Italian Grand Prix 2013: The Place Where Ferrari's Dreams Died?

                            Today's Italian Grand Prix marked the end of the European F1 season. Next, the Formula 1 roadshow rolls into Asia, with races at Singapore, Japan and Abu Dhabi to come. With Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel so far in the lead in both championships, it looks as though the end of the European season has coincided with the end of the F1 season as a competitive entity. Vettel's victory in the heart of Ferrari territory, at a circuit where they were unfavoured, signals a level of dominance that I fear will continue for the rest of the season.

                            But just how dominant have the Red Bulls been in Europe? It is interesting to look at the statistics of the European season, and the winners of each race. I will do a run down of the races undertaken, the winners, and the points based purely on European races. Spain was the first race of the season, which saw Fernando Alonso take his second victory on home soil. Monaco saw a win for Mercedes and Nico Rosberg, who took their second win in the following European race in Britain. Another home victory saw Vettel take his first European victory of the season at the Nurburgring. He would win another two, in Belgium and today in Italy, after a first Mercedes win for Lewis Hamilton in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Whilst the Red Bull man has won the most European races this year, he only beats Nico Rosberg by one, and the majority have come in the latter part of the season. This implies that his dominance is not as strong as initially suspected.

                             This is supported by the points accrued. Though Vettel does remain in the lead on European points, he is only 16 clear of Fernando Alonso. If we compare that to the 53 point lead that the German enjoys overall, 37 points of that must have come outside of Europe. Bearing in mind that there have been only 5 races thus far away from the continent, it implies that Vettel's dominance is considerably greater in Asia and America than in Europe. A little further analysis of the points also indicates that Vettel's dominance in Europe has only occurred since his home win in Germany. 75% of his European points have come in the final four races of the European season. If we compare this to Alonso, the last four account for only 55%, meaning that he has remained the more consistent. Whilst Vettel may not have been as dominant in Europe as elsewhere, Red Bull as a team certainly have. Between them, Vettel and Webber have accrued 206 points on European soil, a full 53 points clear of their nearest rivals, which would be Mercedes, with Ferrari a further four points back. Overall, Red Bull's lead currently stands at 102 points, which implies that Red Bull's dominance as a team is almost identical in Europe to away from it. Obviously, these statistics may alter, with a further 7 races to take place away from Europe this season.

                               In terms of the Italian Grand Prix, the practice sessions were all dominated by the world-champion elect. The qualifying session on the Saturday was expected to have a similar result. After the heroics of the Marussias and Guido van der Garde in Belgium's Q1, they sadly could not replicate the feat, perishing at the first time of asking. Q2 proved far more shocking, as the pole sitter of the four previous races Lewis Hamilton, 'drove like an idiot', in his own words, and could only manage 12th. Both of the Lotuses also had to watch Q3 from the pits, with Nico Hulkenberg and the two Toro Rossos being the shock inclusions to Q3. Having sauntered through to third session, Vettel cruised to pole, with team mate Mark Webber ensuring that Red Bull locked out the front row for the first time since the second race of the season. The big surprise happened immediately behind them, as Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg angered the Italian population, beating the Ferrari pair to 3rd on the grid. In double disappointment, Alonso had to settle for 5th, being beaten by his teammate for the first time in several races. This would do his race victory chances no favours, and would ultimately see his title bid go up in smoke.

                                The start at Monza is always chaotic, with the opening chicane normally causing several collisions throughout the field. This danger will not have been lessened by the start of Vettel. The German locked both front brakes on the turn into turn 1, sending a considerable amount of smoke up, clouding the vision of those behind. This inevitably had an impact on the consertina effect that occurred behind, with Kimi Raikkonen damaging his front wing in contact with Sergio Perez, sending the McLaren driver onto the escape road. Even more concerning for Vettel, the lock-up left worries of flat-spots on his tyres, with the potential to cause damage to the car, and ruin his one stop race. The Ferraris both had excellent starts, passing both Hulkenberg and Webber by the end of lap 2, with Alonso making an exceptional pass around the Red Bull man at the Curva Grande. Inter-team cooperation then started taking place, with Massa offering no resistance to a move from Alonso a few laps later, meaning that the Spaniard could get after Vettel. The German, though, was showing no signs of a flat spot, edging out a gap of 7 seconds by lap 10.

                                 Further back, after a good start, Lewis Hamilton was still struggling in the midfield. Having made up two places from the start, the Brit had failed to surge through the field, instead being stuck in a battle with Jenson Button for 10th. However, his afternoon was ruined by a couple of early problems. First, the engineers discovered an issue with the radio communications between the driver and the team, meaning that no message could be delivered throughout the race. Even more dramatic was the announcement that the Mercedes had a slow puncture, meaning that the Brit needed to pit, wrecking his plans for a one-stop race. This also explained the slow progress that Hamilton had been making. That message could not be delivered to the driver though, meaning that Hamilton stayed out for a further 2 laps before finally recieving the message and making the stop, but this will have cost him valuable time. He rejoined behind Kimi Raikkonen, who had been fighting back from the first lap incident. The Finn had been setting a succession of fastest laps, and looked like flying through the field. Hamilton, on fresher tyres, got right among the fastest laps, swapping the honour with the Lotus. As a result of this scintillating pace, the pair of them managed to pass those they were fighting before they made their stops (Button, Perez, Grosjean, Ricciardo). But would they have to stop again?

