Why are they called teammates?

Justin:

Teammate is a very curious description, particularly in the world of F1, where the first objective is to beat the guy in the same equipment as you as thats how you're judged in some quarters. The other guy is hardly a mate (though ok, with Nico and Lewis I guess this is true...for now).

F1 history is littered with drivers crossing the line with their teams.

Prost, for but one example, likened the Ferrari 643 to a truck, and was thusly sacked.

Alonso famously, allegedly I should add, blackmailed Ron Dennis by threatening to take evidence to the FIA that Mclaren engineers had Ferrari data unless Ron backed Alonso for a title tilt. Dennis was quoted as saying he'd never encountered anything like that, ever.

This was during the absolutely toxic one year that saw Alonso signing for Mclaren believing he had been given number one status by Ron. Obviously Ron had sold him an image of life at Mclaren, and it turned out to be something quite different to the brochure he was given.

Before you all say (thats all..3 of our readers?) that Alonso is just as bad as Vettel, I would strongly disagree. Ron Dennis ain't exactly a saint! Do a deal with the devil and you have to play dirty I'm afraid. Besides which, Fernando was right. If the Mclaren in-fighting had ceased, Ferrari wouldnt have beaten them to the title. You could say the same for Williams in 86 too - but I guess theres always a counter-arguement in F1 to balance stuff out.

Me, I love the racing, teammates fighting and teams falling apart. Its all part of F1.

Ron....

It should go on record that I dislike Ron Dennis intensely. He always used to say drivers were treated equally and claimed to be able to manage two world class drivers in the same team. Then he always started crying when things went wrong. He always has his favourites - Mika over DC, Kimi over DC, Lewis over Fernando, Senna over Prost etc etc etc. Equal equipment perhaps, but he always preferred one over the other.

Martin Whitmarsh is a much more balanced team principal, as evidenced by his management for three years leading JB and LH. Anyway, I digress...where was I?

Oh yes, and F1 history is even more littered with teammates screwing each other over.

Mansell and Piquet, Prost and Senna, Villeneuve and Pironi, Alonso and Hamilton....the list goes on....add to that one Webber and Vettel. Curiously though, whilst most troublesome pairings self destruct after a year or two and one of the pair goes elsewhere, Webber and Vettel are in their fifth year together. Probably because if either did leave, with the Red Bull designed by Newey, it would be seen as a step backward.

Malaysia

What happened in Malaysia has made me quite emotional frankly. It has stirred plenty of memories and caused me to look back and think of teammates crossing the lines with each other and their teams. What can you get away with before you start looking for your P45?

Not bad for a number 2 mate

Mark Webber had Vettel beaten, plain and simple, today. He was the superior driver, end of discussion. The team had agreed to turn down the engines after the second stops and hold station.

I can't recall anything like this happening for a fair few years at least. Vettel disobeyed a direct team order and passed Mark.

How many times have we witnessed Webber rolling up behind Vettel, clearly faster (dont think Vettel was faster today), in the past and being asked to hold station. He doesnt like it...he hustles him a bit then backs off. If he did like it, he shouldnt be in F1, but he accepts that a team "hold station, bring home the team finish" is exactly that.

Vettel disregarded his team and his teammate today. He well and truly put the middle finger to all of them.

Vettel trying to explain himself after the race was absolutely pathetic. He alluded to the fact that in similar situations in the past they had raced....erm no....you didnt...we've seen Mark holding station plenty of times.

Helmut Marko was equally hillarious. There was a ten second pause with his gob wide open when Lee Mckenzie went straight for the jugular with her first question to him. He didnt know what to say...how about saying "my golden boy fucked up". But no, he explains it away saying the situation got out of control...the situation got out of control?!

Kinda reminds me of Turkey in 2010, when Vettel drove into Mark...the majority of the Red Bull powers that be somehow laid the blame at Webbers door.

Horner said Vettel's actions were unnacceptable, but he has apologised so we move on. Disgusting. Vettel clearly believes he is unotuchable there. If he had done similar at Ferrari he'd be sacked!

The good thing is, whilst scum Marko wants Vettel's babies, the owner Dietrich Mateschitz is very pro Webber.

Vettel's apology is total bollocks.

I must aplogise for my slightly emotional rants amidst the quality writing ;-).

Red Bull good guy

Rumour is that Dietrich Mateschitz was approached by Lewis for a drive in the middle of last year, for this season. He wanted nothing of it, insisting that he was loyal to Mark and the Aussie had first refusal on a drive with the team.

