Justin: A nod to my fellow blogger on the birthday card thing. I had the exact same card for a few years in a row from my parents. Happens to all those who are brought up on F1 it seems.
There is so much to cover with this blog. I only watched the highlights and I could barely contain myself watching them. This season is rapidly becoming the classic we all hoped it would be. I offered a Murray Walker "HHHEEEEEEEYYYYYYY" when Vettel swerved into Webber. My co- blogger will no doubt correct me (but I dont think I need correcting on this one), but we haven't had a case of such high profile, top team, going for the title team-mates taking each other off in such a style since the late 80's.....what were those guys names again?? :-).
Let me get this straight - I agree with my co-blogger and the whole planet (bar two people...Horner and Vettel) that it was blatantly Vettel's fault. He was inside Webber, but not ahead at all, and blatantly, clearly and visibly turned to his right....he knew Webber was there. All Webber was doing was holding his central line as he was quite rightly entitled to do.
Vettel is a prick, end of. I saw two different interviews with him, one during the race and one after it ended. In one he blatantly blamed Webber and in the other he muttered something about respecting the team, not putting the blame to one guy etc etc. WTF? Is this his way of saying he did it?? Horner was exactly the same after the race. I watched the interview and listened intently....he seemed to be placing more of the blame at Webbers door for not leaving Vettel enough room!
Eddie Jordan rarely ever talks any sense...ever. But....he made a valid point commenting after having seen the last Horner interview. He said something very, very strange is happening at Red Bull and that he thinks Horner seems to be blaming Webber. Mark Webber had better watch his back at Red Bull from now on, as EJ, and I (thats right, I agree with EJ!) think the team supports Vettel over Webber.
Time will tell on that one. Still, Vettel being a cock sort of helped Fernando in that he isnt as far back in the standings as he should be. Bloody awful weekend for Ferrari, they need to get a quicker car...quickly!
Watching Button take Lewis and vice versa was lots of fun and gave me another Murray Moment of yelling. Also, I found myself cheering Lewis as he took Vettel too...a rare moment for me I must say!
So, its Webber on 93, Button on 88, Lewis on 84, Fernando on 79 and Vettel on 78. Out of them, the champion will emerge.
Monday 31 May 2010
Sunday 30 May 2010
Another eyecatching headline
Phil: Spotted this one on Yahoo! F1 and knew instantly it had to be shared: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/30052010/23/senna-splits-virgins.html
Vettel cocked up big style
Phil: I think that's a fair summary of the afternoon's racing.
A few years ago there was a running joke in my family (at least I think it was a joke) where every birthday my Mum would send me the birthday card with Mauricio Gugelmin airborne at Monaco after a first corner shunt, and the incredibly funny thought bubble, 'Mirror, signal, manoeuvre...oh bugger!', pretending that she'd forgotten she's given me the same card the year before. A roundabout anecdote, I know, and not a terribly interesting one, but Vettel probably had one of those moments. He's rumoured to talk to himself inside his helmet, so the conversation probably went something like this: 'pass Mark up the inside, turn in nice and early for the corner, hold on, wasn't I overtaking someone? Oh cock.....' Maybe that explains the international slightly loopy hand gesture he was doing as he walked off across the gravel trap. The alternative is that he deliberately sabotaged his teammate's race, which is really too sinister to contemplate. Either way, Lewis and Jenson gave us an object lesson in how world class drivers overtake their teammates, and Vettel showed us how things are done in....Formula 3, or something.
What happened to the Ferraris this weekend? I was expecting Alonso to come scything through the field after his disappointing twelfth place on the grid, but he didn't. In fact, he only managed eighth, and even that after Vettel disgraced himself and Alonso managed to shunt Petrov off while passing him.
Skiver of the day normally goes to someone who's showered and changed before the chequered flag falls, and today is no exception (see above).
