Ten Things I've Missed Blogging This Year

As I set out in a post a few weeks ago, my blog has been more than a little erratic over the last 12 to 18 months as I look to piece certain things back together. To read more about my psychology, click here, but in this post, I wanted to provide my belated opinion on ten of the year's top sporting stories that I never got the opportunity to cover.

This has been separated into the sports that I have previously blogged on, but in the last year I have got into a number of new sports, some of which will be covered here.

Football

1. Leicester win Premier League

I kind of had to do this. Arguably the greatest footballing story in the history of the English game, the ultimate in underdog stories came to fruition this year. While I did give my opinion on the exploits of Jamie Vardy (both in the positive and negative sense) late last year, I never looked at the collective achievement of the squad as a whole.

I suppose here, more than in any other story, there is very little I can say that is new. When you consider that the biggest shock in the Spanish La Liga in recent years was the title winning side from Atletico Madrid, that highlights the scale of the accomplishments. In my mind, the only comparable previous event in recent memory is the Montpellier success in the French league in 2012, but even that pales in comparison to the dramatic turnaround in fortunes.

Without a doubt, momentum played a crucial role, but the performances of a number of individuals was simply outstanding. Whether that's the consistency of signing of the season N'Golo Kante, or the moments of magic from Riyad Mahrez, the Foxes have had quality across the field all season, and thanks to everyone else throwing it away, Leicester run out deserved winners.

2. FIFA implodes and Sepp Blatter found guilty

Who saw this coming? I don't mean in the sense of FIFA's corruption - I'm not naive. We've all known the frankly ridiculous levels of bribes, backhanders and 'favours for the boys' that Blatter and the rest of his cronies have been taking part in. What I didn't expect was for them to be caught, as everyone seemed to be content with the incompetence.

However, what made this moment among the best of the last 12 months was the reaction of comedian Lee Nelson. Though I've never been much of a fan of Nelson's work (his humour always seemed a little too slapstick and PR stunty to me), I have to say his idea at a press conference involving Blatter last year was absolutely brilliant. Having managed to sneak his way into the audience, Nelson took the opportunity to throw a huge wad of cash over the disgraced FIFA chief in one of the most iconic images of the scandal. Though he was instantly arrested as a suspected terrorist, he created a moment that resonated around the world, and highlighted, for the first time, the public opinion of the issue.

3. Footballers as role models: the Adam Johnson story

Like the Leicester story, there is very little that I can add to this story in terms of opinion, as my reaction to this story was much the same as everyone else's - a mixture of disgust and sympathy for the victim. What the latest in a long line of criminal cases against entitled footballers with no concept of other people demonstrates is a point I raised in my first 'Bitesize Rants' post, namely, that footballers should not be considered role models for children, as they have proven time and time again they do not deserve the moniker.

What makes this story particularly abhorrent is the way that both Johnson and the world of football treated his arrest and subsequent case. While I am the first person to stand behind the phrase 'innocent until proven guilty', and it irritates me no end that rape is the only crime where the burden of proof is on the defendant, if you are under investigation for a crime and you have a job in the public eye, you should really be ineligible for selection until the matter is concluded. By all means continue to pay them and treat them the same, but more to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation, you have to ensure they are not being put in the public eye. If it was up to me, no-one would ever be named as a suspect until after they are convicted, but that simply isn't the world we live in.

With this in mind, it is therefore mindless that Sunderland continued to play the winger, and in light of his guilty plea since, only makes the Wearside club look callous and morally bankrupt, willing to play and support a sex offender to gain an advantage. What makes the story even worse is that Adam Johnson, despite knowing he was guilty and about to submit a plea, continued to milk the North East club for all they were worth in wages.

Formula 1

4. Hamilton and Rosberg become best of enemies

Having grown up together through karting and junior formulas, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg formed a close friendship, racing hard but fair and keeping the work away from their friendship. However, like any soap storyline, all friendships inevitably come to an end. Unlike the soap, there were no affairs, illegalities or betrayals, but pure competition.

The breakdown of the relationship started with Rosberg, clearly frustrated at trailing Hamilton in the championship, outbreaking himself in qualifying at the Monaco grand prix in a move reminiscent of the famous Schumacher Rascasse-gate. Further fuel was added to the fire in Belgium, when an angry Rosberg committed the gravest sin in Formula 1 - deliberately hitting your teammate.

After Hamilton's procession to the title last year, the relationship seemed to have settled between the pair to a healthy rivalry. That was until the Spanish grand prix a few weeks ago. Having taken one another out on the first lap, the two very quickly pointed the finger at one another, again stoking the flames and setting the season up for a fiery rivalry.

Tennis

5. Serena completes year grand slam

As much as I hate her hypocritical, have your cake and eat it too, standard feminist mentality, Serena Williams did something amazing last year. To win a Grand Slam is an impressive achievement, but to win all four in the same year is quite extraordinary. She will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best ever tennis players and dominant champions - it's just a shame about her personality!

Cricket

6. That over...

We've all experienced the feeling where we want the world to open up and swallow us, but I certainly expect that Ben Stokes will have felt this more strongly than most earlier this year. To set the scene, England's cricket team, despite being roundly written off at the beginning of the tournament, and largely underwhelming in the early rounds, managed to perform a Leicester-esque run to the final. In their way stood West Indies, who had already beaten them before.

Having set a disappointing 155/9 in their 20 overs, England were seen as strong underdogs. However, a West Indian batting collapse put England on the brink of reclaiming the title they held in 2010. Step forward Ben Stokes, or more accurately Carlos Brathwaite. With an outlandish 19 required from six balls, Brathwaite smashed four successive sixes off the medium-pacer to claim the title for the West Indies in one of the most dramatic finishes.

Rugby

7. A typically English World Cup

Now, from a dramatic failure to an absolute aborration. The saying 'all good things come to an end' was emphatically proven on home soil last autumn, with our rugby team emulating the performances of the footballing side, and exiting early. The fact that it was a home World Cup only serves to make this point more humiliating, with England becoming the first home nation in the history of the tournament to fail to make it out of the group stages.

Others

8. Mayweather/Pacquiao - Can super fights ever live up to the hype?

When the news that unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, widely considered the greatest pound for pound boxer on the face of the planet, was to fight Filipino great Manny Pacquiao, the fight world went mad. Expectations that this was set to be the greatest fight of all time were far far wide of the mark, however. All I can say is that I am glad I didn't stay up to watch it. From what I've seen, it was 12 rounds of Floyd applying his typical counter punching style, and Pacquiao treading water while he attempted to connect.

