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.

7 Most Impressive Drivers So Far: Nico Rosberg

As if squaring up against Michael Schumacher wasn't enough and then beating him, Nico Rosberg now had a younger threat to compete against at Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton was coming.

I had originally considered the hype around Mercedes in 2013 to be a damp squib and predicted it would all implode in their face, but I have never been more wrong! This year's car has amazing one lap pace which can be seen by seven pole positions. This has all came at the price of high tyre degradation and earlier on in the season resulted in both drivers losing key points positions.

So when Nico Rosberg bagged his third successive pole position in the 6th round of the season in Monaco, most were expecting him to hold up the rest of the grid and force someone to take decisive overtaking measures. The truth could not have been further as Rosberg stormed to a massive win, where even Sebastian Vettel gave up on chasing him down.

Rosberg may not have scored as many points as Hamilton so far this season, but whenever all the media attention was on Hamilton, whenever all the talk was about Lewis, Nico Rosberg had continued to put in great race performances. At the end of the day, Nico Rosberg won the first race for this new Mercedes team last season, and he has won two more this season, while Lewis has only won the latest Grand Prix.

One of the key reasons I've put Nico on this (sort of) list of impressive drivers is that his performances are near enough on par with Hamilton's despite the varying levels of support within the Mercedes team. I'm not saying there's any bias but look at it this way; when Nico Rosberg qualified on pole three times in a row and won two Grand Prix's, Niki Lauda was nowhere to be seen or heard from. Whenever Lewis Hamilton won in Hungary, Lauda couldn't praise him quick enough. It's obviously not a huge factor yet, but it would be nice for him to acknowledge the German.

While there has been a lot of renovating been done on the Mercedes team, Nico Rosberg along with Ross Brawn have been constant factors and much like his father, he's destined to lift that driver's trophy eventually.

Hunt vs Lauda: The Genius

For your consideration, James Hunt.

As little as I know about James Hunt, I know an equal amount about Niki Lauda. Based on my own observations on both drivers, two words come to mind when comparing Niki Lauda to Hunt: polar opposite. When attempting to describe Niki Lauda on his own: genius.

Clash of the titans somehow doesn't even begin to sum up just how big these men really were for Formula 1. The Ron Howard movie 'Rush' is well anticipated among both the Formula 1 community and non motorsport fans. Top class director as well as two top class actors (Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl) well guarantee that the sport well benefit hugely from letting the public gaze into one of the most intensely fought battles. 

Fast, Consistent and Well Prepared.

Unlike Hunt, Niki Lauda was already a proven world champion. Considered to be the best in the era, his Ferrari was considered untouchable. Such character was reinforced from being such a popular world champion in 1975. Ferrari team principle Daniele Audetto summed him up as an intelligent being in that he was "fast and consistent" which came from being well prepared for every race and every presentable scenario. 

In every meaning of the word, Niki Lauda was described as a complete driver. Audetto noted that for every Grand Prix, Lauda would stay late, well after every driver and managers went home in order to make sure the mechanics were doing their jobs properly. He is described as "a perfectionist."

Being the complete opposite of Hunt didn't stop on track. While Hunt was a playa and a good looking fellow, Lauda was quiet and wasn't gifted in the looks department. James Hunt often called him 'Rat' to his face because that's what he looked like, but this was well humoured and part of the relationship between the two. 

Lauda's wife Marlene meant a lot to him. This showed a side to Formula 1 and Niki Lauda that I had never seen or known before. Despite the fact they have been divorced for some time, she had always been a major part of his life. 

Ferrari in the 70s was not a democracy. One man ruled with an iron fist. It was the man who had his name on the side of the car.

You don't even need to know about Formula 1 to know how ruthless Enzo Ferrari really was. He just was not a nice man. Brilliant man, absolute marvel but not nice. He only wanted his team to win, and therefore only ever favoured winners. Lauda was one of the few who Enzo called 'his favourite.' Lauda was able to block out the weight of the ego from the boss and transferred that energy into a winning Formula. That in itself sounds like a miracle from the outside looking in.

Of course, you can't talk about Niki Lauda and not mention the tradgey of what occurred at the Nurburgring. Despite being the fastest man during that point of the season, Lauda attempted to get the German GP cancelled through safety concerns. It was not be and the race was given the go ahead.

Against the track conditions, Lauda swapped wets for slicks and just before Bergwerk, Lauda lost control and hit the barriers and burst into flames. In the ensuing 400 degree Celsius madness another car collided with him. Moments later many drivers stopped to get him out but damage had been done. Severe burns to his face and head plus toxic gas inhalation meant Niki Lauda was left hanging on for his life.

Fortunately God had spared Niki, his willpower exceeded the norm and he made a remarkable recovery, albeit with permanent scarring, a missing ear and lung injuries. If the man didn't have respect at the time, he sure as hell got it after. A sensational human being had been to hell and back, and he still just wanted to race.

Two races later, Lauda demanded to race at Monza. Ferrari didn't want to rush him back, but there was nothing stopping him. Lauda found his rehabilitation in the form of driving his Ferrari at the home of Ferrari, where he was granted a hero's welcome. 

Despite the Hollywood story, Lauda failed to beat Hunt to the title after retiring from the final race of the season due to his own personal safety concerns.

Niki Lauda is the living embodiment of a fighter. He refused to stay down and because of it, he went on to becoming the best there was for his generation.

His 1976 campaign was unsuccessful, but the following season saw him crowned champion again. After a brief retirement spell, he joined McLaren to go on to become champion again in 1984. Two years later would see his final goodbyes.

His presence in modern day Formula 1 is bigger than ever. in 2012 it was announced he would become the non-executive Chairman of Mercedes AMG F1 team, and was involved in focal negotiations to bring Lewis Hamilton to the team.

