The Hungarian Grand Prix 2013: 'Miracle' Maiden Win For Hamilton

                         With the spectre of gender equality being the main topic of conversation in Formula 1 over the last two weeks, the Hungarian Grand Prix gave the sport a chance to escape the controversy. With Red Bull dominating the first two practice sessions, however, fears were raised that this weekend was going to be the most boring of the season. Fortunately, this was not the case. This blog post will review the events of the weekend in Hungary, but first, I wanted to give my own view on the issue that has dominated Formula 1 news over the past few weeks.

                           During the 'young driver' test scheduled for last week at Silverstone, Williams opted to run 30-year-old Susie Wolff, making her the first female driver to run in an official Formula 1 test for 10 years. This sparked great debate, with the BBC Sport website having only the news that a woman would be running a test at Silverstone as their F1 news on the front page. Despite what feminists across the country would have us believe, in my opinion this is a much lesser story than it has been made out to be. I do not hold the same, slightly bigoted views, of Sir Stirling Moss, that women lack the 'necessary mental attributes for Formula 1'. There are two logical reasons behind my view. Firstly, the accusations of nepotism. The fact that Susie Wolff, the Williams test driver, is married to Toto Wolff, the Executive Director of Mercedes, is suspicious enough. It becomes even more suspicious when you learn that he also holds 16% of the shares in Williams, giving him adequate sway to suggest potential test drivers.

                             However, argument one is irrelevant without argument two. I am a great believer that jobs should be earned on merit, meaning that the best driver gets the drives in the Formula 1 teams. I recognise that with the influx of cash and sponsors that this is often not the case, which is a shame. I also believe that positive discrimination is not 'positive' as its name suggests, but can often be as sexist and discriminatory as the alleged treatment of women in the first place. In such a competitive economy, reserving jobs for any gender, race, or ethnic group, which may result in a second-rate candidate being selected over the best, is unacceptable. The results of the Silverstone test reinforce my point. Had Susie Wolff blown the rest of the field away, setting faster times than her male counterparts, then I would absolutely say that this was newsworthy, and she would be a name to remember for the future (though the fact that she is 30 kind of makes a mockery of the 'young' part of the 'young driver test'). This would also have made my initial argument of nepotism irrelevant, as she could rightly have claimed to be there on merit. The fact remains that she was not, setting a pace a second off race driver Maldonado, and, even worse, 0.4 seconds slower than her fellow male test driver, who had less experience than herself in the same car. We do not make a massive issue of male drivers who set slower times than their male counterparts. Women say they want equality, so why should a female race driver who is slower be given any more airtime? It would be good to see a female Formula 1 driver, but when, and only when, the individual is fast enough to merit the drive.

                               Moving back to the events of this weekend, qualifying proved to be a major shock, based on the results from practice. Q1 gave us initial indications of the end result, with both of the Mercedes looking strong. With Vettel appearing to be off the pace, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton took advantage, finishing in a strong 1/2 for the German team. Romain Grosjean, who had also looked strong in practice, finished 3rd, giving Lotus hope for a positive qualifying session. Red Bull had further problems in the shape of Mark Webber, who suffered firstly from an electrical problem, and then with a failure of the KERS system. This ensured that he would not be challenging for the pole, forcing him to withdraw from Q3. The main shock in Q1 was the disappearance of Paul di Resta. The Scot, whose team had been performing well in qualifying at the start of the season, struggled with the new Kevlar-lined Pirelli compounds, and found himself in 18th. Force India's loss was McLaren and Williams's gain. The two teams have made significant improvements since Silverstone, which we can only assume is to be attributed to a better handling of the new tyres. Q2 saw a continuation in the trend, with Mercedes once again securing a 1/2 finish, beating out the improved Vettel. Q2 will be best remember for the incredibly tight finish on the bubble at the end, with 8th to 12th all within the 1:20.5 bracket. This time, it was Sergio Perez who was the beneficiary, the Mexican fighting back from a crash in P3 to get into the top 10 for the first time this season. Q3 saw Vettel out of the traps early, to set a stunning 1:19.5, the fastest time of the day. This threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the pack. Could Mercedes respond? Rosberg crossed the line first of the pair, with his effort only good enough for 4th. But Hamilton is supreme around the Hungaroring, winning on 3 of his 6 races there. His 1:19.3 managed to beat Vettel's last-ditch attempt by 0.04 seconds to secure the most unlikely of poles. His third in a row, but could he now go and convert it into a victory?