Quite often, the best fights do not involve two high ranked individuals, as 'super fights' tend to come with a lot of additional pressure. A high profile loss, especially in emphatic circumstances, can have  a dramatic effect on a boxer's legacy, so it is unsurprising that neither of them left it all in the ring.

It may well have an impact the next time the boxing organisers want to arrange a fight of this size too!

9. Tyson Fury offends everyone

Staying with boxing, Manchester's Tyson Fury shocked the world with his decision win over Wladimir Klitschko. However, rather than just enjoying his victory and rising fame, Fury decided to take a new and different approach - offend everyone he can.

In between making sexist, racist, transgenderist and homophobic statements in public, Fury has also suggested that performance-enhancing drugs should be permitted in boxing. Though he has apologised for any offence caused, I'm still not quite sure how genuine that is. An isolated incident may be able to be forgiven, but multiple occasions makes it a lot less likely that it is true regret.

10. MMA explodes

Last, but by no means least, is the emergence of a sport until recently I had no real knowledge of. Perhaps it is my own ignorance, but it is only in the last few months that the world of MMA has taken an sort of impact on my consciousness. However, ever since watching my first few fights, I have become addicted, and have spent more hours than I care to mention watching old videos and current events.

I'm sure I will be writing enough on this sport in the near future, but the main reason the sport has exploded in this part of the world in the last 12-18 months is Irishman Conor McGregor. Having sensationally burst onto the UFC scene, he captured the company's Featherweight championship in December 2015, beating Brazilian legend Jose Aldo, unbeaten in the last 10 years, in just 13 seconds.

Having lost to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, choosing to go up two weight classes to take on the Stockton native, McGregor has become a global superstar, spending hours on interviews and media to hype fights and talk trash. However, this spectacularly backfired a couple of months ago, with an argument with the UFC over the amount of mandatory PR the Irishman had to do caused McGregor to post the following on Twitter:

Well, the MMA world went mad. Such was the reaction from the fans, McGregor was forced to retract the statement 48 hours later, stating that it had all been a demonstration of the pull and influence that he has over social.

Despite numerous negotiations, the issue seems to be ongoing, despite the announcement that the rematch between McGregor and Diaz is set for UFC 202 - a month later than originally planned.

So there's my top 10 sporting memories over the last 12 months - have I missed any? And what are yours?

Drama Denied: What Was The Double Point?

The Hives put it perfectly - 'hate to say I told you so'. As I mentioned in a critical (and therefore fairly normal) post earlier in the year, I was not all for the double points race being discussed at the time. Having had that race - today's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, I can safely say I am still not a fan. A season full of twists and turns (even though viewers may have wanted a slightly more competitive field) has, thanks to the double points rule, seemingly been won emphatically. And this season review post will demonstrate that this has simply not been the case.

Though no-one can deny that the Constructors title has been long since over - really since about race five or six - the Driver's Championship has gone right down to the wire, with both Mercedes drivers in with a shout as the lights went out in the desert. It's worth saying that this would still have been the case without double points, though admittedly the pressure on Hamilton would have been non-existent.

However, after all the pre-race talk about avoiding technical issues, it was perhaps inevitable that the title would ultimately be cemented by a catastrophic ERS failure for Nico Rosberg. This left the German well outside the points, while his teammate took the top step in Abu Dhabi to extend his Drivers Championship lead to an impressive 67 points. Much like many football results we see, the final score simply doesn't tell the story, and this must be blamed, at least slightly, on the ludicrous double points final race.

Despite his enormous final margin of victory, the 2014 season started in the worst possible way for Hamilton with a DNF handing Rosberg a 25 point advantage. However, four straight one-two victories for the Briton saw him reel Rosberg back in as the pair headed to Monaco, with the Constructors Championship practically sewn up.

But the famous track saw an ugly twist in race, which threatened to break the two lifelong friends apart. In a move reminiscent of the cynical parking manoeuvre pulled off by Michael Schumacher in 2006 at Rascasse, a dubious "mistake" handed Rosberg pole and ultimately victory, bucking the trend of Hamilton wins and left a bad taste in the mouth. This would not be the only time the pair clashed, with Hamilton again feeling aggrieved at the tactics of his teammate at Spa later in the year.

With Hamilton's win at Yas Marina, Mercedes set a new record for most wins by a Constructor in a single season - 16. The only man to taste success was a surprising one - not one of the several world champions littering the field, but Red Bull new boy Daniel Ricciardo. His first race win in Canada was gifted to him, with both Mercedes drivers struggling with ERS problems - forcing Hamilton out, and Rosberg into second. He was also the beneficiary when the two Mercedes collided in Belgium, whilst poor strategic decision-making and changeable conditions handed the Australian the victory in Hungary. Though he has been fortunate, take nothing away from his performance - to comprehensively beat the four time world champion Sebastien Vettel, in the car he won the titles, both in qualifying and the race, is quite incredible.

Likewise, Valtteri Bottas's performances have also been eye-catching. Though the Finn failed to claim victory, he was a regular on the podium, more than matching his illustrious teammate, Massa. Moving back to the title race, the Mercedes pair swapped victories, with both taking their home races. However, after the incident at Spa, the team's sympathy sat well and truly with Hamilton, with a number of the upper echelons publicly blaming Rosberg for the crash. This clearly had an impact on Hamilton, as the Brit claimed the following five Grand Prix to take the initiative in the title race - 24 points ahead with just two races to go.

While in any normal season, that would almost see the title done and dusted, the threat of double points in Abu Dhabi placed more emphasis on the Brazilian GP. This time, the pressure told on Hamilton, with an uncharacteristic driving error having seemed set to jump his teammate in the pits. The spin left Hamilton 17 ahead going into today's GP in the desert, with the ERS problem for Rosberg killing any threat of final day drama.

So as I have mentioned, I am hardly the biggest fan of the double points rule. I was equally against the extension of the points to 25,17 etc... from the more traditional 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 that I grew up with. So, using the older scoring system, how would the season have panned out?

	Hamilton	Rosberg
Australia	0	10
Malaysia	10	18
Bahrain	20	26
China	30	34
Spain	40	42
Monaco	48	52
Canada	48	60
Austria	56	70
Britain	66	70
Germany	72	80
Hungary	78	85
Belgium	78	93
Italy	88	101
Singapore	98	101
Japan	108	109
Russia	118	117
USA	128	125
Brazil	136	135
Abu Dhabi	146	135

So Bernie wants excitement right to the end? Newsflash Mr Ecclestone - you don't want double points, you don't even want the current 25 for a win scoring system - you want the system you used 10 years ago! Under the old system, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg would have come into today's race separated by just one point, knowing that the winner would take it all!

