Australia
Raising the Bahr for F1 2014
Over the weekend, the F1 monster machine made its way to the blistering shores of Bahrain. In the past, the Grand Prix at Bahrain has got itself a rather negative reputation, with accusations of both processional and lack luster racing. This in many ways is down to the laborious and ever repetitive circuit design by the grand emperor of tedium Hermann Tilke. An interesting side note, did you know that if you start typing his name into Google, the suggested searches include ‘Hermann Tilke boring’ and ‘Hermann Tilke ruining F1’. What does that tell you? Anyway, the first two races of the new season were hardly anything too spectacular given the level of media hype that has surrounded this new era of Formula One. So when Bahrain came around this weekend, I wasn’t really expecting very much.
And then the race happened, which in turn made this happen…
An accurate reconstruction of my response to the Bahrain GP
What was so good about the race?
Well firstly, and most importantly, the race at Bahrain was finally A RACE. The 57 lap race was filled with overtaking left, right and center, which truly was a refreshing sight for the sport. It takes a special kind of race to have position changes on every single lap, from the front to the back of the grid. The battles between the Force Indias, Williams and Red Bull were a sight to behold. Considering what has happened in the past, I had actually forgotten that Red Bull knew how to race. The addition of the safety car towards the end of the race was a stroke of genius (it is almost like Bernie Ecclestone had planned this to happen all along); the final 12 laps were crazy. For the first time, No one was really able to predict how the cars would finish.
- The Mercedes Civil War – When it was Red Bull dominating the standings, the fans became bored and almost annoyed at the predictable nature of the results. Chances are, unless the other teams play the biggest game of catch up in history, that this year Mercedes will do the same thing. However, I am of the belief that after the last few developmental years, Mercedes deserve the success they are receiving this year. But most impressively, the F1 world is loving the revolutionary ‘no team orders’ approach to racing. For many years, F1 has been plagued by politics and team orders, considering that usually the teams have a clear lead driver. But what happens when you have two of arguably the best drivers in the field on the same team? Simple, drop any pretense of rules and let them race and just hope they don’t take each other off. The race between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg was absolutely stunning. The race finished and only a second separated them. The safety car lost Lewis Hamilton his advantage over Nico, and on ever degrading tyres he somehow managed to hold off the advantages of Rosberg to win the race. If this is the case for the rest of the year, I am willing to overlook the fact that Mercedes can pull out a 25 second lead in 12 laps (totally crazy right?)
- Red Bull Does Give You Wings – Well, if you’re Ricciardo anyway. Daniel Riccardo has had truly rotten luck so far in 2014, with a disqualification in Melbourne and a 10 place grid drop at Bahrain. He started the race in 13th and finished in 4th. The man was on fire. My favourite moment came when Vettel was told over the radio, “Daniel is faster than you, please let him past”. Such an utterly beautiful moment; the wonderchild has been told his team mate is faster and he has to move over. It brings back sweet memories of “Fernando is faster than you”, mixed with the ever succulent taste of, “not bad for a number two driver”. Ricciardo is fast becoming one of the new rising stars of Formula One. Move over Vettel, you are the wonderchild no more.
I couldn’t resist
- Use the Force (India) – For the last few years, Force India have been somewhat of a midfield runner, until now of course. Perez scored an excellent 3rd place in Bahrain, fending off the final charge of Red Bull Ricciardo. My main praise however is centered on Nico Hulkenberg, who charged up from a disappointing 11th place grid slot to an overall 5th position. While watching the coverage, the Hulk stole a great deal of screen time due to his relentless charge past many a foe. This is the kind of determination I love about motor sport. And the overtaking was clean, thank god.
- The Will of the Williams – The overall finishing positions of Massa and Bottas do not truly reflect the plucky effort they put in throughout the race. Massa had one of the greatest starts I have seen in F1, while Bottas continued his ever impressive run this year, pushing on through in the thick of it right until the end. I think the Williams deserved a higher finish than they managed, but full credit to them. The Williams boys are proving that Williams do still have what it takes.
Just to keep the balance, here is what didn’t go too well…
As great as the race was, there were some elements that did not hold that same level of awesomeness. The first of these was the sad result of Jenson Button in the McLaren. In what was his 25oth GP start, Jenson retired a mere 2 laps from the end of the race, having put in a strong performance throughout. McLaren were aware that they did not have the race pace to keep them challenging for the higher positions, but Button defied the odds and was running in the top end for most of the race before his McLaren gave up the fight. Well, at least he won his 100th race.