I have probably missed a lot and will no doubt rant more another time.

Race report

Lots of awesome racing and overtaking. Alonso made a cracking start, then cracked his front wing by nerfing Vettel.

Nico and Lewis had a lot of fun racing each other. Nico was eager to pass shall we say, but Big Ross Brawn managed the situation fairly well and Nico had calmed down after the race.

Has to be said, none of the top three were happy on the podium! Mark wasn't holding back with his remarks either - "Seb made his own decisions today".

As expected Lotus werent as much on the pace here, but came in...6th and 7th was it, claiming solid points at least.

Mclaren looked a lot more on the pace here, but JB was completely un-done by a dodgy pit-stop. I see they havent sorted any issues from last year.

Special mention to Force India for the most woeful race and pitstops I have seen from one team for a long time. Sort it out guys!

Driver of the day is Mark Webber - did you see his one handed driving whilst flipping the bird to Vettel?!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21915619

Most amusing moment goes to Lewis rolling up into the Mclaren pits - whoops!

Second most amusing moment goes to Alonso taking the piss out of the Red Bull friction in a tweet!

Fernando Alonso ‏@alo_oficial 13h

Today that I'm not in the podium I'm missing a good moment..! I will try not leave them alone again ... ;))) #goodMood

It was actually race 200 for Fernando, which passed quietly, in the kitty litter. He'll be back and is already beating the optimistic drum.

Here is a final pic to leave with - awkward!

Good link to BBC report - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21917899

I wont link to the full podium interview as its on sky sports website (booooo!!) - awkward doesnt cover it!

Kimi - A one stop strategy before the race ;-)

Justin:

Starting from where we left off in 2012 seems to be the main theme for Round 1 in Australia.

The three men on the podium were the top three in the title race last year and I would possibly put Kimi alongside Seb and Fernando in terms of real title contenders for 2013.

Of course, it's just one race and it's a quite particular street circuit in Albert Park. Malaysia has a lot of rather different characteristics as a track with fast, sweeping corners which may mean we'll see other cars coming to the front.

By way of a two stop strategy, and a one stop strategy before the race.... Kimi beat Fernando by over ten seconds in the end, with Vettel a further ten seconds down the road in third.

There was some great racing, nail biting stuff in the early stages with Vettel being hustled by the two very quick Ferrari's.

Mclaren are absolutely nowhere and Lewis must be loving his move to Mercedes, where he finished a solid if unspectacular fifth.

Sergio Perez's debut in his new team was frankly not good enough. Ok, its a difficult car, with JB struggling to ninth. But as we all know in F1 you must beat your team-mate first and foremost. I almost forgot Perez was in the race at all to be perfectly honest.

Mark Webber had a rubbish start yet again, from second on the grid. We learned later that he had an electronics fault AND no kers...does this guy get any good luck at all, ever?! Great recovery drive to sixth.

Adrian Sutil should get a mention - he led the race after a year out and didnt look out of place amongst the front runners at all. He faded due to differing strategies, but still finished a well earned seventh.

Good to see Massa is still keeping Alonso very honest, as he did in the last handful of races last year.

Alonso said the pace of the Lotus was a worry. Keeping things in perspective though, Ferrari have turned up with a very fast car. This time last year theirs was an absolute dog.

It seems Mclaren has brought the ugly duckling along this year.

Pecking order looks like Ferrari and Red Bull (RB may have better one lap pace but they seem to ruin their tyres in the race), Lotus then a small gap to Mercedes. Mclaren have fallen back and need to sort themselves out quickly.

To Malaysia in one week!

This isn't the Kimi we know - he usually drinks all the booze :-)

Fitting finale

Justin:

Brazil provided a fitting finale to a fantastic season. The I Was Having a Blog team met up for an exclusive live event and one could say I was a bit excited as the race ebbed and flowed to and from Alonso. As Vettel was punted at the start I was on my knees screaming at the TV then leaping up and down in hysterics.

When on the BBC Forum afterwards, Bruno Senna was replayed his nerfing of Vettel and he remarked with a smirk on his face "yeah, I knew it was a Red Bull, but when I found out it was Vettel I was like ohhh thats a bad one".

The race started in drizzling rain with all the cars on slicks. The Mclaren's dissapeared for a while and had a great fight out on their own for a few laps - as JB said later it was a great fight to end Lewis' time at the team.

