Various Bits & Bobs (1)

Hi guys, back at long last, it's been a while right? Instead of just getting ripped in to the latest news and stuff, I'm gonna just do a quick brief of little bits of news, everything from short Grand Prix summaries to the new Formula 1 game. I hope you enjoy!

Rush

The highly anticipated Formula 1 movie directed by Ron Howard was a massively speculated motion picture among us F1 fans, but how excited were the general public? Well out of all my friends who aren't to keen on the sport, not one person has said anything bad about it. 

My experience of the movie was absolutely epic. I loved every single second of the movie and honestly couldn't wait to watch it again. The noise was incredible, the cinema I saw it in captured the noise of the engines wonderfully, and the near fatal Lauda crash was enough to make any man tremble. 

There were a few moments that I would have considered 'silly' for example, a certain moment with James Hunt and a reporter, let's be honest if that had happened, we would have heard about it.

It may be too late to see it if you already haven't, but I would seriously consider pre-ordering the DVD. I know I have, blu-ray steel book edition.

Italian Grand Prix & Sebastian Vettel's Dominance

My pre Monza build up was essentially me gloating about how much I love the track and the aura surrounding the event.

So imagine my disappointment when Newey managed to dull the best event on the calendar. Setting the dominance aside for one second, it's getting annoying whenever Vettel has the race won on the Friday or Saturday. How people can justify him having any level of talent is still beyond me but it's come to the point where I just don't care anymore.

I've put Vettel fans in the same category as cyclists, annoying unwanted abusers. If you have any complaints to make about that statement, please keep it to yourself because nobody cares.

The most annoying aspect of that weekend was Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's qualifying. I'm gonna touch on this a little more in the next few days, but it's just not good enough. I can only assume they're focusing on 2014 but their Saturday performance is killing them, and it slowly got worse.

Singapore Grand Prix

From the absolute greatest Grand Prix on the calendar to the worst abomination since they let Louis Walsh judge talent. Yes for some reason Bernie Ecclestone thought it would b a great idea to run around a track where no overtaking is permitted and its greatest attraction is a few lights above a track.

What's worse is I never realised how many of you like it!! What's up with that? Where are all the real F1 fans who love real tracks like Silverstone and Spa?!?! It just weirds me out how so many people actually enjoy this track.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion (except for the aforementioned Vettel fans and Cyclists), my opinion was that the race was boring and Vettel had this won before he left Italy.

My Love With Monza

Driving a Ferrari at Monza must be the closest a man can come to being divine.

Despite being a British fan, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is not the first race weekend I look at on the calendar. My eyes go straight to September to find out what weekend Monza is happening over. I've been like this ever since I can remember. 

The 1998 Grand Prix is the earliest one I can remember, mostly because for some reason it was taped on an old VHS, and I had re-watched it so many times over the years. It was such an epic race, and of course a Ferrari 1-2 led by the God himself Michael Schumacher, followed by Eddie Irvine.

Monza currently caps off the European stretch of races, a fitting send off often because the memory of Monza tides me over for the following poor Asian races. One of the appeals of the circuit is the fast nature of the layout. It is the fastest circuit with the cars reaching their top possible speed at Monza. Teams often fit one of their brand new engines after Spa for Monza purely because of the demand put on them.

The history behind Monza is simply stunning. The old circuit ran through the forest, with the greatest attraction being the Pista di Alta Velocità banking which was one of the fastest corners in all of motor racing. Eventually the track had to be slowed down which led to a configuration and introduction of more chicanes. I would love to have seen a race on the old layout!

Excluding 1980 for construction work, Monza has hosted every Italian Grand Prix. A feat only beaten by Monaco.

My love for the circuit is also a little bit juvenile. The first F1 game I bought for the PS3 was F1 2010 and you started off as one of the bottom three teams and as one might imagine, I wasn't exactly competitive in the green Team Lotus. Somehow, miraculously I put the car on P2 on the grid. I don't know how but it happened. I got to the first chicane behind Lewis Hamilton and just as he was leaving it, he spun... I finished up P1... To this day I do not have a clue... But ever since then I just called myself the Master of Monza.

