Hungary? Nah....SPA...BABY...SPA!

Justin:

Neither I nor my esteemed colleague blogged about Hungary. It was a fairly dull race lets be honest, with a few fun moments.

I'm still reeling from the BBC announcing Alonso at number ten in their all time greats list. Really? Below Vettel? Ok fools!

As my co-blogger pointed out, the most exciting bit of Hungary was the "next race....SPA" bit at the end of the show.

Heres a pic of what we hope we might see, or similar.

Outstanding Fernando!

Justin:

His second pole in the wet in the space of two weeks. Talk about on the ragged edge. Nobody improved their times, then Fernando went even faster (helped by the masterstroke of driver/team strategy by coming in for fresh wets)!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18940100

What a fantastic race we were treated to in Germany!

Off the line, we had Schumi really challenging Vettel, which was fantastic to see. I think this year has proved beyond any doubt that the old bastard still has it. I for one hope he signs again for next season. Schumi and Vettel into and out of the hairpin on lap one....now that's racing!!!!

We had three world champions battling for the lead throughout the whole race, never more than a few seconds apart...and another two world champions running in 4th and 5th for a fair while.

Kimi....Kimi! Some absolutely stonking overtakes from "The Iceman"....proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has lost none of his racecraft. Lap 5...Kimi and DiResta side by side....spine tingling balls out racing by both men. Beautiful to watch!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18947728
I think Kimi definately had his regulation shit before this race.

Carnage on lap one, causing a puncture for Lewis...in turn causing him to un-lap himself from Vettel later on to get out of Button's way! Brilliant.

Proving that form is temporary, but class is permenant....a great drive by JB from 6th to 2nd (naughty Sebastian...clearly passing off the track!). It's great to see Jenson back on the podium where he truly belongs.

There were absolutely shed loads of on track overtakes...usually involving Force India's, Saubers and either Kimi or JB or Schumi....brilliant stuff!

Off the back of his win at Silverstone, Mark Webber had an oddly flat race, but still got some valuable points.

Lap 42....JB taking Vettel....its why we all love F1...

So, Alonso has finished every race this year in the points. The Ferrari started off the year a second and a half off pole in Melbourne and was around the 5th/6th best car until a few races in, when they moved up to perhaps the 4th best car...

It's those early points collections along with the win in Malaysia, when Alonso clearly outdrove the bucket of shit he was driving. Now Ferrari still dont have the (outright) fastest car, but they are right up there with Red Bull and Mclaren now and in Alonso they have THE form man on the grid. Then again, you could say when is he off form?

Even last year in the totally rubbish Ferrari, he managed a win and consistently scored good points underneath the reign of Vettel and the much faster JB.

22 career poles, 30 race wins...only Mansell, Senna, Prost and Schumi are ahead on wins. The way he is going, I'd imagine he'll pass Nige this year no probs.

The guy just does not stop...relentless and absolute skill and determination.

Alonso is now 34 points ahead of nearest rival Webber. As I said in my last blog, it's looking increasingly likely that the two chaps in the fastest car are the only challengers to the fastest driver in probably the third fastest car.

22 consecutive races in the points is a stat in itself.

My co-blogger and I pondered where Alonso may come in the BBC all time greats list....it was compiled at the start of this year...but I'd imagine Alonso would be higher than Vettel (Vettel may have dominated last year but Alonso shone in what was a rather poor car - as he did for the first few races this year).

So...Senna, Fangio, Schumi, Prost, Clarke, Stewart....Alonso? I dunno...would Lauda be before him? Probably not for me.

Anyone else finding the podium interviews a tad odd?

Niki Lauda was firmly rebuked by Alonso with a "I don't do politics" hehehe.

On the Mark

Justin:

Mark Webber drove beautifully at Silverstone at the weekend. It looked like an Alonso victory for a while, until the last stint where Webber had kept in touch for most of the race and really floored it on the harder tyres as Alonso's softs fell away slightly.

