The Day of the Underdogs

It was one of those races in F1 that remind you why you keep watching. Crashes in the pit lanes! A first point score for a team! A maiden win and a new leading driver in the championship points! And I was sleeping, goddammit.

Seriously, Raikkonen, Rosberg and Hamilton pitted. Raikkonen and Rosberg went out and stopped at the red light. Hamilton didn't see it and went crashing into Raikkonnen's butt, taking them both out. What the hell, man? Have you never seen a red light? And he was leading too!

So the podium was filled with underdogs:

1. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
3. David Coulthard, Red Bull-Renault

And suddenly BMW Sauber is no longer a mid-pack runner, but a bonafide big boy who grabbed the championship and ran a mile before anyone noticed. Good job, Kubica and Heidfeld. It's also good to see DC back on the podium. I missed that. He's so good looking in real life.

So the moral of the story is that the best race of the season aired last night, and I was sleeping.

The Track Heats Up

23 hours 23 minutes to the start of the Canadian GP 2008 and counting, and the track is already heating up! The line-up for the Canadian GP is all messed up! No, it's not a Ferrari/Mclaren 1-2-3-4, it's just not! Here's the top 10 line-up:

1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes
2. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
3. Kimi Raikkonen
   
4. Fernando Alonso, Renault
5. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota
6. Filipe Massa, Ferrari
7. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren-Mercedes
8. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
9. Rubens Barichello, Honda
   
10. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault

Super exciting! The big boys are all mixed up with the medium-run boys! And guess what?! I missed the qualifying! Never you mind. I will catch the race tomorrow, after the bitch-fest that has been planned with the girlfriends over what fuckwits boys/men are.

Scandal rocks Formula 1

Found this gem on BBC Sport: Defiant Mosley vows to fight on:

Max Mosley has pledged to carry on as president of the FIA, motorsport's governing body, despite allegations about his private life.

The News of the World carried a report on Sunday claiming Mosley had taken part in a "Nazi-style orgy in a torture dungeon".

The Briton had been advised not to travel to this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone saying the Bahraini royal family "would not like" his attendance in the Emirate.

No, seriously. I know, right?

According to Voice of Tasmania: Max Mosley claims Nazi sex scandal plot:

Mosley, a lawyer and former candidate for the Conservative party, was pictured in a British Sunday newspaper allegedly participating in an orgy with prostitutes dressed as Nazi guards.

I don't know if it's because I watched the whole season of Dirt in 2.5 days, but this is such an awesome scandal. So I obviously had to go looking for these alleged photos. Unlike Lucy Spiller, however, I don't have the skills. Google Images returns a promising thumbnail, but the page doesn't load. The rest of the world is probably trying to access the same page. Oh well. Will continue trying. I will bring you this story if it kills me (or gets me fired).

Hamilton gets richer

From BBC: Hamilton signs new McLaren deal:

Lewis Hamilton has signed a new five-year contract with McLaren.

The deal for Hamilton, 23, who enjoyed a stunning debut year in Formula One last year, runs through until 2012.

Hamilton will become one of Britain's highest-paid sportsmen, his new contract reportedly worth around £10m per year, or £200,000 per week, dwarfing the country's Premier League football stars.

Hot. He can buy a new car every week.

Separating the men from the boys

For those of you not in the know, the biggest change in Formula 1 as of this year is the banning of traction control (that thing that makes you not skid) and engine braking (slowing your car by changing gears). What this effectively does is makes the car more of a beast, bringing it back to the days when the sound of the engine is guttural and there's nothing holding it back from jumping off the track. This, in effect, separates the men from the boys. As we are starting to see already.

From BBC Sport: Coulthard fears for driver safety:

David Coulthard fears new Formula One rule changes could affect driver safety and lead to a serious incident.

Under regulations for 2008, traction control, which prevents wheelspin, and engine braking are banned.

"The big issue is when we have standing water on the track without traction control," said Coulthard, speaking at the launch of the new RB4 in Spain.

Coulthard's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber agreed with the Scot's sentiments and said he had safety concerns from what he had seen during testing.

"No question about it, there will be more crashes," said the Australian.

"We've already seen it in testing. There are more guys going off, there are more red flags, and that is going to happen in races - that is a 100% certainty."

The removal of traction control has split opinion amongst the drivers with BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld unconcerned about the change.

"Formula One does not need traction control," said the German. "I enjoy it more as a driver, especially in the rain.

"For me, it doesn't cross the line of being too dangerous. If you want you can just sit on the outside, and then it's safe."

From BBC Sport: Hamilton upbeat despite setbacks:

Lewis Hamilton insists he is still happy with the pace of his McLaren despite coming off twice during the third day of testing in Jerez.

