Hiatus

Well, it's pretty apparent that lately, it's been a bit of a ghost town around here.

So I've decided not to let things drag on and put the bullet in. These last few months, I haven't found much desire to write here for one reason and another. While it has been a great platform, she never took off like I would've liked. The situation isn't helped when you look at how people react online in discussions. That's the problem, they aren't discussions - they are just all out slander wars. It doesn't matter what you say, or how well you present your agreement. There is always a clueless, idiotic fanboy, blinded by his obsession with whatever topic to see past it.

So with that, I've decided to put the Chequered Flag on indefinite hiatus. Maybe one day I will return it, I don't know. Right now, I feel like I'm skills are needed elsewhere.

For those that have followed me throughout, thanks.

Until whenever, Sláinte

Jean versus Ari

After much humming and hawing, Max Mosley has finally stated that he will for sure, step down as FIA president. Queue the applause from many the world over. While has left, I'm sure many will feel it as a slap in the face that he is nominated Jean Todt, former Ferrari boss, as his replacement.

Over the past number of years, the FIA and Ferrari have been inextricably linked – how tight, well, that depends on which fans you talk to. The FIA has adopted the moniker has 'Ferrari In-season Assistance' amongst those supporting drivers fighting against the famous marquee.

How tight, well, I suppose we'll never know. We do know there was some below board dealings in place – such as Ferrari's ability to veto new rules by themselves. But after that, it's mostly conjecture.

The prospect of Jean Todt, FIA President is likely to have some people up in arms. Personally, I don't have anything against him getting the job – but at the same time, I also don't think that giving the job to a recent principal of an F1 team is the best thing going forward either. The same would go for other recent F1 team principals mentioned for the role.

So far, the only other candidate to put his name in the race is rally ace, Ari Vatanan. The Finn had a good interview with the BBC at the German Grand Prix this weekend and I'm sure, has a lot of public support for replacing Mosley.

The thing is – can Vatanen not be accused of the same sort of bias, when it comes to rallying? While F1 is the jewel in the FIA crown, it is easy to forget that it isn't the only motorsport under the FIA umbrella. Could Vatanen be under the same scrutiny from rally sceptics as Todt would be from F1 fans?

Chances are, whoever else runs, there is likely to be some conflict with some part. Why? I for one would hope that anyone who does apply, has experience in motorsport. While yes, getting someone without an outside perspective would rule out anyone being bias – at the same time the job needs to go someone with hands-on experience in the realm so they completely understand it.

Over the coming months, it will be interesting to see how Mosley's influence will help the Todt campaign. I don't think the outgoing president is lying when he said he had a lot of support to stay on – who wouldn't when he brings motorsport away from it's European home to the arse end of nowhere and a fat cheque with Bernie. He is likely to send all that support Todt's way, making Vatanen's job that more difficult to get elected.

I wonder, if Max sees Todt as a final slap in the face to the F1 teams, which he as duked it out with over the past number of months. Surely, is aware of the public perception of the close Ferrari-FIA links – and that the teams know of special agreements towards the Italian team. Its definitely going to beg questions from people on whether Todt will be his own man in the job, or simply Mosley's puppet.

Life, Through Tinted Shades

Sports fan can be so fickle. It's not just a case of in motorsport, but in all forms. It's great to support sports, but how die-hard some get always baffles me. Is it that important that it encompasses your entire life. Better yet, that you blindly to the point where even in the face of a bald faced truth, you still can't accept it.

At times, it reminds me of religion. I consider myself an open minded person. Do I believe everything told to me. Hell no? I try to keep an open mind on things, so that I can better understand all sides of an discussion. But there are those that cling to something like their very existence depended on it – and to refute such belief would be tantamount to trying to talk the Pope out of the idea that there is no God.

It is the same with sports. Before I start, let me state, I don't lump all sports fans into this category. I am not out here to make generalisations and to lump everyone into one category. But I do see an unfortunately growing trend.

A recent high profile example is Cristiano Ronaldo. Up until about two months ago, he was adored by the United faithful. Now, with his move to Real Madrid, he is the subject of public scorn by those who once cheered his name. His past exploits forgotten as he 'betrayed' them. The fact he has won everything he possibly can in England is irrelevant, nor is the opportunity to play with one of footballs historic teams.

That is just one example. There are countless others. It's pretty sickening the crap you see on message boards. It sometimes makes me wonder why I bother writing. The internet is a great forum for debate, but a lot of people just use it as a way to bully their point across.You look at the majority of sporting forums and they are full of ignorant people, most who lack such basic things as grammar and spelling skills.

There is no incentive to write a well versed debatable post when it surrounded by such garbage. I don't even bother looking at forum discussions anymore because there just is no point. People either see it as bias and unfair to their favourite team or sports star or just plainly resort to name calling.

It makes you wonder about these guys away from the computer. Before, I'd used to think that these are the sort of people who would never speak out in public. They use the Internet as a faceless way to speak their mind without any repercussions. Lets them feel high and mighty about it all.

Increasingly however, especially with the youth of today, such disrespect for others carries over. Not just in the sporting realm, but in all aspects of life. The attitude of the youth of today is down right despicable. Honestly, I don't remember being like that at all in my day – and that was only about ten to twelve years ago. How things have changed. Like I said at the top, I don't think all people are like this, but it just feels that there is a growing number of people with this narrow minded approach on life.

The most prevalent motorsporting example of this comes from America (see, I had to work in motorsport at some point.) The big 'feud' right now in Nascar is between long time fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Junior and public enemy number one, Kyle Busch.

To recap briefly, this whole thing started with Busch being dropped at Hendricks in favor of Junior. The major boiling point came at Richmond last year, when in a battle for the lead, Busch tapped Junior into a spin, denying him a victory. (At this point, Junior was still on a long win-less streak with the exception of a non-championship win at Daytona at the start of the year.) The funny thing is, Earnhardt himself had a carbon copy incident at the same race this year, spinning Jeff Burton out. But of course, no public outcry there.

Earnhardt Nation cried foul. Queue beer cans on the track (a common thing mind you when someone rattled up the 'Nation and calls for the head of Kyle Busch. Thus began the feud.

Busch became an hated individual amongst a majority of fans. One thing I liked about Busch was that he relished it. He could've been meek and tried to smooth things over. Instead, he relished the role of the bad guy and played it up. He developed his character of the bad guy, but still played fair (depending on who's opinion you gauge) on the track. Theatrical bows followed his victories to the crowd as the Las Vegas native tore up the track. Countless victories followed, while Earnhardt has one solitary championship victory to his name at this point.

His success only riled those who hate him on. But his driving style has seen him garner many fans. Busch's desire to race anything and everything is something that I love about the guy. On numerous occasions, he has raced three times in the one weekend. He wants to race, he wants to win and he is not afraid to use all the track. Busch is probably the only guy who can go three wide on a track all by himself.

Unfortunately, he doesn't always put himself in the right light, which I think hurts him with some of the neutrals. On the track, he is awesome. But off the track he does need some work. The guitar smashing incident at Nashville this year is a perfect example of that. While he had his reasons for it, there was probably a better way to go around it.

From my standpoint, I'd be concerned with his desire to outdo Earnhardt Nation. Yes, if I was Busch, I would feel aggrieved that a bunch of narrow minded fans were giving him hell for no other reason that he once spun him out. This is Nascar, people get spun all the time. But at the end of the day, Busch is clearly the more talented driver. Earnhardt, while popular, is never going to match his fathers achievements. Kyle needs to rise himself above that and focus on setting his own benchmarks.

People dig at him for not wanting to talk after he's not had a good race. The guy wants to win. I thought America was all about that. They love winners, hate losers. Yet when Busch doesn't want to be chatty after a race, they label him a cry baby and sore loser. I always find it interesting how values that American's hold so tightly are thrown out the window just because they hate the guy.

It was the same again last weekend after Daytona. Busch got in a tangle on the final straight while leading and crashed. He stalked off, not wanting to talk. Those who don't like him bitched and moaned, reciting the fact that he was a cry baby and didn't want to talk.

Here is a reality check. If you have had a good race turned sour, the last thing you want to do is talk. I've experienced this in my sim-racing career. Hell, I've gone through a patch of five races where I've had a great car only to have terrible results. The last thing I want to do is talk about it, and if I do to someone, there is usually an expletive every third or fourth word.

So why should Busch give those who are on his back further ammunition? Had he spoken right there and then, he would've. His decision not to speak, if you ask me, is the best one. Cool down, review what happened, talk in private rather than airing it all to the public.

I'll finish up with returning to the ideal of narrow-minded fans. See, Junior inherited many of his fans who supported his father. The funny thing is, Kyle Busch probably has more in common with Earnhardt Senior than Junior has. Yet, because his name isn't Earnhardt, they don't see it. I think trying to compare Senior's style to Busch would be again, like trying to talk the Pope about God. You would be lynched and locked up for it.

The strange thing is, fans cry out for drivers with character. So often they complain that the drivers are strictly controlled and un-interesting. The greatest example of his is Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon. Both are often accused of being cookie-cutter drivers, very politically correct. But then when someone breaks the mould, he is chastised for it. It's irritating, if you ask me. They want drivers with attitude, but only in a certain shape or form.

Suffice to say, this is a problem that is only going to get worse, one I doubt will ever truly get better. The people I feel for most are the open minded fans. No longer do we have a forum for frank, open discussions. Instead, we are left simply to chat to ourselves as the haters rule the world.