It was a bit of a dull race, with moments of genius including Alonso and Hamilton racing wheel to wheel swapping overtakes for a lap early on, and indeed featuring Alonso and Webber late on in the race when Webber made his decisive move.

Webber has confirmed for 2013 with Red Bull - sensible choice by both parties...logical choice. With that, the driver market silly season has almost ceased before it has begun. Had Webber gone to Ferrari, the seats would have started spinning non-stop. Now though, Lewis has few options other than to stay where he is. Massa is improving in form and I think Ferrari would find it difficult to get rid of a man who has been in the team for years. Schumi at Mercedes is the only question mark....would Lewis be any better off there if Schumi retires? No, is my answer.

The title race is increasingly looking like Alonso vs Red Bull, with Lewis falling away 37 points off the lead.

JB is something like 79 points off top spot now....what a difference a year makes in F1 fortunes.

Valencia??....boring race??

Justin:

Lets start with this f1 funny! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81QPQE0qJQc 
My esteemed colleague and I just had an hour long chat on the phone about Valencia, the F1 season to date, our live event coming up, countdown to Belgium and many other things in between.

The European GP served up a dramatic, overtaking ladden race from start to finish. It just goes to show that F1 really is IF spelt backwards!

IF Seb hadnt have broken down, nobody would have caught him as I'd imagine he would have scampered off into the distance again after the safety car, such was the speed he was showing in quali and throughout the race. Let's not forget he was four tenths quicker than second placed Lewis on the grid. Amazing when you think that at one point at the end of Q2 the red car of Alonso was 11th and just two tenths off pole!

Poor Roman Grosjean suffered a similar fate to Seb a few laps after being taken with force by Fernando Alonso. Lets face it, it wont take me long to get onto just what a stonking drive his was.

After qualifying he said he'd be aiming for fifth or sixth and would probably lose out heavily to Hamilton and Vettel in the title race. A few balls out overtakes later coupled with yet another Mclaren pit fuck up (compare this to Ferrari doing the quickest stops constantly throughout the year) and Vettel retiring, then you have an emotional home win for the guy that never ever gives up. He is always there, lurking in the podium spots ready to pounce. Consistently fast and one of the all time greats. End of.

What a fantasic scene it was when he parked up in front of the grandstands and soaked up the atmosphere with the marshalls and his adoring public.

He was on the podium with two former Ferrari champions in Kimi and Michael. Well done Schumi!

Fair play to Mark, from 19th to 4th - beautiful drive there mate!

Maldonado took out Lewis with a lap to go - oooppps. I still don't think Lewis was totally blameless really as, ok, you say Pastor was coming off the track back into Lewis, but did Lewis not ease him off the track in the first place?

Still, the title race is, to me anyway, looking like the top four of Alonso, Webber, Hamilton and Vettel to duke it out for the rest of the year now. Next in fifth is Rosberg and I don't see him picking up big points anytime soon.

Poor old JB - just what is going on with him? Perhaps the Mclaren is rather difficult to drive all of a sudden and Lewis can just drive around these issues?

Elsewhere, "I Was Having a Blog" has yet another of our popular live events coming up in Stonehouse for the British GP weekend - which I personally cannot wait for!

Just three GP's...Britain, Germany and Hungary...then....we're off to Spa baby....SPA!!!!!!!!!!

Our Nige was voted number 13 in the BBC all time greatest driver list....just who is next? More importantly, who is next in our F1 Hero series?

To sign off I have to leave you all with this - amongst all the bloody hillarious stuff here, Mark Webber at 1 minute 22 seconds...he loves those arms on the chair!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuIiQ8wfyMQ

7/7

Phil: Lewis Hamsandwich's win at Montreal a fortnight ago gives a seventh winner in seven races in this topsy-turvy season. Can any of the seven take their second race win of the season tomorrow at Valencia, or will this record-breaking run continue? Ross Brawn has said he thinks Schumi is capable of adding to his tally, and he has had a most unlucky season so far with two tenth places and five DNFs. Raikkonen would be my tip to make it an eighth driver, although Perez has come close once or twice.