A few years ago there was a running joke in my family (at least I think it was a joke) where every birthday my Mum would send me the birthday card with Mauricio Gugelmin airborne at Monaco after a first corner shunt, and the incredibly funny thought bubble, 'Mirror, signal, manoeuvre...oh bugger!', pretending that she'd forgotten she's given me the same card the year before. A roundabout anecdote, I know, and not a terribly interesting one, but Vettel probably had one of those moments. He's rumoured to talk to himself inside his helmet, so the conversation probably went something like this: 'pass Mark up the inside, turn in nice and early for the corner, hold on, wasn't I overtaking someone? Oh cock.....' Maybe that explains the international slightly loopy hand gesture he was doing as he walked off across the gravel trap. The alternative is that he deliberately sabotaged his teammate's race, which is really too sinister to contemplate. Either way, Lewis and Jenson gave us an object lesson in how world class drivers overtake their teammates, and Vettel showed us how things are done in....Formula 3, or something.
What happened to the Ferraris this weekend? I was expecting Alonso to come scything through the field after his disappointing twelfth place on the grid, but he didn't. In fact, he only managed eighth, and even that after Vettel disgraced himself and Alonso managed to shunt Petrov off while passing him.
Skiver of the day normally goes to someone who's showered and changed before the chequered flag falls, and today is no exception (see above).
Saturday 29 May 2010
Turkey Quali
Justin: Well, I know as a professional blogger I am supposed to show little or no bias...but I was devastated when Alonso went out and didnt make the final qualifying round. I barely watched the top ten shootout. The Ferarri clearly isnt as quick this weekend as Massa was barely 8th. What usually happens is though that Massa is around 6th or so and Alonso is top 3 or 4 (when he isnt pranging the barrier of course). This time it was a case of driver error....but the two red cars didnt look too pacey anyway to be honest. In his interview Alonso said he was pushing to the limit, hence his error. Eddie Jordan spoke some sense finally when he said "the key is Alonso was pushing the car over its limit and the car just isnt good enough to compete".
Anyway, onto other matters. Schumi out does Nico yet again. Damn that man and his ability to get a team working for him alone! Lewis and Jenson did well to be up there with Red Bull.
The fantastically telling thing for me was in the top 3 press conference. Webber was reminded of some sort of issue Red Bull had with orders for leaving the pits (or something like that)...maybe it was pit stop order in final quali....anyway he looked vaguely awkward and answered the question saying "yeah, dunno what happened there, as this weekend it was my turn to go second".....thus Vettel would have had some small advantage given to him by pitting first.
Here is the key....those of you who were watching closely should have seen Vettel look rather disgusted and roll his eyes up to the sky at this point. Could be a few shennanigans in the Red Bull team me thinks soon enough. Vettel, whatever his problems with chasis, brakes..whatever...he just isnt happy in the car or out of it at the moment, as lets be honest...Webber is trashing him good and proper. 3 poles in a row and it could be 3 wins in a row tomorrow. Fair Dinkum Sport! :-)
PS - Martin Brundle described Alonso as a miserable little so and so in interviews...ouchie! I guess we will see what he means tomorrow. I am looking forward to Webber meeting EJ at his Bucks home.
Anyway, onto other matters. Schumi out does Nico yet again. Damn that man and his ability to get a team working for him alone! Lewis and Jenson did well to be up there with Red Bull.
The fantastically telling thing for me was in the top 3 press conference. Webber was reminded of some sort of issue Red Bull had with orders for leaving the pits (or something like that)...maybe it was pit stop order in final quali....anyway he looked vaguely awkward and answered the question saying "yeah, dunno what happened there, as this weekend it was my turn to go second".....thus Vettel would have had some small advantage given to him by pitting first.