Smoking the Peace Pipe

Peace has returned to the world of Formula One. But at what cost?

Yet again, after everyone makes kissy-faces and make up, the sport is left with a black eye in terms of public perception. Actually, a black eye would be lucky. It feels like the sport got dragged through a ditch backwards and left on the road.

Hasn't anyone learned from the past few years? You would think the experiences over the past few years would make people think 'hey, lets try to keep a lid on this?' Instead, we get a public mud slinging match that overshadowed a good weekend of racing. Now, only half a week after that, everyone is friends again, more or less.

For a group that was so willing to be public about things, they are being closely regarded about the particulars of how peace was made. Now that everyone is back in the same bed again, does that mean the fans once more are shut out with everything decided behind closed doors?

Formula One has a serious image problem that it needs to fix. It will take time to mend the bridges that were blown up during this civil war. Di Montezemolo was right about one thing, the sport does need to be relaunched.

Now, that apparently everyone is back at the same table, is the time to fix issues that are up with this sport. While steps have been made to make the sport more accessible, such as the interviews after each session of qualifying, the sport can do so much more to become more fan friendly. The spectacle itself needs much work. Despite work by the committee for overtaking, we still have cars unable to get close when they get around a second behind another.

Of course, that may just be wishful thinking. Only time will tell.

Stig-meister

Did anyone see that one coming? Really?

I for one was shocked when the Stig removed his helmet, revealing Schumacher. I have to say bravo to the BBC for it. If you want to unveil the Stig, someone they have touted as a driver of immense talent, who better to 'play the role' than one of the greatest motorsport drivers in history.

It also feels like a cheeky slap from the BBC to the media outlets that were reporting on the 'true' identity of the Stig earlier this year.

Obviously, the idea that it was Schumi all along is far fetched. White Stig has been in use since 2003. Not to mention, in the hands of the seven-times F1 champion, a car went seven seconds faster than anything before around the Top Gear test track. While I'm sure the car is fast, we have seen plenty of speedy cars fail to be super quick around there. I wonder just how much that had to do with the driver.

Admittedly, it would have been fun to see him do a proper lap around in the 'reasonably priced car', if just to see where he matched up against the other F1 racers that have been on the show.

A guy can dream.

Formula Fucked

I've spent the last month wondering what to do. As I watch the sport I love implode, I find myself in a situation where I don't really want to write anymore. As both sides bicker as they look to take the biggest slice of the cake for themselves, we fans are left, given the royal screw job as is usually the case.

Tonight, as the FIA and FOTA sat on either side of the poker table, the dealer said to call. FOTA have called the FIA's bluff and finally, many years after the idea was originally thrown around, decided to set up their own series.

Suddenly, the prospect of the British Grand Prix this weekend seems pretty forgotten. Is there much point in watching Formula One for the rest of the year now? Really? With eight out of the ten teams leaving for their own championship. Chances are the World Champion won't be on the grid – heck, will any of them be?

I just keep thinking about the Indycar split. The Indy Racing League took the prestigious race. CART took the drivers and the teams. The latter was the more popular one for many a year. Formula One may have the name, but without the Ferrari's and the McLaren's, the Alonso's and the Hamilton's – is it truly the pinnacle of the sport.

Why Medals Won't Work

With Button’s fifth win out of six races, it just goes to show why Bernie’s deluded winner take all plan would be terrible for the sport.

The Formula One season has eighteen races. Button now has five. If we were running the winner take all system this year, Jenson would only need to win four more times. So in theory, in two months, Button would be crowned champion. Let’s be fair, when you see the stunning form the Brit is on, entirely possible.

Personally, I don’t even think you would need to cross that line. Last year Massa won six races, a season high. Button will no doubt blitz that marker.

Even with the current points system, Button is in a commanding position. At this stage, he could almost afford to finish each race second and he would still do it. This is the problem with the current points. Once you are up and in front, you can take it easy. Alonso had a similar situation in his championship years, where he was stunning in the opening part of the season that he could afford to let off the gas in the second half of the season.

Yet, somehow, some people believe that such a medal system would be good for the sport? You are seriously having a laugh, Bernie.

A Farcial Mess

Been a little time since I’ve made a decent contribution here. Honestly, with all the goings-on in Formula One, I have had a serious lack of motivation to write anything conductive about the sport right now.

With the ‘deadline’ for teams to sign up rapidly approaching, the sport remains mired in a mess. We have two sides that want their own way, struggling to find the middle ground. I think Formula One fans must feel like the only child in a divorce, with both parents vying for who gets the fancy cutlery. I feel like the fans are getting the short-shift here.

The fact we are at this point is pretty pathetic. Both sides are at fault here. It reminds me of why I hate politics. At the end of the day, they don’t really give a fuck about anything but themselves.

First off, Ferrari. Looking for a court injunction solo was just nuts. At the very least, it should have been a FOTA thing. Ferrari come off looking after their own interests. FOTA are supposed to unified, yet if the last few weeks are anything to go by, that doesn’t appear to be true.

The FIA themselves tried to drive a wedge, informing teams of Ferrari’s special veto. This was a case of two shots in the one foot. On one hand, how can the sport be seen as fair to all if Ferrari has a veto over rule decisions? Better yet, why did the FIA give it? Letting us know it is there just reminds us why people view the FIA so poorly.

This reminds me of what a debacle the WRC has become. A few years ago, it had numerous manufacturers involved. Then the FIA decided to start chopping and changing the rules. The result so many of the manufacturers leaving the sport and public interest waning in it. You would think the FIA would learn that if you start messing with the formula consistently, it is going to cause trouble.

We have had rule changes this year. We have a spate of them coming next year. I thought Formula One was supposed to become more ‘fan friendly’. Anyone else see the contradiction there?

The whole situation is a mess. Whatever happens, Formula One yet again finds itself with a black eye because of how they choose to air their dirty laundry in public.

Irish Smiles

This year continues to be a fantastic one for Irish sport in general. The international football team is looking somewhat capable of a decent go for World Cup qualification and in rugby, our Grand Slam triumph in the Six Nations has also being joined by Leinster making the Heineken Cup final, after coming through an all Irish semi-final.

Irish motorsport has also enjoyed what can only be described as its best year ever. Not since the days of Jordan Grand Prix have we had much to celebrate here. (And for those boffins not in the know, while Jordan was based in the UK, it ran under the Irish flag – hence the reason Amhrán na bhFiann was played when the stewards didn’t cock up the ceremony.

The year started with the Irish Rally as the opening round for the World Rally Championship. Granted, it doesn’t feel like the WRC has the same sort of lure as it used to, but it was a fantastic achievement nonetheless in the days where everyone is starting races anywhere except in Europe.

The icing on the cake came this weekend, with Adam Carroll winning the fourth A1GP series for Team Ireland. The victory is the first time an Irish national has taken an international motorsport title. Carroll took it in dominating fashion, with pole position and race victory in both the Sprint and the Feature.

It is a fantastic achievement that will hopefully put more emphasis on motorsport back in this country. Currently, it has handled very poorly and even when Formula One as shown on terrestrial television, the commentary was down there in the basement alongside that of James Allen.

'B' for the Beeb

We now stand four races into a season that has been met with many unknowns.

For most of us who were stuck with the narrow-minded views of the majority of the ITV team last year, we awaited the BBC coverage with bathed breath. Surely, it couldn’t be worse than the abysmally bias coverage we had to endure over the last few years.

I could’ve easily written something up after Australia, but felt it was unfair to judge after just one race. With the first four flyaway races, it is much easier to gauge how the BBC have done, much like F1 teams regroup before heading into Europe.

I have to say, I am very impressed thus far with the BBC coverage that I have watched. Okay, that probably wasn’t going to be too hard given how low an opinion I rated Ryder, Allen and Blundell. But I fully admit I was concerned that it could’ve turned out worse.

The coverage is by no means perfect. After Austraila, I was worried about new race commentator, Jonathan Legard. It felt like he was commentating on the radio. A good deal of his commentary sounded more suited to the Curragh than it did on the Formula One circuit. But to his credit, he has toned it down as the season has gone on.

Together with Martin Brundle, they form a great front team for the BBC. Small mistakes are made, but the nice thing is that they are capable of picking up on them, unlike recent years where they were oblivious to such. Some might see me as a hard ass with my views on the ITV, that I require perfection. It isn’t so. Mistakes will always be made. That is how we learn. But at the very least, one expects to correct those errors. While the odd few slip through the net, it is nice that most are caught now.

The man who has impressed me most is David Coulthard, who has seamlessly transitioned from driver to pundit. In the off chance that you are reading this, Mark Blundell, this is how a former racing pundit is supposed to be. Coulthard is a breath of fresh air and has provided valuable insight for the viewers.

Jake Humphrey, as anchor, is another astute choice by the BBC. I didn’t know much about him myself, with the exception of the odd appearance on a BBC show as I flicked the channels looking for something decent to watch. Like Coulthard, he has taken to it like a duck to water. Given that he is the youngest team member of the team, he is nothing but assured. His recent interview with Lewis Hamilton that was shown before the Bahrain grand prix was brilliant and intelligent, showing off the more human side of Hamilton that was missing during the ITV interviews that felt very staged.

The only part of the team that doesn’t appear to gel just yet is Eddie Jordan. Personally, I expected better. This is Eddie Jordan, the man famous for the quick-fire response and witty banter – a man who could talk his way out of a paper bag and still come out with the better deal.

