Back To Business

After all the ruckus mid-week it was back to one of the world’s greatest track to race! Ahh Spa, such an awesome circuit. Even the on-board stuff looks amazing. Allegedly this was a ‘boring’ race according to ITV-Sport. Granted it wasn’t a classic, but ironic that a Hamilton win isn’t classed as boring eh?

The first half of the lap was worth the watch. Alonso showed no mercy to his team-mate. It was surprising to hear Hamilton whinge about it and claiming that Alonso tried to take him off track. This is all coming from the guy who has ruthlessly cut across people on a start line. He needs to learn that you have to give as good as you get. It was tough by Alonso, but what do you expect at this stage in the championship? To lie over and say ‘there you go have the position’. Alonso had the racing line, stayed on the racing line through the first corner. Side by side towards Eau Rouge. That was balls from both of them. If it’s anything to go by then the clashes between the pair of them when they are on the track are going to be well worth the watch from here on out. Neither is going to give each other any quarter.

Raikkonen just... jusssst stays in the hunt. It isn’t easy for him and realistically has to haul in five plus points on both McLaren’s over the final three. Given McLaren’s awesome reliability it’s not going to be easy in the slightest from him. But like I said before, the way the pair are looking it’s possible they could run each other off the road before the end of the season!

Honourably mention of the weekend goes to Adrian Sutil who showed the race craft that many knew he had with the revised Spyker, albeit on a different strategy, mixing it in the midfield. Things are looking up! Also to Clint Bowyer in NASCAR, with the Texan getting his first career victory at a great time as the Nextel Cup enters the 10 race Chase for the title. Good time to break the winless duck! Eyebrow of the weekend has to go to Alex ‘The Hoff’ Hoffmann in MotoGP, who decided midway through the race he didn’t have the motivation to fight for 15^th place. He’s out of a job today.

McRae Dies in Helicopter Crash

It's a sad day in the motorsport and rally world with the death of Colin McRae. The former WRC champion died when his helicopter crashed near his estate.

McRae is the most successful British rally driver having won the title with Subaru before later driving for Ford and Citroen. While he's been out of full-time WRC ride for a number of years he did return for a one-off drive replacing the injured Leob last season and competed in the Paris-Dakar rally. McRae is also well-known for his input into the successful series of computer rally games that bore his name.

He will be missed. Thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Spy-gate

The long drawn out Spy-gate issue came to a head yesterday, with McLaren been found guilty, stripped off all their constructor points for 2007 and fined a whopping $100 million. Dayum.

I’m going to look at this at a different angle and not going to go into the ‘Who’s right, who’s wrong’ talk. Why? Because every F1 forum in the world is doing that right now and unfortunately, most are just arguing for their team and not willing to listen to reason. How can we, the public seriously make a judgement on this when we don’t know the facts? As a journalist I was thought to gather all the facts before forming an opinion on something. We can’t do that because everything was decided behind closed doors and left us simply with a breach of a certain rule line that is as transparent as a double glazed window.

Of course it hasn’t stopped the public, the fans, and the media from taking sides. Everyone is getting involved in it, even the legends. But why people are forming opinions without all the facts is a bit ignorant eh? It’s such a shame that we will never know all the facts. It would help to vindicate any arguments in the public eye. Perhaps this will happen given the size of the public uproar.

This brings me to the punishment. Is it harsh? Well if they did do something wrong – the point’s deduction is merited. The fine? $100 million! When you add in driver wages, loss of prize money and the like that number will nearly double. I would expect this to be cut down under appeal if they do ala Turkey’s fine last year. 100 mill does seem extremely harsh though. It does bring into question why the drivers got away scant free however. If McLaren are guilty of using the documents, then surely its drivers benefited from it all? Maybe the extraordinary money fine was given in place of leaving the drivers alone.

I would question Hamilton’s decision to be there. Up until last week the drivers had more or less kept a low profile on the whole issue. Which was correct. They stayed away from the politics – up until Hamilton opened his mouth last weekend at Monza. Allot of people were making a ruckus yesterday at Alonso’s no show in Paris, preferring to stay and prepare for the race. What was the problem with this? His job is to race the car. Not play politics. Hamilton’s appearance yesterday was unnecessary in my view. Maybe his reasoning for his appearance was a set of mind games on his part, to show his undying allegiance to McLaren given further impression of Alonso’s distance from them. Judging by some of the articles and the media reaction, it worked well.

So into the season run-in. Whatever happens it’s a tainted season. No doubt people will be bitching left, right and centre from here on in. The lines have been drawn and amongst the fans, there is a deep level of hatred towards those they feel got the shaft.

What A Race!

Nope, ain’t talking about the Italian Grand Prix. Not really going to mention it much. It was an alright race with nothing too amazing, apart from the end of Massa’s title run, Kimi trying to put the cat amongst the pigeons with a one stop and good move by Hamilton (though in fairness, if Kimi had turned in then Hamilton would’ve been in the wrong from coming back from so far.)

