FIERY FELIPE AND AWESOME HAMILTON SILENCE SPAIN!!!

Spain’s favorite son was measured, overwhelmed and silenced to a distant third [infact it wud have been a 4^th if Kimi had finished] along with 140000 spainards in Spain. Courtesy Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.

Before I go onto Ferrari – The main rivals Mclaren was indeed awesome though it lacked the pace of Ferrari – even after adding a movable element onto the front wing after whining about Ferrari n BMW’s movable boards. They were indeed on par in performance with the BMW’s and Kubica n Heidfield were catching up fast to challenge Alonso. BMW is proving to be better with every weekend that passes. They might actually win some races this season. Sooner or Later.

Alonso cant stop whining. He went on to start an altercation in the post-race interview with Felipe. Felipe aint a calm n cool person like Kimi. He retaliated back and there was a war of words flying – in other words they were just like kids fighting over a chocolate!!! Accept the defeat Alonso. U cant do anything more if take a driver on the outside and when he has the right to close the door on you.. he will. And that leaves no option other than going into the gravel pits. Just cos u r a double time world champion – Felipe need not consider safety n risks and let you pass!!! If you really need that switch to FERRARI and put butter to Jean Todt and get it done!!!

Now back to FERRARI. The car was perfect and it was flying alright. But reliability issues have taken over from Mclaren to Ferrari this season. 4 races – 3 wins – 4 poles – 3 fast laps – 2 retirements aint looking good for a team of this caliber. Come on guys… get ur foot down and set things right. Go back to the golden days. All thro 2000 – 2005 there was not even a single retirement and now 2 in the first 4 races?? Wake up and work fast. There are couple of teams waiting to pass!!!

Felipe was impressive. Actually more than that. The best lap of the race was not the first lap or the last one. It was the qualifying. He just took off 300^th of a second from nowhere. Another MS in the making??? Don’t think so. But impressive enough to win over some of the red painted Spaniards!!! The car was perfectly balanced – no mistakes from him too. The first lap incident was a normal one. He was on the racing line and had every right to block an intruder. Even if it was a whining Alonso. He did the right thing and pulled off very fast from the apex to avoid car damage. Way to go Massa. Keep up the good run.

Lewis – I cant believe he is leading the world championship in his debut season. He was impressive enough too. Real raw talent. After watching him for the last 4 races I tried to form a pattern on his driving style. [there are diff patterns and some of the drivers adopt these to learn the game quick and develop on it later.. For instance – MS starts real quick from the grid and no matter which position he is in – puts on fast lap after fast lap for the first 10 laps or so. Then he slows down to look after the car. Then pit time comes where he puts in fast laps in and out. These are usually his best timed laps and normally the records at most circuits.] Now back to Hamilton – He somehow manages to qualify within the top 2 rows. Don’t matter what position. Then he jus starts as fast as others in front of him do. Jus follow them close into the first corner – preferably the racing line for better grip – then once the 2 in front starts to fight for a position , he sneaks off outside the racing line and take them on their outside. The best he can get is 1 r 2 positions and not to lose his current position. Then maintain the position all along. Cruising thro almost until the second stint and start putting fast laps to close in on the car in front. Real smart!!! Hope he stays in long to provide some entertainment in the grid.

Kimi – Nothing to say. He has to wake up yet. And that will happen probably in another race or two. He was all over the rear mirror of Hamilton for 19 laps before the alternator wiring decided to stop his car. Another surprise package from yest race was Takuma Sato. He finished 8^th. Yes that’s right. He secured one championship point. And also another amazing thing was both the Honda’s finished. And they did that pretty decently and Jensie smashed his front wing into the rear wheel of Rubeno. Good job with the Elephant ears. Hope Jensie gets in front soon.

The F1 circus moves to Monaco next. Nothing much to overtake there and qualifying almost decides the winner. So lets hope for the best. And got my canadian GP tickets yesterday. After the Monaco race, I’ll be watching the 6^th round live in Montreal!!! Until then adios amigos!!!

SEPANG n MCLAREN

NOT WORTH TALKING MUCH ABOUT IT.

Awesome driving from Hamilton. Frikkin crappy one from Massa. Kimi dint have much choice to stop Alonso!!!

Hope Bahrain will be good enough.



PS: Championship just got better!!!

KIMSTER ROX DOWN UNDER!!!

Wat a start to the 2007 season!!! The most exciting n at the same time the most boring starting race I’ve ever seen. Exciting for the fact that Lewis Hamilton lived upto the hype he was given and he did even better than that!!! Taking a chance on the left and losing to Kubica and then seeing a gap on the right, took the favor and slingshot his way past the illustrious team-mate who happens to be a double time world champion!!! Just awesome!!! Even better – He had Alonso trialing him almost all the race. The frikking fast BMW’s were on light fuel loads!!!Way to go Hamilton. Hope Mclaren doesn’t spoil his talent with unreliable cars and team-orders for Alonso.