And then of course, this happened…
The picture you see before has definitely done the rounds in the media. What you are seeing is the moment that Maldonado lost all semblance of sanity and reason and completely wiped out poor old Gutierrez. Many have tried to explain what actually happened there; alas there is only one thing that can be said…
Maldonado happened.
Lotus have had an absolute shocker of a season so far, and this incident has hardly helped matters. The new noses on the cars clearly act as a scoop, so when Maldonado’s car met the side of the Sauber, there was only one outcome. Say what you want about it, but it did make for a great picture.
So after Bahrain, the critics are silenced and F1 is great again, right?
Wrong.
One good race does not save a whole series. The fanboys and fangirls are now using this ONE race to say that the argument is over. Granted, Formula One has managed to make the Bahrain circuit exciting, but until this level of racing becomes consistent then I will not be fully convinced. Furthermore, the Bahrain GP was a race full of overtaking, close racing and tension, and people are acting like this was the greatest spectacle ever. It was pretty amazing, but everything I have just mentioned is the common factor in all motorsport. I am happy that F1 has returned to what it should be (possibly), but it is still relevant to point out that most other forms of motorsport have been doing this consistently for years.
My favourite quote regarding the race comes in the form of a tweet:
“@BTCCCrazy: F1 did a seriously good #BTCC impression at the #BahrainGP – terrific racing!”
Let’s hope this quality of racing remains throughout the rest of the F1 season, and who knows, if they continue to do such a good impression of the British Touring Car Championship, then even I may finally become a convert. All we need now is to end the talk of fuel and tire conservation in the first 10 laps of the race and we are sorted.
F1 has definitely raised the Bahr for the rest of the year.
Formula One 2014: Bring It On!
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F1: Red Bull Ragequit or Real Revelation?
I don’t think anyone really needs reminding that the glittering world of F1 recently returned to the world stage. The Melbourne circuit set the scene for a whole new era of Formula One. A whole new look. A whole new sound. Avid readers of my blog will be very much aware that I have never always been the biggest fan of F1, but this year I hoped the radical changes might breath some life back into the sport. Having watched the first race, I was pretty shocked to see that Grosjean for example managed to get himself a drive through penalty before the season had officially begun. Of the entire weekend, I have been most fascinated by the outrage and debate following the disqualification of Ricciardo from his excellent 2nd place finish. Most specifically, the reaction of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has definitely been a baffling one. In the aftermath of the Australian GP, Mateschitz has warned that he pull Red Bull out of F1 altogether. Is red Bull just in a strop since losing their dominance, or are they onto something here?
Tis the dawning of a new era for F1, a whole new look to a legendary championship
For those of you who are not clear on the full situation, Ricciardo finished the Australian GP in 2nd place (his highest ever finish in the sport), only to be disqualified around six hours after the race. The reason for this exclusion was an irregularity in the fuel flow system of the car. Mateschitz believes that the fuel flow sensor that was provided by the FIA, was giving inaccurate readings. Over the course of the race weekend, Red Bull had been plagued by technical problems with their car, explaining the early demise of Vettel in the race. Red Bull have of course appealed against the decision made by the FIA, and seek to prove that the fault lay with the FIA-provided sensor and not the fuel levels in the car. What has hurt Red Bull more than any other are the whispers of the word ‘cheating’ that have been used in conjunction with the team. Red Bull has influence across the world, and any word of underhand play would significantly damage their image and credibility, especially when it is in one of the most televised sports series in the world.
Lets look into this a little deeper shall we… Let the evidence present itself
Have Red Bull turned into a stroppy child?
Think about it, for the last few years Red Bull have become accustomed to being the top dogs in Formula One. Not only have they had the best car, but their wonder child has completely and utterly destroyed the competition, race after race, championship after championship. Whenever I found myself watching coverage of each race, whatever the story or result, they would interview Christian Horner, as if he had some crippling addiction to having his smug face on our television screens.
If we now fast forward to the start of 2014 where we see Red Bull failing massively to perform, plagued by hampering technical issues. Not only that, but their wonder child has to retire his car in the early stages of the race. Speaking of which, take a listen to the radio messages exchanged between Vettel and Red Bull when it was decided he was to retire; it genuinely sounded like Vettel was on the verge of tears. I will admit it is never nice to have to retire from a race, but to sound that emotionally distressed, come on.