                                  Vettel's suspected problems seemed to be coming back to haunt him, as when he past the 20th lap, he began to lose half to three-quarters of a second a lap. Clearly concerned, the Red Bull mechanics decided to pull him in on lap 23, when the lead was just 5 seconds. After a quick inspection (2.7 seconds), they concluded that all was fine, and sent him back out. Alonso, attempting to press home his advantage, stayed out. Unfortunately for the Ferrari driver, this plan completely backfired. The Red Bull team's decision to keep Vettel out there was vindicated, as the German extended his lead to 10 seconds by the time Alonso made his pit stop. Instead of retaining the lead, the Spaniard nearly fell back behind Webber. Further back, Hamilton and Raikkonen continued their onslaught on the field, passing the other Mercedes in Nico Rosberg. However, this was halted by the unsurprising decision by Lotus to pit Raikkonen a second time, dropping him way down the field. Hamilton pressed on, passing Nico Hulkenberg for 5th, but ultimately his progress came to the same end, requiring another stop. However, just like the stop before, continuing radio problems meant that he stayed out a further two laps than they intended. Despite the best efforts of the Mercedes pit crew, he rejoined behind Raikkonen once again, in 14th, meaning that he would need to pass him on track. But would they be able to trouble the points?

                                     Up front, whilst Vettel scampered away at the front, Alonso was challenged heavily by the other Red Bull of Mark Webber. The Red Bull team would have liked nothing more than a 1-2 on Ferrari territory, further showing their dominance. However, once again misfortune struck the Aussie, who was told that they had a gear issue between the 2nd and 3rd gears. This meant that he couldn't get the necessary acceleration to reel in the Ferrari, meaning that he began to fall back a little. Even worse news was to follow for Christian Horner and the boys on the pit wall at Red Bull. Vettel seemed to be developing the same problems as his team mate. Fortunately, he had built up a healthy lead of over 12 seconds, meaning that he could take it a bit easier without costing himself the race. However, the news that the Red Bulls were having problems had filtered back to the Ferrari pit wall, and the drivers were soon pushing hard to catch the pair in front.

                                       In the battle for the points, Hamilton took the lead in the push for the top 10, passing the Lotus brilliantly round the Curva Grande, before getting past Perez's McLaren to make it into the points. But he wasn't finished there. He quickly managed to catch and dispatch the other McLaren of Button, before chasing down the pair in front of him. This led to a final lap dash for 7th place, with both Grosjean and Ricciardo in the Mercedes's sights. Up front, despite struggling through the final few laps, Vettel managed to nurse his car home for the maximum 25 points, winning by just 5.7 seconds. His 53 point lead seems insumountable, but this race could have been a different story had the problem emerged a few laps sooner. Perhaps he will have a bigger fight from his new Australian team mate, but for now he remains the top dog in Formula 1.

2013 Wimbledon Finals: A Place In History Beckons?

                    As I mentioned in my Wimbledon preview post, I have been a tennis neutral for the entire Wimbledon fortnight, and as a result have been able to enjoy some truly outstanding tennis. From controversy, to shocks, to outrageous shots, this year's tournament has had it all. What would have rounded everything off perfectly, in my opinion, would have been to have a Goran Ivanisevic-esque fairytale victory at the end of it. A Murray-Djokovic final in the men's singles means that that dream will have to wait another year. Shame. However, the shocks in the women's draw means that a final between two unexpected names has come to fruition, with Sabine Lisicki seeing off favourite Serena Williams on her way to meet Marion Bartoli in today's showpiece.

                    One of the two women involved in the match today will take their place in history as a first-time Grand Slam winner. Whilst Bartoli has more experience of Grand Slam finals than her opponent, I do not believe that in any way makes her the strong favourite for the match. Lisicki has shown in the past two weeks that she is more than capable of upsetting the apple cart and rising to the big occasions. If this was something we hadn't seen in her exit in the Wimbledon semi-finals a couple of years ago, it is certainly something we saw against Serena just a matter of days ago. In this post, I will be reviewing the form of both the women, and the men's finalists, before deciding who I believe should be the favourite.

                     In terms of the title of this piece, however, it is not difficult to see what it is I am referring to. The presence of Andy Murray in a Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year means another chance to end Britain's incredible barren spell at Wimbledon. Whilst I explained in my opening post why I personally do not feel inclined to support him over any other athlete, he has certainly performed well over the past two weeks and deserves his place there. Whilst all will remember his emotional speech after defeat to Roger Federer in last year's final, many will be hoping for better fortunes this time around. A Murray victory tomorrow would certainly see an eminently forgettable page of British tennis history consigned to the memory banks, and a breakthrough of even greater proportions than that of his US Open victory last summer.