Bahrain GP 2014: Well, At Least We Saw Some Racing...

One year on, and I'm still blogging! After my review of last year's controversial Bahrain Grand Prix kicked off my blogging bug, I have covered the majority of the major sporting events in the last 12 months, and I am massively looking forward to more posts in the future: the Premier League race and the World Cup to name just a couple. This F1 season has begun ominously for the rest of the pack, with Mercedes dominating the open races of the season. Major changes to the regulations have beset the majority of teams with considerable issues, putting world champion Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull on the back foot.

The decision was made at the beginning of the season to make Bahrain another dusk race, to follow the successes of the Abu Dhabi and the Singapore Grand Prix. Whilst I am not necessarily a fan of the night races, as I do not believe that we need to challenge the drivers with unnecessary weather conditions and add danger (though they do make it easier at times for European audiences), it does add another intrigue for Bernie Ecclestone and perhaps levels the playing field a touch. I would be wary of adding new 'unpredictable' weather conditions (such as the frankly ridiculous idea to create fake rain) to any more races, as I am a fan of seeing what the weather throws at you and how you adapt, and that means starting races in the day.

However, news this week overshadowed the importance of the race. With seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher still in his medically-induced coma in Switzerland after his tragic accident on the ski slopes, the news that he is having moments of consciousness comes as a massive relief to Formula 1 fans worldwide. We can only hope that the German continues to see recovery, and we get to see the great man on the track very soon. A controversial but brilliant driver, competitive to the last, we all know Schumacher is a fighter, and it great news that he is showing signs of recovery.

With every car having the #keepfightingMichael emblazoned across it, qualifying began with Mercedes once again the dominant force. With the German manufacturer and the Red Bulls seemingly happy to get through Q1 on the harder tyre, it offered an unusual name the chance to top the initial leaderboard. The honour fell to Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg, who had been unfortunate not to receive a move to a bigger team in the winter break. With the Indian team seeing positive steps, it was almost the opposite for Lotus. The team that won two of the Grand Prix last season has been struggling with the rule change, and have failed to get out of Q1 in each of the two previous races. In Bahrain, their two drivers, Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, found themselves fighting between them for a place in Q2. This time it was Grosjean who came out on top, beating Maldonado's time by 0.009 of a second. This was despite the interference of Sauber's Adrian Sutil, who clearly blocked the Frenchman off during a lap. This costed the Sauber driver 2 penalty points on his license, with the Sauber man warned about his future conduct.

Q2 saw a complete turnaround of fortunes. Sadly, whilst Mercedes continued their dominance, finishing a second ahead of the pack, Hulkenberg's Force India, who had topped the board in Q1, could not manage to get himself into the final session. Even more shockingly, neither did Sebastian Vettel. The world champion, having not missed out since Spa in 2011 before this season, has now failed to qualify in two of the three races this year, demonstrating the enormous swing away from Red Bull.

The final session of qualifying saw a frenetic opening period, as the battle for pole once again surrounded the two Mercedes teammates. Despite Lewis Hamilton being the one that was largely considered to be the faster of the pair throughout the weekend, it was Nico Rosberg that managed to get himself in front of the Briton in the first run, bettering his team mate's trial by 0.3 seconds. The second runs for both were considerably slower, with Lewis making a huge error at turn one, ruining his chance of pole. However, with the rest of the pack so far behind, no-one could take advantage of this slip. The only surprise of the session was the brilliant effort of Daniel Ricciardo to get himself into third. Though the Aussie would suffer a 10 place grid penalty for a misdemenour in the previous race, it was nevertheless a statement of intent to his more illustrious team mate.

With the race all about the two Mercedes, it came as little surprise to see the pair turning their cars towards one another off the line, indicating that the pair would ready for the fight, and that Mercedes were more than willing to let their drivers race. Off the line, there seemed no difference between the pair, but it was Hamilton that had the better second phase of the start, getting down the inside of Rosberg at turn 1. However, the German did not give up, fighting Lewis all the way up to turns 3 and 4, but just could not make it past. Further back, contact between Raikkonen and Magnusson for the second race running left the Ferrari driver fuming, and his mood would not have been helped by the fact that his car had no performance. Neither Ferrari could live with the pace of the Force India or Williams cars, with Fernando Alonso being passed by Perez on lap 6.

As the pair of Mercedes flew away from the pack, it was not the same story as Malaysia. Hamilton could not break the attentions of Rosberg, though he had managed to escape the DRS zone. This would continue to play a key theme throughout. After his horrendous qualifying session, Sebastian Vettel had not made up the places that many would have expected, though it is important to note that he, unlike the rest of the field, started on the harder tyre. As a result, Vettel was actually doing well to stay on the back of the group in front. The race for third was quickly becoming the most interesting, with the Force Indias and the Williams both seemingly having the opportunity to grab it. Ferrari and McLaren could also harbour outside aspirations of the podium, but they would need to perform better. In that race, it was Force India who grabbed the initiative, with Sergio Perez overtaking Felipe Massa for 3rd on lap 12.

Ferrari's struggles were demonstrated just one lap later, when Alonso became the first of the front runners to pit. However, this strangely aided the Spaniard, giving them the undercut that we have already seen be effective in the last two races. Kimi Raikkonen, after his first stop, began setting fastest laps, however, that new found speed was short lived. Once all of the first stops had been completed, the Ferraris found themselves on older and slower tyres than the rest of the pack. They quickly became mobile chicanes for the other top teams, with the Williams and the Force Indias passing them.

However, this was not the only battle, as the race for the lead began to hot up once more. With the stops coming up, Rosberg managed to close the gap to his team mate to just a few tenths. Another wheel to wheel battle insued, with the German managing to get past Hamilton. The Brit, knowing that he needed to be in the lead to get the first choice on stops, and he nipped back in front at turn 4, before grabbing the initiative and diving into the pit lane. Interestingly, the pair opted for different tyres, with Hamilton choosing to continue on the option tyre whilst Rosberg went for the harder prime. As we had seen throughout, Hamilton, due to the fact that he pitted earlier, managed to stretch his advantage to 3 seconds by the time Rosberg emerged two laps later. By this point, the race saw 2 Mercedes followed by 2 Force Indias and 2 Williams, all 6 cars powered by Mercedes power systems.

