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!

Monday Choon: Tiësto, Becky Hill - Nothing Really Matters

As we all know Dutch DJ legend Tiesto likes to mix around and collaborate with various artists from around the world. He's been experimenting with his genres for the better part of the decade and creating  some interesting tracks. Following his announcement of his upcoming album titled "The London Sessions", where he's seeking inspiration and collaboration with some of the UK's underground and garage scene. One of those tracks is today's featured one, he has collaborated with English singer and songwriter Becky Hill. Nothing Really Matters is one of four songs written for Tiesto last year, this track has been worked on and tweaked for this end product. The music video was released last week and sends a strong message for our current predicament worldwide, dealing with this pandemic. 

Monday Choon: Frey, Sway Gray - Wir Sind Nicht Allein (Allein Allein)

While tensions have started to grow locally after our President announced an extension to the lockdown, a reminder has come in from across the pond in Germany by DJ's Frey and Sway Grey to say that We Are Not Alone in this fight as the Coronavirus Pademic is affecting everyone globally and we have to all do our part to combat it. The track, Wir Sin Nicht, originally done by German pop group Polarkreis 18 has been given a new lease a decade later with the meaning even more significant now more than ever. The chorus which translates "We Are Not Alone"  resonates with every one at this current moment in time, no matter what this lockdown is doing or affecting everyone, just know that you are not alone. Frey and Sway Gray approached Polarkreis 18 lead vocalist Felix Rauber to add his vocals to the track and he obliged. The official music video also shows the transition between the lockdown all over the world to what we're hoping will be the not so distant future where we can go back to normality. 

Corona Sunsets Festival Cape Town - Postponed

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and President Ramaphosa's directive from Sunday, limiting gathers over 100 people, organizers of the Corona Sunsets event have decided to postpone the event. The event will be rescheduled at a later date after assessing the situation of the spread of the virus locally. It's in the best interest for all that they've taken this decision and many other events and festival will follow suite.

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.