to find something special for the upcoming British GP at Silverstone to ensure Lewis stays in the race for that record 8th world title. 

One cannot fault the work Red Bull Racing have done, with the inclusion of their new second driver, Checo Perez, he is proving to be a worthy of that seat while not only assist the team but also Max Verstappen in getting where they are now. It's all working beautifully for them and there is no better example than the Austrian GP which saw Max qualify on pole but found himself behind after a few pitstops but having the pace and the tyres to fight back for first spot and claim victory, much to the delight of his supporters in attendance. Also how great is it to see spectators back in the stands? I know we were grateful to have racing last year but a big part of the sport is having the fans present and getting that whole atmosphere on race day, its just such a mood lifter to have them back in the stands creating that vibe for the teams and the driver. 

Another great aspect of this season is seeing the youngsters pull through, the likes of Lando Norris, Charles LeClerc, George Russell and Pierre Gasly all showing their metal and not afraid of giving it their all on the track. George was unlucky to miss out on his first points finish last week but after showing his worth while driving for Mercedes last year in a few races, we all know the potential talent that lies there. Norris has been simply sublime so far, out racing his much more experienced team mate Daniel Ricciardo for most of this season. Getting his Mclaren to 3rd position at the Austrian GP and finishing 5th the weekend before that only shows that there is grit behind that boyish charm. Many are ear marking him to take over the mantle from Lewis as Britains next great F1 driver and you can see why but if Russell finds himself a competitive car, it could be an interesting battle between those two. 

I tweeted on Saturday that the less said about Ferrari, the better and truth be told they didn't have the worst race but as a life long fan, seeing that Red car finishing in 5th and 8th place does not feel great. Credit to Carlos for fighting for that 5th spot in what is a tough race for the Scudeira as the track is pace focused and didn't suit the car at all but the guys in Maranello have some serious head scratching to do. For the other teams like Aston Martin Racing, Alpha Tauri and Williams, they also have their work cut out watching the front runners dominate week in and week out but the mini battles that occur in the midfield do prove to be rather entertaining as well. It's these battles that add character to the overall race as it would just down right boring watching the top two teams win over and over again. The season is set up nicely and we're not even halfway through yet, I cannot wait to see how the rest of this race calendar plays out. 

Red Bull Cape Town Street Circuit

On June 2nd, the streets of Cape Town will come alive to the sounds of a roaring Formula One car as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing come to town as part of their F1 world road show. Behind the wheel of the car will be none other that F1 legend, and former Red Bull driver David Coulthard. Coulthard is synonymous with the glitz and glamour of F1 racing and will add this iconic experience to an illustrious career which includes 13 race wins and 62 podium finishes.

The Red Bull Racing team return to Cape Towns iconic Grand Parade after 8 years, having been in the city last in 2011. A lot has changed since then and the team are keen to show local audiences just that. Having taken the thrills of Forumla One to far-flung cities like Hanoi, Tokyo and Mexico City, now its Cape Town's turn. Team principle of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner had this to say following the Bahrain Grand Prix, "We received and incredibly warm welcome when we first took our show car to Cape Town back in 2011 and we are delighted to return this year, powering the car down Cape Town's iconic Grand Parade in June 2nd. South Africa has a great heritage in F1, stretching back to 1962 and we look forward to seeing fans, old and new, turn out in fore to witness the spectacle."

David Coulthard also shared his excitement on returning to South Africa after the race weekend in the Middle East, he had this to add, "I'm super excited to be in Cape Town in June for the Red Bull Circuit event. I'll be driving the Formula One car, demonstrating the power, energy and excitement of what Grand Prix racing can bring. I haven't been to South Africa since we were in Kyalami in 2011, so I'm delighted we're bringing Formula One back to Cape Town. See you there, looking forward to it!"