This may be a record breaking season, as the first seven races have never been won by seven different drivers before, but in 1982 nine consecutive races were won by nine different drivers. The comparisons with 1982 would be even more apt if Nico Rosberg were to emulate his father by winning one race, and then the title.

In other news, last weekend saw Audi's 11th win at Le Mans in 14 years, this time in a hybrid car. Former F1 driver and commentator Anthony Davidson cracked two vertebrae in a colossal crash at the end of the Mulsanne straight. His Toyota was lapping a slower GT car which didn't see him, cut in on him at the last minute and launched him into the air. Another F1 refugee, Giancarlo Fisichella, won the GT class in a Ferrari 458 Italia.

Finally, my co-blogger will be off to Silverstone tomorrow in a single seater. Have a great time and give it 110%!

Monaco Magic

Justin:

On a track which offers the ultimate test of a driver, Mark Webber has re-written the history books with his Monaco GP win. He becomes the only Aussie to win the flagship event twice in the history of the sport. He has also won the race in two of the last three years.

He also becomes the sixth winner in six races this year, which has never before happened in F1. Though he didn't seem to care for this particular stat afterwards, saying that the Monaco win would be special regardless of this record.

(image above is from BBC website - we ain't breaching no copyrights here)


And did he do it in some style or what!

His first win of the year catapaults him to joint second in the title race - he is firmly in it ala 2010. Welcome back mate.

At the end of the race he finished just half a second ahead of Rosberg, followed in a train of cars by Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton and Massa. For most of the last twenty laps these guys were seperated by no more than 6 seconds. Fantastic stuff! At one point when the rain started falling, each was all over the back of the guy in front. At one point, they were all well under a second from each other.

Webber got a flyer (for once) at the start whilst Grosjean got in all sorts of bother, punting into Schumi and spinning himself off.

Maldonado had a horror weekend frankly. He used his car as an angry weapon on Perez in quali then crashed out in the race.

Webber, Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso (all on the softer compound) all stopped for harder styres around laps 29 and 30. By way of a mega in lap Alonso managed to jump Hamilton in the stops, and of course whilst all these guys pitted Vettel cruised by on his harder tyres that he had started on.

Good strategy by Red Bull saw Vettel eventually move from 9th on the grid to 4th at the end which represents a good day for Vettel really.

When Vettel pitted around lap 46 for the softer compound tyres when he was around 17 seconds ahead of Webber, but crucially 20-21 ahead of Hamilton. So, he re-emerged from the pits in 4th.

From lap 47 to the finish on lap 78 we were given Formula 1 racing of the highest order by guys who did not put a foot wrong all day.

It made my neck hairs stand on end watching the train of cars...Webber, Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton...Massa (sort of hanging on just about at the back), covered by so little time for so many laps.

Beautiful!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18228584

Just watch from 5 minutes onwards on this BBC highlights clip!

To race this hard, fast and close is absolutely magnificent. At Monaco you do not get away with mistakes as you would on other tracks - you hit a wall and thats that.

It was a pleasure watching these guys fight.

We truly are in a golden era for F1 - I don't care what negative remarks people have about tyres. F1 drivers adapt - thats a specific skill all the best guys have.

Time for a quick sub-heading feature!

Webber - Driver of the day, on a day when there were a fair few contenders. Faultless race and from pole too.

Schumi - Life in the old dog yet as proved by his blistering quali lap, only to be scuppered by yet again more mechanical issues in the race.

Vettel - Keeps picking up points - great drive from 9th to 4th.

Rosberg - Beautiful drive too - kept Webber honest throughout.

Hamilton - Picked up points again, but are Mclaren going backwards? He seemed to point the finger firmly at their door again, seemingly annoying Whitmarsh a little in the process.

Button - One to forget - now 31 points of the championship lead after 3 rubbish races.

Di Resta - Fantastic drive through to 7th. I doubt he will be at Force India next year.