Yet at times, Eddie seems a little at sea in front of the cameras. Maybe it will take longer for him to adjust to life as a TV personality. But at this stage, he is the only real chink in the BBC team at this time.

I would comment on the extra features bit via the red button, but I haven’t tried them yet. While I don’t mind getting up early for races, I quite like my bed on a Friday and Saturday mornings! With the European season starting up, I hope to sample these and see how the expanded coverage of the BBC does.

All in all, I feel like the BBC has started with a firm footing with the coverage. If I was signing a report card, I would give them a solid B, with room for improvement. It is so nice to not to wake up on Monday morning hoarse from shouting at the television anymore.

Fifty Years Young

In today's day and age, we expect motor racers to retire early. Gone are the days where they race deep in their forties. Heck, even as some turn thirty, we hear of retirement plans. It is all about getting the young, raw talent behind the wheel.

In Nascar, that is no different. Rookie Joey Logano is eighteen and racing at the highest level of stock-car racing. Right now, the sport has a crop of drivers under twenty-five that have the potential to be long-running contenders for wins and champions.

But on Saturday night, Mark Martin dominated in a fashion to remind everyone that despite being the elder statesman of the Sprint Cup, he still has plenty to give. His victory, his first in nintey-seven races, made him only the fourth driver to win a Nascar race over the age of fifty. He is the first to do so since 1993.

But it wasn't just at Phoneix. Martin has looked as sprightly as those drivers thirty years his junior. Already he has notched up three poles. If it wasn't for issues out of his hands (two engines going up in smoke and a tire blow out), he would be comfortably inside the top-12. Going into the fourth race of the year, he was on the cusp of falling out of the top-35 in points.

After those issues, many wondered if that was it. Had the fairy-tale turned into a nightmare? The veteran responded by remaining ever positive and has steadily notched up the points. With victory over the weekend, he now sits a mere nine points from the coveted twelfth position. Will Mark Martin make the Chase? I think the answer is pretty clear.

His victory was a popular one up and down the pitlane. It was great to see so many different people come and congratulate Martin in pitlane. Team-mates current and old, former team owners and long time competitors. Outside of a Dale Earnhardt Junior victory, one for Mark Martin would be the choice of Nascar fans.

The question still remains - can he finally win the championship. Some still question whether he has that killer instinct to take victories which are all important to the Chase. As the season goes on, I really think he is in with a shot. He is consistently up the front and now with the first victory for the team, they can only move on from here.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well, in Mark's case, there is no need for new tricks when the old ones still impress.

Tactical Errors

This piece is way overdue, so you will all have to excuse my lethargic nature that it has taken me a week to write this.

Ferrari. Man, oh man, you wonder where it all went wrong. There was a time when a strategic call to be made, nine times out of ten, Ferrari could come singing. In the past three years, it seems like fat lady has truly sung in regards in the tactical department.

I often wonder, are people paid to flunk? Is it like those overpaid prats in the banks, that these guys gets bonuses and commendations for a bad job? You have to wonder.

The fact that it has taken Ferrari over two years to actually do something about it, is more shocking. But then again, this is the team that continue to employ a Kimi Raikkonen that increasingly looks like he is phoning it in.

This week has seen Luca Baldisserri, Ferrari team manager, moved to a factory based role. I wonder if it has come too late. As I said above, it has taken over two years of bad decisions before this call was made.

It’s not like any of this calls have been particularly difficult. Even the most casual of armchair motorsport fans could probably have called a better strategy on some race days than Ferrari has. At this level of competition, only so many mistakes can be tolerated.

Confessions of a Sinner

Wow, what a difference a day makes. I nearly regret writing yesterday’s post because of how quick information came out on the Hamilton incident.

First off, it was great to actually get the audio files from the FIA. For the fans, this is important that we actually get to see the evidence, rather than just be told what it is. Granted, I would’ve liked to see the telemetry data myself between the pair, and a transcript of the stewards meeting. The latter however isn’t needed since the truth finally came out today.

David Ryan, McLaren’s sporting director and the man who attended the stewards meeting with Hamilton has been suspended after telling Hamilton to ‘mislead’ the stewards.

Okay, this really annoys me about the character of Hamilton. He was told to lie, and he did. Honestly, I thought the guy had more integrity than that. Why not stand up and say ‘this is wrong.’ Heck, you listen to the radio transmissions and you see how much he wanted clarification on the whole thing. He didn’t do any wrong, until he lied to the stewards.

The sporting director takes the rap for this idiotic move. In this day and age of technology where basically everything is recorded, how did they think they could get away with it? It also begs the question as to why McLaren have spent the last couple of days claiming that they didn’t mislead the stewards when they clearly did. This may have been between Hamilton and Ryan at first, but I’d bet the McLaren bosses learned pretty quickly about it once he was disqualified.

The whole thing is a stupid, unnecessary affair because Hamilton was actually in the right in regards to overtaking Trulli. They just shot themselves in the foot big time.

Apparently, he received applause from a number of journalists after the press conference when he came clean about it all. You won’t be seeing one from me. He apologised and that is all well and good – but only after they couldn’t hide from the bare face facts of it all. The fact it took this long to come out takes a lot of the shine away from the apology.

Hamilton Excluded from Melbourne

No, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. Lewis Hamilton has been excluded from the Australian grand prix for giving ‘misleading’ evidence to the stewards.

Okay, now show us. Seriously, I want to see all the relevant info shown at some stage during the weekend. Obviously, widespread bitching and moaning is going to happen. The only way this is going to stop is if all the evidence is shown to the public. Granted, that won’t be enough for some, but for those of us with a rational mind it would be great.

Will we get shown? Hmm, that is a good question. We were told last year that we, the fans, would be told more about these decisions. Especially after the whole situation at Spa. We deserve to know ourselves. This can’t be just kept on the stewards side and expect us to trust them. Such trust must be rebuilt after years where their decisions have been called into question.

So, show us.

Cinderella Story

With the first weekend of Formula One racing wrapped up, I still find myself needing to question ‘did it really happen.’

This weekend has been surreal. I honestly don’t remember such a game changing moment as we witnessed. Pre-season testing has been more or less spot on, something that doesn’t always carry forward into the season.

Brawn’s one-two is nothing short of a fairytale. The whole story is sort of thing that you expect from a Hollywood blockbuster, not Formula One. It just isn’t supposed to happen, barring an intervention from Mother Nature.

Fortune as well as skill was on their side. I was surprised how long it took for the safety car to be pulled out after Nakajima found the wall. That being said, Jenson Button drove superbly; with only a slight hiccup in the pits his only blotch on his copybook. Barrichello had an eventful day but still came home second. Even watching, you can sense that feel good buzz that is around the team right now.

On the podium, we saw real emotion between the two. Not the fake stuff we often see between team-mates up there. Both were genuinely happy for each other. And why not! Up to a few weeks ago, both were written off. Button criticised for not exploring other options, Barrichello considered ‘past it’. Now they are the toast of Formula One.

It was great to see that the paddock is happy for them. I can’t remember a time where we say cars applauded down pitlane as they headed up to their parking slots. It was a wonderful gesture from the teams in a day and age where people are more likely to snipe at each other rather than pat them on the back.

As for the pre-season championship contenders, Ferrari looked strong at times. At the time of writing, we are still waiting to find out what happened to Massa. Somehow, I’m not surprised to see Raikkonen fight the wall. His race drew too many similarities to those he raced last year - quick when he wants to be, but also quick to find the wall.

Lewis Hamilton is another who deserves a pat on the back. In an inferior car and assisted by retirements, he drove the sort of race that a world champion should. He picked up valuable points that will aid his fight to retain the title down the line.

Alonso was steady if unimpressive. Kubica was the only one of the five who looked an actual threat, until he stuck it up the inside of Vettel and the two of them took each out. That isn’t the way to win championships.

As for KERS, I definitely find myself on the fence about it. To me, the way it was explained and how it affects the weight would concern me that it would alienate certain types of drivers – for example Mark Webber and Robert Kubica, because of their stature.

That been said, in the race, you could see where those using KERS could use it to their advantage. It’s definitely something to watch over the coming races. Much the same can be said about the new aero-packages.

Qualifying was brilliant. I haven’t enjoyed a quail session like that in years. It was fantastic with the field so close that not even the perceived front runners could play it safe. If the gaps stay like that for the rest of the year, it will definitely make Saturday watching mandatory!

Malaysia is next weekend, at the wonderful starting time of 9am GMT. Got to love the lie in!

Five Down...

Five races into the Nascar season and a number of traits are already developing.

The end of Bristol is always a nerve wracking time, with the dreaded Top-35 standings coming into play. Up until the fifth race, teams who were in the Top-35 last season are guaranteed a starting spot. From the sixth race on, the Top-35 is based on the current year’s owner standings.

Much like Formula One, it has been difficult to gauge how things would sort themselves out when we got racing. The testing ban adds a lot of unknown factors in the run up to a season. Already, we are seeing cases where it may be having an effect. Going into Martinsville, I want to pick out the major trends to watch over the rest of the season.

Kyle Busch is back!
It is like the last ten races of 2008 never happened. (For those of you who don’t know, the #18 crashed and burned in The Chase.) Kyle is back to what he does best, winning races – and not just in the Sprint Cup. He has already secured victories in the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. If he keeps up this pace, he could easily surpass the twenty-one wins in all competitions he took last year.