The 23-year-old blamed the lack of engine braking and traction control, now banned under new regulations, as he twice beached the car in gravel.

"Without these controls helping you on the entry to corners there is more locking of the rear wheels," he said.

But Hamilton added: "I think we've got off to a really good start."

Ooh... I can feel the tension already. Will we see Hamilton losing his cool in 2008 without traction control and engine braking? Probably not, since he started off in a go-kart, but it's still a whole new ballgame. And then we've got Heidfeld saying things like that. I smell a throwdown coming on. I can't wait.

The optimistic Finn

From BBC Sport: Hamilton team-mate expects parity:

Heikki Kovalainen says he is confident of being treated equally with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next season.

The former Renault driver has swapped places with former world champion Fernando Alonso, who has left McLaren after a fractious one-year stint.

"One thing I wanted to establish before signing was that I'd be treated equally," he told BBC London 94.9.

Poor little disillusioned Finn. He really thinks that even though he's already being described in the news as "Hamilton team-mate", he will be treated equally. Every Schumacher needs his Barrichello, but to misguide him in such a way is just mean. He's just a kid. Like how we were brought up to think that working would make us happy and feel fulfilled. Am I right?

What a Race!

That's right. An exclamation mark in the title. That's how good it was. Did you really expect me not to post about this?

It started off as a three horse race, and it ended the same way. What can I say? My Kimi has finally won his right to the title after all these years, and having been a fan ever since he joined Sauber-Petronas back in the day, I can't say I'm not happy for him.

Then again, this meant that my boys in Vodafone McLaren Mercedes were left out of the championship totally, having lost their construction points some weeks back. Quite sadly, they both lost by 1 point. Both Alonso and Hamilton were tied at 109 points, and Kimi had 110. So, so, so close.

But still, all three of them ran a great season and its been a while since Formula 1 has seen a dogfight like this. The race at Sao Paulo was a great way to cap off a great season, with terrific performances from the whole field.

My boys

Also, Nakajima ran over people. That was fun. Maybe there's a running bet between Sebastian Vettel and Nakajima as to who can piss off their team mates more in their first race?

Commentary (Click the link at the end of the post if you're actually interested in reading the full commentary):

1. The title of "Unluckiest Man in Formula 1" has been passed on

Poor, poor Hamilton. So close to not only being the first rookie ever to win the championship, but also the first black man ever to do so. Mind you, this is all on top of him shattering previous records by winning more than 3 races in his first race, and being the first black man in Formula 1 ever anyway, so maybe it's not too shabby.

He must be banging his head against a wall, though, because he was literally too close to the title not to have some regrets. How did he lose it? Well first there was the mistake at the first corner when he went wide while trying to get position against Alonso and suddenly found himself in 8th place. Never you mind that. 8th place is nothing for Hamilton. He could easily climb his way up from that.

And then there was the technical failure that caused his gears to stick in neutral for a good 40 seconds of the race. Hamilton found himself in the more challenging position of second last. Even then, Hamilton climbed his way up to 8th place like the trooper he was to score a single solitary point which put him 1 point away from the championship and tying him with teammate Alonso. So close, so close.

2. Kimi Raikkonen, Reigning World Champion

Sounds good, doesn't it? You can't say he didn't deserve it, and unlike the days of Michael Schumacher, there's no doubt that he got into pole position through his own sweat and tears and not by team orders.

The unluckiest man in Formula 1 is no longer the unluckiest man in Formula 1. He, like Hamilton, has also pulled off a Formula 1 first by stealing the championship from the points leader in the last race of the season.

Raikkonen and Massa pulled off some great tag team moves as the lights went off, with Massa holding Hamilton back a little bit to let Raikkonen gain position, and then both sped off at the blistering pace that the Ferraris are so famous for. There was no catching them from that point on.

Their driving was flawless, save for Massa running wide a little bit in the last third of the race, allowing Raikkonen to catch up with him on the uphill end. If that move was orchestrated, it deserves an Oscar. In the end, Raikkonen gained position because he did what he does best: drove a car.

3. FIA Commentators drunk?

They must have been, judging by the way they were commenting on the race. It was ridiculous. Steve Slater and James Allen repeatedly ignored the presence of poor old Robert Kubica in third position and kept insisting that Alonso was third instead.

They ignored the battles for position involving anyone except the Ferraris and the McLarens, including the spectacular battle between Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica. At one point, Steve Slater insisted that James Allen not comment on Rosberg and Kubica who were side by side, and instead talk about Alonso's much publicised disagreements with Ron Dennis. What?

The fact of the matter is that they've been ignoring all the other racers for the whole season, especially the rookies who've mostly performed spectacularly. Except Sebastian Vettel, and that was only to make fun of him. It's ridiculous.