The battle for third continued to hot up, as the Williams chose to use a different strategy to their rivals. Unlike those around them, Bottas and Massa used a three stop strategy, seemingly putting them out of the race for 3rd, and favouring the resurgent Force Indias. Daniel Ricciardo, who had been toiling in anonymity for the majority of the race, beginning in 13th, had found some pace, managing to get his way into the lower end of the points by passing Kimi Raikkonen. With Hamilton pulling away from Nico Rosberg on his quicker tyres (though not as quickly as initially expected), his chances of winning were dealt a hammer blow. Pastor Maldonado, having emerged from the pit lane, seemingly failed to judge the speed difference between himself and Esteban Gutierrez. As a result, the collision ended up flipping the Sauber, leaving debris littering the track and bringing out the safety car.

With both Hamilton and Rosberg pitting, the Briton's 9.5 second lead had been eradicated, and he had to survive the remainder of the race on the slower tyres. A mean feat even if facing a slower car, but against the Mercedes seemed impossible. The crash had benefitted the Red Bulls and Jenson Button's McLaren, who had managed to jump the three stopping Williams drivers. However, Sebastian Vettel was instructed by his engineer that the Williams' newer and quicker tyres meant that they would come under threat later in the race. The final few laps of the race saw two enormous battles, with the lead taking the majority of air time, whilst the battle between the Force India driver and Daniel Ricciardo for the final podium was equally as interesting.

From the restart, the Mercedes flew away from the rest, opening up a 10 second gap within just a few laps, demonstrating their dominance over the rest. However, a furious battle continued to rage between the pair, with Rosberg making a number of lunges down the inside into turn 1. However, no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not keep his nose in front of his team mate. On several occasions, the Briton had to get aggressive in his defence, forcing his team mate off the circuit in an attempt to keep his place. And keep it he did, beginning to slowly but surely ease away from Rosberg as his tyres began to lose their edge. This led the cameras to switch their attention to battle for 3rd, as Hamilton seemed to have the race under control going into the final few laps.

As Jenson Button's McLaren fell off completely, dropping behind both Willams, Red Bulls and Ferraris, the battle continued between the two Force Indias for the final podium, with Daniel Ricciardo reeling the pair in quickly. Sergio Perez, who has had to play second fiddle to Hulkenberg for the majority of the first few races, finally got his chance to shine, holding on to his first podium for the team ahead of his team mate, and slowly edged his way away. This meant that Hulkenberg fell back into the clutches of Daniel Ricciardo, with the Australian managing to get himself into a remarkable fourth. But there were not enough laps left to pull off a podium. Another nice moment for the Aussie will have been the overtake he pulled on Vettel (not the one that was due to team orders) as he showed the world champion that he is not there simply to make up the numbers.

But the day, as has been the case at every race so far, belonged to Mercedes. As the cars get more reliable, we will see this kind of thing continue to happen, with the Silver Arrows seemingly having by far the superior package. Unless we see a huge swing in fortune, I fear more races where the battle for third is the most interesting spectacle. However, at least the racing between the pair, and the fact that Mercedes have said they will not stop this with team orders, means that we may have something interesting to watch up front.

Not as controversial as a year ago, nor (arguably) as interesting a race, but we are ushering a new era of Formula 1. Love it or loathe it, it seems as though it is here to stay, so we had all better get used to it, and hope that another team can develop their car throughout the season!

Malaysia Grand Prix: Different Team, Same Result?

New house, new start. My move has freed me up to go back to what I've missed: writing. And what better way to restart than with the revamped F1 season? After a season dominated by one car and one man, a monumental rule change, one that has been described as the 'largest for a generation', has levelled the playing field this year. Gone are the enormous shouting V8's, in favour of the energy saving hybrid V6s (despite the noise issue that still rankles with Bernie Ecclestone). Along comes a bizarre new chassis, which sees the nose dip in places I never thought possible. New moves, fresh faces. And yet the spirit and prize is the same.

These changes and the new equaliser took effect in the opening race in Australia. After a miserable winter testing session, Red Bull and world champion Sebastien Vettel came to Melbourne on the back foot. The winner of 13 grand prix last term, and the previous nine on the bounce will have left Albert Park in similar mood, after a mechanical problem forced the German out on just the seventh lap. This will be a common theme for this season, with the most reliable car being most likely to be the most successful. The pole sitter on the day, Lewis Hamilton, was also victim to the mechanical curse, falling the lap before Vettel. That left the win to his teammate Nico Rosberg, and a space on the podium for hometown hero Daniel Ricciardo - the first Australian to take to the rostrum at their home event. Given the success of his predecessor Mark Webber, that is quite an incredible statistic! We saw the return to form of Williams and especially McLaren, with new rookie Kevin Magnusson matching the feat of Lewis Hamilton in 2008 by getting himself into 3rd. With Jenson Button following in close behind, McLaren left Australia leading the Constructors Championship. Who would have guessed that at the end of last year?

If the teams thought Australia was bad, they would have been dreading Malaysia. Traditionally one of the most testing circuits on reliability, with temperatures pushing 50 degrees on track, it is a car killer. However, after Mercedes dominance in Melbourne, the rest of the field were granted the ultimate leveller in qualifying: a monsoon. Delaying the beginning of Q1 by fully 45 minutes, the rain just carried on. When the session eventually started, the cars were more concerned with tip-toeing around the circuit to keep it out of the gravel than taking it to the limit. As a result, Q1 began by maintaining the status quo, with a comfortable Mercedes 1-2. However, this safety was obliterated for Vettel with the news that he had a problem with the car and needed to pit for a reboot. Though this seemed to leave his place in qualifying in the balance, Red Bull managed to turn him round quickly and get him safely into Q2.

The next part saw an even more incredible turnaround as Q2 began in a blaze of drama. Toro Rosso's impressive youngster Daniil Kyvat had a nightmare, locking up and careering into the slow moving Fernando Alonso. The Ferrari driver, who had quite wrongly elected to run with the intermediate tyres, saw his front left suspension and wishbone broken, leaving him to limp back to the pits with his qualifying campaign seemingly in tatters and bringing out a red flag. Impressive work from the Ferrari mechanics meant that not only did the Spaniard get back out, but he qualified for Q3 ahead of his illustrious new teammate Kimi Raikkonen. The only real surprise to come out of Q2 was the failure of the high-flying Williams pair to reach the top ten shootout, with both Massa and Bottas unable to make the cut. However, up front Vettel managed to split the two Mercedes to give fans an indication of a competitive final part of qualifying.