With Coulthard being so familiar with tight street circuits, having two race victories in Monte Carlo, he will be quite keen to try his hand at the Cape Town street circuit having already thrilling thousands of cheering fans in November last year at night in front of the Belfast City Hall. With everything confirmed for June 2nd, its shaping up to be a scintillating spectacle of speed and precision for the whole family. The historic Grand Parade is the idyllic setting to being together the power Formula One and majesty of the Mother City.

For more info, visit www.redbullcaptowncircuit.com

Bucket Seat: Ferrari LaFerrari Spider

Today's post was meant to be about the new Aston Martin and Red Bull collaboration, the AM-RB 001, sounds like a drawing number. The car itself is bonkers, its designed by the top dogs at Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin so you know this car means business and it will be powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine, which could be taken from the Vulcan but couple that with F1 tech and aerodynamics, you could have a Hypercar worthy of the title. They only plan on building between 99-150 of these and thereafter 25 track only versions and already a host of people have put their names down for it, I mean it looks superb and sounds superb so I don't blame you if you have the cash!

Like I said though, this post was meant to be about the AM-RB 001 as it was unveiled yesterday but then the guys in Maranello shortly lifted the covers of this beauty...

 *cue angels singing*

The Ferrari LaFerarri Spider, well that's what most of the world are calling it but the official name will be made public at the Paris Motorshow in October, which some think may be called 'Aperta' which means 'Open' in Italian. The car, even though is just a LaFerrari with no roof looks superb, I mean picture you're favourite supermodel, and seeing her topless, that's what this car is to many motoring enthusiast. The launch colour in black with the red detailing just makes it that more insatiable. 

The car is still powered by that amazing naturally aspirated V12 engine that provides a mind blowing soundtrack and now it will be amplified with no roof, it also has the hybrid motor which bumps up the power to just under 1000 bhp. Forget wind in your hair, you might end up with a hurricane! Anyway, Ferrari totally came and stole the thunder from Aston Martin yesterday and while they have a superb car in the AM-RB 001, one can't help but turn their head towards this beaut. 

Oh and if you do qualify to buy one and were thinking of it, it's a bit late. All are sold out and all the owners have already received their keys which was delivered to them in a fancy carbon fibre box.

Bucket Babe: Vivienne Waibel

We're halfway through the year already and deep in the clutches of winter, as the country prepares for another cold spell to hit our shores we've been working endlessly to scour the land for the hottest ladies to feature and to warm us up. Today's featured beauty is from the Cape but has German heritage. She is extremely qualified and from that is very passionate about education to our countries less fortunate. She has a soft spot for animals of all kinds and shapes, and currently obsessed about Nutella. She sounds like our kind of girl, here's more about her.

Vivienne Waibel

Bio

I am originally from Germany but my mother side of the family is South African. I went to school in Joburg and after that completed my Honours in Developmental Studies at UCT. Currently, I am doing my Masters in Health Economics. If I had to choose between a baby and a puppy, I would choose a puppy. I love animals and I have a horse back home in Germany but really I love any kind of animal, ranging from horses to snakes, to snails... lol. I am also modelling and have just come back from an overseas trip to India. Modelling overseas is such an adventure! I would recommend ti to anyone that has got the opportunity to go. I was lucky to have an amazing agency in India, "TOABH" which made the culture shock a very pleasant experience. In Cape Town my agency is Faith Models and they are amazing, I love each and every single one  of my bookers. I am not very domesticated at all and urgently need to learn how to cook, I most survive of Pasta, Nutella pancakes and fruit, hence I certainly don't believe in low carb myths. To compensate for the carb overload, you can find me at the Yoga Life in De Waterkant where I try to hang out most days of the week. During my time at UCT I also actively participated in the SHAWCO outreach programme, where I taught High School children. I firmly believe in Mandela's quote: "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world"! And I wish our government would do more to give every child the opportunity to receive the best education possible.