Now back to the man who gave THE finger to his critics once and for all!!! I have always said KIMI is much much faster than Alonso and Schumi given he is driving a superior car. Now he did just that. The F2007 seems to be miles ahead with the seamless quickshift and the much much improved aero compared to other motors on the grid. He had a dominant race right from the start. In the first 5 laps Kimi was able to open up the gap to Heidfield by 6 seconds. That’s pretty awesome. But Kimi is still the same Kimster he used to be. He went off the road once – later apologised it was his mistake – cos he was watching another car on the track!!! Hope Todt has some good spanking left for the Iceman to behave – both on and off track.

People favorite Massa had his bad luck run wild again in the season opener!! He has started 4 times before this race in Melbourne. Thrice crashed out. Once scored a tenth. But today he started at the back and climbed back to 6^th by the end of the race. If it was not for Button who was holding both Rubeno and Massa for a long time, we could have witnessed a good dog-fight between Massa and Fisi. The less I talk about Button, better it is for his reputation. I strongly recommend him to quit racing and go do some prediction stuff for F1 as he is really good at that!!

The best part of the race was Alonso!!! Fernando was fighting to stay on the top. No… not with Ferrari. The Ferrari was not even in his sight!! It was Nick Heidfield’s BMW which was tormenting him with a light fuel load. And to add more to his woes Hamilton was already up there in front, driving a perfect stunner race like a pro. If it was not for the BMW’s wrong decision to load lightly, He would have never passed the car. The BMW looked like a beast covering ground faster than ever. Mario Theissen was right in saying they are the 3^rd best team in F1. Renault was no where in the picture. And poor Hamilton had to go thro the same Rubeno phase in letting his more illustrious Teammate pass thro. The pit stop was a calculated slow one. Hypocrites!!! Atleast Ferrari was blatant and outspoken about the team orders. But this one was too obvious. Why would a team so perfect and professional like Mclaren falter in a pitstop on a car that’s been running strong in second and allow a 8 second gap to close and let Alonso thro??? Simple crap!!!

Hope Kimster keeps his run going for long in the stunning F2007. Now the poor thing Massa has to keep up to the pace of Kimi and stay on top, close to him. Else Jean Todt will choose to help out the more performing and highest paid driver of F1!!! If Todt decides to go with Kimi in the later part of the season, then Massa will be on his own. Hope to see the Ferrari drivers fighting for position. Its been long since we saw Gilles Villenuve and Didier Pironi’s super driving and fights in the Schuderia!!!

Now to the tech details of F2007. The first main difference is the Front and Rear wings. I had told before that these modifications force the car to take the corners smooth and fast like never before. Kimi was putting very less inputs to the steering and the car was perfectly balanced on the tarmac. The only problem that the F2007 seems to have right now is the seamless quick shift transmission!!! Looks like a very very fragile unit compared to the former steptronic transmission. The new shark fin vents and 3^rd outlet for cooling the transmission kit seems to be a very wise choice. Overall a perfect balance!!!

Even though Kimi wasn’t pushing hard to get his pace thro the race, I suspect there might be problem all around the grid, let alone Ferrari in Sepang. Sepang is a very hot engine-consuming track. Needless to say the gear changes are more than any other race which multiple straights and numerous corners. Hope Kimi and Massa cruise thro the race in Sepang.

PS: Micheal called Kimi before the podium presentation. Quite funny remark from Kimi given his Icecold nature. Also Kimster hasn’t grown up yet!!! He signed in for a snowmobile race in Finland after the Bahrain testing under a false name and won!!! Only to be found out by Ferrari later and blasted by Todt!!! All said and done KIMSTER roxx.

Zip... Zap... Zoom!!!

And we are back to that time again. The sound of V8's and cars rocketing past the camera's
been missing for a long time now. So has been my blog. And I know this is late posting considering the fact that there has been so much going on with testing and swapping. But these are initial installation levels of the new cars and new drivers. The real test doesnt start for 2 more weeks. So I guess I am back on track at the right time.

This year already looks to be the most promising and most exciting season in F1 for the past 16 years for only one fact - No Schumacher on the grid. I'll miss those moments where he pulls off time and closes in on the leading car like a hound chasing a wounded rabbit. Those spectacular passes and awesome pitting strategies will be missed. You can love him, you can hate him but you definitely cant avoid him - in one way or the other. Hope to catch a glimpse of him on the pitwalls soon.


SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO F1


The F2007 looks stunning!!! Nothing more Nothing less. Though I hate to admit with Tyaga that the livery isnt as cool as it used to be couple of years back. The main difference being the Vodafone is missing and ALICE TELECOM being added into it. The Marlboro still lives on the livery albeit in a very different and cooler symbol. The car as such has been trimmed down and shaped up to house the new gearbox and fantastic aero design!!! Though nobody knows the final aero config until the qualifying lap in Melbourne [and Ferrari does a good job in making it invisible from the press and competitors] the major difference is the new front wing. The triple blade design is gone and the double blade is back with a slightly smaller upward-fixed short wing to force the drag onto the front tires.