Alonso - This is where my objectivity may take a battering from my co-blogger, but I have seen various reports from differing sources all saying that Alonso is essentially driving as well as he ever has, doing extraordinary things in an ordinary car (it was a dog at the start of the year, but Ferrari do seem to be turning it into something better. In the meantime Alono's driving ability alone is keeping him in the hunt. He is utterly relentless and never gives up and is always lurking in the points. DC himself called Alonso unbelievable and the BBC's Gary Anderson stated in his blog:

 "In Alonso's case, his position is simply down to the quality of the driver. He has done astounding things with that car. He's always good off the start, always gets stuck in, and then fights the battle from then on." 

 The more I read about people complaining about tyres (fans?) saying they want to know who the fastest guys in the fastest cars are, not have this apparent lottery we are having with six different winners in six races......I say to you, look at the title standings....and shut the fuck up!!!!!

The cream always rises to the top, no matter the conditions, rules etc.....

Alonso leads Webber and Vettel followed by Hamilton, Rosberg, Kimi and Button....

Five of those seven have been contesting the title for the past two years and keeping race wins amongst themselves exclusively (Webber, Vettel, Alonso, Button and Hamilton) and one of the others is a former world champion.

What we have is near enough to a level playing field for the golden generation of Formula One drivers.

Let them get on with it!

The number seven

Phil: Mark Webber's win at Monaco means we've had six winners out of six races this season, with six world champions on the grid. But today's blog will be brought to you by the number seven (not 666), which I think is the number of serious contenders for the world championship.

That number alone shows what an astonishing season it's been so far, and shows every sign of continuing to be. Let's take a closer look at them, in reverse order for dramatic effect....

7th (45pts) - Jenson Button
Jenson won the first race of the season but since then a string of poor results culminating in an uncharacteristically lacklustre performance and DNF at Monaco have put him well behind his teammate. Never bet against McLaren though, and Jenson remains in my view one of the more underrated drivers on the grid, crowded out by the breadth of talent elsewhere.

6th (51pts) - Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi took his world title by a single point in 2007, and ever since then, or perhaps even earlier, he's been known more for his toiletary habits than for his driving ability. I for one have taken the piss out of him at every opportunity since, and I have to admit that he has surprised and impressed me perhaps more than anyone else this season. I'll say something else - I would be genuinely pleased to see him win a race this season, and there's every reason to think he will. Probably more than one.

5th (59pts) - Nico Rosberg
Nico took a masterful and very popular maiden win in China. In 1982, a similarly chaotic and unpredictable season, his father Keke took his maiden win and the world championship, winning only one race that year. Might his son be able to emulate this feat?

4th (63pts) - Lewis Hamilton
If Jenson is having the season Lewis had last year (well, maybe not that bad), then Lewis is having the season Jenson had last year. He hasn't won a race yet, but has been more consistent than anyone except perhaps Webber, having stood on the podium three times, and has scored more points than three of the six race winners.

3rd (73pts) - Mark Webber
Even more delicious than taking his second Monaco GP win was probably, for Mark Webber, drawing level on points with his teammate Vettel. After a season in which he couldn't hope to compete with Vettel despite having the same machinery, Mark will be a serious challenge this year.

2nd  (73pts) - Sebastian Vettel
Never bet against the reigning world champion Vettel. No one team has come close to dominating this season, and all the top teams and drivers have had one or more races where they have been hopelessly off the pace, but the numbers show that Red Bull are still at the front if anyone is - they have the lead of the constructors' championship and two out of the top three drivers.

1st (76pts) - Fernando Alonso
My co-blogger is very pleased that Fernando is still at the head of the title race, even though he's having to absolutely wring the Ferrari's neck to keep his lead. The consensus in the paddock is that Alonso is the best of a very talented bunch, and his performances this season have done his reputation no harm at all. Having said that, a fragile lead in the title race at this early stage in the season shouldn't give anyone the illusion that he has a command over the championship - in a season like this, unlike last year, the world champion will be the man who gets to the end of the last race with the most points in the bag, and every single point will count.

Just ask Nico Rosberg's dad.