Alonso and Massa both made blinding starts, and at the start of lap 2 Webber was trying to take Massa down the straight only for Alonso to slipstream them both and dart down the inside into turn one. Boom! Thats an overtake and a half right there at 1m 40 seconds of the below bbc highlights video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20489820

It would have been a move worthy of winning the title as I pointed out to my co-blogger.

The Hulk had an awesome race frankly, passing Webber and Alonso in quick succession to go third. Under slippery conditions later he did nerf Lewis out which was a bit naughty, but he just lost control under braking.

I had around 7 heart attacks during the race, the first of which occurred on Alonso sliding off the track on lap 5 allowing Hulkenberg through.

Even looking back over the highlights reel I'm bamboozled with overtakes, cars sliding off, Ben Edwards screaming ala Murray and lots of rain.

Vettel is a deserving champion, coming back from last to get 6th (all be it with a gimme pass from Schumi).

Massa had a great race and surely his upturn in form points to a great 2013.

JB was sublime. How many times in changing conditions have we seen him glide serenely to a win when chaos is all around him?

Alonso was mighty yet again...7th to 2nd...he did everything he possibly could, but it was not to be. He has said himself that this year was his best ever.

Pure emotion everywhere after the race - the Ferrari team think highly of their number 1.

Oh and special mention to Kimi for causing my co-blogger and I to explode in laughter as he went down an escape road only to find a closed gate :-).

The I Was Having a Blog 2012 Review and Awards will be happening soon, so watch this space.

So our thoughts now turn to 2013 and the stupidly long 3 month gap until the Australian GP in March. Sod an F1 book this year, season review DVD will be just fine.



 

Still all to play for

Phil: This most incredible of seasons still has its finale to give us, as for the fourth time in six seasons the title will be decided at the final race of the year. And what better way to mark the occasion than with a 'comeback' (hopefully more succesful than Schumi's) blog.

Let's crunch some numbers. Vettel is 13 points ahead of Alonso, with a maximum of 25 points still up for grabs. All Vettel need do is finish in the top four and he will be world champion. Alonso must be on the podium to have any hope of his third title this season. If Alonso wins, Vettel need only finish fourth to retain his title. If Alonso is second, seventh place will do, and if he is third, ninth. On the other hand, were Vettel's alternator to fail, as it has twice this year and as Webber's did last time out in Austin, a podium would guarantee Alonso the title. There are permutations in which both of them would score the same number of points, after 20 races, in which case Vettel would win the championship by five wins to Alonso's three (or four) - perhaps a fitting way to end one of the closest seasons ever, with the closest title margin ever.

One way or another, one or other of them will join an elite band of triple world champions. Vettel, if he can defend his lead, will join Schumacher (2000-2004) and Fangio (1954-57), the only men ever to have won the world championship three times in a row.

In some ways, the pressure is on Vettel - it is his to lose. Alonso simply needs to go balls out for the win, and hope for rain, a safety car incident, mechanical failure at Red Bull, or all three.

My co-blogger and I will be there, sort of, at the final I Was Having a Blog Live! event of the year. One of us may even blog afterwards.

Leave him alone he know's what he's doing!!

Justin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2RxLbiTIoY&feature=related


Clearly, Kimi knows what he is doing. The 8th different winner of the year, breaking Vettel's 4 wins on the bounce in the process, Kimi is arguably the most popular winner of the year.

The last race in Abu Dhabi was pretty exciting it has to be said. First lap - Alonso and Webber side by side at 200mph set the tone for what was a race full of action, overtakes and people being nerfed off.

Alonso did all he could do starting from 6th and finishing 2nd. Vettel drove well, but had two safety cars to cut the time to those in front and a much faster car than most anyway as a result of the team changing the gear ratio's when they took it out of parc ferme.

Webber had another scrappy race it has to be said, getting involved in a couple of tangles of note, particularly with Massa.

Grosjean and Perez drove like idiots frankly, taking off Di Resta and Webber in the process of a silly tangle.

JB had a steady race and only failed to hold up Vettel with around 2 laps to go.

Poor Lewis. He would have walked this GP it has to be said. Mclaren may be fast, but their car is so unreliable.

There was an interview with him when he was asked if he regrets his move next year to Merc. You could clearly see in his eyes he has thought about it and pondered "this Mclaren is super fast, what am I doing?"

To the USA we go. For BBC fans, highlights are on at 10:30pm next Sunday - apparently the circuit should favour the Red Bull. Oh dear.

Go Fernando - take it to Brazil and win the title there - thats what he usually does!

KIMI!!!!

Justin:

Kimi and Lotus have announced he will be continuing into 2013, as was mush suspected.

