F1, Chinese buffet

China is looked upon as an exotic place by many. A land of mysteries, martial arts, buffets and Bruce Lee. It is only fitting that a F1 race held there is comparable in reputation. The Safety Car ensured there were 2 more starts than normal and drivers went back to the starting line, just as one goes to the food bowls at a buffet.

The drivers thus made up for lost time and Alonso seemed to profit most of all. He had been through 5 stops, including a drive through penalty. To finish 4^th was entirely down to the safety cars. I believe he should send race control a thank-you card for that. Above all, it was a race of challenges, changing conditions, difficult decisions and daring moves. Some got it right, some didn’t and paid the price. A lot will be said about Schumacher being the rain master and many questions will be asked regarding his ability to do so again. Critics have already got their knives, guns and daggers out against him. They say that he is beyond his prime, he shouldn’t have returned and made a mockery of himself. For a few moments he showed us today why is a great driver, albeit in an unfamiliar car. I will put my reputation at risk here and wager that he will bounce back next year, might even win the championship. In an interview yesterday, there was a smile on his face but a steely resolve in his eyes as he said, “I am happy with the way things are going”. Schumacher is not a man who is happy when he is losing. There is something going on his astute mind. Perhaps he is already working on the car and strategy for next year.

It augurs well for the sport that there are a few good drivers coming up through the ranks. Some put their names in the hat today and some others enhanced their reputation. There weren’t many dull moments in the race, the rain made sure of that. Button, to me, was the driver of the day having made an early call on tyres and then nurtured them throughout the day and emerge victorious without any hiccups. Had Hamilton been in his place, he might have burned through them a lot earlier and either pitted at the very last moment or gone off the course and blew them off. McLaren certainly are pushing their limits. They still are using ride-height control, which other teams are critical about. Hamilton almost muscled Vettel in and out of the pit lane and is once again under investigation. Rumour has it that he was reprimanded, not penalised, for a weird erratic move on someone in Malaysia and has been reminded that if the conduct repeats, he WILL be penalised. Now that was music to my ears :)

If Lewis gets penalised, I suppose action must be taken against Alonso as well who similarly muscled Massa out of the way entering into pit lane. He is a very good driver, ambitious and aggressive. These qualities are a must for a F1 driver. However, Hamilton needs to couple his ambition and aggression with sensibility. It seems that he is on the chase for the top prize and knows of only one way to get there – to shove everyone else out of the way if they don’t move aside. Many times his actions seem to suggest that he wants others to know and acknowledge that he is the best. He needs to mellow a bit, accept responsibility, understand the sport rather than just play it. The day he does that, he will no longer need to chase greatness, it will automatically be bestowed on him.

For the Red Bulls it was a forgettable race of sorts, albeit a very memorable qualifying. Christian Horner summed it up nicely yesterday, “who needs ride height control” as Vettel completed an amazing and brilliant lap to get pole position. Sadly, they lost the plot today. I am sure they will bounce back in the European races. A lot of cars will be getting new upgrades for that race and all of a sudden it will be a different ball game. McLarens might suddenly make big leaps or they might head backwards. They have the straight line speed but the Red Bulls are more balanced in the twisty circuits, which Europe has plenty of. Maybe even the Mercedes team starts winning. Who knows Force India might lead the championship !

Whatever happens, I hope that we have a smattering of rain for every race. Otherwise it will be a dull, boring event. For today, I offer my gratitude to the Safety Car. They are my heroes today !

F1, Malay flavour.

Before I say anything else, I want to express my delight at the official confirmation that India will host a F1 race next year ! The track is said to be near Delhi (apparently in Noida, read more here.) and the race will no doubt generate even more interest for the sport amongst the masses and revenue for the organisers and politicians ! I wonder what difference would it do to the average man’s driving; as it is,  everyone on the Indian roads seems to be in a race against another. Hmm, they might actually give the F1 drivers a few tips, for all we know !

Now that the main news is out of the way, I shall move on to my monologue. Malaysia has for years been my favourite circuit on the calendar. It has a wide track, two great straights and many corners that provide for overtaking and therefore great racing. Today was no different. We saw a really good start, great first corner moves, a fantastic opening lap and some great scraps throughout the race. The Petrov-Hamilton fight was as absolute classic. They jostled against each other, leapt, snarled, hissed and pushed their cars to the limit in an effort to go one better than the other. Hamilton had done well to finish where he did after qualifying so low down the order. I wonder who made the decision to release him so late for the qualifying, I am sure there is a conspiracy going on at McLaren so that they take decisions that prove detrimental to his chances of winning the race. But being the modest guy that he is, he didn't complain, took it in his stride and kept going until he saw the rear end of Sutil’s car. It was perhaps then that he decided to go a bit easy and cruise behind Sutil, seeing that the Force India car has such a beautiful livery and a sexy rear wing and diffuser.

No doubt Vettel was jubilant at the end, he had after all achieved what he had set out to do. He took Webber by surprise at the start and then maintained his lead throughout, helped significantly by the mechanics who kept him stationary in the pit lane for a mere 3.9 seconds! However, I personally feel that Chandhok would have been the most elated of the lot today. He has arguably the poorest team on the grid, an underperforming car to drive, the nephew of one of the greatest drivers as a team mate and the expectations of a billion people (not literally of course) to deal with. Under such circumstances, he not only finished but also lapped Trulli and Bruno Senna. Now that is what calls for a huge celebration. If he manages to pull it off again, he will no doubt have achieved something that Karthikeyan never managed. Does that make Chandhok a better driver than Karthikeyan? I don’t believe so, just as finishing above Schumi doesn’t make Rosberg a better driver than him. Schumi’s poor run continues, although this time it was due to a mechanical problem. He seemed better today, had the pace and did well to jump a few positions after the start. However, a good finish eludes him. The season is not yet over and he will bounce back, of that I am sure.