Here is the key....those of you who were watching closely should have seen Vettel look rather disgusted and roll his eyes up to the sky at this point. Could be a few shennanigans in the Red Bull team me thinks soon enough. Vettel, whatever his problems with chasis, brakes..whatever...he just isnt happy in the car or out of it at the moment, as lets be honest...Webber is trashing him good and proper. 3 poles in a row and it could be 3 wins in a row tomorrow. Fair Dinkum Sport! :-)
PS - Martin Brundle described Alonso as a miserable little so and so in interviews...ouchie! I guess we will see what he means tomorrow. I am looking forward to Webber meeting EJ at his Bucks home.
Friday 28 May 2010
Turkey P1 and P2
Justin: My co-blogger was correct with the answer to the question I posed. Carlos it was! I have perhaps somewhat shocking news in that my blog on Sunday evening will be based on the highlights show and not the actual race this time around, as I am out on Sunday. Still, its the first live race I have missed and I've kept the blog going rather well during times of my co-blogger being forced into silence by way of having no TV etc etc.
P1 and P2 quick rundown! Button, Webber, Lewis, Nico, Fernando all looking rather quick me thinks! Just half a second between first and fifth!
P1 and P2 quick rundown! Button, Webber, Lewis, Nico, Fernando all looking rather quick me thinks! Just half a second between first and fifth!
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Official team photo
Phil: My co-blogger's post from last week gave me a startling realisation today: other people read this blog. Put it another way: we have been receiving fan mail. So, here's something for our burgeoning fan base: my co-blogger and myself at the recent I Was Having a Blog Live at Monaco shenanigans. He's on the left.
The answer is Carlos Reutemann, although I guessed Niki Lauda, as you may have noticed had you read an earlier version of this post (which I edited as it looked as if I thought Niki Lauda was in the photo).
The answer is Carlos Reutemann, although I guessed Niki Lauda, as you may have noticed had you read an earlier version of this post (which I edited as it looked as if I thought Niki Lauda was in the photo).
Monday 24 May 2010
F1 Quiz!
Justin: To fill the gap between races as usual, lets have some filler chat. Hamilton got charged - big deal. Quiz time! From the well known Grand Prix Trivia quiz master box owned by me....
Question: Whose first win came in a Brabham at the 1974 South African GP?
Question: Whose first win came in a Brabham at the 1974 South African GP?
Tuesday 18 May 2010
I am Murray Walker
Justin: Ideas for the blog just keep hitting me at the moment - much of it regarding the past weekend at Monaco.
My co-blogger mentioned that we sat and watched the race together, and we both mentioned that I am the Murray Walker of the legendary pairing.
There is proof of this. As the safety car emerged for the final time, we were watching with anticipation and holding our collective breath. It was just about to come in and (remember this blogger worships Alonso) and I commented "could be good, someone is bound to be half asleep here".
My co-blogger obviously saw the rather amusing side as Schumi slithered by for 6th. How many times did Murray unwittingly sabotage Nige, Damon etc by remarking that things were going well before their engines exploded on cue etc etc??
Obviously I remark above about safety cars coming in etc etc, but this has no bearing on my views on the whole alonso vs schumi fiasco, which can be found elsewhere on earlier blogs.
As a parting shot at Brawn and Schumi....anyone notice how Ferarri always used to bend/ break rules to their advantage? Anyone notice now that Mercedes are doing this too.....it doesnt take a genius to see the two common factors :-).
My co-blogger mentioned that we sat and watched the race together, and we both mentioned that I am the Murray Walker of the legendary pairing.
There is proof of this. As the safety car emerged for the final time, we were watching with anticipation and holding our collective breath. It was just about to come in and (remember this blogger worships Alonso) and I commented "could be good, someone is bound to be half asleep here".
My co-blogger obviously saw the rather amusing side as Schumi slithered by for 6th. How many times did Murray unwittingly sabotage Nige, Damon etc by remarking that things were going well before their engines exploded on cue etc etc??
Obviously I remark above about safety cars coming in etc etc, but this has no bearing on my views on the whole alonso vs schumi fiasco, which can be found elsewhere on earlier blogs.