Of course, winning races in the regular season is one thing, what the #18 have to prove is that last year’s Chase was a once-off. He can all the races he wants now, but at the end of the day people remember the champion.

Jeff Gordon is back (too)!
Last season was struggle for the four time champion, who clearly was at odds with the Car of Tomorrow. Yet, despite a lack of pre-season testing, Gordon has been on fire this year. A victory is just around the corner for the #24. His consistent run through the first five races sees him perched on top of the standings, with four top-10’s out of five so far.

Rookie Struggles
I spoke above concerning where the pre-season testing ban appeared to be having an effect. Judging by the performances of Logano and Speed, the two official participants in the Rookie of the Year have both failed to set the world alight.

I still think it was too much, too soon for both. Red Bull obviously hasn’t learned from the grooming troubles with AJ Allmendinger. Speed was poor towards the end of last year, a clear indicator that there would be trouble. The Formula One exile could have done with cutting his teeth in the Nationwide Series for a year.

The same can be said about Logano. The much heralded talent has been trust into the spotlight and has yet to shine in it. All the talent in the world can’t save you from feeling the psychological knocks you take when things go bad.

Going into Martinsville, Logano is just inside the Top-35, insuring him that he will be in the field. A good result is necessary for the youngster, which may not possible on the unforgiving short track. Scott Speed finds himself on the outside looking in and will have to make the race on time.

For the second season in a row, it appears that there will be another lacklustre year for Rookies. Coincidently, Nascar has been using the new car for two years now. Is there a link? Or is it the lack of testing that is really hindering the class of ’09. Maybe Nascar should take a page out of the Indy Racing League’s book, and offer rookies additional practice sessions to make up the miles.

Stewart a success, so far
I couldn’t have predicted we would see Smoke inside the Top-12 at this early stage. Despite backing from Hendricks, I expected teething problems with the new team. But judging on Stewart’s first five, it looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat.

Team-mate Newman has been less fortunate in the luck department, with a myriad of issues giving him cause to sweat going into Bristol. A strong result has elevated him up the rankings and if the car stays together, both cars have the speed to give the front runners something to think about.

Roush Woes?
It has been hard to read the Ford super-team so far. Two wins opened the season courtesy of Matt Kenseth but the championship hasn’t been set ablaze in the way I thought it would. On top of it all, the team has had to deal with a slew of reliability issues in the engine department.

Carl Edwards has been consistent, but has shown none of that raw speed that saw him win nine races last year. The likable Missouri native still finds himself fifth in the standings. Kenseth has gone steadily backwards since his back to back wins. Biffle, Ragan and McMurray, who were all tipped for stand out years currently, find themselves mired mid-back. Granted, it is early days in the season, but gaps can quickly become too big to bridge.

Money
With the world finances up a certain creek without a paddle, it was an easy guess that by this stage, we would be looking at the loss of teams due to lack of sponsorship.

The first victim at the time of writing is Travis Kvapil. Kvapil drove most of last year unsponsored in the Yates #28. His reward was the transfer of his points to his new team-mates to ensure they made it. The Yates car qualified on time for four of the five races. Despite a valiant effort on his part, he could not get the car in top-35. It was announced at Bristol that if no sponsorship was found, the team would shut up shop.

While money isn’t an issue with the #98 Yates car, it does offer a worrying trend. Paul Menard, backed by his family company, strode in and took owner points from what was David Gilliland’s car. Now for the ironic twist. Menard is sitting outside the top-35 while Gilliland, the man he replaced, has got a guaranteed starters spot for Martinsville.

On a happier note, Richard Petty Motorsports announced during the week that they had pieced together sponsorship to run Allmendinger for additional races. That is great news, as long term readers of the blog will know I have been championing Allmendinger’s case for a full time ride.

The Californian currently stands 16th in the points, ahead of full-time team-mates Elliott Sadler and Red Sorenson. The latter finds himself down in 29th position. I wonder, if Sorenson continues to underperform, will we see Allmendinger in the famed #43 by seasons end.

New Team, Same Result
One question I had to ask during pre-season was – why break up a successful partnership. Clint Bowyer and the #07 team have been one of the talking points over the last few years.

Allegedly, sponsors wanted specific drivers. Mears had raced with Kellogg’s sponsorship during his time with Hendricks, which apparently didn’t sit all that well with new sponsor General Mills. So the drivers were swapped, landing Mears in a team that had made the Chase for the past two years and Bowyer with a new group.

I think that Bowyer is one of the most under-rated drivers in Nascar at the moment. His first five of the season go a long way to proving that. Bowyer finds himself third in the standings and continuing to pump out the consistency that has made him a Chaser for the past two years. Mears is around 25th, once more showing that he doesn’t have what it takes at this level.

F109 Countdown: McLaren

McLaren:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 1st (Lewis Hamilton x5,Heikki Kovalainen x1)
Points Scored: 151
Championship Position: 2nd
2009 Drivers: Lewis Hamilton & Heikki Kovalainen

Last, but not least, we finish up the F109 Countdown with McLaren, just seven days until the start of the new season.

If we are to believe what we have seen in pre-season testing, McLaren are going to struggle mightily at the start of the season. Do I believe that will be the case? No. I’m firmly of the belief that they are sandbagging. Now, maybe they won’t have the ultimate pace, but I find it hard to believe they won’t be in the thick of things.

It has been usual to see them hovering near the bottom for most of the pre-season. For a team like McLaren, which strives for excellence, it is out of character. But not impossible.

In the past, I’ve catalogued how McLaren have failed to produce winning cars consecutively. Last year was actually a change in the norm when they produced a championship contending car. So maybe there struggles are real, and that they will be in trouble.

I still have a hard time believing it. As I mentioned in previous articles, they have known well in advance how things were going to play out. For a team the size of McLaren, I can’t imagine they would take their eyes off the ball that much.

If they are, it will be intriguing to watch how their drivers react. Especially Hamilton. Not since Schumacher have we seen a driver with such raw talent on the grid. But, sceptics will point out that he walked into a winning ride, so how he deals with what is paraded as an ‘uncompetitive car’ will be a true showing of his talent.

If it is a poor car at first, I still expect him in the hunt. Personally, I think great drivers are defined by what they can do when they are not in the best car. I read how Senna did it; I watched when Schumacher did it. Even Alonso pulled some stunning results in a dodgy Renault. This could be a real chance for Hamilton to really cement his legacy and prove to any doubters regarding his skill.

As for Heikki, I would definitely class him as a driver who needs to perform this year. There was too many up’s and down’s from the Finn last year. While the early stages of the season could be put down to bad luck, some of his latter season runs, where he was needed to back up Hamilton, were poor.

Now with a year within the team, there will be no excuses for him. He has to put it out there and show he can match Hamilton. He has to contend for victories. Any less will be a failure.

F109 Countdown: Ferrari

Ferrari:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 1st (Felipe Massa x6, Kimi Raikkonen x2)
Points Scored: 172
Championship Position: 1st
2009 Drivers: Felipe Massa & Kimi Raikkonen

If there is one thing that has become a trend during the history of Formula One, it is how well Ferrari adapts to rule changes. During my reading of Formula One’s history, Enzo Ferrari always ensured his team were ready to adapt.

It has been a trait that has been carried forward since the great man’s death. Of course, one can easily say that a good reason for this is that Ferrari was often away from the top of the field, thus had good reason to be ready for the rules.

If pre-season testing is anything to go by, the Italian team will be fine. It has only been since McLaren have come out and claimed they weren’t looking too rosy for Melbourne that Ferrari has hinted similar problems. Both have used the ‘we were fighting for a championship excuse’.
Honestly, I’ve never bought that excuse. At the end of the day, these are two biggest teams in Formula One. There is no excuse for it, nor is there any point complaining about it. They know the situation well in advance. It is up to them to plan accordingly.

Felipe Massa went from a driver many felt would be lucky to survive the year into a realistic championship contender. I always knew the Brazilian was fast, but I often questioned whether he had the end product in him to fight for it.

Last season, he proved many a doubter wrong. I still feel that Massa lacks something. Whether he gains it, I don’t know, but I don’t think anyone will ever doubt his credentials from this point on. He blitzed his highly rated team-mate, took the most wins in the season and was within thirty seconds of being world champion

It will be interesting to watch just how Massa bounces back from that defeat.
As for Kimi Raikkonen, what can I say really? The Finn was shambolic for most of the year. He came out of the box roaring, but by the middle of the season, that roar had died to a whimper. He looked disinterested, unmotivated and on his way to retirement.
Then he went off a signed a new deal.

If I was Ferrari boss, I would’ve cut my losses and paid Raikkonen off to bring Alonso in. Unfortunately, that decision isn’t mine to make. I feel Raikkonen has lost a lot of respect in the paddock after such a terrible year where he just didn’t seem to give a shit.
Much like Massa, he will be one of the stories to watch in 2009. Will Kimi bounce back, or will he simply drive for a paycheck. I hope for the sake of his legacy, it is the former. But for some reason, I expect the latter.

F109 Countdown: BMW

BMW:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 1st (Robert Kubica at the Canadian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 135
Championship Position: 3rd
2009 Drivers: Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld

Of all the teams, I feel that BMW are the ones who have no excuses regarding their 2009 performance. The team very publically dropped development on last year’s car after they achieved all their goals, much to the annoyance of Kubica. By all accounts. This is the year that BMW prove that they have what it takes to regularly contest with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.