Malaysia is also a race of attrition as was evident with quite a few mechanical failures. It is hard to say whether the cars were carrying little niggles prior to the race or whether they developed so along the course. Whatever the case, Alonso certainly felt the pinch. He had done well to nurse an ailing car almost till the end. He stayed subdued, maintained race position, picked up speed later and did a daring move on Button in the penultimate lap. Sadly his engine soon breathed a last smoky sigh. I dont know what is wrong with the Ferraris, but they seemed to lack pace for most of the race, just as they did in the previous GP.

Despite a good spectacle that we had today, one must remember that it was so because the rain mixed up the grid nicely yesterday. I still dream of a race where most teams are comparable in performance, do not suffer any mechanical failures and where they don’t end up in a procession from start to finish. Least of all, I hope they don’t all look similar !

(image courtesy IJsselstein)

F1, Aussie style.

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.

F1, stalled !

The new Formula 1 season is upon us and it was with a  great deal of excitement that I looked forward to it, to see some of the most brilliant drivers of this age pitted against each other in competitive cars. The prospect of watching the pairs of Button and Hamilton, Vettel and Webber and Massa and Alonso battling it out as team mates and potential title contenders was mouth watering . Three additional teams had joined the fray and Force India looked to become a strong midfield contender this year. If this wasn’t reason enough, a certain Mr Schumacher had decided to return with the team that won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles last year. Which F1 enthusiast wouldn’t relish the prospect of such an exciting and compelling season ahead !

Sadly, it was all over in the first race. The excitement was short lived and in my case lasted for a few laps only. What was expected to be a exciting contest between drivers has now turned into a contest between the manufacturers. It is a bit like modern day cricket, where the conditions are heavily stacked in favour of the batsmen at the expense of the bowlers’ misery. Flatter pitches, regulations, protective equipment, heavier bats and even the ages old ‘benefit of the doubt’ have favoured the batsmen.

There is no balance left in the sport. Narrower tracks, an increasing number of ‘street circuits’ have hampered bold driving styles and overtaking opportunities. Any overtaking, if it happened, was due to the disparity in the cars’ weights, aero packages and driver skill. With the new regulations for 2010, I think it is time to safely say that F1 as we knew it is dead. No longer will we be able to see bold overtaking manoeuvres, wheel to wheel racing, frantic pit stops, elaborate strategies (not the Singapore 08 type !) and, to put it simply, some very good old fashioned racing. Which F1 fan can forget JP Montoya’s daring moves on Schumi and the rest in the years gone by and more recently, Kobayashi’s stunts last year at Abu Dhabi. It appears that F1 has stalled this year just when it was meant to accelerate away.

Personally I feel that there was nothing wrong with F1, until they brought in all the changes that is. F1 has always been at the pinnacle of motorsport, pitting both man and machine against each other leading the best combination to the top pedestal. It was a victory of both man and machine. Lately, it seems that the focus is just on the machine and the man has been forgotten in a world of eco-consciousness and corporate power struggles. The fun and thrill of seeing a human versus another has taken a back seat. Sunday’s race at Bahrain was testament to that. I had been waiting for this weekend, salivating all over at the prospect of seeing a good race but after the first few laps, I stopped drooling. My mouth got parched and I felt dehydrated. It felt as if the whole process had just got into reverse gear. The drivers had settled into formation, much like at Monaco, and it was the same train from start to finish, unless ofcourse, somebody crashed out or had mechanical issues. Barring a few exceptions the standings after the race mirrored those of the qualifying session. If I had the sensibility to understand this earlier, I would have just watched the qualifying session and not bothered watching the race ! I understand the importance of Monaco on the calendar and why drivers hold it in such high regard, but please spare a thought for the paying spectators and us television audience. We like to see good driving, racing and overtaking rather than a procession of cars from lap 1 to 70. And surely, one such race in a calendar year is enough !

Apparently, the FIA don’t think so, hence the slew of new changes. With the old system, atleast the refuelling left an element of suspense about each team’s strategy. With different cars running different fuel loads, we expected a frantic dash by some, a more sedate drive by others. We got to see overtaking not just at the first corner but many more times in the race. Pit stops made for exciting points in the race as that was where some of the strategies unfolded. The drivers could race at full tilt knowing that they don’t have to preserve their tyres and save them till the end of the race. Track positions changed hands frequently and as demonstrated last year, the final standings were not a replica of the qualifying sessions !

The best things in life are the ones that are simple and the administrators are FIA need to see this. F1 had only dulled over the past few years due to Schumi’s and Ferrari’s domination. It didn’t require a change in regulations to be more exciting, all it needed was an even playing field. Now that we have the drivers and more than one constructor who can push for victory, I think it is time the sport went back to the starting line. Cost cutting measures, safety regulations, green agendas are all fine but not in the one sport where money, risk and petrolheads are its living embodiment. Let man and machine be one again. Give us back the racing, give us back our Forumal 1.