The rear wing is shortened and triple-decked like before but its been bent and modified to keep the car on ground at higher speeds in corners than ever. My sole guess for this change is cos of the Fiery Finn - He hits the curb very hard on turns. Schumi does the same in his own class - looking after the car and the curb. Kimi has no regard to both!!! But he is all set to improve on that front now. Overall the F2007 is a real hot babe!!







I've always admired the livery n looks. Chrome aint my favorite but when you see the car in front of your eyes for real - in touching distance - its mesmerizing. You cant stop admiring it.[I couldnt move of the Mclaren podium until someone pulled me off] Its the same design and bulky rear from MP4-21 is on the MP4-22 again. The Mclaren package has always been the best on the grid for a long time. This year with Alonso piloting it and Mercedes Benz trying all they can to prove their reliablity - it looks like a real contender this time around.

The car has always been good on a single lap and kept topping the time sheets throughout the winter testing and qualifying. But nobody - not even Ron dennis is sure how its gonna handle the race distance until it does!! And the real testing starts in a weeks time. The Vodafone adds more red to the livery and lesser chrome on the overalls. I've always said this and will say it again. Mclaren's are old war horses. When they are all set for a kill, they will crush the opponent so hard that the opponent takes more than a long time to recover!!! If F2007 was a real hot babe - MP4-22
is the German Supermodel!!!

OTHERS:

Renault looks sick. Spill some orange juice on a white paper and pour some blue ink and you get the reanult livery. They have been topping the time sheets now and then but apart from their concrete engine and Heikki nothing to look for from the Renaults. March 18th will answer .Honda has promised a new livery this time. They have been running their SA-07 with the usual black shade for testing.I doubt whether we would see the new livery until Bahrain or even later during the Melbourne qualifying.No major changes to other teams as well.

The teams has been testing in the winter of Europe. Each team has a top time to their credit and Ferrari and Mclaren pounding on each other already. But this is so different from the time the cars actually run in the races. The temperatures will be soaring to new highs on each circuit and the cars are sensitive and needs to tuned and twitched to suit that kinda environment. The real-time race like testing is commencing the sun-baked bahrain in a week and only this will throw some light on the performances from each team. Ferrari has always faired better in the extreme conditions. Sun and Rain. Mclaren is moderate throughout. So you never know until its midway thro the season.

Alonso has been the same motor mouth all along. Criticising both Mclaren and Renault. The praises he has been conveying for Ferrari is only a mind game he wants to play. If Schumi was calm and cool about it all by himself, Kimi is deaf and dumb about it under the scrutiny of Todt. Otherwise too Kimi doesnt speak out on F1. Good to see him on the reds and I wish his long run proves good this time and the elusive driver championship comes to him this year.

FINAL VERDICT

Its going to be a F2007 vs MP4-22 for the title this year. Other teams might as well top the podium on a few occasions. But the most unpredictable season I've ever witnessed in my life is all set to zip-zap-zoom on the tracks in exactly a month from now on!! Crossing my fingers I wait for March 16th. So shall you!!!

PS - Trying to get to 3 races this time. USGP, Canadian and British. Hope things work out this time and my health stays good unlike last time in Silverstone!!! Adios Amigos!!!

16 Years of Formula One Racing hits the brake!!!

Formula One Racing will not the be the same for me anymore!!! Good Bye Micheal!!! I salute you!!!


PS- This doesnt mean my addiction will stop. It will live until Ferrari is there. Hail Schumi - Hail Ferrari!!! And Kimi - Wake up... and get ready to kick some ass in the scarlet car!!!

Shanghai SURPRISE!!!!

The picture says it all!!!

First - Pat Symonds - Hide your head in your ass!!! The results gave you all you wanted. Now you can shut the fuck up and mind your own over-confident team n driver. If MS hadnt performed under pressure - U wouldnt be talking abt him today!!!

Second - Alonso - Atleast try to learn something from today's race. You cant win a by putting in fast laps after fast laps. You need more than that - something called - Driving Tactics!!! If you cant learn it from the Master atleast try not to whine about it!!! Nice move for next year though - U just proved yourself - Stupid team - stupid driver and results galore!!! If u cud blow a Renault engine - U will do it easily in a Mclaren. Good luck!!

Schumi proved what he can do in a non-competent car yet again. Bridgestones went bad - Track conditions were hostile - but yet another extremely cool drive in the adverse conditions!!! Too bad we will be missing him next year. From 6th to 1st jus proved he is a genius in damp conditions.