Q3, like the two parts before it, began rather anti-climactically, with cars looking to set a banker lap. With the initial fears that Mercedes would run away with the pole, the initial 1-2 seemed set to stay. However, both Red Bull and Ferrari had other ideas. Fernando Alonso, who seemed to have completely recovered from the crash in Q2, got himself between the two German cars, before Sebastien Vettel came within a whisker of grabbing pole. As the chequered flag loomed large, the fight was on between the German and Hamilton for the top spot - or so it seemed. Whilst squabbling with Nico Rosberg to be the last one across the line to start their flying lap, Vettel inexplicably failed to make it before the flag fell, losing his final lap, handing Hamilton the pole on a silver platter. The only other change was Rosberg managing to drag himself into third and within striking distance of the lead. After a qualifying session that began slowly, with everyone assuming a Mercedes coronation, this handed fans some hope of a competitive season. For Hamilton, a personal milestone: he equalled the British record for pole positions that has stood since 1964 and Jim Clark.

In typical Sepang fashion, Sunday saw the return of baking conditions, with the teams preparing for the most challenging weather of the year. As the lights went out, pole-sitter Hamilton got away well, leaving team-mate Rosberg to jump the slow-starting Vettel into 2nd. The big winner was Daniel Ricciardo, who managed to sneak his way around the outside of the two Ferraris before hanging his teammate out to dry on the outside of turn two. With the Mercedes in clean air, Hamilton clearly relished the chance, repeatedly setting fastest lap after fastest lap to ease the gap out to five seconds after just 8 laps. Further back, Ferrari continued to struggle, although not entirely of their own doing. Kimi Raikkonen, embroiled in a close battle with the rookie McLaren of Daniel Magnusson, found himself carrying a right rear puncture after a tussle got too close. This left the Finn limping back to the pits and ending any realistic chance of a large points haul.

The collision hardly did Magnusson any favours either, breaking his front wing and causing him to hold up a gaggle (I believe that is the correct term!) of cars. In a frenetic start up front, Sebastien Vettel began homing in on his teammate before cruising past under DRS. It was the first time that the two had been wheel to wheel since becoming teammates, and the world champion seemed intent on sending a message to his less illustrious companion. As the cars began to look at pit stops, it became clear that the undercut would play a significant part in the race. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, having made his first stop, began lapping at over two seconds a lap faster than the cars ahead. Although the Red Bulls acted quickly enough to keep Vettel in front of the Spaniard, Daniel Ricciardo eventually fell foul of this. However, by this point, the Mercedes drivers were out of sight of the chasing pack, bringing F1 fans a reminder of the dominant scenes seen so frequently last year.

However, all is not lost. With Rosberg struggling with the balance of his rear tyres, the Red Bull began reeling the German in at almost a second a lap, giving F1 fans an indication that perhaps Mercedes would not run away with races. However, it is worth remembering that Rosberg's was a wounded car, with his teammate continuing to scamper away up front. By the time Hamilton pitted for his second stop, the gap was up to over 10 seconds, at it was looking simply a battle for second.

With this, and the battle for the minor places the only close track action, attention turned towards the skies. Radio transmissions between Raikkonen and the Ferrari team intimated a spattering of rain around turn 14, threatening to spice up a rapidly predictable race. As it happened, it wasn't to be. Between the revelation and the chequered flag dropping, there was only one more piece of action worth commenting on. Daniel Ricciardo, after the misfortune of being disqualified in Australia (his fuel level gauge stopped working - something that strangely happened again here, but not on Vettel's car-coincidence?) found himself battling with Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg for 4th place as he arrived at his pit box for his final stop. However, a wheel failure, followed by a front wing failure a few laps later (both completely unrelated - coincidence?) seemed another example of the German world champion's teammate having the most outrageous bad luck. Where have we seen an Aussie get a raw deal at Red Bull before?

Nevertheless, hats off to Lewis Hamilton, who led home a Mercedes one-two for his first win in Malaysia by fully 15 seconds. Vettel's return to the podium was a welcome one for a man who has been too accustomed to the rostrum in recent years, but I get the feeling we will be seeing silver on that podium a huge amount of times this season. With the mind-numbing repetitiveness of last season, Formula 1 can ill-afford another season as one sided. Unfortunately, this rule change seems to have favoured one car, and until the rest can catch up, there seems little sign of changing.

2013 British Grand Prix: When Will The Tyres Get Sorted?

             The 2013 Formula 1 season is in full flow, as the roadshow moves onto British soil. The home grand prix of 4 drivers in the field, and home to the owner of the entire franchise. After years of turbulence between the governing body and Silverstone, racing fans will be pleased to see the grand old track claim its rightful place on the Grand Prix calendar. In contrast, a name we will soon see disappearing from Formula 1 is, sadly, Red Bull driver Mark Webber, who announced his retirement from the end of the season before one of his favourite races. The feisty but likeable Aussie will be sorely missed from the paddock, but conspiracy theories have begun emerging that this was a case of 'jump before he was pushed', as his relationship with the World Champion Sebastian Vettel has deteriorated in recent months. With Red Bull inevitably plumping for their three-time World Champion, Webber has arguably been cast out into the cold by Christian Horner after 7 years of loyal service.

                With this news initially detracting from the build-up to the British Grand Prix, thoughts were transferred back onto the job in hand for qualifying. With the early favourites in practice being the traditional one-lap specialist Mercedes cars, it was Ferrari who found themselves lacking in pace in the early stages, with Felipe Massa nearly failing to make it out of Q1. As it finished, it was the usual suspects who ended the first session at the bottom, with home debutant Max Chilton finishing at the back, a full 1.7 seconds behind his teammate. Q2 saw further woe for the usually big teams, as Felipe Massa could only manage 12th. McLaren also struggled, with neither of their cars able to make the top 10 shootout. This time, Britain's Jenson Button outqualified his Mexican counterpart, with 11th the best he could manage. Q3 was all about the battle between the Red Bulls and the Mercedes, with the resurgent Austrian team fighting back against the Silver Arrows' dominance in Q2. However, the Germans were not to be denied, completing a lock-out of the front row. To the home support's delight, it was Stevenage-born Lewis Hamilton who took pole, with a scintillating lap. The question now, though, was could Mercedes translate their qualifying pace into race pace?

                  Even before the start of the race, there was further controversy and heartbreak, with Britain's Paul di Resta being disqualified from his all-time highest qualifying position of 5th, for performing in an underweight car. This meant that he cascaded to the back of the grid. A silly mistake from the Force India team, and one that threatened the Scot's chances of a good points haul on the Sunday. The race itself began equally eventfully. A first corner incident between Webber and Lotus driver Romain Grosjean forced the Red Bull driver off track and way down the field. Back up front, Lewis Hamilton and Vettel began trading fastest laps, with the Mercedes man eventually breaking free of the vital DRS activation point of 1 second. With Hamilton's lap times comparable with Vettel's, the question began to be asked whether the Mercedes had developed a race winning car. Unfortunately for the British driver, disaster then struck. He suffered a left rear tyre failure mid way through lap 8, forcing him to limp back to the pits, costing him bags of time, and any chance of winning the race.