Hunt vs Lauda: The Showman

In anticipation for the new Formula 1 movie about one of the most fiercest rivalries in the history of sport, BBC showed a phenomenal documentary about the 1976 Formula 1 season. It detailed James Hunt's challenge to the force of Ferrari and also the devastating crash that left Niki Lauda hanging on to life.

Ever since the preview that was shown on Top Gear a week ago, 'Rush' directed by Ron Howard and starring Thor himself Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) has now come to the mainstream attention of nations everywhere. I can personally say more people who know nothing about Formula 1 have asked me have I seen the Rush trailer than F1 fanatics.

My biggest concern for the film is that it focuses on the personal sides of both men rather than the actual sport, but I am still really excited for the movie. The documentary last night was absolutely sensational. 

It's very easy for someone of my age to read a few pieces on the internet and then say I know everything there is to know about Hunt and Lauda and what they went through. But the truth is I don't think anybody can really say they understand without having ever actually been around at the time. So don't think for one second that I understand everything being said last night because I simply cannot even fathom what happened back in 1976.

Shows like last night help give people like me a lens to look through. From what I gather, both were very special men, who both thought they were better than the other.

Fast, Flamboyant, Showman

James Hunt signed for McLaren in 1976, and the decision was met with great appraisal. Simon Taylor, a journalist at the time and radio commentator described Hunt as "popular and well loved" but thought his chances of winning the title were low, given the immense strength of Ferrari.

Those who knew him closest, saw a complete driver inside. James's sister Sally Jones described him as a "competitive but solitary kind of driver."  

McLaren's team principle Alastair Caldwell stated it was actually Hunt who rang him up about driving for McLaren that year. Imagine that now if Jenson Button or Paul di Resta rang up Ferrari or Red Bull for a drive! 

The general consensus of Hunt was that he loved a party. 'Sex for breakfast' was his start to the day and every after race party went well on until the next day. Despite the party animal, James Hunt was always 100% focused inside the car. Immediately after the chequered flag followed a kiss, cigarette and a dark humoured joke.

His unpredictable personality and wonderful jokes made him an absolute nightmare for sponsors. John Hogan who was an advertisement specialist for motorsport mentioned that "Hunt left a trail of destruction for straight laced sponsors." Despite this, some felt this played to Hunt's advantage. Taylor observed that instead of giving Malboro (McLaren's sponsor at the time) a bad name, he improved their image.


That particular example would be unthinkable in these times but that just shows the amount of pull Hunt had over the public. He was an icon and during times of hardship, he lifted (in particular) the British people's spirit. It's hard not to love a guy who, when asked what winning the British Grand Prix meant to him replied with: "9 points and $20, 000 means a lot dear boy!" It didn't stop when he got on to the podium, asking could the ceremony be paused until he grabbed a cigarette off a willing spectator.

Like many free spirits, the key to unleashing the full potential of the champion that was James Hunt, was to give him no boundaries. Caldwell put it in the simplest of terms: "Let Hunt be Hunt, and the results will follow." The results were hard to argue with. 

I'm glad that after all the miles of words that were spoken between Hunt and Lauda and about Hunt and Lauda, that they still had 100% respect towards each other.

James Hunt was something different and further proof that I was born in the wrong era, my tribute is learning and educating myself about a driver who paved the way for many aspirational racing drivers.

Hunt went on to retire in 79 and then became a commentator for Formula 1. Unfortunately like many of the brightest stars, James Hunt passed away in 1993. He was 45.

F1W04

Read what I had to say about Mercedes's 2013 challenger, the F1W04 here at Let's Talk F1.

Toto Weird Turn Of Events

"I just dread to think that a Motorsport lover will be replaced with somebody with money in their eyes" - My words from my blog on Norbert Haug's exit

I have to say, it doesn't take very much to confuse me but one of the biggest mind boggles I have ever come across is the world of business. So it's safe to say when the news about Toto Wolff apparently leaving his Williams post for Mercedes emerged, I scratched a hole in my head.

I'm not entirely sure about how confirmed it is, but my rule is if Autosport report it, it's probably right. To read their report, click here. 

It was to my understanding that he was going to become Sir Frank Williams successor, a move which I believe would have ushered in a new era of success at the team but it's not likely to be.

The more and more I learn about him, the more and more I start to like him. If he takes up the role, he'll effectively be replacing Nobert Haug who left Mercedes via mutual consent in December 2012. If you have been reading my blog you'll recall I wrote a piece on Haug's departure. If not, click here to read it.

It seems as though my fear has come true. At the end of the day, Wolff's a business man at heart ironically owning shares in Haug's DTM. How much will this affect the racing? My prediction, a lot.

Mercedes seem to be building a monopoly of total dominance: Once Schumacher was out of the way they started reshuffling the pack. They get rid of Haug and replaced him with Wolff, that covered the business end of things. It's a widely known fact that Niki Lauda is associated with the team, this covers the face and voice of Mercedes as he's a well known and respected character (I personally am a Hunt man but that's another story). And of course the biggest aspect to me and to the fans is the racing. Who did the team get to cover that? A man who many consider the quickest and best in Formula 1 at this current time. Lewis Hamilton has the racing covered.

Mercedes certainly have a hand to go all in with, but my guess is we won't see it this year. I think they'll break everyone in to their roles and quietly develop the revolutionary new engine for the season after. Then they spring their trap and complete a power shift, and as a factory team they, along with Ferrari and Lotus (Renault previously but they still have the factory relationship) will become the real power houses in the game. 

A new era is dawning and whatever anybodies opinion, there's no denying that Mercedes are certainly looking towards the future.