As a parting shot at Brawn and Schumi....anyone notice how Ferarri always used to bend/ break rules to their advantage? Anyone notice now that Mercedes are doing this too.....it doesnt take a genius to see the two common factors :-).
Monday 17 May 2010
EJ - plus that email in full!
Justin: My co-blogger mentioned EJ and the pool. DC offered (good) money for Children in Need so I agree EJ is skiver of the day for me!
Here is that email from a blog reader in full!!! Whatever anyone says, one thing is for sure, the rules do need to be reworked just a tad, for the next time shumi cheats :-).
Email:
Here is that email from a blog reader in full!!! Whatever anyone says, one thing is for sure, the rules do need to be reworked just a tad, for the next time shumi cheats :-).
Email:
Following your blog, article 40.13 of the regulations:
"If the race ends while the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit
lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as
normal without overtaking."
The safety car was brought in electively by choice on that lap (which
happened to be the last lap) as a result of the track becoming green.
Everybody rightly began racing and Schumacher overtook a sleeping Alonso
fairly. Since the safety car had become "undeployed" and this had been
signalled to all teams in advance, the race did NOT end whilst the safety
car was deployed and thus the above rule does not apply.
If on the contrary the track remained unsafe and the safety car was required
to remain out, the track would not have become green. In this situation, the
above rule would apply and the safety car would still come into the pits on
the last lap. However, racing would not recommence and overtaking would not
be allowed.
The rule is badly written and needs sorting.
You can overtake at Monaco after all
Phil: Well, Monaco was certainly a unique venue for our 'live blog' experience. Apologies to anyone out there in the blogosphere who wasn't there, you missed some great banter, and I still maintain that Button should have braked really hard to get that thing out his sidepod, cartoon-style, before it cooked his engine. My esteemed colleague took the role of Murray Walker in our panto, and I was James Hunt. That's not rhyming slang, by the way.
Anyway, congratulations once again to Mark Webber for what but for his performance last week in Barcelona would have been the drive of his career: to pull out a lead, only to see it evaporate when the safety car came out, not once but four times, was the drive of a champion. He has seemed utterly invincible for two weeks and his confidence must be sky-high going to Turkey. Vettel has some thinking to do, but Red Bull are edging ahead at the moment. And I agree with my co-blogger that one of Webber, Vettel, Alonso and Button - the four men who have won races so far this year - will be champion.
Alonso proved in more ways than one that you can overtake at Monaco after all (even if it is a bit like the Hungaroring with houses). He scythed his way through the Virgins and Lotuses early on, but it's Schumacher's last-corner overtaking move that everyone is talking about. At last, the Schumacher of old is back, courting controversy as ever. Whether it was legal or illegal, it was certainly an audacious move, and one which really only Schumacher would ever have done. Something that appeals to me about F1 is the history, and there was so many historical ironies here - Schumacher and Ferrari, Schumacher and Alonso, at the same corner as in 2006 when he parked his Ferrari in quali and buggered up Alonso's flying lap, and most of all, a little wry smile that it was Damon Hill as race steward who had the pleasure of reducing his old rival to twelfth place, with a hint of retribution for the 1994 world championship. As for the rules, I haven't a clue, although a learned friend of ours who has been known to read this blog (eh? what?) thinks Schumacher is clearly right. I think the rules are likely to be self-contradictory, and weren't tidied up properly when the new rule about safety cars was brought in at the beginning of this season. As Eddie Jordan pointed out, and it's not often that he's right, the fact that it took Damon several hours to reach a decision indicates he wasn't sure either. The latest as of lunchtime today is that Ross Brawn is still sure he's right and Mercedes intend to appeal. Having said that, how many times do Formula 1 teams announce they're appealing a steward's decision, and then quietly forget about it?