                                  From the lights out, Hamilton managed to navigate the opening turn without losing a place, unlike in Germany. If Mercedes thought they had had a good start, they were sadly mistaken. Rosberg ran wide at Turn 3, before clipping Massa. This saw the German tumble down the field, going from 4th to 12th in just one lap. After trading fastest laps with Vettel, Hamilton eventually managed to break the vital DRS 1 second window on lap 8, ensuring that Vettel did not have the advantage in straight line speed. Vettel's inability to catch Hamilton was dropping him back into the clutches of the impressive Grosjean, and soon the young Frenchman was on the triple-World Champion's tail. Behind that trio, the Ferraris were struggling to keep up with the pace, heaping further pressure on Alonso's title aspirations. Hamilton's lightning-fast start had appeared to catch up with him when he had to dive into the pits on lap 9 for a fresh set of tyres. Rejoining behind Button, he quickly dispatched his fellow Brit on fresher rubber the following lap. This would prove to be the most critical pass of the race.

                                   Hamilton's early stop seemingly handed the advantage to Vettel, as it suggested that the Mercedes struggled with tyre wear. However, just two laps later, Vettel's tyres went 'off the cliff', and he was forced into the pit lane. He too, rejoined just behind McLaren's Button, except he found it far more difficult to pass the Englishman. After the first round of pit stops, the order was the same, but Vettel being held up behind Button allowed Lewis Hamilton to scamper clear at the front, and backed the Red Bull man into Grosjean, Alonso and even his teammate. Eventually, on lap 24, after 13 laps of trying, the German passed Button, but by this point Hamilton was already 11 seconds up the road. Vettel's pass left space for Grosjean, who took full advantage, only to bang wheels with the McLaren and force the Frenchman onto the escape road, cutting the chicane. This would have devastating consequences on the Lotus's race. Just a few laps later, he was handed a drive through penalty for 'exceeding the track's limits', dropping him into 8th.

                                     With Hamilton now in clean air, he could attempt to peg the gap. However, a rampant Vettel began eating into the considerable lead, and with Hamilton still unsure about Vettel's strategy, he knew he had to keep pushing. The Mercedes man pitted for a second time on lap 32, rejoining behind Mark Webber. This had potentially serious consequences, as the Red Bull man could easily back up the leader into his team mate. Fortunately for the Brit, he pulled an outrageous passing manoeuvere around the outside of the Aussie at Turn 2, once again giving himself a clean track ahead. Vettel's race strategy seemed certain once he had pitted just two laps later, as going a full half distance on a single set of tyres would have been highly unlikely. With Hamilton's lead now out to 15 seconds, a maiden race victory looked in the bag for the Stevenage-born man. The fight was now on for the podium places. With Raikkonen and Webber both 2-stopping, and with Grosjean now out of contention, both had a chance at 3rd, or even 2nd.

                                        Hamilton's final pit stop, on lap 50, meant that he had a seemingly comfortable run to the line. However, Vettel's pace once the Brit had stopped, forced the Mercedes to up his game again. Taking well over a second a lap out of him, Vettel rapidly brought the gap down to 10 seconds, and left Hamilton concerned once more. Lap 56 would have been a sight for sore eyes then, as the German finally pitted. As he made his final stop, it became obvious that the intended target with those laps was not to catch Hamilton, but to avoid slipping behind Raikkonen! He rejoined a full 5 seconds behind the Lotus man, but was now on fresher tyres. Quickly reeling in the Finn, he relentlessly attempted to pass, a pass which would have handed him another vital three points in the title race. However, despite the German's best efforts, Kimi kept him at bay for the remaining laps. Up front, Hamilton, who looked to be cruising, would have had a nervy last few laps when he learnt that his team mate, Nico Rosberg, had been forced to retire with an engine problem. This capped an incredibly disappointing Sunday for Nico, who had looked on course for a podium before the first lap incidents. Fortunately for Lewis, no such problems occurred, and he took the chequered flag in Hungary by a full 10 seconds from Kimi Raikkonen, with Vettel having to settle for third.