                    However, regardless of whether he takes that place in history tomorrow, there is one thing that will be forever untouchable, in my opinion, to the Scot. I have been saddened to hear the BBC commentators debating whether Wimbledon's iconic Henman Hill should be renamed in Murray's honour. I have issues with this. Firstly, Murray Mound sounds rubbish. Secondly, I believe that Tim Henman as a tennis player sums up not just the traditional British tennis player, but the entire British mindset in terms of sport. Starts with a vast overestimation of ability by the press and the crowd, who all proclaim that 'this will be the year', only to be eliminated at the quarters/semis. If tennis had penalties, this would sum up another sport incredibly accurately. I think, as a reminder of our typical British disappointment, Henman Hill is an essential part of Wimbledon, and should always remain as such.

                    Getting back to the matches over the next two days, it is worth looking at the run that each of the finalists have had, and therefore who should be considered the favourites. Starting with today's women's final, we see that both of the competitors went through their opening games in straight sets, with Lisicki particularly convincing in a 6-1, 6-2 victory over the usually strong Francesca Schiavone. Another pair of straight sets results followed in the second round, with the German once again being more emphatic in her victory. The third round saw a change in the pattern, as the Bartoli progressed in two close, but straight sets, whilst Lisicki was pushed all the way to three by the fiery Samantha Stosur, eventually winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. What happened in the fourth round made the tennis world sit up and take notice. Serena Williams, the shoo-in favourite for the title after the carnage of the 26th of June, was unceremoniously dumped out by Lisicki. After a strong first set, which the German won 6-2, the American world number 1 came storming back to take the second 6-1. This led analysts to assume that Serena would just steamroller her way through the third set. But it was not to be, with the German Lisicki picking up arguably the most memorable win of her career, and continuing her incredible record against French Open champions at Wimbledon.

                    Whilst Bartoli did win in straight sets on the same day, it was nowhere near as impressive as the Lisicki victory. This also started to shift fan support towards the German underdog, as the British crowd are always likely to get behind that! With another pair of straight sets victories in the quarter finals, Lisicki and Bartoli were only one game away from a place in the pinnacle of tennis. A stroll for Bartoli, who came through her semi-final 6-1, 6-2 against the novice Flipkens of Belgium. Lisicki on the other hand, had another tough game against number 4 seed Agnieska Radwanska. An enthralling semi-final, which swung first one way and then the other, ending with an incredible 6-4, 2-6, 9-7 to the German. After an energy sapping semi, along with the draining victory against Serena, I fear for Lisicki's energy levels. If they hold up, however, the tough tests she has endured should give her a fantastic platform to claim the first piece of silverware of her career.
                
                       Moving onto the men's final, we have to consider the advantage that the crowd gives the Scot in his quest for his first Wimbledon title. Whilst I have made my feelings about the crowd's hypocrisy clear, there can be no doubt that they will hold a key role in the outcome of the match tomorrow. The form may give an initial indicator, but the adrenaline and momentum shift that the crowd can give is another variable. In terms of the route, both were imperious in the first week, successfully avoiding the drama and progressing with ease to the quarter final stage. There, Djokovic claimed another straight sets victory over Thomas Berdych, but Murray, despite having the crowd on his side, toiled against Fernando Verdasco. Comprehensively outplayed by the Spaniard in the first two sets, the Scot fought back to level the match. The final set was a tough and edgy affair, with both players fortunate on several occasions to hold serve. But it was Murray who claimed the decisive break to take the match 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 and progress to the semi finals.

                        Yesterday saw arguably the most incredible semi-final in Wimbledon history, with Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro contested another memorable 5 set match. Played in fantastic spirits, with both players in fine form and sportsmanlike mood, we saw a number of incredible rallies and at times unbelievable passing shots. Nowhere was that more evident than in the fourth set tie-breaker. With Djokovic two sets to one up, and at 6-4 in the breaker, Del Potro had two match points to save. The first one was particularly memorable. After a number of excellent shots, two incredible gets from Djokovic made it look as if Del Potro was going home. But the Argentine pulled out an incredible forehand to force the Serb to stretch and put the ball long. This changed the momentum, with Del Potro eventually taking the fourth set. The fifth maintained the frenetic pace, with no sign of letting up. After more incredible rallies, Djokovic broke the Argentine, and, after four hours and 45 minutes, the Serb took the match to set the record for the longest Wimbledon semi-final. Murray's route was considerably easier, beating the inexperienced Jerzy Janowicz in four sets. After fighting back from a set down, the Scot took advantage of the 22 year old's unforced errors to lead by two sets to one. After a brief delay as the roof was closed, Murray closed the match out in fine form, eventually winning 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

                          In terms of the favourite for tomorrow's final, I slightly favour Djokovic. Murray will inevitably feel the pressure after the events of last year. However, I would not be in the least bit surprised if the crowd lifts Murray, or the nerves fade after the victory in Flushing Meadows. I personally think that Murray has more to prove, but equally has the greater support. I anticipate one of the great Wimbledon finals, with a five setter on the cards. Eventually, my choice comes down to experience, with the Serb having more experience of the victories in finals, especially against Murray. However, whatever the result, both the men's and women's tournaments have been fantastic viewing, and those that come out victorious have deserved the titles.