Two more rounds to go. And I just cant wait!!!

(I dont care if MS wins the title or not - I jus wanna see him racing for 2 more races!!!)

THE LEGEND WILL CONTINUE TO RULE!!!

This is not a real good time in my life. It is not going as smooth as I had expected. But I never did get down by it. Thanks to the support given by all around me, I held my own and still holding it far away from home. Though I got irritated and frustrated at times I was never emotional for a long time. But nothing could hold me today, when I heard Schumi announcing his retirement from F1 at the post race conference. I was this close to letting the tears out of my eyes. He had been one of my favorite personalities in the world and will always be. I knew it was coming but was never really ready for it.

It all began one Sunday afternoon in Udumalpet in 1995, when I saw the final 3 races of the season on star sports. Though I was a kid, I was strongly attracted to the driving and my passion to speed just added fuel to the fire!!! The main reason being one man who was standing tall amongst others. Micheal Schumacher. The way he fought for the win and titles was sheer poetry!!! And he went on to win the title for the second consecutive time. And with it came the announcement of him switching to Ferrari – whose cars I’ve been worshipping for a long time (Ferrari story was a diff one n long too)

All through 96-99, I enjoyed watching him drive in that scarlet car, did not matter whether he won or not – and even if he did – did not matter if it was legal or not!!! But I knew one thing… He was going to stay… and He was the on his way to being a legend. I still remember fighting with Jaikar (both of us ended up bleeding n grounded for a week) over Mclaren and Ferrari. That was the extent of his influence on me. Then came the disaster in Silverstone – his leg broke – jus when I broke mine and watched the races from a hospital bed for about 4 months.

From 2000 on I enjoyed every win of his and every second of racing. I used to cut classes to watch qualifying(Saturday was a working day for SW!!!) He beat Mika fair and square and from then went to break every record in the F1 history – all but one. The year is still my favorite year of racing. His arch rival – Mika wasn’t bad either. He was the best in the business and the only one who can match Schumi is driving skills. After nurturing and resurrecting a team which was a former champion and on a draught of Race Wins for 20 years – Micheal brought em back to where they belonged. From then the rest is history.

With 39 wins and five championships – He was standing tall almost invincible in racing and the greatest driver in the pinnacle of motorsports – FORMULA ONE. The secret of success is pure magic. His driving skills are matched by only one driver so far. He is the only man who can confidently wave to the crowd on the penultimate lap of a race – inspite being chased by others. He is one of those few who can change the car-setup midway on track and adjust the driving accordingly. He is the RAINMASTER – not even Mika could stand the rain. He is one of the toughest to pass – very few have accomplished this after he moved to Ferrari. He is GOD when it comes to F1.

He qualified on a old beaten up Jordan Ford in his first ever race (after being called in to replace the official driver – who was arrested the night before) impressing Benetton to sign him up for 2 seasons. Eleven years in Formula one – being the successful driver in the history of the sport is no mean task – almost impossible. Except for 2005 – where the Schuderia suffered from a loss of its chief aero designer to Mclaren and the underdogs Renault (With whom he had won two back to back championships) and Alonso went onto torment the tracks with the new mass-dampers and an almost turbo like engine. But He managed a distant third in the championship with a non-performing car – which only he could do.

Criticism never leaves famous men and Schumi wasn’t an exception. He was notorious, going to all extents to get what he wanted. Ferrari issued team orders to help him snatch the win from his teammates – but nobody – Eddie – Rubeno – Felippe – complained. But they were happy to do that. Though Schumi handed over the trophy and stepped down to make Rubeno stand on top!!! He was an admirable character. Not to mention his skills when it came to run down with a Euro Fighter Typhoon and the Fighter sucked it up!!! Ferrari had crossed the line much before the fighter did.

Even on this day – Criticism reigns high over his retirement – in the form of Alonso. Though he dint mean to block Felippe in anyway during the final 2 seconds – Rules say that – He should have moved to give the way to Felippe – who was on a hot lap!!! All said and done – Schumi was flawless all thro the race and won it fair. He was not at fault for a Renault blowing into smithereens!!!

With 90 wins(another 3 races to come) 68 pole positions 75 fastest laps 1354 Championship points and 247 race starts – MICHEAL SCHUMACHER – will remain unbeatable - FOREVER!!! From being an ordinary bricklayer’s son in Germany to one of the greatest in F1 History – he will remain a Legend always be an inspiration to so many drivers and teams around the world. And he will always be my hero. Be it speed, natural talent, loyalty, ruthlessness or hard work, You have always had it all – The very reason I was inspired by you and wil continue to be. We all loved watching you race in that Scarlet car and will savor those moments for a lifetime!!! Wish you good luck for the final races and I certainly hope you to sign off in style – with an unprecedented 8^th world championship!!!

I salute you – Micheal Schumacher – one of the greatest driver ever!!!! Hail Ferrari!!!!