They were first out of the traps to run their new challenger and at the forefront of the KERS technology race. When many teams were hoping for the KERS system to be delayed, it was BMW that forged ahead with the desire to use the system. I can’t blame them. They got the jump on everyone so why would they want to lose that development because nobody else was on the ball.

In Robert Kubica, they have a driver who is more than capable of winning world titles. I think whether that will be with BMW, we will learn this year. Like I said, there are no excuses for them this year. Given how vocal Kubica was towards the end of last year, he will expect to maintain the challenge over the course of the season.

Let us not forget, the Pole was still in contention for the title until the final rounds of the championship. No wonder he was left scratching his head as BMW basically gave up on his chance for the title. He is many people’s pick for the title. I would rate him in my top three. I do wonder whether, at this early stage in the career, he is just at that level to take it.

Nick Heidfeld came in for, what I would definitely label as unfair criticism last year. The German finished only fifteen points behind his much heralded team-mate. Yet alls we kept hearing was about how bad he was in comparison and that he might be on the chopping block. Compared to the other team-mates of championship contending drivers, he was the closest.

If the BMW is as good as it should be, I wouldn’t be surprised if the veteran finally takes a deserved victory. He is a driver who has earned his due over the years and not simply walked into a championship winning car as others around him have. If he can improve on his qualifying form, I foresee a great year for ‘Quick Nick’.

Common Sense to Prevail?

It appears that common sense may prevail regarding the new gimmicky Formula One rules.

After FOTA questioned the validity of the new system, the FIA announced that they would be willing to defer the new system for a year. It still wouldn’t be a perfect solution, but with a delay, it could allow for a realistic system to be put in place.

The ‘gold medal system’, which is basically what it is, has been universally condemned by drivers, teams, pundits, world champions and most importantly of all – the fans. The FIA make a big song and dance about wanting to get more in touch with the fans and then turned around and slapped them in the face. Motorsport forums across cyberspace have been set alight with disdain for the new systems.

What disappoints me most is that we are at a stage in the sport where cooperation is vital. With FOTA, we have the teams working together like never before. Could you imagine Ferrari and McLaren working side by side for the perceived ‘greater good’ a few seasons ago? If I wore a hat, I would definitely be tipping it to the teams for their concentrated unified front to try to make things better for the sport.

The FIA on the other hand, are left with egg on their face. Actually, I’d say they have the full Irish breakfast on it. I don’t think I have read one article that has stated support for the gimmicky system. We don’t need gimmicks for the sport. It has last this long on a traditional points system, so why change it now?

Better yet, what is wrong with the FOTA proposal? It was simple to understand and instilled that need to push for spots because of the additional points gained. How many fans will end up scratching their head at the end of 2008 is the driver with the most points doesn’t win? Formula One does not need to be driving fans away.

Just admit it – you cocked up. Take your lashings in good stride and give the people what they want. It is the people who you claim you want to make the sport better for. Here is a grand suggestion. Ask us, before you act.

F109 Countdown: Renault

Renault:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 1st (Fernando Alonso x2)
Points Scored: 80
Championship Position: 4th
2009 Drivers: Fernando Alonso & Nelson Piquet Junior

The French team definitely feel under the adage of a season of two halves in 2008. More than any other team, Renault benefitted from maintaining development on their challenger as last season dragged on. Their car went from one that could just about make points into a race winning contender.

But the question remains – will their late 2008 push affect their opportunities in 2009. Many of the teams around them gave up focusing while Renault kept on pushing the development. For a team in Renault’s position, it might be considered an odd decision. I suppose one reason for it was to show Alonso they could take him back to the top of the podium.

A feat they achieved twice last year. The team has been quick to hum and haw about their 2009 credentials, like so many others. Will they offer Alonso a title contending car? That is always up for debate. Honestly, even if Renault had spent half a season developing the car, I would be sceptical. They have claimed in the past that they have devoted development time to the next year, only to fall flat on their faces.

If they give Fernando Alonso a car that can get a sniff of a win, you can be sure the Spaniard will take it. He may have his critics, but there is no denying his talent. At the moment, I think he is the best all round racer in the sport. While his Singapore victory required some luck, he still had to make build the gap. In Japan, Alonso looked at his imperialistic best. I expect more of the same from Alonso, who will no doubt have the hunger and desire to prove to his doubters that he is still one of the world’s best.

He will once more be partnered by Nelson Piquet Junior. The Brazilian is one of the drivers I feel is in last chance row. A late season surge in performance probably saved his career, which at one point looked like it might end before the season did. It isn’t like Renault would be troubled to find a replacement, with any number of youngsters under contract to the French team.

In some ways, it is often best to go with what you know, rather than another unknown quantity. As I have said numerous times, when there are big changes to the regulations, it is often best to try to maintain as much continuity as possible. Still, I feel that if Piquet fails to deliver in the first half of the season, he may find himself on the outside looking in.

F109 Countdown: Toyota

Toyota:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 2nd (Timo Glock at the Hungarian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 56
Championship Position: 5th
2009 Drivers: Jarno Trulli & Timo Glock

Last year Toyota finally looked to have turned a corner. After an impressive 2005 season, the Japanese giant has been in the doldrums. Hopes are high that they might actually achieve something this year.

They haven’t been shy about talking up the TF109. Granted, that probably isn’t anything new for Toyota who have talked the talk, but rarely walked the walk. More often than not, early promise has faded into mid-field obscurity.

In 2008, the team appeared to buck the trend. A podium a piece for their drivers was bolstered by a season long ability to score points. Only five times last year did Toyota not have at least one of their drivers in the points. At this stage, Toyota needs to perform. With Honda’s pullout, many eyes rest on Toyota as the next to pull the plug. Recently, the team has stated that they were close to a similar decision.

Toyota is entering its eight year of Formula One. Yet, we still wait for them to do something noteworthy. Pole positions and podiums are all well and good, but everyone remembers the winners. Given the success Toyota has found in Nascar, I’m surprised they haven’t focused more of their efforts on that side of the Atlantic.

Like the majority of teams, Toyota has chosen to retain both Trulli and Glock. I figured Trulli was on the chopping block at the start of last year. Instead, the Italian shocked everyone with some great early season runs. It was the sort of performances that we rarely see from him. Too often, he goes to sleep mid-race, showing only glimpses of the raw speed he has.

Then I realised, his contract was up at the end of 2008. It seemed like once he was more or less assured to stay with the team, the old Jarno returned. Maybe Toyota needs to threaten him with the sack before every race to get the most out of him.

With Timo Glock, Toyota has an aspiring star that has the potential to make it big. His early season struggles were soon forgotten as he found his feet at the top level. By the end of the season, he was regularly beating his vastly experienced team-mate. His podium at Hungary was not a case of good fortune, but on the skill of the German.

If Toyota has a car that is competitive, maybe, just maybe, they will finally break their duck and win that first race. It’s time to put up, or shut up.

Medals in sheeps clothing

The old saying goes, ‘good things comes to those who wait’. Well, the Formula One community has waited, and what we got was a slap with a raw fish. But I suppose, that isn’t anything new.

We have a new way of determining the winner of the Formula One title – by wins. So, basically, it’s Bernie’s gimmicky medal plan, without the medals. Honestly, I don’t know what to think of it. I’m just shaking my head in complete disbelief that sport which is seen as the pinnacle of motorsport is reducing itself to this.

I was full of hope for the FOTA proposal for the points would go through. Their idea was to reintroduce a larger gap between the points offered for the highest positions. Honestly, that system should never have been dumped. Sure, Michael Schumacher broke it when he won the season by France one year.

But the biggest complaint I have always had about the current system was that it encouraged drivers to settle. If you are in second, sure why push for first when you are only gaining two points. Second issue was that if someone built up a safe lead, they could spend the second half of the season taking it easy since the ability to gain points was small given the points structure. At least with the old four point gap, you had reason to hunt someone down rather than play it safe and save the engine.

But no, apparently alls we deserve is Bernie’s system with a wash of paint off it. Don’t get me wrong, I think wins are valuable. But what is the point in someone bothering to race from the back for points when these ultimately don’t matter at all in the championship hunt, unless there is a tie for wins.

My biggest concern is, with this points system, coupled by the testing ban, could lead to the field stringed out and we end up with one dominant car. Technically, someone could actually win the title by mid-season. All that it will take is nine straight victories. This is as bad a decision as it was to change the points system a few years ago. People need to learn that if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it for the sake of it.

F109 Countdown: Toro Rosso

In a slight change from the norm, I am running the next team preview early. The main reason for which is that the FIA are planning to vote on a potential new points system (yah!) and don’t fancy being kyboshed with doing two articles later.

Toro Rosso:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 1st (Sebastian Vettel at the Italian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 39
Championship Position: 6th
2009 Drivers: Sébastien Bourdais & Sebastian Buemi

Toro Rosso defied all expectations last year. This is the Red Bull junior team. It was supposed to show flashes of brilliance, but at the end of the day the main Red Bull squad was supposed to be top dog. It’s like a sibling rivalry. No matter what happened, the older sibling is usually expected to come out on top.

The team started last year with a hybrid of their older car, choosing to delay the introduction of their 2008 challenger. Usually, this is a bad sign, leaving a team lagging in the development race. Once again, Toro Rosso bucked the trend. The STR3 in the capable of hands of Vettel scored points regularly. It wasn’t even a case of just there by circumstance. It was there on raw speed.