Final standings:

01 Kimi Räikkönen 110 points
02 Lewis Hamilton 109 points
03 Fernando Alonso 109 points
04 Felipe Massa 94 points

All in all, what a race! What a season! (That's right. Exclamation marks again.)

It's a dogfight.

"Feel the force, you must."

"No! Come to the dark side. We have cookies."

"Mmmm... cookies..."

Just to update you peons on the Formula 1 (and to give myself a place to vent on the sexcitingness of it all), these are the current driver standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 107 points
2. Fernando Alonso - 103 points
3. Kimi Raïkkonen - 100 points

That's right. It all comes down to this one last race, baby! Saõ Paulo, Brazil. What's gonna happen? Well the last race proved that anything's possible. Hamilton didn't finish, leaving him stuck at 107 points, and Alonso found himself sandwiched between two Ferrari drivers on the podium, resulting in this lovely little sexciting situation.

And just to make it more fun, I've just worked out how its possible to have a 3 way tie at 108 points. This is what the race outcome will have to be:

2nd - Kimi Raïkkonen

4th - Fernando Alonso

8th - Lewis Hamilton

Likely? Not really. But hey, it's possible. Especially since neither Raïkkonen or Alonso have ever won the Brazilian race. Anyway, the moral of the story is, don't call me next Sunday at approximately 1am.

BBC Sport: Alonso wants split from Hamilton

Fernando Alonso says he would rather not continue alongside Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next year.

The Spaniard, set to lose the title to his team-mate, said: "I'd be delighted if I didn't carry on with Hamilton."

"If we are not together next season and I can go to a good car, then great. If we have to carry on together then we will have another great battle."

Meanwhile, Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has confirmed he has offered Alonso his old job back.

"I told Fernando that the moment he is free from McLaren we would be pleased to have him back," said Briatore.

Briatore is convinced Alonso would not have quit Renault if he had been aware he would receive the same treatment as a rookie.

"If, before signing the contract, they told Fernando, 'Come with us, but you won't have any sort of advantage', he wouldn't have gone," Briatore told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. "If you hire a world champion, then you must give him the number one status."

The relationship between the two McLaren drivers deteriorated after Hamilton criticised Alonso last week.

Alonso, who was speaking in an interview with Spanish radio station SER, also denied speculation he could take 2008 off, returning to Formula One to drive for Ferrari when his McLaren contract runs out in two years' time.

"It hasn't entered into my plans not to race next year," he said.

"I don't have any news about Ferrari. They have a contract with Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa for next year, it's not a possibility that has entered into my thoughts for the coming year."

Hamilton says he would rather Alonso was not still at McLaren next year, even if it meant the double world champion ending up at Ferrari.

"I'd much rather it were Fernando at Ferrari and me at McLaren," said Hamilton prior to winning at Fuji Speedway on Sunday.

Alonso's relationship with McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has broken down after a series of disagreements during the year.

It reached a low point during a row at the Hungarian Grand Prix in August over Alonso's status in the team.

Alonso threatened during the row to reveal incriminating e-mail evidence about McLaren's involvement in the spy row that has dominated the sport this summer to the sport's governing body, the FIA.

He quickly apologised and withdrew the threat, but not before Dennis had telephoned FIA president Max Mosley to tell him of the conversation.

It ultimately led to McLaren being thrown out of this year's constructors' championship and fined £49.2m for having confidential Ferrari technical information in their possession.

And Hamilton has turned up the pressure on McLaren to tear up Alonso's contract, which still has two years to run, by saying he sees a long-term future at the team.

Commentary:

Say it isn't so. They've both been so good to McLaren :(

I mean Hamilton's awesome and staff but this is the best 1-2 team since before I was born. I suppose this is why Schumacher never had a strong second driver in Ferrari with him. Damn your egos, boys! Suck it up for the team!

The problem, I suppose, is that McLaren has never been like Ferrari (i.e. to have a favourite son). McLaren has always treated their drivers fairly, and the championship isn't given to one driver on a silver platter. Alonso should have known and thought of that before he signed up with Ron Dennis' golden boy. I mean Dennis personally head-hunted Hamilton when he was 10 and has for the past 12 years sponsored him. Didn't he see this coming?

Then again, F1 drivers aren't known for their mild temperament so this could have popped up in any team given this circumstance.

Anyway, that was the gist of what's happened in the past month. This article has more than one implication though.

Firstly, Alonso leaving McLaren is something all parties are alright with.

Secondly, Alonso going to Renault would put Nelson Piquet, Jr back a few years from his F1 debut.

Thirdly, it would also mean that Fisichella is out of the picture.

Fourthly, does this mean that Gary Paffett will be taking over the second driver spot?

Finally, doesn't McLaren realise that they're losing the best 1-2 winning team there is? What better way to hold off the other team from points than to have shoo-ins for both spots at the top of the podium?