Italy Vs France - The story never ends!!!

 

He did it again!!! I hope he continues to wave the crowd in the final lap for a few more races!!!
Too bad Massa cudnt hold on to the second step... it cud have been a better result.

So the incident happens again!!! ITALY triumph over FRANCE again... but this time on a different pitch - The Formula One Circuit!!! Ferrari and Bridgestone beat Renault and Michelin in their home ground and the 100th French Grand Prix!!!

And this battle will never end... The F1 CIRCUS moves to Germany in two weeks!!! Hang on until then!!!

Ferrari Kick Ass!!!!

If one man can wave the crowd in the final lap of an exciting race in Indianapolis, its gotta be MICHEAL SCHUMACHER!!! And the car certainly has to b a FERRARI.

This might b the final race in the brickyard. And I am pissed off. I missed it out inspite of having the tickets in my hand for 2 whole days. What a race track!!! And a Ferrari one!!! If u r wondering, the next race is most likely to be in Las Vegas. And there are two reasons to cheer for it. One - its going to be a street circuit and the Two - One portion of the circuit is gonna pass right thro the worlds 3 largest casinos - BELLAGIO, MGM and CEASAR'S PALACE. But official news is yet to be out. Keep all your fingers and toes crossed!!! Viva Las Vegas!!!

Nurburgring – Grey Cells work perfectly for the Prancing Horse!!!

Those who made statements that Ferrari will not show pace in Germany had to eat their words. The F248 running on for the second race (even I suspected it might conk off at the later part!!!) was stronger than ever!!! Renault was humiliated by the think tanks sitting on the pitwalls for Ferrari.. Ross brawn stayed the pit crew for 3 more laps – when the pit crew was anxious to get out n get done when they saw Alonso leaving the pit for the last time.

MS is GOD!!! The 3 blinding in-laps n 5 consecutive out-laps suggests the Ferrari Man has no reason to quit the sport!!! Bring it on young guns!!! Whatever you do – you cant stop MS – especially when the prancing horse is at its best!!!

The amazing part of the race was not MS – ALONSO or the pace they had during the entire 60 laps of the nurburgring circuit. Not even the charging Kimi – I have to say a disappointment for Mclaren – but it was Felipe Massa!!! The no 6 Ferrari was catching up Alonso in the final laps. It was not able to avoid the charging Iceman but was able to fill the mirrors of Alonso.

If you thought Imola was one of the best races this year.. there is a shocker waiting. I just cant
wait to see the race in Silverstone!!! Yeah!!! I am gonna be in London for the race!!!

Hope I get to see some super cool racing!!!

I wish I could find more time to write… but getting prepared to leave the country.. so I don’t know where to start n where to end!!! See u all soon!!!

Verdict – Driver of the race – Felipe Massa!!! Holding off a quicker Mclaren with the Iceman inside and challenging the R26 is no child’s play!!!

San Marino - Imola

Ferrari is BACK!!!

RENAULT RULES SEPANG!!!

Renault ruled right from start to end. Alonso saw some great challenge when Webber’s WILLIAMS was all over his rear views!! But he managed to hang on to his place before the Cosworth V8’s went up in flames!!! Same story for Rosberg too… the rookie showed his inexperience by causing a wheel spin at start and allowed Alonso to move ahead. Though he was able to set some good pace and clawed back in, by the 7th lap the engine broke into pieces.

I was expecting Kimi to give a strong performance but the idiotic Klien damaged the suspension of Kimi and made him sit out in just over 10 seconds from the start!!! That was the biggest disappointment in the race. Guess Kimi’s badluck is much more friggin than mine!!!

Ferrari woes continued into the second race and it all began even before the race started. But what a performance from Felipe Massa!!! From the back of the grid to 5th and he finished in front of MS. He was holding onto his place restricting the charging MS to a sixth place. With the hot races in 2006 over, the F1 circus starts moving to cooler circuits in 2 weeks. I expect Ferrari to be stronger in those climates.

Apart from the front runners, there was nothing spectacular about the back end of the grid. The mid part of the grid was in full trouble with engine blow ups all over the weekend. Toyota BMW Williams were all facing loads of trouble.

MS was awesome in the final stages of the race. He was in 8th in one lap… and was in 4th in 2 laps. That was totally awesome. Yeah the BMW of Heidfield gave up and JV went into the pits but it is not possible for a normal racer to close up the gap and breath down into the neck of Montoya in 3rd!!! That was totally awesome… But again the fuel guzzling Ferrari car had to come in for more fuel to take the chequered flag!!!

My predictions where spoiled by the stupid Renaults. I was expecting Alonso’s engine to blow up somewhere in the race. If Pat Symmonds hadn’t calmed him down after the 2nd pit, it wud’ve ripped apart for sure. He is riding on luck.. big time. – that’s apart from being a good driver. But I can bet my life that he is not the quickest in the grid right now. Kimi is much more faster than him. If only he had a better car n some good luck!!!