And to think, this was the team that this time last year, was up for sale. Since then, the team has publically been taken off the market, although Red Bull owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, is willing to listen to the right offer. After the performance of the team last year, I’m surprised that more elements of the Toro Rosso team weren’t moved over to the main Red Bull squad to improve it.

Can they produce the same last year? That is going to be a tough one. Despite sharing common traits with the Red Bull car design, their challenger was launched a month later. Running with a hybrid car is all fine and dandy, but you don’t pick up the same data as with the actual car. I don’t think it was an ideal situation to leave Bourdais hanging as long as they did as well.

The former Champ Car champion is given another chance to impress this season. All in all, it was a wise decision. I always feel a team can benefit from sort of continuity on the driver front. His end of season performances merited another shot. Granted, he only scored points in one of them, but he put that car in the last session of qualifying the same as Vettel.

It makes this season make or break for the Frenchman. He has to turn promising speed into consistent points. I feel he has a better chance than his would-be replacement, Takuma Sato. The Japanese drive has shown flashes of speed in the past. Unfortunately, he also brings flashes of head pains to mechanics that have to repair the car.

The team continue their adoration of anyone with the name ‘Sebastian’ with replacing Vettel with GP2 series driver Buemi. The Swiss driver finished sixth last year, but won two races. Prior to Christmas, he headed the field in testing, although as I have said many times before, I don’t put much stock in times until we get to the real racing.

What would concern me about him is that he did finish sixth in GP2. There were five other drivers ahead of him, none which will be on the Formula One grid this year for varying circumstances. It definitely makes me wonder if he will make the grade.

I envisage a tough year for the team. I doubt they will reach the highs of last year. If they level out and find consistency which brings them points, it will be a good result for the team that used to spend all their time rooted to the rear of the field.

F109 Countdown: Red Bull

Red Bull:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 3rd (David Coulthard at the Canadian Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 29
Championship Position: 7th
2009 Drivers: Mark Webber & Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull promised much last year, but failed to deliver. It was all looking rosey when the team scored points finish in the first seven races of the year. There definitely seemed to be a realistic shot that they could challenge for fourth.

But as the second half of the season begun, results dried up for the sports energy drink backed squad. They would go on to score in only four of the remaining races.

What compounded their slide down the table was the improvements in the sister Toro Rosso team. It was they who picked up Red Bull’s first victory in the sport. It was the little team that used to be Minardi that brought the Red Bull name to prominence in the sport. I’m sure there were many sick looking individuals in the main squad camp as Toro Rosso stole the headlines as the season headed towards its finish.

Blame was put on the engine; with Red Bull team members stating the Ferrari powered Toro Rosso got more power as the season went on. It was a statement that always perplexed me, since engine development was on a freeze. Regardless, it was their fault. It was Red Bull who decided to send their Ferrari contract over to Toro Rosso in favour of a shiny Renault one.

With egg on their face, they will be out with a lot to prove. Like a number of contenders, they pumped development time into the 09 challenger early. Red Bull, along with BMW, was amongst the first to test the KERS system.

In Mark Webber, they have an established veteran that can put the car in top ten in qualifying. What you get from him in the race can be a bit of a mystery. Now that all the hype and furore over his ability has died down, we are just left with a competent driver who can do is job well on the day.

His pre-season has been disrupted by a broken leg, suffered in an off-season event. Not the ideal way to kick off a brand new era of the sport. But credit to the Aussie for battling back to fitness in great time to get some miles in the car.

I feel that Australian has never truly been tested by a team-mate. At least, until this year. In just Jaguar years, he had in-experienced or just plain not quick drivers which easily dispatched. Coulthard provided more of a challenge, but had already peaked. In Vettel, Mark Webber has a shining star of the future to deal with.

The performance of Sebastian Vettel was a joy to behold last year. He put that Toro Rosso in places it shouldn’t have been. The young German crowned a fantastic year with pole position and victory at Italy in a simply masterful performance.

His reward was a promotion to the main team. Although, some might see it as a demotion, given the performance of Toro Rosso in the end of last year. If the Red Bull car is even somewhat competitive, I expect Vettel to be in the thick of it. I really expect him to put Webber into the shade. Another win? Why not. The boy has the talent to do it. He could very easily add to his tally. Vettel is one man to keep your eyes glued on for the forthcoming season.

F109 Countdown: Williams

Williams Fact File:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 2nd (Nico Rosberg at the Singapore Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 26
Championship Position: 8th
2009 Drivers: Nico Rosberg & Kazuki Nakajima

Depending on how you look at the 2009 campaign for Williams, it can be classed a hit and miss year for the independent team. Compared to their ’08 season, they picked up an additional podium and finished five points shy of the previous year’s total. Yet, they find themselves eight the constructor’s championship, down from fourth.

The year was a perfect example of every team around them making a leap in one direction, while Williams only took a step.

Pre-season buzz was massive for the team last year and after Rosberg’s podium, people thought more of the same and even a win was on the cards. From there, the season fell away despite another podium for Rosberg in the action packed Singapore Grand Prix.

The car plainly wasn’t quick. That is evident from the fact that both drivers had two retirements each last year. It wasn’t a case like others, such as Red Bull, where positions were lost due to mechanical issues.

It was an easy decision for them to give up early and start work on this year’s car. But is it enough? According to reports after the cost cutting, it was claimed that Williams may not have survived without the cuts. The basis is still there for a good team. Even with manufacturer support, they outclassed Toyota in 2008, which they had an engine deal with.

Even with the cuts, the future is no less clear for the team. Major sponsor RBS will be pulling the plug as the banks exit Formula One. Fortunately for the team, they will honour the contract until the end of next year, giving them find to a replacement.

Like Force India, no doubt the team will be looking for those early races to set the marker down and capitalise on the mistakes of others. It will be interesting to see how well the team has adapted to the new regulations and whether a sustained season long competitively is possible for Williams.

Like many teams, they retain both drivers. Unless there is a change in fortune, I’d expect this to be Rosberg’s last with the team. I have to give credit to him sticking it out this year to learn his trade. He has shown a lot of loyalty to the team, whereas as lesser person might have jumped ship at the first opportunity. I only hope that he hasn’t missed the boat as they say and we don’t get to see what he has learned. I still rate Rosberg as a massive talent for the future.

Team-mate Nakajima has gone a long way to shaking off that ‘pay-driver’ tag that he was given on his arrival. Granted, he holds the tags for a different reason compared to the likes of Pedro Diniz or Tarso Marques did. Nakajima didn’t bring sponsorship, just lowered the engine bill.

Similar to fellow countryman, Takuma Sato, Nakajima showed some great pace with some silly errors through his first full season. Unlike Sato, it looked like Nakajima learned from it. By the end of the season, I felt like he earned his place in Formula One. He was deserving of a second year, even if it was already a certainty given his Toyota connections. He scored just short of half of the total that Rosberg did. By all accounts, not a bad first season for the Japanese.

F109 Countdown: Brawn Grand Prix

Day of the F109 Countdown looks at Brawn Grand Prix. After a season of uncertainty, pundits claim the former Honda team could be about to make a big splash.

Brawn GP Fact File:
2008 Results (as Honda Racing)
Best Finish: 3rd (Rubens Barrichello at the British Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 14
Championship Position: 9th
2009 Drivers: Jenson Button & Rubens Barrichello

Where Brawn GP stand is likely to remain a mystery until we get to Melbourne. So far, they have been more than happy to make a big splash. Their debut week of playing with others saw them rule the roost.

I just don’t believe we will see that when the real racing starts.

Testing, even Friday practice, always has to be taken with a pinch of salt. When it comes to this team, even more so. How many pre-season tests have we seen this time in its former guises shoot to the top of the standings and set the pace, only to disappear when the real racing started? It has happened enough times that their results definitely warrant questioning.

A number of observers have guessed that Brawn is running low fuel and ballast in their cars in an attempt to attract attention of sponsors. On the bright side, at least Brawn has the sense not to look for a gimmicky sponsor like the failed ‘Earth Dream’ concept.

Others have decided to talk up Brawn’s pace, which is a bit of a strange tactic. Maybe they are setting the team up for a bigger fall and deflecting the attention away from their own work.

If the car was going to be that good, I don’t think Honda would have pulled the plug. After investing so much time, effort and most importantly, money in the development of this car, it would just be a piss poor business decision. You give up half way through the year and work on this car, only to pull out. Don’t forget, this was the team that seriously tried to court Fernando Alonso to join their ranks for this season. To me, the Honda pull-out screamed that the car wasn’t right and they wanted to cut their losses.

Imagine if Brawn went on and were competitive. I think that would be a serious case of eggs on the face for Honda. Sure, we are in a recession, but everyone is affected by it. I would definitely think there was less to lose on a potentially championship contending campaign, than one rooted to the rear.

That been said, I raised my eyebrows with others at the speed of the car in the past few tests. I never thought it would be that easy for an engine power plant to fit in another car. For all the song and dance about manufacturers concerning standardised engines, I find it somewhat ironic.

The team retains both Button and Barrichello. Strangely enough, it was the Brazilian’s seat on the line over the winter. While both had a season to forget about, I always found it strange that it wasn’t Button on the chopping block. Given the Brit’s sizable wage packet, he was poor value for money against the veteran Barrichello last year.

