A Load of Bull

17:51:55, 24-05-2010

F1 veteran Mark Webber secured victory from pole position in back-to-back races at Spain and Monaco, placing himself top of the driver's championship and elevating his Red Bull team to lead the constructor's championship. If not for mechanical failures earlier in the season, Red Bull would have been on top from the start, with Sebastian Vettel leading the charge. The big fear now is that their problems are behind them and that the clear speed advantage of their car, especially during qualifying, will leave them all but untouchable. This does not make for exciting viewing, especially given that Red Bull is, in my opinion, the least interesting team and brand in Formula 1.

Following the Monaco Grand Prix, my feelings were primarily of disgust at the harsh penalty applied to Michael Schumacher for an audacious manoeuvre taken at the end of the final lap; ruled illegal, despite track-side indications all suggesting that the race was on. The German legend caught Fernando Alonso napping, following a stint behind the safety car, and slipped past on the final sprint to the finishing line; claiming sixth place in the process. But race stewards ruled that the move was illegal and dished out a twenty-second penalty, dropping him to twelfth place! Regardless of the legalities of the situation, which the FIA has since admitted to be flawed, it was unfair to penalise Michael beyond reinstating Alonso ahead of him. At the end of what is largely agreed to be the most mentally gruelling race of the season, the Mercedes driver was told by his team that the race was on. Was he really expected to analyse the intricacies of F1's poorly conceived regulations while guiding his car around the tight streets of Monte Carlo, or is it in fact perfectly reasonable that he accepted his team's word as gospel and went for it?

In the hopes of adding consistency and legitimacy to steward decisions, each race this season is being attended by a former F1 driver, acting as an advisor in the decision making process. Clearly this hasn't helped. In terms of credibility, Formula 1 is right up there with American Wrestling!

Button Wins By A Head

17:33:40, 19-04-2010

China's rain-swept Shanghai F1 Grand Prix was a great spectacle, with thrills and spills aplenty. At a glance, it might appear that reigning world champion Jenson Button narrowly won the race ahead of much-hyped team-mate Lewis Hamilton, but in truth, their performances were a world apart. Button beat his fellow Brit in qualifying, with the McLaren pair starting from 5th and 6th on the grid. While many others, including his team-mate, ducked into the pits for an early tyre change under safety car conditions, Button stuck with what he had and reaped the rewards just a few laps later, as those new tyres proved the wrong choice. With most of the pack returning to the pits, Button found himself 2nd between Rosberg and Kubica, with a considerable lead over many of his rivals. As the weather continued to change, Button made best use of the track and nursed his tyres well, which soon allowed him to pass Rosberg and take the lead. It was shortly after this that a second safety car came into play, allowing the whole pack to bunch up, wiping out Button's lead, but not his position. Hamilton meanwhile had made good progress through the field, but was never in any danger of catching Button. While Lewis jostled with Sebastian Vettel in the pits, earning himself another slap on the wrist in the process, Jenson showed once again why he's world champion. Hamilton is fun to watch and unquestionably fast, but he's also young and impetuous. Button in contrast is smart and focused. His driving style is so smooth that his speed is often overlooked, yet three times in four races he has beaten his team-mate in qualifying and if anyone still doubts his abilities, they need only look to the drivers' championship, which he now leads by ten points.

It's three weeks until the championship resumes in Spain and with new upgrades expected all-round, getting ahead in the development race is as important as ever.

Malaysia

17:17:02, 07-04-2010

Thanks to heavy rain during qualifying, which displaced several front runners to the back of the grid, the Malaysian Grand Prix turned out to be another exciting race. The driver pairings of both McLaren and Ferrari fought their way from behind, while the Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber dominated from the front, coming home safely for a one-two finish. Rosberg drove a solid race to finish third, with Kubica following in fourth, while Sutil held off Hamilton's charge to claim a much deserved fifth place, finally converting a good qualifying result into some serious points. Down the field, the Toro Rosso team were looking sharp, with Alguersuari and Buemi making the most of their car's improved performance. Virgin achieved their first race completion, with Lucas di Grassi beating the Hispania and Lotus drivers to the line, down in fourteenth place. But F1 legend Michael Schumacher continued his troubled return, with a loose wheelnut forcing him to retire early, despite a promising start.

With three races complete and sixteen still to go, things are pretty close at the top of the driver's standings, with Massa leading but only nine points separating the top seven drivers.