Driver of the race – Final Verdict – Felipe Massa (21st to 5th) – not only the position n points he gained thro the race… but he managed to hold on a charging Schumi. That’s a tough thing to do in a hot Sepang afternoon!!!

12-3-2006 - What A Day!!!!

The First ever race of the season. And with Schumi on pole n Alonso on the back… it was the most expected start I was waiting for!!! And man.. it was too good not to miss out!!

Schumi proved everyone why he is the best in business. The sheer pace and the timing he pulled off from Alonso in the mid sector was awesome. I was speechless!!! Alonso was not far behind either – not for long. They had their race – strategies – pits – and luck, all working in tandem. He managed to hold MS off for 18 laps!! He did do a champion’s drive. It is too early to say this but I guess this magic is gonna fade away soon…

Kimi – bad luck hung on to him as always!! Broke the suspension but managed to bring in the car without much damage. Then started from 20th n finished in 3rd. By first lap he had gained a phenomenal 12 places in the grid!!! He is the driver to watch out fro 2006!!

As I had predicted earlier – ALONSO – MS – KIMI and as I said before don’t write Button off!!! He is gonna win. Soon!!! He was awesome in his overtakings and made Montoya eat the dirt ore than once! I wish he steps on the top step soon!!

MS was like god in Sakhir. He was setting lap after lap from the start pulling away from the crowd behind. The 248F1 sure matches the R26 in all aspects. But its even better when its on low fuel – it just scorches the tarmac like a rocket!!! I wish to see MS go onto win the title this year… I certainly feel it is very much within the reach!!

Finally the team that surprised the most was Williams. The FW28 was awesome in its speed and it was competing with RB-Ferrari’s. The fastest lap of the race was 1.32.408. And it dint come from MS Alonso or Kimi – the 3 fastest drivers in the F1 Circus. It came from the Rookie in a Williams-Cosworth. Nico Rosberg has no signs of his dad’s championship winning style in him. He is far better. The Rookie had a spin on the first lap slipped down the order and he was on full throttle and climbed up until 7. With both the Williams strong and reliable, the 4-way fight can be changed soon.

The Kid overtook a number of cars but the best one was of DC’s. DC is one of the toughest man to pass in the F1 Circus after Jaques. But JV had a blown BMW somewhere in the middle of the race. He has two points and the fastest lap on him in his very first F1 race. This kid is gonna rock the world soon. He is not gonna stay there in Williams for long. Mark my words… many of the big teams are gonna hunt for this kid – prob even for next year!!!

Nothing spectacular about others in the grid. Toyota was all hype and no performance. So was Midland. BMW is competitive. But too sad to see NICK getting reprimanded by the stewards in the first race.

Final Verdict – The driver of Sakhir (2006) – Kimi Raikonnen (22th to 3rd)

2006 LINE UP...

SCHUDERIA MARLBORO FERRARI

The 248F1 is the sleek among the lot. Better aero Better performance. Ferrari Engines have always been reliable - even thro 2005. With their Aero Chief back in business, the new V8's are setting pace. MS has been dominating the timing all along. I personally expect the team to be back at the top. MS should sign off in style. The car has been facing close stand downs from Renault and Honda. But all of them were running Hybrids during that time. The first shakedown with all the new cars is not expected until 10th march. So expecting the RED STREAK to back among the top. With Rubeno in the threatening HONDA, 2006 is a sure entertainer!!!! ALL THE BEST 248f1.

MCLAREN
The all new MP421 looks awesome in its new livery(i'm not a big fan of chrome though). Though Kimi has expressed concerns about it being a top contender Juan has no problems so far. The Mercedes Engine reliability is still under threat. The engine blew up on practice twice already... Hoping KIMI to rock with the pace just like MP420 - superior to none!!!

HONDA

Team Honda are threatening with their pace and already is causing worries to Ferrari and Renault. The car looks almost the same. Except for the BAR n Lucky Strike wiped off it. Rubeno is still getting used to the inferior handling car. Button is topping charts!!!

RENAULT

Not a big fan of it. But Alonso is setting a good pace. The car remains the same. No change from it championship winner. The engine change and tyre rule can bring back the difficulties to the team in 2006.

TOYOTA

New car and new plans. Radical new aero packs for every circuit is unheard of. But with their budget second to Ferrari,they can afford it and they expect themselves to be at the top. But as far asi can guess they are gonna be at the same level of the grid like 2005.

MIDLAND F1

The most awesome looking car livery on the grid. The grpahics are goddamn good. The car is showing early pace with the Toyota V8s. But timing charts are still showing them at the bottom competing with Toro Rosso n RedBull. With 3 teams at same level I expect the battle at the bottom is gonna be exciting to watch...