Great news I say as its fantastic having Kimi back racing with us, providing his short but rather amusing interviews too.

You'd have to class his comeback as a massive success. Whilst he hasnt won a race just yet, he is a clear third in the title race..the best of the rest behind Vettel and Alonso.

Here's a picture to remind us all of what The Iceman will have in store for us next year...Black, Gold, Ice...going super fast!

(pic not taken by me!)

The Indian GP saw lots of overtaking action. The first lap shennanigans involving Alonso, Button and Hamilton reminded us all of why we love F1, and certainly showed the guys further down the field that you can race wheel to wheel at 200mph without taking each other off.

The Mclarens were fighting amongst themselves and Alonso nabbed a double tow with an astonishing closing speed. He took them both only to see them both go around each side of him out of the next corner.

Fantastic racing.

Elsewhere, Vettel flew into the distance. Webber had Kers problems which helped Alonso nab second. Still, the guy has no right being second in a world where the Bulls are clearly the fastest car by a mile now.

The title fight goes to Abu Dhabi this coming weekend where Alonso really does need a win quickly. Either that, or he needs Lewis and JB to get amongst the top couple of positions to get Seb off the top spot.

Plenty of great racing elsewhere in the field this weekend. Bruno Senna, Maldonado and the Saubers were all over each other. Senna had a great race - very much needed considering he has no contract for next year as yet.

Thats 7 in a row for me now since June..Title winning form!!!....co-blogger, are you out there??

Driver market silly season

Justin:

Race Reviews:

With my esteemed co-blogger seemingly lost in action, I return for my sixth straight blog.

Japan and Korea have now passed, with Vettel winning both. With Alonso being nerfed out in Japan and Belgium, his 40 odd point lead has now been wiped out in a handful of races - Vettel now leads by 6.

With Hamilton coming 10th in Japan, it's rather safe to say the title race is on - Alonso vs Vettel over 4 races now.

Though one does have to ask, will it be much of a competition?

For me, and many others, Alonso has been the best driver this year. General consensus is Hamilton has been there or there abouts too.

The Ferrari has been fast, but never the absolute fastest - Alonso has got 2 of his 3 wins in the wet, and both his poles.

The Red Bull's and Mclarens have been the fastest cars this year, but both have been unreliable at times whereas Ferrari have not had one mechanical failure or retirement (with Alonso).

Since Singapore Red Bull have seemingly come on leaps and bounds in development and overtaken Mclaren.

Vettel now has 3 wins on the spin as we head to India in two weeks. Ferrari backs are truly against the wall here and they must come out fighting with big upgrades. Race pace wasnt too far off the Red Bull's in Korea, but they need to nab a pole here or there to make races a bit easier.

Driver market

Lewis is going to Mercedes next year for a three year project. It seems he has had enough of Mclaren, and they dont seem too unhappy at him leaving.

On one hand, ok he might be fed up with his car having reliability issues in the last 3 races...

But....a big but....he claims he wants to win titles and races...Mclaren always provide a car that can do one and at least challenge for the other. So why move at all? (coughs...money and sponsorship freedom).

Mclaren keep all the driver winners trophies....that is a moo point at Merc for a year or two for sure!

One could speculate that JB's arrival and equal footing with Lewis has almost pushed him into moving. Mclaren no longer being the cosy, Lewis-centric home it used to be.

Over the three years they have been team-mates, they have pretty much the same amount of wins and points. JB had the upper hand early on in 2010, winning 2 of his first 4 races. Lewis then rolled him over from halfway onwards. 2011...JB's best driving ever? Hamilton had a mare year, JB drove his best ever season. This year has seen Lewis generally nudging ahead again.

But, JB has essentially made the team his own and kicked Lewis out. Take that critics who said he was "going into the lions den!"

Oh, and Lewis tweeting that JB didnt respect him for "unfollowing" him...what a cock! (JB had never followed him and had told the press this same thing a few days before!).

• Hulkenberg confirmed at Sauber for 2013
• Perez confirmed at Mclaren
• A number of drivers in running for second Force India seat alongside Di Resta, including Sutil.
• Sauber seat vacated by Perez likely to go to their young Mexican test driver.
• Massa set to be confirmed at Ferrari for 2013
• Lotus and Red Bull unchanged
• oh...did I mention the rumours swirling about Vettel to Ferrari for 2014??

 For those interested to know, my good friend Gavin took a pic of Kimi in the Belgium pits...this pic is now framed above my shitter.....he was having a shit didnt you know?

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19939863