Finally and most importantly, we have the decision to exclude Ricciardo from the result due to a fuel technicality. I have read sources that Red Bull had been aware of the problem prior to the race, so their reaction does now seem slightly defensive. It is almost like Red Bull feel as if they must win every race or they will throw a tantrum. Reminds me a lot of Fernando Alonso when he realised Hamilton was a better driver than him at McLaren.
When I hear that Mateschitz threatened to leave F1, it did give me a flashback to days gone by where I would be playing a racing video game, and would get so angry that things were not going my way that I threw the controller at the wall, vowing it was the game that was the problem not me and refusing to continue playing.
Mateschitz has been quoted as saying that his decision regarding the future of F1 and Red Bull has nothing to do with the financial costs or rewards, but the issue of ‘sportsmanship and political influence’. Could this just be a very technical evolution of the ‘throwing the controller at the wall, claiming the game doesn’t work properly’ strategy?
Do Red Bull have a point after all?
Having watched the first race, it does seem apparent that it is a whole new era with very similar problems. It took only a matter of laps before there was talk of fuel and tyre conservation. The overtaking was very much improved but was still severely lacking in comparison to other motorsport series around the world.
I understand that it is thrilling to both watch and drive cars that are operating on the edge of what is possible, but to have cars that struggle to even make race distance, that seems a bit far to me. And if Red Bulls’ claims are true, to exclude a car because of faulty machinery supplied by the race organisers themselves, that does seem a little unfair. This whole issue of politics has been somewhat of a problem in Formula One in recent years; the racing has been overtaken by tyre management, brand image, pit strategy and global domination. This global domination has reached a level where it is location location (tedious track) location. Singapore may indeed be a glittering beacon of flamboyance, but the race track that was built there is nothing short of diabolical.
The Australian fans may have been outraged at the Ricciardo decision, but at least they got to watch what was an amazing V8 Supercar support race. Imagine paying an outrageous number of your hard earned dollars to see a headline band, only for the support band to completely out-perform them. As great as it would be to see the smaller band doing so well, you would feel somewhat ripped off that you spent all that money for the headliners to be a total let down.
The true stars of the weekend. V8 powered brutes destroying all that lay before them. This is a Red Bull sponsored race project to be proud of. Image Credit: F1 Fanatic
What really drove the point home for me, was the fact that Bernie Ecclestone did not even show up to the race, having also made several comments about the horrific lack of noise from the new engines. I mean come on, high performance hyper race cars should rattle your very core, not sound like a swarm of lethargic bees. F1 without that characteristic noise is just pointless.
In my estimations, the decline of F1 is crowned by its own ruling emperor not even showing up to the race. But then again, Bernie’s comments about the noise are so fiendishly clever that I may almost let him off; by making these comments, Bernie is getting the media coverage that the F1 juggernaut survives on. The more people you get talking about it, the more people will probably end up watching it to find out for themselves.
Formula One is meant to be the premier race series in the world, but it needed a complete overhaul to try and rectify the very basic problems that should not exist in motorsport. Overtaking should be an assumed variable, not something that needs to be forced by boost buttons and extra horsepower.
Red Bull has fingers in almost every sporting pie that there is, from football to extreme sports to air shows to rallying. They are in every right to leave the sport if they feel that it has deteriorated to the point of certain death. If the ultimate sporting sponsor withdraws from the ‘ultimate’ motorsport, then said sport is in serious trouble.
But of course, I am writing this with Vettel having taken a strong 2nd place on the grid at Malaysia, so Red Bull may suddenly change their mind and everything be bright and beautiful again. And of course, the first thing I saw when Red Bull got their wonder child back to the top, Christian Horner filling my screen with his…face and his…words. Red Bull often do throw their toys out the car when they do not get everything they want, it is just something that we must get used to. In fact it may work in their favour, toys thrown out the car will make it lighter and therefore faster. See, not all bad! Unless they fail the weight checks then…
If I am to be totally honest, I think that Red Bull are still in shock now they are not top dogs anymore, and have not yet adjusted to playing catch up, whereas before they would be leading the way. It is no secret that F1 is a sport that does have its problems; but it does have its perks. It is worth seeing this new era through. As I always say, people called Darwin and his theory of evolution stupid when he first published it.
Time is but a mysterious mistress with the power to mould the fabric of culture. Or something.
All I ask Red Bull: don’t throw the controller at the wall, just hit pause, take a deep breath, and press on. A little bit of determination never hurt anyone.
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BTCC: A Return To The World Stage?