As a big lover of racing video games, Autodromo Nazionale Monza features in near enough all of them. Gran Turismo 5 is a particular talking point, it just looks like so much fun, I honestly cannot imagine what the real thing is like.

Even though it would seem like I've never had a bad thought about the track, I am realistic about how predictability race day is. Front row is always key here. Once you have secured P1 and P2 into the first chicane, that's it. And as we all know once Sebastian Vettel is first into the first corner, it''s all over because of the car. It's a formula that ruins many race weekends for me, but with Monza I always watch it through regardless.

In 2013, the pressure is on for many. One of the most intimidating factors of Monza is the Tifosi. Ferrari's army of hardcore and ruthless supporters can either make or break a driver's weekend. If a driver has had any previous connection to Ferrari, the fans will rally some support behind them. If not, you are considered the anti-Christ. Lewis Hamilton get boo'd last year when he won, simply for being a McLaren driver.

Obviously, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are under both tremendous support but deathly pressure. But driving a Ferrari at Monza must be the closest a man can come to being divine. You will hear the fans if neither are on the front row. Kimi Raikkonen must get his season back on track after his first DNF at Spa since his comeback. A new wheelbase might not save him, when has a wheelbase ever been the key to winning races. That being said I have no clue but I'm not hopeful.

Hamilton is probably favourite for pole, hopefully the Mercedes tyre issue is sorted because tyre wear is high. Italian pride may not exist in Pirelli this season, hopefully confidence will be restored after.

Regardless of events or the outcome, Monza will definitely throw up a huge level of excitement. This year's Formula 1 season has been extremely lacklustre. Most excitement has happened from a few blown tyres and a deserved retirement for Vettel at Silverstone. Australia was the best so far, and that was way back in March. Time for Monza to show us what it's made of. 

Same Story, Different Rubber

"The goal is to continuously set new challenges for the drivers and to ensure that all the teams start the season with a level playing field when it comes to the tyres." Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport director.

On Wednesday, Formula 1's exclusive tyre manufacturers Pirelli unveiled their new range of 2013 tyres. For those of you who recall the Brazillian Grand Prix last year, the teams got a taste of the brand new orange wall tyre to test in free practice, with most teams noticing higher degradation. 

Pirelli made the start of last season unique, producing 7 different winners in the first 7 races. However the teams eventually cracked the code to unlocking less tyre wear and as a result we ended up with Sebastian Vettel boring us all again like he did in 2011. 

This years tyres ensure more pitstops with at least 2 per race. I'm not sure I like this too much. Yes it's all well and good bringing in more pit time to shake up the race, but I don't necessarily like the fact that there's more of a chance to lose a grand prix or position in the pits as opposed to seeing great overtaking on track. Kimi Raikkonen (last season) scored at least a point in every race except China because his tyres wore away on him unexpectedly  Granted this was not entirely Pirelli's fault and I'm no blaming them, but this is an example of how unpredictable they were and how they changed races. Raikkonen dropped from 2nd to 13th.

All tyres now have softer compounds, this means softer sidewalls and stronger shoulders, producing faster thermal degradation. For those who struggle with the technical aspects, this means tyres will reach their peak performance much sooner with Pirelli even quoting they will be half a second quicker than last years.

According to the Formula 1 Official Website the colours still represent the same compounds, with orange replacing silver as the hard wall tyre. I think it was absolutely ridiculous to have both white and silver markings, you couldn't tell the damn things apart!

A lot of fans have a real disdain for Pirelli and I can see why. Even God himself (Michael Schumacher) stated he had a hard time figuring them out. I had no issue with the tyres until Monza last year. What IDIOT decided to use the hard and medium only at the fastest track on the calendar. If you're going to have hard braking points which you do at Monza, for the love of all that is holy, bring compounds that'll wear quicker. Not the hardest you can find. There really is no excuse I don't care how technical or fancy anyone puts it.