                     With Hamilton's demise, Force India's disappointment the previous day was beginning to be recified by the achievements of Adrian Sutil, who moved into the final podium position. The racing was brought to a shuddering halt just two laps after Hamilton's incident, as Felipe Massa also exited the track courtesy of a left rear tyre failure. Just 5 laps later, in almost exactly the same part of the track, John-Eric Vergne suffered a left rear tyre failure. With three such similar incidents in quick succession, concerns were once again raised over the condition of the Pirelli tyres. With the recent controversy over the Italian manufacturers, they can ill-afford this type of debacle. Whilst spokesmen for the tyre supplier claimed it was more to do with the kerbs at Silverstone than the tyres, these claims fell on deaf ears, with a full inquiry to be held in the future days. After these incidents, the safety car was deployed as sweepers were used in an attempt to clear the track of any debris. When racing eventually resumed on lap 21, Vettel scampered away at the front, eventually taking a lead of 3.2 seconds before his second, and final, pit stop of the afternoon.

                      Further down the field, the action was coming thick and fast. Brits Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta found themselves locked in an enthralling battle for the 7th place, with the Mercedes driver beginning to make his way back through the field. With both Alonso, and Raikkonen, coming through after their second pit-stops, Hamilton attacked the Force India, only to fall back behind the chasing pair in successive corners. Back up front, Nico Rosberg made his second pit stop before Vettel, in an attempt to undercut his rival. Advantage Mercedes? The Red Bull mechanics instantly recalculated, bringing their man in the following lap to cover off the Rosberg threat. Vettel rejoined 3 seconds ahead of the Mercedes, with the race now his to lose.

                       Then lap 42 threw the race, and arguably the championship, back into the balance. After a few laps of Rosberg gaining on the triple World Champion, Vettel's Red Bull coasted to a halt, with a gearbox problem ending the leader's Grand Prix, and opening the door for his title contenders. The fact that this was the first time the championship leader had failed to finish anything lower than 4th this year, and the fact that this was the German's first retirement since Italy of the previous year says a lot for the consistency of the Red Bull, clearly illustrating the bedrock upon which Vettel's success has been built. With the safety car once again being deployed, race leader Rosberg used his 13 second advantage to make a precautionary pit-stop, leaving him on fresher tyres to complete the final few laps. Once Vettel's stricken car was removed from the racing line, the contest could begin again. However, after nearly 50 laps without tyre controversy, Sergio Perez's left rear also let go on lap 46, causing further worries of another safety car period. Fortunately, the carcass was cleared quickly, and racing could continue.

                       Immediately after the restart, it was clear that Mark Webber had not given up on his chances of, at least, a podium finish. He began cutting through the field, dispatching Ricciardo and Sutil, before a stunning pass on Kimi Raikkonen secured the Aussie 2nd place. Could he now catch Rosberg for the most unlikely of wins? Similar movements were going on behind, with Alonso and Hamilton also making late dashes through the field. From 8th and 9th places at the race restart, the pair finished in a remarkable 3rd and 4th place respectively, overtaking 5 cars each in 6 laps. Just up the road, Webber was closing in on Rosberg, getting the gap down as low as 0.7 of a second. This was going to come down to a final corner finish. Unfortunately for the Aussie, he had perhaps one lap too few, running out of time, and having to settle for 2nd place. Whilst the fairytale send-off from Silverstone will not happen, he can nevertheless be extremely proud of a tremendous drive, on a day where, for once, he got the better of Sebastian Vettel.

                        The events of yesterday has heaped further doubt onto the reliability of the Pirelli tyres, with many in the FIA undoubtedly questioning whether it they are more trouble than they are worth. I would not at all be surprised if we saw a switch back to the Bridgestones or Michelins of yesteryear in the very near future, as Pirelli have demonstrated they cannot be trusted. As for the title race, whether yesterday was a blip or the beginnings of a collapse or reliability issue cannot be decided in one race. The next few races will certainly be interesting, as it now gives those around Red Bull hope that they can push their cars into failure.

F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Mercedes Finally Manage The Tyres?

The Monaco Grand Prix, the most historic and glamorous F1 race on the calendar, is always set on the backdrop of vast wealth, with yachts and diamonds as far as the eye can see. Underneath all the materialism, a serious Formula 1 race takes place on the streets of Monte Carlo. Historically, McLaren are the most successful team around this famous circuit, but come to Monaco with a vastly inferior car than the team are used to. Red Bull and Ferrari have shared the majority of the race victories so far this season, with Kimi Raikkonen the only other man to win a Grand Prix outside these two constructors. Mercedes have promised much in qualifying, but have too often failed to deliver when the lights go out. In Monaco, where qualifying is of utmost importance, Mercedes had another chance to rectify this problem. However, even before the event started, the team was embroiled in controversy.

 

Mercedes, on the Saturday, were the subject of a Ferrari and Red Bull protest, accusing them of doing illegal testing. Pirelli, the F1 tyre supplier, used the Mercedes team to a tyre test between the Spanish and Monaco grand prix. As in-season testing is illegal in F1, the other top teams are now accusing the German constructors of attempting to gain an unfair advantage with the tyres. In defence of Mercedes, Pirelli made a statement, suggesting that they had a contract with the FIA, which allows the Italian suppliers to ‘limited testing’. This debate overshadowed the events of the race, as the dispute was to be determined after the event.

 

In practice session 3 (P3), the first real drama of the weekend on track unfolded, with carnage being the best adjective. Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean and Adrian Sutil all had significant impacts with the vicious Monaco barriers, with the Brazilian needing all four corners of his car replacing. This meant that he was unable to complete a qualifying lap, meaning that he would start from the very back of the grid. For a grand prix track like Monaco, this is a virtual death sentence in terms of points. With overtaking so difficult, any mistakes can prove pivotal for the whole weekend. Such mistakes got even more likely in qualifying.

 

Saturday morning broke with drizzle and rain hanging overhead, making track conditions even more perilous, and room for driver error even lower. Q1 saw havoc, as the changeable weather conditions saw all of the drivers out early to set banker laps, with the genuine possibility that any of the top runners could fall. The ever improving track conditions meant that the times tumbled towards the end of the session, leaving Paul di Resta the big name casualty in Q1. Caterham’s Guido van der Garde, on the other hand, was the primary beneficiary, progressing from Q1 for the first time in his career. Q2, on a drying track proved just as difficult for the drivers, as the switch to slick tyres seemed imminent but a wrong decision could cost you a place in the top 10. Despite the confusion, the only big name casualty from Q2 was Lotus driver Romain Grosjean. Fernando Alonso had looked like he was in trouble, but a good decision on tyres got him out of danger, and comfortably into Q3. Q3 was undertaken with the track practically bone dry, and the super soft tyres made their first proper appearance. This left Mercedes, and Nico Rosberg, to take their 4^th and 3^rd consecutive pole positions respectively. Even more importantly for the German constructors, Lewis Hamilton managed to put his car alongside Rosberg’s, giving Mercedes a first row lockout. A priceless achievement, with overtaking so difficult in Monaco, it allowed Mercedes to control the race pace.