The start of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship draws ever closer, and the recent outpouring of announcements have laid the foundations for what will be a year to go down in the history books. I have written previously about how this year will see 7 Former Champions competing for the crown, with a rumour of a possible eighth in Robb Gravett. And of course we have the factory Honda team entering a Civic Estate, the first time since the famous Volvo of 1994. The most recent news has been a confirmation of something everyone has been excited about since the close of the 2013 season…
There will be a 31 car grid for the 2014 season. That’s right, 31. Of those 31 drivers, 11 manufacturers are represented, including 14 different models. That is what you call variety. The BTCC has become one of the most vibrant grids of any world motorsport series.
BTCC has confirmed a 31 car grid for 2014. Image Credit: BTCC.net
Originally, TOCA had set a maximum of 30 licenses for the year, but how can anyone say no to the British Touring Cars? To understand the significance of this, let us go back in time to 2001. 2001 represented the last significant rule change in the BTCC; the Super Touring cars had become too expensive so the rules were changed dramatically to save money. As a result, the start of the 2001 championship consisted of a field of barely 5 cars. By the end of the year, the touring class had just about nudged 10, saved only by the tidal wave of production class entries. Ever since then, the championship has been in a kind of recovery mode. However they tried to spin it, it was tear jerkingly obvious that the BTCC was struggling to gain any kind of recognition; they were living in the shadow of their former glories. There have been slight rule changes such as Super 2000 in 2007 which saw the reliance on similar regulations as that of the European and World touring car series. Finally, in 2009 the BTCC released the details of the NGTC (Next Generation Touring Car) which would further reduce costs, separating the cars from the international touring car series, while also reducing performance differences between cars in the field. This was fully implemented in 2011, and suddenly everything began to change…
In 2001, the BTCC field was embarrassingly small, which lost a lot of the fanbase that had been so strong in the 90s
The reduced running costs gave more teams a chance to enter the championship, and little by little the field began to increase in size. Since 2011, the championship has exploded back into the limelight of British motorsport, displaying the same exciting, gritty and genuine racing talent that made the sport so successful in the 1990s. I believe that it was this very fact that enticed so many former champions back to the field. Alain Menu himself has said that he could not wait to return to the championship this year for the very reason that it had once again become so passionately exciting.
The final races of last years championship is the perfect representation of everything I have been saying. The final meeting could have seen any one of three drivers take the crown. The races at Brands Hatch were plagued by the unpredictable, explosive mistress that was heavy rain. In changing conditions, everything was up for grabs. It all came down to the final race where Andrew Jordan proved his worth as a champion with a drive from the very back of the grid to clinch the crown.
Andrew Jordan will be hoping to defend his crown in what will be a legendary year for the BTCC. Image Credit: BTCC.net
A Fruitful Future?
Back in the 1990s, the British Touring Car Championship was a truly international affair; the championship itself may have been based in the UK, but top drivers from all disciplines across the globe flocked to take part. By the late 90s, finding British drivers in the BTCC became a genuine rarity. However, when the championship fell head first into its embarrassing identity slump, most drivers disappeared over to the World Touring Car Championship, which at that time was significantly better televised and fruitful for the drivers.
I have a feeling that this may all be about to change. The return of the champions also sees a return of the international driver. Among the predominantly British field, we have Italian, Swiss, Irish and American drivers. If the touring cars continue on their rocket ship to the cosmos of awesome and beyond, I foresee that the world class drivers will come streaming back to the BTCC. I believe that the BTCC is fast returning to the glory days of old; it is not only the jewel of British motorsport, but it is fast scaling the mountain to global domination. The BTCC would once be shown on Grandstand, the prime sporting programme on the BBC, and gained a place in the hearts of our nation. These days, it is given full race day coverage on ITV4. ITV4 may be one of the ‘other’ channels to the main ITV (which is second to BBC), but not even the F1 gets full coverage including the support races.
The increasing success of this new era will see a new popularity through increased exposure; I foresee some of the main races being shown on the main ITV channel, mainly to show that there is actually decent motorsport out there, given the current failures of the new F1 season. But that is another story.
Are we seeing a return of the glory days?
The future’s bright. The future’s tin top.
Bring on the 29th/30th March.
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WTF is the new Cadillac?
Now I love cars. Chances are that this will come as no shock to you whatsoever. Cars are just great aren’t they? And what really gets my V12 purring is knowing that the automotive world is always on the cutting edge of the modern world. Whatever it may be, there is always another new development, another boundary being pushed, another mind that is blown. The technology developed in the motoring world is driving us into a whole new future.