No, what I’m going to talk about is the IRL season finale at Chicagoland. What a race. Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon have three points between goings into the race. It’s a close race with a pack of six cars up front until yellows come into play leaving the two title chasers on their own. The last thirty, forty laps were amazing with the cars dicing amongst those who were not on the same strategy.

It all comes down the last three laps with Franchitti trying to find a way by. Dixon looked to have it. Last lap halfway around Dixon runs out of fuel. Franchitti is champion. What a way to end it. It was a great race to watch. Any one of about six to ten cars at one stage had a chance of winning. Fantastic battling. F1 could learn, at the very least from the way the broadcasting is done. If there is action across the track the US coverage has split screens. Why don’t we have them in F1? It would make watching close dices without having to complain about not seeing the action. The same has to go with pit radios. Right now we get the diluted radio streams about a lap or two after they were said. In the final part of the race we had live radio streams from the spotters. All of it made this race all the more enjoyable.

For sure I’ll be giving the IRL coverage allot more notice come next season.

Goin' Truckin'

Little more than a year after he was ejected from Formula One, Jacque Villeneuve appears to have found his new home – NASCAR. There he will join a familiar face with Juan Montoya.

Those that have seen him test the Craftsman Truck claim that he has done impressive as he begins his steep learning curve with the hope of been on the Sprint Cup circuit next year for Bill Davis Racing. His capture for some will say that NASCAR is now able to attract big name drivers. The likes of Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Junior have also been linked with moves to stock cars from the Indy Racing League. But those with the sharper eye will see that NASCAR is only receiving these drivers who are, let’s be fair, and are in the twilight of their career. An article that really hit me on this was by David Caraviello, one of the man good journalists on NASCAR.com (ITV Sport should take note on how these writers are able to stay unbiast). ‘They’ll come to NASCAR, but only as a final option’ is a great read on the topic if you get the time.

JV’s move conjures memories of his time in F1. Many claim him to be a great success, a driver with real balls. Sure he had his moments but I don’t agree with the assessment that many treat with him. When he entered F1 in 1996 he arrived in the best car. There were no challengers outside of his team-mate Damon Hill and the pair duly fought it out for the title. In 1997 again Villeneuve had the car advantage and like any good driver, took it and secured his world title.

But what about after that? When he found himself in a sub-standard Williams he was banished from the top step of the podium. A foolhardy move to BAR saw him wallow in midfield for the rest of days, the spark many claimed he brought seemingly extinguished. His career achievements were all but complete after 1997. His final race win was at the Nurburgring in 1997, his final podium in 2001 before been first ousted in 2003 before a brief fling return from late-2004 till mid-2006.

For a driver much heralded his lasting mark on the sport is similar to NASCAR refugee Juan Montoya - in fits and spurts where his ability to make a few overtaking moves overshadowed a career wrought with failing to live up to his full potential. How he will fair in NASCAR will be interesting to watch, especially how the sport takes to him.

The Next US Import

Come next season we will see a new face on the grid in the guise of Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais. For those of you not familiar with Bourdais a small refresher course. A former F3000 (now GP2) champion, he failed to find a contract in Formula One despite testing for Renault. Like Montoya before him, he made the jump to Champ Car where he has been extremely successful. Three titles already with a fourth on its way he has been the class of the field in recent years over in the States.

Bourdais will be an interesting one to watch. He's a long time out of the hot seat in terms of European competition. That been said, he's doing alright at the tests he ran with for Toro Rosso.

People will point to history been against him. Zanardi flopped. Da Matta wasn't much better and Montoya, despite winning races never delivered to the full expectation. Villeneuve was the last successful US racing export in recent times.

An advantage for Bourdais is that these days, Champ Car is all about road courses. None of that oval stuff that the others had a mix of in their experience.

Of course a point in his favour people will point out 'Hey, he's been the most successful Champ Car driver of recent times so he should do well.' We must remember that compared to the past, it's a substandard competition, so he shows up more. In recent years there has been a migration of the top drivers and teams to IRL leaving nothing more than a carcass of a series that was once top-notch. US racers make up the minority in the league and drivers with pre-dominantly European pedigree fill the ranks.

Will he, won't he. I think he has more of a chance than those who have tried recently. If Toro Rosso give him a decent platform to work with then he could buck the trend.

Blowing Out Smoke

Ahh the European Union. Sometimes they do something of interest; other times they stick their noses where it doesn't really belong.

This been the case with the EU health commissioner, Markos Kyprianou. He's unhappy with Ferrari's rather nifty bypass of the law and that Monaco, Bahrain and China allow tobacco sponsorship. Okay, someone please send this guy a map because last time I checked, Bahrain and China were outside of the EU. Tectonic plates haven't shifted overnight! He went on to say that F1 drivers "can become role models. So the young people watch these people with tobacco signs on their chest and the wrong message goes out."