It's well past my bedtime, so I ought to wrap up and nominate my skiver of the day, which my co-blogger has already alluded to. There are several candidates this weekend. My first thought was the nameless bloke at McLaren who left the wotsit in Jenson's car which made his engine brew up after three laps. My second was double world champion Fernando Alonso, who was clearly having forty winks on the way into the Rascasse on the last lap, thinking it was all over, when an elderly German snuck past him. However, I am going to nominate Eddie Jordan, who is fast becoming favourite for skiver of the year, for failing to take a dive into the BBC micro-pool, in the Red Bull post-race fashion, in aid of Children in Need. To be fair, it was a very small pool, and he'd probably have banged his not inconsiderable ego on the bottom, which wouldn't have been a pretty sight at all.
Anyway, congratulations once again to Mark Webber for what but for his performance last week in Barcelona would have been the drive of his career: to pull out a lead, only to see it evaporate when the safety car came out, not once but four times, was the drive of a champion. He has seemed utterly invincible for two weeks and his confidence must be sky-high going to Turkey. Vettel has some thinking to do, but Red Bull are edging ahead at the moment. And I agree with my co-blogger that one of Webber, Vettel, Alonso and Button - the four men who have won races so far this year - will be champion.
Alonso proved in more ways than one that you can overtake at Monaco after all (even if it is a bit like the Hungaroring with houses). He scythed his way through the Virgins and Lotuses early on, but it's Schumacher's last-corner overtaking move that everyone is talking about. At last, the Schumacher of old is back, courting controversy as ever. Whether it was legal or illegal, it was certainly an audacious move, and one which really only Schumacher would ever have done. Something that appeals to me about F1 is the history, and there was so many historical ironies here - Schumacher and Ferrari, Schumacher and Alonso, at the same corner as in 2006 when he parked his Ferrari in quali and buggered up Alonso's flying lap, and most of all, a little wry smile that it was Damon Hill as race steward who had the pleasure of reducing his old rival to twelfth place, with a hint of retribution for the 1994 world championship. As for the rules, I haven't a clue, although a learned friend of ours who has been known to read this blog (eh? what?) thinks Schumacher is clearly right. I think the rules are likely to be self-contradictory, and weren't tidied up properly when the new rule about safety cars was brought in at the beginning of this season. As Eddie Jordan pointed out, and it's not often that he's right, the fact that it took Damon several hours to reach a decision indicates he wasn't sure either. The latest as of lunchtime today is that Ross Brawn is still sure he's right and Mercedes intend to appeal. Having said that, how many times do Formula 1 teams announce they're appealing a steward's decision, and then quietly forget about it?
It's well past my bedtime, so I ought to wrap up and nominate my skiver of the day, which my co-blogger has already alluded to. There are several candidates this weekend. My first thought was the nameless bloke at McLaren who left the wotsit in Jenson's car which made his engine brew up after three laps. My second was double world champion Fernando Alonso, who was clearly having forty winks on the way into the Rascasse on the last lap, thinking it was all over, when an elderly German snuck past him. However, I am going to nominate Eddie Jordan, who is fast becoming favourite for skiver of the year, for failing to take a dive into the BBC micro-pool, in the Red Bull post-race fashion, in aid of Children in Need. To be fair, it was a very small pool, and he'd probably have banged his not inconsiderable ego on the bottom, which wouldn't have been a pretty sight at all.
Sunday 16 May 2010
You cannot help but laugh
Justin: All the times he cheated....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8685542.stm
I now wait to see who my co-blogger nominates as his skiver of the day. Definately not Damon Hill eh!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8685542.stm
I now wait to see who my co-blogger nominates as his skiver of the day. Definately not Damon Hill eh!
Who needs rain?
Justin: Who needs rain for a fun race eh? I must add that the Monaco GP was viewed by this blogger in the comfort of his co-bloggers hospitality. We established that I'm the Murray Walker of the twosome and he is something else entirely :-). He will acknowledge that I will not be too nice to him here as he did make at least one annoying remark against the amazing Fernando!
