Formula One 2020

It hasn't been an ideal year for anyone in any form of way but with the world coming to grips with this deadly pandemic, it's good to see some sort of normality coming around. With most public gatherings either being banned or limited to a few number of people, we are also seeing sporting events given the green light with strict policies. One which is getting many excited is the go ahead for the new Formula One season, while we all are enjoying the eRaces with the drivers, nothing beats the real thing. FIA have released dates for the opening 8 races of the season, with some taking place at the same track over two race weekends, now I know it's not ideal but with the number of people involved in the teams and moving of equipment, it really is a recipe for disaster if one person gets infected. So at this stage we will just have to take what we can get, and lets be honest, with F1 the crowds are important to revenue but not that important to what we see on our screens. FIA has said that further races will be announced in the coming weeks for now we cannot wait for the 3rd of July when First Practice starts in Austria!

Lights Out and wait....

This was meant to be a post on the 2020 Formula One season, this was meant to be a post on what we could expect in Melbourne, it was meant to be a post on who to watch out for this season and what we could expect but after this early mornings decision by authorities to cancel this weekend's opening Grand Prix in Abert Park, Melbourne, this post is now one of great sadness but also the reality the world is facing right now. 

Yesterday a member of the Mclaren F1 team tested positive for the COVID-19 virus which this was was labelled a global pandemic due to the fast spreading nature of it. The virus takes up to 14 days to show up in tests so there could be many walking around and spreading it without even knowing. The virus which has claimed thousands of lives world over has forced a number of public events and sporting events to either cancel or carry on without any crowds. The virus attacks the respiratory system and with Formula One being such a high intensity sport with drivers losing so much liquids and weight during the race, one can only imagine what effect it could have on them. So the best option was taken to cancel. 

This news does cast doubt on the next scheduled race on the calendar which takes place in Bahrain on the 22nd of March. Bahrain officials already notified the FIA that they plan to have no spectators present for the race a heavy knock but following similar decisions made by the Italian football league, this could be one way of still having sporting events carry on without the risk of contamination. The drivers all issued messages independently via their social media channels, stating their disappointment but also highlighting that it was a necessary decision to make. Until the World Health Organisation finds some sort of way to contain this virus, we can expect a lot more scenes like this throughout 2020.  

F1 2017

The first free practice sessions got under way early this morning in Melbourne and with it ushers in the new Formula One season. Many enthusiasts were waiting for this day ever since the checkered flag was waved in Abu Dhabi last year, I was one of them. While some were a bit disappointed by the dominance of the Mercedes team last year, I thought the drivers battle for the championship between Lewis and Nico was pretty intense and made for fascinating viewing. Both drivers had their own style and brought 110% to every race, and while there was no love lost for most of the season, in the end even when the German managed to pip his team mate, they both displayed great sportsmanship. That for me is what racing is all about. 

There is a reason F1 is one of the most richest sports in the world, the glamour attached to it will never fade, it is the rock-star in the sporting world and will remain so in the foreseeable future even with the sale of it late last year which saw long time CEO of the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone relinquish his title. Even though he was loathed by many, Bernie was the man that put F1 back on the map and gave it the prestige it deserved and while there were many controversial moments in his tenure, and boy were there a lot, there is no denying he played a pivotal role in the sport. 

Getting back to the action this year, one still feels that the rest of the teams have a lot catch up to play to the Silver Arrows, but while some teams may still be just shy off the pace, it doesn't mean they won't play a major role in being deciders this year. Ferrari is one of the teams that invested a lot of time during the off season to get their car ready for the start of this one, unlike last year where they were left scratching their heads and went back to the drawing board after the first few races. With the hungry German, Sebastian Vettel still unofficially leading the way for the Italian team, you can be sure that the fight is very well on with the leaders. The ever charismatic Kimi Raikkonen doesn't really care what number driver he is, he just gets the job done and prefers not to be disturbed while doing it. It's a solid partnership that should collect a handy amount of points for Scuderia Ferrari.

The next real team I see challenging has to be Red Bull Racing, for so long they were the leaders in recent season with Vettel leading the way to back to back championships for the team you can't help feel that their bubble of bad luck is waiting to pop. With the Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo leading from the front, he will want to make a mark at his home GP this weekend. His co driver Max Verstappen isn't too shabby either with him taking his first win last season and showing he has what it takes to handle the pressure and get the results. So far in the free practice it was RBR that showed the most resilience against Mercedes so this weekend will be interesting. 

While the other teams are a lot to discuss, they aren't there to merely make up the numbers. There's been some good improvements in most of the teams and some great drivers that are making their mark with them as well as some experienced drivers. Williams see's Felipe Massa return in what must be the shortest retirement ever recorded and Fernando Alonso is back to try and propel Mclaren Honda back to the top where they once were so used to being. With new aerodynamics and engine changes to the cars, as well as bigger tyres, this should make for more  over takings and closer racing for the lower lying teams which will have a major impact this years championship. So you can be sure that the pink Force India car isn't the most exciting thing on the track. 

