The Australian GP never fails to excite us. I have been watching F1 for close to 10 years now and I have never seen an Aussie GP without some excitement, a few crashes and great overtaking manoeuvres. This one was no exception.
What made this race a brilliant one for fans was the rain. Rain is usually viewed and treated with disdain by both teams and fans alike but it does know how to liven up a party ! Needless to say, I was very happy that it did. What we got in the aftermath was some very good racing as team strategies changed, tyre choice and tyre wear was brought into the equation, drivers’ skill was tested and we got to hear Hamilton whine on radio !
Without going into the specifics of the actual race, I’d like to say two things at the outset. Firstly, the McLarens are extremely quick. McLaren attribute it to their unique aero design. We shall see how they fare when others catch up in the races to come, especially in the European segment of the season. Secondly, Button’s girlfriend is a 100-times better a sight than Hamilton’s is/was !
I personally feel that the drive of the day belonged to Fernando Alonso. Admittedly he had a very poor start – slow off the grid, a collision and spin on the first corner were his faults entirely, but he rallied back and got stuck in fourth place and held off Hamilton’s challenge at the end. People will argue and challenge that Button drove better and won the race; Hamilton drove brilliantly towards the end, Kubica did really well, came second, Liuzzi finished higher than the last race in terms of points etc etc. Button did take a brave decision earlier on and it could have got pear shaped but he didn’t have to plough through the field to get there. Kubica didn’t have to do much but drive sedately and safely, which is what Massa did as well. Hamilton did drive well, overtook brilliantly and was really quick but didn’t have the nerve when it mattered most. He could perhaps have overtaken Alonso, but it seemed that he had forgotten what overtaking meant. And it seems to be a habit; everytime he comes across a good driver in a decent car, Hamilton cannot overtake cleanly, he gets frustrated and then like a big bully at school who finds himself unable to get to the top podium, he tries to get the trophy by shoving the winner of the pedestal. Typical.
Disappointment again for Schumi but I am sure he will bounce back in the next few races. Such a shame that he was involved in an accident on lap 1 but his drive today was better than the last one in Bahrain, although he still finished behind his team mate, who is definitely living upto his promise. I am happy for Barichello too who’s doing really well for Williams this year. Well, I always liked Barichello and Williams will always have a fond place in my heart. Glee for Force India once again as they go one better than Bahrain with Liuzzi scoring all the points. How they wish Sutil joins the party too especially since he finishes gets to the top 10 in qualifying.
However, let us not be fooled by today’s race. The underlying problems in this year’s F1 that I highlighted earlier still persist. Take the element of the rain away from today and we were well set for another procession.
Now here are a few special awards that I’d like to award –
Heart warming moment of the day – Lucas di Grassi retaking his position after Schumi overtakes him.
Heart ‘braking’ moment of the day – Sebastien Vettel
Heart stopping moment of the day – Kamui Kobayashi’s crash, but I suppose Hulkenberg’s heart was the one that stopped for a while when he was rammed by Kobayashi’s car.
Hold-off of the day – Jaime Alguersuari holding off Schumi for many laps.
Girlfriend of the day, month and year – Jessica Michibata. If she attends every race, I don’t mind Button winning every single time !
Most Blinkered Expert– Martin Brundle (as if he’d ever give up on that title!)
Quote of the day – “I don’t want to know!”, Fernando Alonso when informed that Hamilton was just around a second behind him.
Whine of the day – “Who is responsible for this strategy”, Lewis Hamilton on the team radio. I am surprised he didn’t ask why he wasn’t awarded the winner’s trophy at the outset !
Hero of the day – Mark Webber for ending Hamilton’s tyre related misery.
Well, that is all from me this weekend. Hope to watch and post some more after next week’s Malaysian GP. Until then, you all keep wondering how lucky a guy Button is !
PS- the man in the picture with the chequered flag is NOT John Travolta. Any resemblance, what so ever, might purely be coincidental.