Lets start from the front. Mark Webber. What can you say really? Two poles, two wins. Two start to finish wins. Utterly dominating his younger team-mate. He now stands atop of the championship with Vettel, but Webber leads on race wins.
Alonso is third in the rankings. I wouldnt be the first to offer passing speculation on Alonso's luck with safety cars......but, he drove an outstanding race from 24th to finish 6th. I say 6th, as for all Brawn's moaning and bickering....the rule is....
Article 40.13 of the Formula 1 sporting regulation states: "If the race ends while the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking."
So, by definition Alonso secures 6th. As DC said though, they need to tidy up the rules here somewhat. Still, I bet Damon Hill wouldnt mind demoting Shumi to his rightful place eh.
It has to be said, I have said it before and I shall say it again....Alonso has had an up and down season thus far. He was on damage limitation today. Button dropped out (ooppps boys) and with Webber and Vettel far back in the standings before the race, it didnt work out too badly for Fernando. For an up and down season, to be 3rd in the standings a few points from the top isnt bad at all. Monaco could have been far worse for him. Job done there me thinks. He can be happy.
Elsewhere, Williams need to build their cars to a better standard it seems. What the hell was Rubens thinking throwing his wheel onto the racing line??
We wait to see what the stewards think of the Shumi/ Alonso incident on the last lap. I shall blog later when we know more.
Lets start from the front. Mark Webber. What can you say really? Two poles, two wins. Two start to finish wins. Utterly dominating his younger team-mate. He now stands atop of the championship with Vettel, but Webber leads on race wins.
Alonso is third in the rankings. I wouldnt be the first to offer passing speculation on Alonso's luck with safety cars......but, he drove an outstanding race from 24th to finish 6th. I say 6th, as for all Brawn's moaning and bickering....the rule is....
Article 40.13 of the Formula 1 sporting regulation states: "If the race ends while the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking."
So, by definition Alonso secures 6th. As DC said though, they need to tidy up the rules here somewhat. Still, I bet Damon Hill wouldnt mind demoting Shumi to his rightful place eh.
It has to be said, I have said it before and I shall say it again....Alonso has had an up and down season thus far. He was on damage limitation today. Button dropped out (ooppps boys) and with Webber and Vettel far back in the standings before the race, it didnt work out too badly for Fernando. For an up and down season, to be 3rd in the standings a few points from the top isnt bad at all. Monaco could have been far worse for him. Job done there me thinks. He can be happy.
Elsewhere, Williams need to build their cars to a better standard it seems. What the hell was Rubens thinking throwing his wheel onto the racing line??
We wait to see what the stewards think of the Shumi/ Alonso incident on the last lap. I shall blog later when we know more.
Saturday 15 May 2010
Oh Fernando!
Justin: He was utterly dominant in practice 1 on Thursday. I come home to watch quali today and find out he crashed out of practice 2 today and will start from the pitlane! I'm too distressed to blog right now. I was looking forward to a Fernando P1 masterclass...
Sunday 9 May 2010
To be fair
Justin: I probably tipped Webber to win more than just a race here or there. I think he is a genuine title contender this year, along with Alonso, Button, Hamilton and Vettel. Interesting watching BBC to see that Alonso sees the Red Bulls and Hamilton only as title contenders. I see also on BBC text that Ferarri are looking into why Massa was so off the pace in Spain. He's crap?
Oh and I don't like to correct my Co-Blogger, but I'm sure it was Lauda Air.....and I knew Jenson was the Frome Flyer, and I dont come from parts in the west country. Finally, DC didnt miss the race due to touring car racing, he was taking part in a classic car rally in Italy, with non other than Mika Hakkinen as his co-driver! There was a funny phone call with DC complaining that Mika wouldnt let him drive, and "considering the amount of times he moved over for him, he thought he'd let me drive more" haha...classic.