Coming back to the title favourites, while I want to believe Ferrari and RedBull have managed to close the gap, early indications still say that the Germans are quite ahead of the pack and with Lewis Hamilton bitter for losing out on his 4th title last year, he will be ready for it this year. They have a strong team and with their new driver Valterri Bottas on board, he should be the perfect number two man to assist Lewis in his quest this year. While I say they are favourites, the first race of the season has always been tricky for them with a surprise winner most of the time. So I'm going again with that scenario and hoping Lewis is right and backing Ferrari to take home the first win of the 2017 Formula One race calendar. 

Red Boo Kid

Disclaimer: I am a die hard Ferrari fan so do not take the points in this post personally, its all tongue and cheek and my opinion as well as theory into the matter at hand.

This weekend saw one of my favourite rounds in the Formula One season, the Singapore Grand Prix. Besides it being another breathtaking street circuit, what makes it really unique is that the race takes place at night! Being in the electrical engineering industry, to see so many 1000 watts of light being sprayed onto a circuit to mimic daylight is extraordinary to say the least, I would hate to know the electricity bill for it though!

The race was eventually won by the German kid, Sebastian Vettel, he started on pole, made a good get away at the start and was a pretty straight forward race for him till the end. Now after the race, during the interviews he got a lot of boo's from the crowd, I personally hate people who boo at any sporting event, be it football, rugby or in this case, formula one. Why? It's childish, stupid and end of the day shows your level of intelligence of the sport. There's a few theories as to why the crowd were booing Vettel, the most obvious being that he is making the sport boring again, by winning all the damn time, many compare him to Schumacher in his era of dominance with Ferrari. 

That's a bullshit comparison for me, Schumacher was a legendary driver and has been included as on of the greats, sure Vettel seems to be on track to win his 4th driving championship title but is he great? I don't think so, he is good and has a great car, his closest rival Fernando Alonso, he is great but has a good car. That for me is the vital difference between the two this season. If the Spaniard was given a car with more pace, it could be a different scenario altogether. Getting back to the boo's, this wasn't the first race he has been booed on the podium, in fact it's been sort of a trend over the last few races. Seb even joked and said they have a bus for them that goes around to all the different races, like I said it most likely is down to the dominance of Vettel but I have another theory...

The boo's only start when he is on the podium and particularly when he is given the microphone to speak, that there is clear enough evidence for me. The bastard can't shut the fuck up! Seriously, they ask him one question and he rattles on like he is reciting the bible from front to back and back to front! He loves the sound of his own voice, don't believe me? Next time he is interviewed, be it a drivers briefing, after qualifying or after the race, they'll ask him a question and he'll go on and on and on. I'd hate to know what a normal conversation would be like with him, 'hey Seb, how ya doing?' - Seb: "Ya I'm good, its been a good day so far, woke up, brushed my teeth, went and made a stinky poo, showered, tried to comb my steel wool hair, then ate some breakfast, phoned Mark to tell him what a loser he is..." bla bla bla shut the hell up!

It's obvious to me the crowd hate hearing him go on and on in that mind numbing German accent of his, rambling on shit that no one gives a damn about! When Alonso's name is mentioned, they cheer because he is precise, to the point and tells everyone what they want to hear, let alone he is a the greatest driver in the current season. They love nothing more to see him on the podium and address them like they're meant to be spoken to in that flawless Spanish accent. Heck, they rather listen to an emotionless Kimi for 2 hours than hear that big headed kid utter his nonsense. The guy has got to realise that in getting to the the top there has to be some sort of humility that goes with it or in his case, you're not the only one on the podium that's going to speak!

Other than that, take nothing away from the guy, as much as I said he has a great car, which he does, he has to be a good driver to get it in that winning position. Time will tell if he will be a great driver and be included into F1's hall of fame. Many of you would have read this and think what an arrogant Ferrari fan to speak so highly of Alonso, firstly, yes I am arrogant but I want you to go back to last season and compare the RBR to the Ferrari, I'd say the Red Bull was at least 8 seconds faster than the Ferrari, it may not seem like much but in F1 is a shit load and for Alonso come so close to the title with such a slow car just shows you his quality.

Coming back to this weekends race, that Asstralian who nearly punched his chatter box partners lights out at the Malaysian GP had an engine problem on the last lap of the race which caused his car to burst into flames. Alonso being the saint and saviour he is gave Webber a ride back on his car to parc feme. It's been done loads of times in the past but for some reason FIA chose to reprimand both drivers for the stunt and Webber will serve a 10 place penalty at the next race. Fair enough Alonso could have stopped in a better place on the side but nothing serious came of it and I doubt we going to see these sorts of things happen often in a race. Sometimes the FIA need to take a chill pill.