 

The start of the race was typically chaotic, with cars attempting to go three abreast through what would ordinarily be a single file corner. Sebastian Vettel, knowing the importance of splitting the Mercedes drivers, started pressurising Hamilton intensely, giving the Brit a mirror full of Red Bull. However, he found it difficult to pass, allowing Rosberg to begin scampering away at the front. Further down the field, collisions between Pastor Maldonado and Guido van der Garde wrecked the pair’s race, and gave an indication of what was to come. The two McLaren drivers, after a dressing down post-Bahrain, continued to squabble, with Jenson Button’s ire all too evident over the radio. After the initial jostling for position, it became ever more obvious that this was to be a strategic race, meaning that whoever managed the tyres best would win, with the Mercedes being traditionally poor at this.

 

Felipe Massa’s weekend then went from bad to worse on lap 31, with the Brazilian involved in a carbon copy of his P3 crash, putting him out of the race, and into the hospital for checks. This brought the safety car out, eliminating Nico Rosberg’s lead, and allowing the Red Bulls to jump Lewis Hamilton in the stops, giving them the perfect opportunity to attack the race leader. However, after a long safety car period, it looked like the Mercedes’ tyres were in better shape than their Austrian counterparts, enabling Nico Rosberg to escape once more, and put Hamilton on the rear wing of Webber. Once again, due to the largely ineffectual DRS zone into St Devote, positions were maintained, meaning that up to half distance, Hamilton had to look at the rear wing of the Aussie’s Red Bull. Then, in a very crash-heavy Grand Prix, Marussia’s Max Chilton and Pastor Maldonado collided, skewing the Venezuelan into the barriers. Gilles Bianchi, the next man on the scene, careered into the already displaced barrier, bringing out the red flag.

 

This stop benefitted the Red Bull drivers, allowing them to change their badly worn tyres on the newly-formed grid. After a coming-together with Sergio Perez, championship-chasing Fernando Alonso was told to give the place back to the Mexican after the restart. This had disastrous consequences for the Ferrari man, with him falling back behind both Sutil and Button before the end of the race. Red Bull’s tyre changes also had relatively little effect, as once again Rosberg was able to scurry clear, and put Hamilton all over the back of Webber. Whilst little changed at the front, a final safety car period was still to come. Under pressure Lotus driver Romain Grosjean mistimed his braking point and careered into the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo. This will have done little to enamour himself to the Lotus bosses, and will also have annoyed Rosberg, as once again his hard-earned lead was eradicated. Nevertheless, despite these setbacks, the Mercedes driver held on to claim his first Monaco success, and become part of the first father-son pairing to win the historic grand prix, with father Keke having won the 1973 Monaco GP. Sebastien Vettel’s 2^nd place also represented a significant success, as his title rivals Alonso (7^th) and Raikkonen (10^th) both finished way down the field, extending the German’s overall lead. Despite his disappointing 10^th place finish, Kimi Raikkonen will still have cause to smile, as he extended his scoring run to 24 races, now just two behind Michael Schumacher’s record. Knowing the Finn though, he will not be smiling!

 

       The Monaco Grand Prix has often been criticised for a lack of overtaking, and this one did little to rectify that tag. It did, however, show fantastic driving skill to keep their cars out of the barriers at such speed, and entertainment when they failed to. The pre-race rhetoric was all about who could manage the tyres best. Mercedes clearly could, as they kept outrunning the Red Bulls after successive safety car stints. However, with the recent controversy, the question has to be asked whether they have managed to master the tyres through illegal means? I am certain that this row will rumble on for a while, and I hope it does not detract from future races.

Gateway to Europe: The 2013 Spanish Grand Prix

            After the four ‘flyaway’ Grand Prix around the Middle East and Asia, Formula 1 returned to Europe in the form of the Spanish Grand Prix today. The return to Europe certainly has its advantages for those watching in Britain, as finally qualifying and race times remain fairly stable. Getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch a race is never as pleasant as enjoying it over lunch! The 2013 championship remains incredibly open, with Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull looking the early favourites to take their fourth successive title, but Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus believe they have a realistic chance. The Spanish Grand Prix certainly puts the most pressure on the Ferrari driver of Fernando Alonso, being his home Grand Prix. The vast majority of the 95,000 fans that arrived at the Catalunya circuit were undoubtedly supporting their home man. However, in qualifying, fans that had come supporting the Ferraris were left disappointed.

 

                Qualifying has very much been Mercedes forte so far this season, and so it proved again yesterday. A front row lockout for the German team, with Nico Rosberg leading Lewis Hamilton by a couple of tenths. A second successive pole for the German, who would have hoped to perform better in the race this time, having finished 9^th after starting from pole in Bahrain. Nevertheless, after qualifying, both Rosberg and Hamilton made statements to the press claiming that they were not confident about race pace. Vettel was once again successful in qualifying, finishing in 3^rd place and giving himself a great chance for his third successive race win. Home favourite Alonso, however, had to settle for 5^th place, behind Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen. British drivers, apart from Lewis Hamilton, had a relatively poor qualifying session, with Paul di Resta top in 10^th place. Fellow Brit Jenson Button had a poor qualifying campaign, finishing in 14^th place, a full 6 places behind his McLaren rookie teammate Sergio Perez.

 

                The early talk pre-race was all about pit stops and how many each team would do, with much debate over three or perhaps even four stops. As soon as Mark Webber pitted on lap 7, the decision appeared to have been made for four pit stops. With the developments Mercedes have brought to this Grand Prix, there was also much discussion over whether the Mercedes drivers would be capable of keeping the pack behind them. This was particularly important after the dismal performance of the Mercedes from pole last time out. The start of the race was certainly better for Rosberg from pole than Bahrain, as he led away for the first few laps. Hamilton, on the other hand, was instantly swamped by both Vettel and Alonso, falling back behind the pair of them by the end of the first sector. Whilst Rosberg may have led, he was certainly not pulling away from the lead group, causing a six car queue for the early laps. The first round of pit stops reshuffled the order slightly, with Rosberg maintaining the lead after a tight battle with Vettel, only for Alonso to split the pair of them after his stop. Alonso then went on to take the lead a few laps later, causing Rosberg to lose a further two places on the same lap. The indication was very much that the Mercedes were once again struggling to compete for race pace. This was illustrated by Lewis Hamilton, who at one point was fighting for 15^th place with a Williams, causing several exasperated exchanges on the radio. He continued to have a disappointing afternoon, finishing 12^th.