Classy race by Webber, Alonso was lucky as was Vettel...hmm....champions are lucky you know ;-). Alonso and Vettel havent reached their potential yet and both are still well in the hunt.
Hamilton.....shame about that :-).
My race report is very short - my quali analysis was long, so you know, I can afford a shorter one here.
Oh and I don't like to correct my Co-Blogger, but I'm sure it was Lauda Air.....and I knew Jenson was the Frome Flyer, and I dont come from parts in the west country. Finally, DC didnt miss the race due to touring car racing, he was taking part in a classic car rally in Italy, with non other than Mika Hakkinen as his co-driver! There was a funny phone call with DC complaining that Mika wouldnt let him drive, and "considering the amount of times he moved over for him, he thought he'd let me drive more" haha...classic.
Classy race by Webber, Alonso was lucky as was Vettel...hmm....champions are lucky you know ;-). Alonso and Vettel havent reached their potential yet and both are still well in the hunt.
Hamilton.....shame about that :-).
My race report is very short - my quali analysis was long, so you know, I can afford a shorter one here.
Webberthon
Phil: When this blog first started, we tipped Mark Webber to win a race. I'm pleased to say our prediction has been proved right, even if it wasn't the race we were thinking of. When Martin Brundle spoke to him on the grid, he promised us a boring race, and he wasn't far wrong: his lead throughout the race was so unchallengeable that at times I almost forgot he was even in it. Taking his third career victory, he drove the perfect race: pole, fastest lap, and the win. His teammate Vettel, meanwhile, reminded us that the Red Bull is fast but also fragile.
Further down the grid, Michael Schumacher had the best result of his post-career, outqualifying and outracing his teammate to take fourth. Even so, this clearly isn't the Schumi of old: even if the Mercedes is most definitely fourth of the 'big four', he lacked pace and was clearly holding Button up during the middle part of the race. He finished around 40 seconds behind Vettel, who had no brakes, a dodgy wheel nut and a front wing that wasn't working properly. However, his on-track pace may have been lacking, but the on-screen graphic revealed he posted the fastest pitstop time of the day, with 3.8 seconds. The cream always rises to the top...
Jenson Button meanwhile retains his lead of the driver's championship. He was also last week granted the freedom of his home town, Frome in Somerset, which apparently gives him the right to do something involving sheep in the high street. If you were watching carefully during the pre-race coverage, you'll have noticed that they've also named a street after him, called, predictably enough, Jenson Drive. However, you'll have had to be watching BBC local news down here in the land of cider-drinkers to know that Jenson also visited his old primary school that day, where the kids sang him a specially written song in his honour, to the tune of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. Classy. Incidentally, he's always referred to on the local news (and nowhere else) as, 'the Frome Flyer' (they have to reinforce the local interest, of course), so it did cross my mind that among the business interests that retired F1 drivers tend to get involved in, he could start a fish and chip shop called, 'the Frome Fryer', in the same way that Niki Lauda called his airline Air Lauda. Sort of.
Anyway, skiver of the day. I was tempted to nominate Heikki Kovalainen, who started packing up ready to go home before the race had even begun, but I suspect Lotus will provide me with plenty of other opportunities to take the piss out of them during this season, so I'm going to nominate David Coulthard instead, who couldn't even be bothered to turn up. Obviously German Touring Cars are a whole lot more interesting than talking to Eddie Jordan. That's wasn't a joke by the way.
Further down the grid, Michael Schumacher had the best result of his post-career, outqualifying and outracing his teammate to take fourth. Even so, this clearly isn't the Schumi of old: even if the Mercedes is most definitely fourth of the 'big four', he lacked pace and was clearly holding Button up during the middle part of the race. He finished around 40 seconds behind Vettel, who had no brakes, a dodgy wheel nut and a front wing that wasn't working properly. However, his on-track pace may have been lacking, but the on-screen graphic revealed he posted the fastest pitstop time of the day, with 3.8 seconds. The cream always rises to the top...