Rubens came home with eleven of the teams fourteen points. Button has suffered a landslide fall from grace. With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, the spotlight if off him, which given recent seasons, probably isn’t a bad thing!

I think, if given the right car, Button can still deliver. I’m surprised there wasn’t more talk about him moving when Honda pulled the plug. The lack of talk perhaps an indicator of just how far his stock has fallen in recent years.

The decision to retain both was the best decision for the team. While they don’t have the financial clout as they have had previously, running a rookie driver who would pay for a drive would be detrimental for a team that needs to get the most out of their car. The delay in the driver decision left Bruno Senna the odd man out, scrambling for a competitive drive in a series.

As I said at the start, gauging Brawn can only be done once we get the season started. Who knows, the pace might actually be credible.

F109 Countdown: Force India

This is the first of a ten part instalment of ‘The Chequered Flags’ Formula One season preview. Unlike last year, I’m adopting at a one a day style release, spending more time discussing the movers and shakers for the upcoming season. I will be starting from the back upwards, meaning that Force India will be the first time under the microscope.

Force India Fact File:
2008 Results
Best Finish: 10th (Giancarlo Fisichella at the Spanish Grand Prix)
Points Scored: 0
Championship Position: 10th
2009 Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella & Adrian Sutil

It has been such a shame to see how the fortunes of the former Jordan Grand Prix team have gone in recent years. The team has changed owners more times than the ex-girlfriend used to change outfits before out on the town. In Doctor Vijay Mallya, the team have appeared to found someone who is in it for the long haul.

Or, at least until the money dries up.

Like those before him, he has grand plans for the former racing winning team. Idealism and hope are sometimes misplaced amongst the corporate glares in the Formula One paddock these days. Of course, while it is great to see such traits, that doesn’t automatically mean success in the long term.

The recent rule changes offer Force India the best opportunity to close up the gap on their rivals. I’m surprised how late the introduction of their 2009 car has been. Given that they have been banking on the new regulations, I expected them to have pulled a Honda and ditched the 2008 development in favour of the 2009 car.

Much hope is placed on the VJM02. Pre-season testing is always a rough gauge. We won’t know until Melbourne just how good they are going to be. We will find out whether the internal shuffling, which saw Mike Gascoyne depart the team, is the answer to the problems, or keeps them rooted to the rear of the field.

Along with a change in personnel, the team has switched engine suppliers for the new season. Force India move from Ferrari to rivals Mercedes. A major decision in the change was due to Mercedes willing to provide support with the KERS system, something Ferrari themselves have struggled with.

The team should be aiming for early season points, with a decision not to run the controversial KERS system. During pre-season, many teams have had issues with the system. Force India could stand to benefit if they manifest during the race.

Retaining both Fisichella and Sutil should turn out to be a sound choice by Force India. In Fisichella, they have a veteran driver who will be of great benefit to the development of the new car. The boat may have long sailed for Fisichella to stamp his name in Formula One folklore, but he is still capable of a good job for the small team. If the field is going to be as close as many predict, he could be in with a shout of points in the early season.

I feel that Adrian Sutil retains the seat more so because a need for continuity is useful, rather than his skill behind his wheel. Last year, I stated that 2008 was a big year for the German. Many regard Fisichella as washed-up. Sutil needed to beat him to cement his place as a potential talent.

While he improved from a shambolic start to the year, there wasn’t any spark in there that makes you think that he will last long in the sport. I bet he’s regretting not making more of a song and dance about that potential Toyota drive now. Unless he shows a vast improvement, I doubt we will see Adrian Sutil beyond the end of the upcoming season.

2009 F1 Preview

My 2009 season preview for Formula One will be starting in the coming days. Unlike previous years, where I did teams in bulk, I will be taking one day per team for this season. This way, I feel I can be more in depth with a ten day countdown, rather than a three day one.

Brains or Brawn?

After weeks of haggling and false reports that a deal was done, a solution is finally official. Brawn GP is born.

I am shaking my head at this one and as to why Ross Brawn is jumping into the deep end. No doubt, the man is intelligence. But this decision is anything but. I get the feeling that all his years of fine work with Schumacher are going to go down the drain, leaving his reputation in tatters.

This new team have all the hallmarks of being the ‘Super Aguri’ of 2009. All that time and money spent on developing a ‘contender’ for 2009 is out the window. They have zero testing done. I’m sure there are going to be design issues with switching out a Honda power plant for a Mercedes. Sponsors are needed. In short, it is going to be another year of struggle.

The whole situation has disaster written all over it. Many may be lamenting that Bruno Senna has been given the short shift, losing out to Barrichello for the second seat. It may be a blessing in disguise for the nephew of the legendary Ayrton. His reputation and confidence won’t plummet by driving for an ailing team.

Logically, it would have made more sense for a big time investor to come in. Short term, the team will struggle but long term, there is potential. The biggest question that will be answered in time is whether Brawn can survive short-term to reap any benefits.

Snake Eyes

Las Vegas, the betting capital of the world definitely threw up more than its fair share of curve balls over the Nascar weekend. I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a full-moon over Nevada at the weekend. It was just one of those weekends where there was an abnormal amount of issues cropping up.

It all started early into the weekend with Toyota having major issues with their engines. Five of their cars, including pole sitter Kyle Busch had to go to the back due to engine changes. Five engine changes definitely work’s against the law of averages when it comes to mechanical issues.

The strange circumstances continued in the Nationwide race. I managed to see highlights of the event, and it just seemed that nobody wanted to win. Crashes, mistakes and pit-road violations all contributed to a topsy-turvy event, one that Greg Biffle won in the end.

After watching the highlights, I thought to myself – The first thing the Cup guys are going to be told on Sunday is watch your pit road speed. With the amount of penalties handed out for the offense in the Nationwide race, it felt like a no-brainer.

Obviously, someone never sent out the memo on Sunday.

Once again, errors on and off the pit road played a part in proceedings. What made the event all the more strange is that we saw uncharacteristic like errors from the likes of champion Jimmie Johnson. You just don’t expect it. If this was Daytona, I would hazard a guess that maybe with the testing ban, there is some sub-conscious nerves with the lack of driving. But this was the third race of the year, which more or less cancels out that theory.

While Toyota for the most part solved their engine issues, Sunday saw the Roush-Yates engines go up to kibosh. Three of their five cars went up in smoke. Matt Kenseth’s attempt to win three in a row was over before the race had made it past the first few laps. Carl Edwards erupted as he started the last lap, while Ragan’s blew in the middle.

As if all that wasn’t enough, pole-sitter Kyle Busch, sent to the back, charged his way through the field and took victory at his home race. It is the first time that Busch has won at his home race. The victory was Joe Gibbs and Toyota’s first at a venue that Roush and Hendrick have dominated in recent years. As if that wasn’t enough, Busch’s victory was the first time a pole-sitter had won (which he is officially classed as).

Not a bad day’s work for Wild Thing. He won from the pole and won from starting at the rear. I don’t think there are many who can stake that claim.

The weekend just goes to show you, anything can happen in Las Vegas.

The Weekly Nightcap - Feb 27

Welcome to the first ‘Weekly Nightcap’. I’ll use this as a forum to give my views on multiple topics in the motor racing world that I (a) didn’t have time to get to during the week or (b) didn’t have enough to make a proper article out of it.

This week, I’ll be touching on the impending (?) Honda team takeover, A1GP wanting to be Formula One.. or is that the other way around, BBC’s announcement on Formula One coverage, the banks bailing not only on their customers, but on Formula One and finally on Dale Earnhardt Junior.

Honda buy-out imminent?
This week ends with news that supposedly, a rescue plan for the Honda team is almost sorted. Judging by some of the news reports, it is a case of dotting ‘i's’ and crossing ‘t's’. The buyout option appears to be that headed by Ross Brawn and Nick Fry.

The pair is an interesting way to go. Over the past few months, we have been told that there have been many enquires. Although, according to Honda, none were feasible. It’s hard to believe that the Brawn/Fry bid was the only one that really ticked all the boxes for Honda. If Branson was serious about a Virgin bid, his deep pockets would make more sense than those of a cobbled together bid.

Perhaps the two leaned on their connections in Japan to get across the line first. A number of potential buyers were said to be unhappy with Fry being involved in the vetting process, given that he was tabling a bid of his own. Regardless, 20 cars on the grid is better than 18 come Melbourne.

I want to be like you!
At the A1GP race in South Africa last weekend, series boss, Tony Teixeria, stated that Formula One was looking to become more like A1GP with the recent changes to the sport. Oddly enough, despite this claim, he still has dreams of starting his own Formula One team. While his standpoint maybe that Formula One is trying to emulate his series, his ambitions appear to realise that A1GP will never match Formula One.

Practice, Qualifying and Race, Oh My!
The BBC announced its scheduling for Formula One this week. The great news is that they plan to show extensive coverage, including the practice sessions. The Beeb will offer the sessions online, if of course you are lucky enough to live in the United Kingdom. Ah, fun times. They will also be available on television, via the red button – if you have one. (Yeah, Kieran, I’m looking at you!)

Extensive pre and post race coverage is also touted. The line that caught my attention from Mark Wilkin, producer of the Beeb’s TV and online coverage was that "we want to personalise these guys because we don't know who they are. The British public knows who Lewis Hamilton is now, but there are 17 other drivers that we need to get to know as well."