WILLIAMS

The Cosworth powered FW28 is setting up good timings. Narain had loads of spin in the new car. It is clearly ahead of the last rung in the grid. Dont get surprised if it clears timing sheets in qualifying.

BMW Sauber

The Kid. With almost no livery on it, BMW is expected to give stiff competition for Williams and Redbull. Hoping to see some good drives from Jacques. It has been quite sometime since his awesome overtakings with MS.

SQUADRO TORO ROSSO

The renamed Minardi's are expected to perform better than its old cousin cos of Ferrari Power. The Ferrari V8s are stronger than most of the cars in the lower rung of the grid. But the Package is wat makes the difference. Ferrari runs away with it. But with new kids set to drive the cars, rookies down the order can be expected to give full entertainment for all.

REDBULL

The team is the worst hit of the lot. The Chasis had aero problems in Valencia then Cooling system failure in Silverstone. The Cars are expected to perform better than last year and faces tough challenge from BMW n WILLIAMS. The launch of STR n RB is not over. So official livery is not out. The cars have been running with their 2005 livery all through the Winter testing. GO DC!!!!

SUPER AGURI

They have finally signed up SATO n YUJI IDE as race drivers. The team had a private in Kemble Airfield with the old ARROWS chasis with HONDA V8s. Though it is not seen as a threat to any, SATO can prove devastating as he was earlier for all the front runners when they lap him. WATCH OUT FOR SATO n his SUPER DRIVING!!! If anymore hinderance, he should be punished with driving a cycle on Old Mahabalipuram Road for 30 days!!!!

Still 25 more days!!! Bahrain - here we come....

248F1...

Its out and its already topping the timesheets... The sexiest thing I've ever seen. Look at the aero packs at the back. Another radical FERRARI package..

All the best 248F1.

Tearing up Fiorano with F2006!!!!

MS testing the F2006 at Fiorano. 2 more days to go....

Bahrain Countdown : 49 days 22 hrs

GIVE ME RED!!!!!!

ITS COMING!!!

24 - 01 - 2006

Its Over... finally!!!

The Final GP of 2005 started with the 5 red lights going off in unison in Shangai. The light Renaults with a new engine at the first row were set to win the race from Saturday… but I was expecting a charge from Kimi after the first round of pitstops but he was cruising around the track in that time.. And Alonso was pressing the gas pedal hard.. making faster and faster laps around the ckt…

For the second time I think.. I’m not sure… I felt he deserved the podium finish ahead of the Finn. They also took the contructor’s championship and signed off 2005 in style. Alright the underdogs had a nice time. But I really hope and wish it wouldn’t be the same next year.. I wish next year would be RED!!!! Already the Scarlet F2006 is making news in the testing circuits. With Toyota and Williams switching to Bridgestone, Ferrari will be able to develop a competitive package. They have got their Chief Aero Designer back into Maranello. I expect MS to sign off next year in style much ahead like 2004 and his racing career should end when he is at his peak.

Alright… as 2005 is over… some look into 2006…

1.Ferrari – Rubeno departs with much fanfare. One of the best drivers in a team. Everyone in Ferrari seems to lament on his move. Well he is moving to Team Honda…

2. Yeah you read it right… BAR is bought by HONDA… and LUCKY STRIKE sponsorship has gone off and 555 is in. The change was noticed in Shangai with the BAR007 loaded with new Graphics.

3. Mclaren – Kimi and the team are waiting in vengeance to hit back. And they better do. With Kimi all set to come into Ferrari for 2007, Mclaren will do every bit to keep him back in the team. If he stays long enough like MS, he will rule. But he is looking into a long lasting career in F1 like Alonso. Clearly he is my fav after MS and the driver to watch out for in 2006.

4. Sauber Petronas is OFF.. TEAM BMW is in. They haven’t decided on the drivers yet.

5. Jordan and YELLOW is off the tracks. Its MIDLAND F1 next year and a huge line of Drivers are waiting in Q to be selected. I guess it’s the end of the road for NK.

6. The Fastest car in the straights is being changed to Blue n Silver next year. Yeah MINARDI is the fastest car in straights.. believe it or not… is being bought by REDBULL and changed to SQUADRA TOLO ROSSA Italian for RED BULL TEAM.

7. Felippe Massa is coming back to Ferrari and this time as the scarlet’s second driver.. replacing his compatriot Rubens. He was a test driver a couple of seasons before Sauber Petronas had requested Ferrari to lend him after their Ferrari engine deal was closed in 2003.

8. Sato is out. He deserves it. No more comments.

9. Speculations are high for a 11th team on grid possibly a Honda powered team with financial back up from Dubai.

10. All these might be changed at any point of time. No guarantees that everthing will go as written here. If it dint I’m not responsible!!! !!!