Futuristic? As children, adults or even very attentive family pets, everyone loves a bit of sci-fi futuristic wizardry. Deny it all we like, there is a sci-fi geek hiding in all of us, trapped in the delicate force field of balance between our sense of shame and childish wonder. You claim you hate Star Trek but at least once in your life you have indulged in a moment of live long and prosper. My point is, it is always fun looking into future and seeing what may come tumbling from human imagination.
Every now and again we are given the delectable treat for the eyeballs that is the latest designs for concept cars. Sometimes they are your conventional hypercars of ultimate destruction (I say conventional, you get my point), and other times they are something brand new. Once it was solar power, but now we have moved on.
Now, what is the craziest car concept you can think of? A car powered by the pure power of Tom Jones’ vocals? A new green machine that runs off the power of electric eels?
Well until then, how about this…?
The Cadillac ‘World Thorium Fuel’ Concept
Are you impressed yet? This is the Cadillac World Thorium Fuel concept car of the future, a nuclear-powered car that has been designed by the absolute beauty that is Loren Kulesus. Anyone who can pull this out of their mind machine has my full respect. I love the erm… carefully chosen name that has been given to this car, Mr Kulesus you are fooling no-one. This is the future right here. Honestly, if I had to describe this car, WTF would definitely be what I would use as well. Aptly named really.
So, what exactly going on here in this futuristic spaceship of awesome:
- The car is powered by Thorium. Thorium is a radioactive metal that can be used as a nuclear fuel. Yes you did just read that correctly, this car will essentially be powered by a mini nuclear plant. WTF indeed.
- Apparently standard tyres just aren’t cool anymore yo. This Cadillac has 6 individual mini wheels that each have their own independent motor that come together to form what we prehistoric dinosaurs would call wheels. WTF indeed. This fancy new ‘motion-direction-circles’ would never have to be changed, Mr Kulesus says.
This car was designed back in 2009. Back then it was just a concept. But that was then. This is now. Laser Power Systems (LPS), from the USA has now set to work on developing this whole new automotive propulsion system that could revolutionise car travel forever.
Looking at the car itself though, I can’t say that practicality seemed very high up on the menu. How on earth would you even get into one of these? And once you are in, are you essentially going to be driving with your behind on the ground? Better hope the road isn’t too bumpy. Although, imagine turning up to a party in a WTF. Now THAT is a way to get peoples attention. Just better hope you picked the right outfit and know how to gracefully get out of this machine.
Either way, this car does make me happy. Look at it. It’s like its come straight out of Star Wars. And I love Star Wars.
Thorium? What is Thorium?
As I said before, Thorium is a radioactive metal that can be utilised for fuel. Its biggest advantage is that the material is so dense it has the ability to create mind-boggling levels of heat. So through using thorium to produce a laser that will heat water, create steam and power a turbine. And that, dear friends, will create motion.
To put the awesome power of Thorium into some form of perspective, 1 gram of this substance has the same power as 28,000 litres of traditional petrol. Not only that, but LPS CEO Charles Stevens claims that 8 grams of Thorium fuel will be enough to power one of these cars for about 100 years. This LPS development program aims to have this technology in mass production as soon as possible.
In general, Thorium is actually a pretty good idea for energy production. Firstly, the usual process to retrieve weapons-grade fissionable material from a Thorium reactor is outrageously difficult. Therefore using Thorium only reactors would significantly reduce the risk of nuclear weapons. Not only that but the radioactive waste produced by Thorium is up to 10,000 times less long lived than most other material. And finally, in an acceleration driven reactor, Thorium cannot maintain nuclear chain reaction without priming, which yet again reduces the risk of destruction, sadness and bad press.
Overall, it sounds pretty good wouldn’t you say?
Inside, we see the WTF for what it is… Image Credit: www.cutedesign.com
Now obviously, most of this information has been taken from LPS themselves, so I will go on record and say that not every word that has been uttered should be believed. I am pretty sure if Thorium had the potential to reshape the foundations of America they probably wouldn’t mention that. But then again, I would also hope that if this was true they wouldn’t be trying to put it into their cars anyway. Especially as you know, cars crash pretty badly sometimes. I don’t know about you, but Id rather not be driving knowing that one wrong turn might end up giving me 3 heads. But each to their own I guess.
If the WTF goes well, maybe Cadillac may branch out and improve their other cars, like the LMAO-bach, or even branch out into the world of flying with the ROFLcopter. I couldn’t resist I’m sorry.
If this is the future, I have only one thing to say.
WTF.
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