Okay, I don't know about the rest of you guys - but I never bought cigarettes because Ferrari sponsored them, not to mention I ain't on the Vodafone network because they sponsor McLaren, have an urge to do more for the environment because of Honda or drink Red Bull simply because it's on four F1 cars.

Ferrari and Marlboro had planned to get around it for quite a while before the ban came in place. The barcode is synonymous with Marlboro since they have always covered up their name with it, even back to the McLaren days.

I remember when the talk first begun there was even rumours that to ensure everyone new the car was sponsored by Marlboro was that Ferrari would just run with an un-sponsored red car with Marlboro essentially paying for every sponsor spot on the car. Of course it never came to it. Many expected Vodafone to replace Marlboro then, but they left for McLaren instead. If you are stupid enough, then well...

But yeah, today's F1 drivers can't smoke (at least not regularly!) Ain't like the days of James Hunt & company so how can they be joined at the hip with these sponsors.

Anyway, don’t governments make a shed load on ciggie taxes?

Turkish Delight?

Ferrari out of the reckoning? Not yet after Sunday’s race. Massa leading home a Ferrari one-two brings the pair back into contention, especially with Hamilton’s late tire blow.

Heading into the final stretch of the championship sees Massa 15 points of the top with Raikkonen a further point back. How much longer can Ferrari keep them on equal terms? That is the question that will be raging in the coming weeks. Both sides have their arguments. Unlike the last number of years we have four drivers competing for the title and this is due in part to the ‘no team orders’ from both McLaren and Ferrari – something that both can be applauded for.

I doubt this will last as things get tight. The difficult thing in Ferrari’s case is how evenly matched their drivers are. Neither has been consistent in their challenge. Turkey marked only their second 1-2 finish of the year. Usually it’s a case of one been strong while the other has an off weekend. Contrasts in the past where the might of the Ferrari machine has been behind Schumacher. Devil’s advocate can say looking at the success that Ferrari had with this formula (the odd controversy not withstanding) compared with the situation now that the old system had its merits.

If Ferrari loses the championship, especially by a small margin, questions will be asked.

Getting Dirty

Cleaner than clean. At least that’s what the British press want people to believe about Lewis Hamilton. While his performances on the track have been something to behold, his antics show all the signs of a man believing his own hype.

Of course when you have the entire British media building him up to be the messiah of British motorsport (a mantle ripped from another pretender who has failed to live up to media expectation – Jenson Button) hardly helps. His actions at Hungary were ones he should be rightly ashamed of. Eddie Irvine yesterday was highly critical of the young charge and it is one of the few times I agree with the loud-mouth Ulsterman.

Contrary to all the talk of Alonso been in the wrong, it was Hamilton who was the one who caused the entire ruckus from qualifying. His decision to blatantly disregard team orders was what fuelled Alonso’s need to exact revenge. Does that mean he was totally justified to do what he did? No, but that in no way excuses Hamilton’s petulant behaviour. Allegedly, Hamilton went on a tirade on the radio, even cursing. That would be interesting to hear but of course the chances are slim to nothing I bet. The media no doubt are on his side, with the Steve Ryder trying to pass off his childishness with saying that he had a right to look out for number one. Complete hypocrisy. Alonso looked out for number one later in the session and they were highly critical of it. The double standards reek from it.

As the season moves on the aura of purity continues to fall apart around Hamilton. How much longer the British media can keep pushing it down our throats however will last for a good deal longer I bet.

Team Fireworks

Usually Hungary (contrary to the ever declining ITV Sport commentary team) is a snore bore of a race. This one really was no different with all the sparks happening on Saturday.

I would hate to be Ron Dennis at this time, trying to manage the egos in his team. Yeah that’s right, I said egos. Not ego. Allot of people have been quick to rap Alonso on forums, but its time for people to realize that Hamilton’s ego is just as big. He broke team orders. Maybe I should repeat that because obviously some people only see what they want to see and with Hamilton, they like to pretend he’s perfect. (I point back to the ‘monkey’ comment at Monaco that was also swept under the carpet.)

In a team like McLaren you don’t have an ego. That is why Montoya got the sack. McLaren are a team that values the constructors and teamwork over the individual and right now, they only have two individuals in the team. Hamilton’s excuse that he was worried about letting Kimi through was weak at best. This is a track that is often labelled as the ‘Monaco without barriers’ with only one clear line and hard to overtake. Now we have Hamilton claiming there was no way he could have let Alonso by without letting Kimi through? Pretty poor excuse Lewis.

Does that excuse Alonso’s actions later on the session? Not really but it was funny to watch! It was disappointing to see the stewards get in the middle of what is a team problem. I would have loved to see Alonso versus Hamilton into the first corner yesterday. Especially given how the relationship is between the pair. The decision ruined a good race with Alonso unable to get up front. Given that it was McLaren’s Mickey Mousing that caused all of this both drivers should’ve gotten penalized and not just one.

Neither can rely on each other and with Ferrari almost out of the title picture now it is going to be a tense run-in. It will be interesting to watch.