During my teaching experience, I found that while so much emphasis is being placed on Maths and Science skills, a lot of the students actually struggled with a language barrier, coming from a Xhosa, Zulu, or other African language background. As a result, a lot of them struggle to understand complex concepts in Maths and Science when they are being taught to them in English. Thus, one of my personal goals would be to find an outreach program that teaches kids Maths and Science skills in their mother tongue.

 Links

Instagram: @viviennewaibel

Q&A

1. Hot girls and hot cars go hand in hand, what ride would you like to see yourself in?

• Anything that is not on the top 10 most hijacked car list. However, if I really had to choose, I would go for the Aston Martin DB9, I find the design beautiful!

2. What sandwich are you most likely to make for me? and will it be toasted or plain?

• My latest obsession is Nutella, so I will make you Nutella and Banana toast.

3. Everyone loves popcorn (well I think they do) what is your topping/ sprinkle of choice?

• Butter and salt is over-rated! I would definitely go for M&M's. In Germany frosted popcorn is quite big, I'm not sure why it's not available here (hint hint ster kinekor and nu metro)

4. Dream cover shoot?

• That's quite a tough question, there are a whole lot of magazines I would like to be on, from Vogue to Harpers Bazar, but let's keep it local, Cosmopolitan SA.

5. If given a choice, full time model or full time executive, what would you choose?

• I'm going to say a mixture of both. Both have their ups and downs

6. Growing up you must have had someone you aspired to be, so who is your role model?

• My mom. She has inspired me from day one and I can be a fraction of the person she is I would have succeeded in life.

7. Anyone holding that hand yet? or is it available?

• I'm engaged! So excited for the wedding =D

8. Obviously being a female you would love fashion. Favourite label/ designer?

• My closet consists of Zara & Topshop. But my favourite local designer is probably Gavin Rajah.

9. What type of music gets your booty shaking?

• Robin Schulz, "Shake it off!" (Taylor Swift) haha!

10. Which city is your dream party destination?

• Of late I've been having the best nights in London ("Cirque le Soir" in Soho) and Goa (India) made for a few memorable nights too, but my dream destination for partying will have to be New York. It has both the chic and urban kind of nightlife, so it will allow for a nice change up every now and then.

SLK vs DBS

Now if you're the average guy with basic car knowledge, you'll read the title and think "surely the SLK has no chance in hell against a DBS". Unless its a super Hamann conversion with a V12 squeezed into it with some turbo's but this isn't the SLK you think it is. Let me refresh your memory back to FHM Fridays 1.

Yes gents Lady Kaye is back on the Bucket to provide your eyes with another visual feast of beauty, elegance and overall drool worthy material. Like in the previous post, Samantha teams up again with Kass Dea of Kass Photography to bring us yet more mind blowing pictures. When these two combine their talents and work together, they create magic!

There is no other words to describe what they do as the outcome leaves you spell bound. This time round the sexy baking Queen of the Cape swop's her apron for a seductive silver one piece and some gems that try their best to outshine her. Accompanied by one of the best designed supercars around, the Aston Martin DBS, this shoot just oozes elegance, tie in the seductive poses from Samantha and you're in for a visual spectacular of note.

The 6 litre ,V12 coupe made its debut in Casino Royale. An installation of the famous James Bond series of movies. Daniel Craig ended up flipping it in the film and to follow "Quantum of Solace" we saw him tragically man handle it in an epic car chase around Lake Garda in Italy. A total of 6 Aston Martin DBS's were used in filming, unofficially 5 were written off...

Speaking of Bond, now that I think of it Lady Kaye would make an awesome Bond Girl! Shes got all the qualities needed, well in my opinion she does. Maybe I should contact Barbara Broccoli and have her considered for the next film.

If given the choice between the car and Samantha I'm sure most guys would ponder a while before giving you an answer, I personally don't blame them as I would normally too but in this case the only roaring V12 I'll hear is the one being taken away from me as I went with the latter choice, sorry Aston, there is only one SLK.

Don't forget to vote for her in FHM's 100 sexiest, we want to see her make the list and you've just seen 6 extremely good reasons why!