Jenson Button meanwhile retains his lead of the driver's championship. He was also last week granted the freedom of his home town, Frome in Somerset, which apparently gives him the right to do something involving sheep in the high street. If you were watching carefully during the pre-race coverage, you'll have noticed that they've also named a street after him, called, predictably enough, Jenson Drive. However, you'll have had to be watching BBC local news down here in the land of cider-drinkers to know that Jenson also visited his old primary school that day, where the kids sang him a specially written song in his honour, to the tune of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. Classy. Incidentally, he's always referred to on the local news (and nowhere else) as, 'the Frome Flyer' (they have to reinforce the local interest, of course), so it did cross my mind that among the business interests that retired F1 drivers tend to get involved in, he could start a fish and chip shop called, 'the Frome Fryer', in the same way that Niki Lauda called his airline Air Lauda. Sort of.
Anyway, skiver of the day. I was tempted to nominate Heikki Kovalainen, who started packing up ready to go home before the race had even begun, but I suspect Lotus will provide me with plenty of other opportunities to take the piss out of them during this season, so I'm going to nominate David Coulthard instead, who couldn't even be bothered to turn up. Obviously German Touring Cars are a whole lot more interesting than talking to Eddie Jordan. That's wasn't a joke by the way.
Saturday 8 May 2010
Nico needs to look out!
Justin: Interesting quali. It was touched upon by Jake and EJ...the Mercedes team starting to work around Shumi and what he needs more. They joked that Nico would be asking for the old spec car soon enough. Adds fuel to the fire that Shumi wouldnt be half the champion he is without having whole teams built around him and team-mates more or less being his bitch. Watch this space....but as it stands, Shumi out-qualified Nico for the first time this year. I for one am hoping that Nico keeps racking up good points as it makes the title race much more fun having 5 or 6 guys going for it.
Whilst we're on the team-mate theme, Alonso looks more and more like he has Massa in his pocket. 4th vs 9th says it all really. The footage of Fernando driving with one hand whilst covering the duct with his hand was crazy!
Well, the grid line up could be explosive. Webber and Vettel have their own personal battle and I expect them to dissapear into the distance frankly - their pace was silly! Though, McClaren and Ferarri usually have much better race pace thats nearer the Red Bull's.
Third backwards its Lewis, Fernando, Jenson, Michael - FRUITY!!! THE 4 WORLD CHAMPS TOGETHER ON THE GRID. That will be fun!
Whilst we're on the team-mate theme, Alonso looks more and more like he has Massa in his pocket. 4th vs 9th says it all really. The footage of Fernando driving with one hand whilst covering the duct with his hand was crazy!
Well, the grid line up could be explosive. Webber and Vettel have their own personal battle and I expect them to dissapear into the distance frankly - their pace was silly! Though, McClaren and Ferarri usually have much better race pace thats nearer the Red Bull's.
Third backwards its Lewis, Fernando, Jenson, Michael - FRUITY!!! THE 4 WORLD CHAMPS TOGETHER ON THE GRID. That will be fun!
Friday 7 May 2010
Ayrton Senna's beak
Justin: Well, look who is well up there in the Spanish GP practice sessions. One has to wonder if the upgrades made to favour Shumi's driving style have been made at the expense of Rosberg??
Oh, and I was watching my "Murray's magic moments" video yesterday and came across possibly my all time fave Murrayism......one I'd since long forgotten about but couldnt stop laughing at when I heard it again...."And the beak of Ayrton Senna's chicken is pulling ahead".....eh?! :-)
Oh, and I was watching my "Murray's magic moments" video yesterday and came across possibly my all time fave Murrayism......one I'd since long forgotten about but couldnt stop laughing at when I heard it again...."And the beak of Ayrton Senna's chicken is pulling ahead".....eh?! :-)
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