One of the worst seasons for the past 7 years has come to an end. All I wish for 2006 is the podium to be painted red next year. With V8 engine spec changes, it might be possible. Also I wish the long standing rivalry between Ferrari n Mclaren will come into picture once again. It was so good watching Mika n MS fighting in their cars which were equally matched. That was 2000 when the new engine rules came into effect.

Alonso n Renault… you pulled off something great. With all due respect… there are two teams in wait for 2006… to reclaim their positions. And Tyaga… say all that you want.. Mclaren and Ferrari are old war horses.. they know how to come back. Lets wait till march 2006. And yeah… next year might see one more new track and a longer calendar year than 2005. I cant ask for more… hats off Bernie!!! Chao!!!

The Rain Men!!!

What a race!!! Every driver proved why they are the pilots of F1. Not even our own NK was left behind. He proved his adroitness of handling a F1 car. All this happened cos of one simple reason. The CIRCUIT. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is one of the oldest n legendary circuits in the calendar. It has proved to be a hunting ground for MS. He started his F1 career here. He had his first win here. And most of all, it was this circuit which gave him the name ‘THE RAIN MASTER’.

Well, leaving the past as it is, MS was too good to watch on the wet slick tarmac with a great amount of control over his car. If the idiotic Sato hadn’t rammed into the F2005, he would’ve had a podium finish for sure. I can bet my life on it. Even JPM wasn’t left behind. He had his 3rd successive crash to spoil the party for Mclaren. Cant say anything about the incident as the cameraman missed the incident. Cant blame him too. Too much was happening around in the circuit.

Kimi scorched the tarmac once again. If anyone can stand up to the records of MS, its gonna be the ICEMAN. No one else. With a possible Ferrari switch in 2007, he will be invincible for a long time!!! He was the quickest… using all the road at turns… keeping the car at its limits… he is the man to look out for in the future. Ofcourse, if he stays long unlike his compatriot Mika.

Another lucky outing for Alonso. Nothing to comment. Fisi.. is a bad luck magnet for sure. He hit the curb at 200 MPH n hit the barrier. For the second time this year. Lots of tyre changing made the narrow unusual pitlane busy all the time. Don’t know why the drivers went into a frenzy about changing the tyres to DRY SPEC even when the track spraying water all over. Only reason I could think of – Too soft INTERMEDIATE n WET tyres from MICHELIN??? Bridgestone WET tyres were clearly the strongest.

A bit about NK… Man!!! This guy has strong nerves!!! I was dazzled by the picture for a minute.. with amazement. The Jordan Toyota overtook two cars, and was challenging Jac’s Sauber. And just after Eau Rouge hairpin both cars were wheel to wheel. Jac’s a tough man to pass n he is a former world champion. He closed the gates at the end of the straight.. and guess what… NK went into the grass… hopped twice like a frog cos of the access road lying across and came back at the other side of the track. And he was in front of the Sauber… and the most amazing thing was he opened up a gap right after getting in front to an empty road. Where did the Jordan find that much power??

Okkie… about the news… Toyota n Williams are switching back to Bridgestone tyres next year. Redbull has bought Minardi and going to rename it as REDBULL AMERICA.. Scott Speed might take the wheel for that team. Redbull’s are getting Ferrari power in 2006. And surprisingly staying on with Michelin. That’s it for now… will catch up soon after Interlagos. I just wish it rains there!!!

A weekend at OTTODROM!!!

A race to forget for Ferrari. Especially MS.. Never mind... he has seen worst. I am disappointed but as other ardent Ferrari fans, I have already started looking out for the V8 and 2006.

First the Track!!! One of the 3 anti-clockwise circuits.. with steep gradients.With non-landscaped sides.. the track was very dirty.. and the gradients made the car to swing out of control in turn 12 with a huge amount of Tail Wind. The only car not affected by this was the Mclaren. When you lose the greatest Car Designers to a team like Mclaren, this is what happens. Ferrari... MS's... had a huge tail spin in the qualifying. But he was up into 11 from 19 in 2 laps... if it hadnt been for Webber's nasty overtaking move... he would've finished in points for sure.

The track is a challenging one... and its going to be tough even next year for most of the teams.Hope the officials bring it up to the world standards by then.

Kimi rocked the race right from the turn 2 of the starting lap. He was caught napping at the start by Fisi and a raging Alonso. But he on to his nerves and shooed off both the renaults. Tyaga... did I hear about Team Orders??? It went on live in AIR when they issued the team orders.They called it HELPING BY FISI for Alonso even when he was in a comfortable lead in the championship. Atleast Ferrari commented straight about the Team Orders and the Contract for No 2 driver always comes with it. Poor Fisi!!!

I think its allover for Narain. Might be out in 2006 or will have to settle for a test driver position. All the best.

I just hope Ferrari will bounce back at home in a couple of weeks. Nothing much to say about Ottodrom. See ya all after Monza!!!!