                In the second half of the race, both Ferraris and the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen appeared to get stronger as the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel and the Mercedes faded. Raikkonen’s claim to the race win was strengthened once it was realised that he planned on stopping one fewer times than the Ferraris, forcing Alonso to push harder to attempt to widen the gap. Felipe Massa, having a rather undramatic but successful race, had managed to get himself from his qualifying spot of 9^th, to 2^nd, by the end of the 2^nd stops. Whilst he had to relinquish his 2^nd place to Raikkonen after the final stops, a strong 3^rd place is certainly something he would have settled for at the beginning. Home boy Alonso, however, could not be touched, eventually opening up a gap of 12 seconds to the rest of the field, and comfortably taking the victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. As with Bahrain, the crowd were treated to a final few laps battle, this time between Rosberg and Paul di Resta, for the 6^th spot, which Rosberg eventually took. An incredibly disappointing end to a promising day for the Mercedes team, who will have to seriously re-think their race approach for Monaco.

 

                Alonso’s win at the Spanish Grand Prix has re-ignited the title chase this year, after a mini-period of Vettel and Red Bull dominance. Whilst this race was neither as controversial, nor as eventful as the Bahrain Grand Prix, there was much within it that implied that we have an incredibly competitive championship this year. With the ultimate drivers’ circuit of Monaco up next, there is much more than just pride for the protagonists this season to fight for.

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2013: Rising Above Controversy?

             In a week in which F1 has been plagued with controversies regarding sexism, with former champion Sir Stirling Moss arguing that women lack the necessary ‘mental fortitude’ for racing, a relaxing trip to a hot, tranquil country and an exciting but uneventful race seemed precisely what F1 required. Unfortunately, step forward Bahrain. A country currently in the centre of considerable political distress, with arguments over the monarchy and human rights dominating recent headlines. Indeed, such has been the scale of the problems that several British MPs have made suggestions, in the last week, that the F1 roadshow should not roll into Bahrain. The events of 2012 further support the argument not to return to the country this year. Whilst the race itself was relatively uneventful, the event will be best remembered for petrol bombings near the Force India garage, leading to a significant pit lane fire. The hacking of the official F1 website by an anonymous group, wreaking havoc with the live timing also overshadowed the grand prix itself. Recent reports suggest that the latter will reoccur this year, after heavy protests on the streets in recent days. The reason? The belief that F1 coming to Bahrain legitimises the current undemocratic regime, causing the worlds of politics and sport to clash.

 

                Nevertheless, F1 is in Bahrain this weekend, and with all of the discussion over political trouble, we seem to forget that a serious sporting event is taking place. Whilst arguments over postponing the race may be levied at Bernie Ecclestone and the heads of the FIA, it is important to remember that the political concerns are not the fault of the drivers. Therefore, assuming there are no significant security concerns, we can all enjoy the spectacle of the race itself, irrespective of the political issues. The start of the 2013 season suggests that the championship will be every bit as close as last year, which leaves F1 fans a mouth-watering 17 grand prix to enjoy over the next 7 months. Qualifying yesterday gave us much of the same indication, with 6 or 7 teams having the ability to challenge for Q3, and at least 3 teams (Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes) believing they had what it takes to snatch pole. As it was, Mercedes took the top spot. However, it was Nico Rosberg, not Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest, with a stunning lap of 1:32.330. Hamilton, who had outqualified his new teammate at every race previously, started 9^th after a 5 place penalty for a gearbox change in P3. That left Force India’s Paul Di Resta as the highest placed Brit, as he, and his teammate Adrian Sutil, started on the 3^rd row, a very encouraging result for the small team.

 

                The talk before the race was all about rear tyres, as the hot conditions in the desert-based track were considered to take a significant toll on the back end of the cars. Therefore, the winner of the race was considered to be most likely the one who could best look after the rear tyres. This gave assumptions that the race would be fought ‘Ferrari versus Red Bull’. Much of the rhetoric coming from Mercedes pre-race, and Ross Brawn in particular, suggested that they did not believe they would look after the tyres sufficiently to win. This was clearly illustrated by Rosberg falling drastically down the field early on. After starting on pole, and fighting Vettel very hard in the first corner, Rosberg had a disappointing afternoon, eventually ending in 9th. This led to an early fight between Vettel and Fernando Alonso. However, this intriguing battle ended prematurely, with Ferrari driver Alonso developing a DRS problem on lap , wrecking his race. After all of the recent talk of team orders, McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez had obviously not been paying close enough attention to the pre-race team briefings, as they collided on lap 31. Whilst both continued, after their persistent squabbling over position, one can imagine that team boss Martin Whitmarsh would have been unimpressed. After Alonso’s DRS failure, Ferrari’s afternoon imploded, with Felipe Massa suffering 2 separate punctures, leading to questions over the Pirelli tyres supplied. Despite a rousing Alonso fightback, the Tifosi were left in disappointing 8^th and 15^th places. Ferrari’s misfortune was Lotus’s (2^nd and 3^rd) and Force India’s (4^th) gain. This capped a dream weekend for di Resta, having been quoted after qualifying as saying that 4^th would be perfect for the Brit. The problems behind left three-time and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel free to stroll to a practically lights-to-flag victory, ending with a huge margin of 9.1 seconds from Kimi Raikkonen. Interestingly, the podium was identical to that of last year, with Vettel victorious from the Lotus pair of Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. The final few laps were lit up with a ferocious scrap between Hamilton (5^th) and Red Bull’s Mark Webber (7^th), where at more than one point it looked like contact was inevitable. Luckily, both managed to make it to the end unscathed in a truly thrilling climax.

Picture from GoogleImages

 

                Those who argue that Formula 1 is boring due to the lack of overtaking clearly failed to tune in to the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix. Throughout the field there were incidents and accidents, giving F1 fans a fantastic preview into the rest of what promises to be an exciting, competitive and action-packed season. Based on the action on-track, I hope Formula 1 returns to Bahrain for many years to come. The clash of off-track politics with sport, however, threatens to derail F1 in this part of the globe. Until the controversial issues are resolved, I fear we may be seeing similar scenes of protest before future Bahrain Grand Prix, if indeed we see another.