                                          A maiden Mercedes win for Lewis Hamilton, who, after so many pole positions, has finally converted one into a race win on Sunday. A mature drive, especially considering his personal circumstances, events that have been made all too public. Predictions of Lewis coming roaring back into the title picture are perhaps a tad premature, but I see no reason why we will not see that distinctive yellow crash helmet in the winner's enclosure more often this season.

                                

The British and Irish Lions Win Series Down Under: End To 16 Years Of Pain

                      19-10. The scoreline at half time of today's game. I tweeted at the time that the game was perfectly poised for the second half, with any outcome possible. I certainly did not expect the response that occurred in Sydney! A second half demolition of the Wallabies, finishing with an unbelievable scoreline of 41-16 in favour of the Lions, giving them a 2-1 series victory. A first series win for the British and Irish Lions since 1997, and only the second victorious tour since the professionalisation of the sport of rugby union. As I mentioned in my Lions preview post, I still fail to understand how the Lions have historically been so unsuccessful, as all four of the prospective teams available for selection to the Lions are fully capable of beating the Aussies on their day. Therefore, a combination of the four of them should be favourites to win on every occasion.

                        However, as has been proven, this is rarely the case. That makes the events of the last two weeks even more momentous, as the 2013 Lions have had to overcome not just their Australian opponents, but the weight of the failure of multiple previous tours. The success of this set of Lions could perhaps lay the demons of the previous 16 years to rest, and allow the Lions to experience victory more in future tours. This post will examine where the test series was won, along with reviewing all three of the 2013 Lions test series.

                        Interviews I have heard that were held with Lions fans after the first test have said that there were tears shed after their victory. I cannot understand that. I get that the Lions tour is the most prestigious of all home nations rugby, but to cry after a single victory implies that the fans never expected the Lions to be successful this time. Either the fans have the typical British mentality that they never expect to win, or they do not trust the players' proven abilities on the rugby field to beat the Australians. The first is a stereotype, and the second is ridiculous, for the reason I state above. Nevertheless, the hard fought 23-21 victory in Brisbane on the 22nd of June set the Lions up for this historic series win. Full of quality and last minute drama, the match had everything. A breath-taking George North try, the celebration of which he had to later apologise for, put the Lions 13-12 up at half-time. A cat and mouse second half ensued, with the Australians closing the gap to just two points as the clock ticked onto 80 minutes. A silly penalty gifted the Aussies the chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. But replacement Kurtley Beale sliced the kick wide, taking the tally of points missed to 14, and handing the Lions the first Test advantage.

                          It was always going to be the case that the Aussies would respond. And a week later, in Melbourne, the Aussies levelled the series after a pulsating and nervous 80 minutes. Similarly to the previous match, a final minute penalty was missed to decide the outcome. This time, however, the roles were reversed, with Leigh Halfpenny missing a distinctly more difficult kick from the halfway line. This allowed the Aussies to claim a 16-15 win, rekindling their hope of a series win and denying the Lions the redemption they craved. After a game in which the Lions had dominated, leading 15-9 until the final 5 minutes, and spurning several chances, Australia made them pay with the only try of the game, Adam Ashley-Cooper crashing over to win the game. This put the series on a knife's edge going into the decider in Sydney, where the Lions would have to use every ounce of their desire to secure that elusive tour win.

                           With the difference between the two sides over the last two matches being just 3 points, today's game seemed destined to be a tense and close affair. An early Corbisiero try handed the Lions the inertia, before four Leigh Halfpenny penalties handed the Lions that 9 point lead at half time. Whilst not quite as anxious as the previous two 80 minutes, the opening half roughly followed the pattern that we would expect. However, the second half saw a complete demolition of the Australians, a demolition that few saw coming. A masterclass from Lions kicker Halfpenny, landing 7 of 8 kicks, propelled the Lions to a superb 41-16 victory in the third test. In the process, the Welsh full-back ensured his own personal place in history, claiming the record for the highest points scorer on a Lions tour, surpassing Neil Jenkins' old record of 41. The Welshman finished on 49 points, valuable points for the Lions in securing their first series for 16 years. If there were tears after match one of the series, I shudder to think what was unfolding in the Lions end of the crowd at the final whistle.