I also found it interesting that each tyre has it's own individual bar code which acts as its 'identification' so the FIA can keep track and note who's using which tyre. Teams get 6 sets of the harder compound and 5 sets of the softer compound to use during a racing weekend.

The Way It Should Be

If you've not read my previous blog regarding Bernie and my disdain for certain tracks on the Formula 1 calendar, click here.

I'm not going to add or replace any tracks, I'm only going to re-order them in the way which  I see fit. In my opinion, the calendar has a roller-coaster design in the sense that it starts off with a slow incline followed by a drastic exciting drop, and then all of a sudden we're in Bahrain. If you've not seen the calendar for the 2013 season, click here.

I'm a firm believer in the classics. Having been to the 2012 British Grand Prix at Silverstone I've fallen in love with the history surrounding it. Memories I'll hold for the rest of my life seeing Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen live. Surreal. Monza is undoubtedly my favourite track, high speeds broken up by the amazing chicanes, the lesmos and of course the ever important Curva Parabolica. I'm torn every year knowing that for the German Grand Prix, we're either visiting the F1 Nurburgring or Hockenheim, never both. In the summer of 2013 I'm visiting the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcalona, not to watch the race but just a track visit. My bucket list doesn't consist of jumping out of a plane, or having sex with Brad Pitt, but to visit Monza, Spa, BOTH German tracks, Interlagos, Suzuka, and even though I am not fond of street circuits, I would love to visit Monte Carlo. It's something all F1 fans should witness.

I'm sure tracks like Sepang, Albert Park, Shanghai International Circuit, Circuit de Catalunya, Circuit Gilles Villenuve, Hungaroring and the newest track in Austin will become greats on one condition: Bernie stops preventing them from fulfilling their true potential.

So if you've taken a look at the 2013 calendar you may get the same sort of feeling I got, Australia first, Brazil last, Britain far too early and for some reason the Singapore Grand Prix still exists. It's all getting a bit dull and predictable. But do not mistake my apathy for ignorance. The calendar is structured in the best possible way to ensure the cheapest modes of transport and efficiency.If you've not discovered this pattern or if you're new to the sport, here's a screen shot of the 2012 calendar from Wikipedia: 

Rounds 1-4 are not based on the same continent but they are close together, not exactly what I would call a stint or a leg. Rounds 5-6 are European races but they're split from the rest by round 7 in Canada. The European "leg" begins at round 8 in Valencia and finishes at round 13 in Italy which is the longest stretch in one continent. This is where the bulk of the classics take place. Rounds 14-18 are part of the Asian stretch, it picks up where Bahrain left off. Rounds 19 and 20 then take place in both Americas, finishing off the longest calendar in Formula 1 history. 

What I would suggest is similar to a legendary rock band who embark on a new tour. They play all their new crap first, then they get stuck into what the crowd really want. I Believe Formula 1 should take inspiration and begin shaking things up, building the excitement to an exploding climax (giggity).

The following is my proposal. I will then explain why I have structured it this way. Please bare in mind the 2013 calendar has not been finalised, and the race marked (*) is still subject to confirmation although I hope it's the one we end up going to. This is also not a rating system of my favourite tracks. I'd like to thank Wikipedia for their easy copy and paste system in which I was able to create this table (sorry it's not very neat).

1	Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur

2*	Austrian Grand Prix		Red Bull Ring, Spielberg

3	Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Marina Bay, Singapore

4	Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir

5	Airtel Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida

6	Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam

7	Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park, Melbourne

8	Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

9	UBS Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai

10	Gran Premio de España	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona

11	Magyar Nagydíj	Hungaroring, Budapest

12	United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin

13	Grand Prix du Canada	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal

14	Grand Prix de Monaco	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo

15	Shell Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps

16	Großer Preis von Deutschland	Nürburgring, Nürburg

17	Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka

18	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone

19	Gran Premio d'Italia	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza

20	Grande Prêmio do Brasil	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo

The reason why I'm not starting the season off with soul destroyers is because the fans deserve something to look forward to. They deserve to think the season starts off at round 1, not round 3 after Singapore and Bahrain. Round 1-2 (Malaysia-Austria) are circuits which have been around for quite some time. The first is well established whereas I'm hoping the Red Bull Ring makes a return (formerly the A1-Ring). I'm not discussing rounds 3-5 as I'll just be glad they're finished with. Even mentioning them makes me sick.