I’ll believe it when I see it. But, ITV Sport did send the set new lows in my view for overall coverage of the past two years. It can’t take that much effort for the BBC to beat that standard level this year. As long as the BBC don’t follow ITV’s lead and create ‘The Lewis Hamilton Show, featuring a Grand Prix’, all should be fine.

Closure
RBS has joined Credit Suisse and ING as the banks pull out of sponsorship in Formula One. ING announced a few weeks ago that they would be leaving Renault, much to the joy of retinas. RBS will honor their contract until the end of 2010 with Williams, giving the privateer manufacture time to search for a new sponsor. I suppose, when you announce loses of 20 plus billion, another few million down the drain is like a penny in a pond.

I wonder if some lay awake at night and wish the sport still had tobacco sponsorship. Don’t get me wrong, I have no inclination for smoking. I personally don’t touch the stuff. But, it’s a lifestyle choice for some. In their time, they brought some serious cash to the table (and still do in the case of Ferrari.)

Better late than never
Nascar travels to the glitz and glam of Las Vegas, Nevada for the third stop on the Sprint Cup tour. Something I didn’t get a chance to mention last week was Dale Earnhardt Juniors response to what occurred at Daytona.

At the time, Earnhardt Junior didn’t take any of the blame. On one hand, it was to be expected given that he didn’t have an opportunity to assess the situation. On the other, it irked me as a viewer, since he chose to question another rule entirely in the same interview.

The weekend of the Fontana race, we got the see an interview between Earnhardt Junior and Darrell Waltrip. It was a candid and open interview that allowed the viewer a glimpse behind the mask we see on race days from a driver. I don’t think that anyone other than DW could have gotten such responses out of Earnhardt Junior. In it, he took responsibility for his part in ‘The Big One’. It might have been a bonehead move, but at least he can stand up and admit when he did wrong.

The American Dream

As the weeks roll on, the USF1 project seemingly has a leg to stand on. When I first heard about this project, I was definitely sceptical. Actually, I still am.

How many times has a new team project being floated around the media, only for them to disappear into oblivion. The most recent of which being Prodrive. A whole lot of singing and dancing came from David Richards. They even won the right for the tender for the then twelfth team on the grid. They should have being on the grid at the start of 2008, but the team failed to appear after the customer car row went against their ideals.

If this project had come up a couple of years ago, it would have made perfect sense. However, North America has lost both its races in recent years, leaving Formula One with no beachhead in the country. While there has been talk about a return, nothing is set in stone. The sport has failed to settle on a permanent home in the country, with no less than nine different circuits since the first championship race to the US in 1959.

Europeans are quick to criticise US motorsports and it is pretty much vica-versa on the other side of the pond. Formula One has hardly left with its head held high either. The lowest point of the sport’s most recent return to the States was 2005 United, where only six cars started due to tire issues. That been said, it wasn’t the first race in the US that ended with beer cans on the track!

Even as more details have been released about the USF1 project, it just sounded like a fantasy. They intend to set up in North Carolina, right in the heart of Nascar country. I question whether a Formula One team can work comfortably out of North America. Sure, there will be skilled people in the area, but not for the sport of Formula One.

That is why so many teams have set up shop in the United Kingdom. Teams have a readily supply of skilled labour on hand for whatever task is needed. Currently, only four of the eleven teams are based outside of the UK. Even when Toyota launched their F1 project, many questioned their decision to set up shop in Cologne.

Another component mentioned for the team is a desire for an all-American line-up. Much like the choice of base location, it is a head scratcher. US racers have a long history of failure in the sport. Mario Andretti stands as the only US national champion in Formula One’s history – and he was born in Italy. Since then, the sport has being littered with failed attempts. The most recent of these was Mario’s son, Michael, in 1993 and Scott Speed in 2006-07. Both left their respective teams before the end of their final seasons.

Immediately, Danica Patrick was linked with a seat. When I look at that possibility, I just think ‘PR stunt’. Danica is a good racer, but she has yet to firmly establish herself as a contender in the Indy Racing League. When you see that past US single-seater champions have struggled in Formula One, you have to question what hope Danica could have. I could be wrong, but, I’m sure I am not the only one thinking that.

A more respectable choice would be AJ Allmendinger. Should ‘Dinger not find himself a full season sponsorship to run in Nascar this year, an option to return to single-seaters might suit him. Although, given his growing potential in the stock car series, I can’t imagine him staying jobless for long. Unlike Franchitti, Villeneuve and Carpentier, Allmendinger seems settled for the long haul in Nascar.

I expect Marco Andretti, grand-son of ex-champion Mario, to be heavily linked in the coming months. Unlike Allmendinger and Patrick, Marco has tested a Formula One car and showed potential. As part of a racing dynasty, he would be the perfect face to lead the team as they attempt to conquer Formula One. He is taking part in A1 GP this year in an attempt to improve his road racing talents for the upcoming IRL season.

There is an air of confidence around not only the USF1 project leaders, but from elements of the F1 paddock that this could work. I will remain sceptical until we learn more. A soft drink tastes great while the fizz is still in it, but it doesn’t take long before it goes flat.

GPVWC Syndication

Greetings one and all,

A big announcement for The Chequered Flag is that I have secured syndication on a sim-racing site. My articles will be posted on the GPVWC blog section. The GPVWC is a sim-racing site which supports the game rFactor. As an avid racing game junkie, I am delighted to link up with a site that matches me love of motorsport and gaming.

The deal has been in the works for a while now. We discussed doing it this time last year, but we didn’t quite get it off the ground as planned. Second time around, we are confident of it. Hopefully, it will bring in more readers to the blog!

The Chequered Flag in 2009
There will be some changes to the way I construct my articles this year on the blog. On some occasions, I was content to just give an overall review of a race in a competition, especially on those boring days. This year, I will be focusing more on the talking points of a race. Results can be found easy enough on any site, but what makes a blog unique is to deal with the talking points.

I will also be introducing a weekly review article on the Friday of each week, briefly covering motorsport news that has happened in the week. There are times that I can’t make a full article out of something that has happened during the week. This will allow me to comment briefly on a number of issues on the fly.

I’m looking forward to contributing here and wish you all a successful year in whatever category you are taking part in.

Life in the old dogs yet

It may be early days in the 2009 Sprint Cup, but so far one thing is clear – the veterans aren’t going to let the next generation have their time just yet.

As the old saying goes, it may take a while for a bus to come, but when it does, there are usually a few in quick succession. Matt Kenseth backed up his rain-shortened Daytona triumph with victory in California. The track has long been the stomping ground of the Roush and Hendrick superteams. There was little surprise when these two teams dominated the overall lead lap charts.

As the sun set, intermixed with sprinkles of rain, it was Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon who led the push to the line. It is great to see the old guard running back up front. I’ve read too many pieces writing these guys off, claiming they were past it. Kenseth himself has often been labelled as someone who didn’t have a killer instinct to win a lot of races during the season.

Along with Kenseth, Jeff Gordon had a great day for the #24. He was up at the front all the day, just lacking the ability for that final push on Kenseth. But boy did he give it a go. After a winless season last year, seeing the veterans back up there where they belong only adds to the intrigue as the season goes. Last year saw the wins spread too thin. With the amount of contenders we appear to have, hopefully we won’t have any runaways.

My final mention goes to Kyle Busch. He may not have won, but the #18 still had a sterling weekend. The Las Vegas native made history with winning the Camping World Truck race and the Nationwide Series race on the same day. He might have fallen short of a historic hat-trick, but the intent is clear.

The Big (One) Debate

Matt Kenseth took his and Jack Roush’s first Daytona 500 victory in the rain shortened season opener in Florida. As the lights went down the rain began to fall. Nascar hoped to restart the race, but the rain continued to persist, bringing an end to the 51st edition of the ‘The Great American Race’.

The main talking point regarding the 500 will remain Dale Earnhardt Junior. The fan favourite started strong but a pair of pit lane mishaps saw him go one lap down. Driving like what can only be described as a pissed off teenager, he got into the rear of Vickers’ when the Toyota blocked him all the way down to the double-yellow line. The action resulted in the ‘Big One’, taking out numerous cars, included those who had been in contention all day.

While the majority of fans are already sweeping it underneath the carpet, those who hold a more neutral view are scratching their heads as to why Nascar didn’t dish out a penalty. A similar incident occurred only 24 hours earlier in the Nationwide, where Jason Leffler received a five-lap penalty in a similar incident. Yet, no penalty was given to Earnhardt Junior.

I don’t believe it was intentional. Trying to wreck someone at a Super-Speedway is just insane. Earnhardt, more than anyone, knows the pain that a massive wreck can cause at those speeds. The problem is, Earnhardt was not in the best state of mind. Anyone watching the race could see that he appeared more agitated following a pair of pit-lane issues.

Yes, he was fighting to get in position for the Lucky Dog, but as the day showed, blocking people was the norm. He could have afforded to lift ever so slightly, given that nobody was tucked up behind him either. The result of the incident saw many good race cars wrecked. Patience is the key in any race.

Ironically, in his interview after the incident, Dale Junior was questioning whether to have the rules looked at in regards to Vickers’ move. Not exactly the most ideal time to bring that up.

But as I said, it is likely to be swept under the carpet. In Earnhardt Nation, Junior can do no wrong. Regardless, even more pressure has been put on a driver who is already carrying an already massive on his shoulder in the 2009 season.