                             Hopefully this starts an era of more successful British rugby. Whilst all four of our individual home nations pride themselves on an excellent national rugby squad, we have all too often failed to perform when we amalgamate. Praise must go to Warren Gatland, who can now add this Lions tour victory to his highly impressive CV. Now the floodgates have opened, will the Lions now go on to bigger and better things on future tours, using the strength of the 2013 Lions?

                          

The Worst Kept Secret in 2013: Manchester United Win Premier League Title

              Seeing as I am a lifelong blue, and therefore (as I would call it), a ‘proper Mancunian’, it is with a heavy heart that I say the following words: Congratulations to Manchester United on winning their 20^th title in the 2012/2013 Premier League. Now is not the time for bickering over geographical locations and semantics, though I do so regularly with my red friends. There is one thing that most City fans will concede: that Manchester United deserve the title this season. Being a pessimist (oddly for a similar amount of time as I’ve been a City fan-I’m convinced the two are related) I have to admit I was worried for our title defence as soon as United secured that vital, albeit slightly flukey, Samir Nasri aided victory back in December (I’m not still bitter, honest!). Since then, my greatest fears have been recognised, and United have practically strolled to the league title, securing it tonight with an emphatic 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

 

                This season encapsulates everything I have known about City from a very early age, that they are consistently inconsistent. The only difference now is it is two divisions above where they were when I was growing up (so I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much). Whilst City have had great performances this season, reminiscent of last year’s glory, they have all too often had poor away days (Everton and yesterday at Tottenham spring instantly to mind). If I have learnt anything over my 21 years, it is that if there is one side you cannot afford to give an inch to in a title race, it is Manchester United. Once again the picture of consistency, their mid-season unbeaten run of 18 games clearing a path to what seemed the inevitable title. And yet, to the most optimistic of Manchester City fans and journalists, the events of Monday 8^th April threw everything back into contention. Already 15 points behind in the title race, City went to Old Trafford and produced arguably their best performance of the season, winning 2-1. Cue calls that the title race is not dead, calls that only increased in volume when United drew 2-2 with West Ham in mid-week. I, like most City fans and realists, knew the title race had long since been over, and therefore did not need this weekend’s result at Spurs to tell me as much. In fact, prior to the game at Old Trafford, I had been anxiously looking over my shoulder at the chasing pack. All I hope is that the result at Old Trafford is a more representative look at both of the top two teams, playing to their best. This will hopefully give a better picture for me next season, when City can hopefully regain the crown.  

 

                Whilst I am glad I have been spared the heart-attack inducing, ‘typical City’, last five minutes of the Premier League campaign that we saw last May, I had initially hoped that we would have a good chance at retaining the title. I don’t want to get into a significant argument regarding ‘you bought success’ etc, but I will say this. In my mind, £5 is £5, whether you spend it over 5 minutes or 20 years. Both City and United have spent a considerable amount of money on players over the years, but United have had that spending power for longer. I believe that herein lies the edge. It allows time for new signings to gel within a team, creating a stronger atmosphere and a greater understanding between the players. As much as football commentators claim that Robin Van Persie has been the difference between the two sides this season (and he has been a good purchase, don’t misunderstand), the primary force behind United’s success is the man on the touchline. Love him or loathe him, he seems to have an incredible talent for gelling what would otherwise be just above average players together. I am not attempting to say that United do not have quality players-clearly they do. However, within the squad, there appear to be only a handful of truly outstanding players. The rest form a highly successful team behind the individual flair players. And that is the key word, ‘team’. There is no doubt that Manchester United have been the best ‘team’ this season. If you are looking for the strongest set of individuals, I would argue you should look no further than Eastlands. That is not how championships are won, however. Players are bought in the short term, but a team is manufactured in the long term.

                So congratulations to Manchester United, and here’s hoping for a good many years of North West dominance in football. As for the fans of both, at least we can put our petty squabbles behind us... Well, at least for another 4 months until it all starts again!