Round 6 at Korea is underrated, but when the drivers don't like it there's not a lot we can do. Albert Park (round 7) is a great opener, I just feel after these years it deserves to have the burden of opening the season lifted from its shoulders. Round 8 would not be so high up usually, but Kimi Raikkonen has made it a staple in the calendar after a brilliant drive and race win in 2012. Round 9-10 have been put there because they are great races and this is when the season takes its way too long break, so we deserve to leave on a good note so we can be excited for the final stretch.

Round 11 should bring us back to where I personally think will be a classic along the lines of Silverstone. The track is beautifully crafted and I suppose one of the reasons I love this track is that it's the closest home track for Kimi. I turned up to Silverstone with a Finland flag and I was the only one, purely because I love Kimi. Hungary is filled with them, it's fantastic! Round 12 at Austin is high up because of the great race produced at it's debut. It could never possibly go higher because of America's failure to grasp anything more than a left turn. Rounds 13-14 have been grouped together because they're street races. I am not a fan of Monte Carlo but I do respect it's history. Canada can never have an illustrious history like it, but these two back-to-back could produce some title twists. Round 15 begins the final stretch. Spa is the first of the classics. Saddened by the news that they may not be able to fund a Grand Prix in coming years, we should take a look back at the memories we've all gained from watching classic wet races, from the DC-Schumacher incident to Kimi's vodka fuel'd overtake at Eau Rouge.

Round 16 will be either of the two German tracks. I'll abstain from commenting on either as I am a firm believer in having them both on the one calendar at all times. 

Suzuka should host round 17 because I like the idea of having the "make one wrong move and you're finished" track towards the end. It's only one further down than the actual 2013 plan.

 Round 18 takes place in sunny Britain. Silverstone, the home of motor racing. Being that it's my home Grand Prix, I would just love the fact that my favourite driver could clinch the World Championship this far down. Silverstone is probably the biggest problem I have with the calendar, year after year. I compare it to the Foo Fighters: when they play live, their greatest song "The Pretender" is always top 3 or 4 during their set. And while this tune is an adrenaline pumper, it should be saved for an encore! The same applies for Silverstone. It should be kept to the end where it belongs.

Monza, my favourite of all the race tracks takes the penultimate round 19. I like to think I've played this track enough times in various racing games that if someone gave me a car, I'd be able to drive round it without instruction. It's the fastest of all the tracks and along with Britain, the Italian Grand Prix has remained every single season with Monza hosting all but one (1980 at Imola while Monza was under construction). Even with the Berniezation of all the great tracks being lost to the sand people circuits, Monza will always be featured, year after year, just like the final race of the calendar.

Round 20 remains the same for me. Brazil is the perfect finish to the racing season. Bar Newey's dominent 2011 season where he won the drivers and constructors championship early on, the title has been decided here quite often. Interlagos is by any definition, the perfect race. From the Senna's S to the amazing pit straight this track should only ever be the perfect place to finish a season. Brazil is the home of the greatest racing driver of all time. If the sport is to continue to pay homage to him, this needs to stay the final race.

We all have our favourite tracks, I can respect the fact that even though it's boring, Monte Carlo is the ultimate test for drivers. But for any racing fan, having all of the great tracks in a row is an amazing idea. It's something that never can come to fruition but the thought of a championship being won or lost because a driver showed he has the capability of riding out the challenges and demands of this calendar, or would he burn out and fade away while a predator waits to take the lead. 

I'm sure many of you have your own preferences, maybe you'd have all the street races in one go, or maybe you'd do away with a few tracks altogether! I'd love to know what you think so get in touch by posting a comment and I'll get right back to you! Or you can tweet me @Houston60 and let me know your favourite track!