Melbourne

17:13:01, 31-03-2010

After the procession-like display at Bahrain, Melbourne's rain-swept weekend made for a very different spectacle, with plenty of action from start to finish. Vettel's bad luck continued, allowing Jenson Button to take the lead after an early switch to slick tyres had allowed him to speed past the rest of the field. Kubica also capitalised on the changing track conditions, finishing second behind the reigning champion, with Massa third and Alonso coming in fourth despite a spin on the first bend sending him to the back of the pack. This is the sort of race I want to see more of and predictions look good for another wet one at Malaysia's Sepang circuit this weekend.

Bahrain

17:08:20, 25-03-2010

I'm sure it was just a coincidence, but I barely slept during the week leading up to the Bahrain Grand Prix, then struggled to get out of bed for several days following it. To say it didn't live up to the promise of preseason hype is an understatement. Fortunately, thanks to a bit of Fantasy F1 action at work, I was interested in what was happening all the way down the field. Though Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position and led for much of the race, the Red Bull was once again struck by reliability problems, allowing Alonso, Massa and Hamilton to pass him, with Rosberg finishing close on his tail. With mechanical failures being Red Bull's great weakness last season, the team will surely be hoping that Vettel's problems are not a sign of things to come. They aim to win the Constructor's Championship, but must perform well consistently if they hope to fend off some very tough competition. Following their problems in Bahrain, they are already trailing in 4th position behind Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.

A little further down the field, Adrian Sutil's excellent performance in qualifying was scuppered by a first lap spin, along with Renault's young star Robert Kubica. Though both drivers fought back well, we never got to see if they could contend with the big four teams ahead of them. This was perhaps the most interesting aspect of the race as it was about to get underway, but was terribly short-lived.

Tire wear, or rather the apparent lack of it, was the real disappointment. With consistent tyre quality resulting in no real performance issues, there's little to prevent each race from becoming a rather lacklustre procession to the finishing line, with only the prospect of mechanical faults or pit stop errors to liven things up.

Formula 1

18:39:11, 11-02-2010

With just four weeks left of testing and final preparations before teams arrive in Bahrain for the first Grand Prix of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship, anticipation is building for what many believe could be an exceptional season. With Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull all expected to field solid teams, with competitive cars and two quality drivers apiece, the championship title promises to be a hard fought race. Early signs suggest that Sauber could also be in the mix and if Force India can recapture the speed they displayed in Belgium last year, they could be chasing for wins as well.

At this stage there are still many uncertainties though. Teams are working hard to face the challenges of major rule changes, with limited time allowed for pre-season testing creating a short window of opportunity during which to adapt theory to the harsh reality of practise. This year's return to no refuelling during the race has brought a range of unknowns to design and strategy, with relative pace and reliability yet to be determined. The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on March 14 and we are unlikely to know how the teams truly compare until that race is over.

As well as technical changes, the new season also brings four new teams to the grid, provided they all survive their brief infancy. It is likely that these newcomers will form a second tier of competition beneath the established teams, as they initially compete to be best of the rest. Virgin Racing were the first to unveil their car and join testing in Jerez, but today their run was cut short by the loss of its front wing.

But it’s the big teams that will be getting most of the attention. McLaren are hoping for a return to competitiveness with current and previous World Champions, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton spearheading their push for victory. Following it's double Championship win in 2009, Brawn GP has been reborn as Mercedes, with the revitalised seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher returning to Formula 1 after a three year break, driving alongside promising young aspirant Nico Rosberg. Last year's bridesmaids, Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel will push to do one better this season, with Mark Webber always ready to join the fray and prove he's no underdog. Then we have Ferrari's intriguing pairing of double World Champion Fernando Alonso and feisty Brazilian Felipe Massa, back from a life-threatening accident and eager to prove he's still got what it takes to win. And in case that’s not enough, you can throw in a few wild cards such as Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello at Williams and promising Pole Robert Kubica driving for Renault.

Who can live up to the hype is yet to be seen, but one thing’s for sure, all of the ingredients are there for a great Formula 1 season!

Where in the World?

02:37:42, 02-01-2010

In time, this section of the site should become home to any news or thoughts about events beyond my home in the South of England.

To start things off, I've attached a map of the world that highlights the parts I've visited. As you can see, I've never been a vast distance from home, only ever venturing as far as the mainland of Europe.