7 Most Impressive Drivers So Far: Daniel Ricciardo

When I set out to write this thing, I had intended not to post two drivers from the same team but I really had no other choice because as much as I prefer Jean-Eric Vergne, I still really like Daniel Ricciardo.

As previously mentioned when I covered Vergne at the start of the week, I have been impressed with both Toro Rosso driver's this season. With Mark Webber opting to leave Formula 1 at the end of the year, after titan names like Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso Red Bull have been considering their sister team for younger talent.

As time goes on and as Spa looms upon us, the odds tell us that Red Bull will announce their new driver for next season at the weekend, but this is still speculation and not my opinion. German and Finnish newspapers seemed to have gotten mixed up in their media circus as one said Kimi was going nowhere and the other said he's signed the Red Bull contract. Today his manager has said he will not be joining Red Bull.

The way Alonso is getting on, it looks as though he wants out of Ferrari, but I honestly can't see Sebastian Vettel liking that too much, he'll probably run and cry to Helmut Marko if Alonso steps anywhere near a Red Bull building. 

That only leaves two people and considering the hype has always surrounded Ricciardo and not Vergne, despite the Frenchman being more successful, it looks as if Ricciardo is stepping up in the world for 2014.

So hypothetically, what can Ricciardo bring to Red Bull that Mark Webber lacked?

Fantastic qualifying. He has made it into Q3 four times this season and has scored well in two of the races where he started quite high up on the grid. If he hopes to better Vettel he'll need to do this on a consistent basis.

There's not that much difference between Webber and Ricciardo. Both Australian's are great fun, they both have fantastic personalities and smiles, the fans love them and they are both dedicated drivers. I just worry that Ricciardo will be bred as another number 2. 

It could be a totally different story when he gets there. He could turn up to race one next year and take the whole world by storm. Two years separate him and Vettel, so if there's anything Vettel can do, Ricciardo should be able to do it just as well in a Newey designed car.

Let's just hope Red Bull learnt the meanings of the words 'biased' and 'equality' before next season.

7 Most Impressive Drivers So Far: Jean-Eric Vergne

When Mark Webber announced he was leaving Formula 1 at the end of the year, speculation immediately turned to the sister Red Bull team Toro Rosso and their young talents.

Despite scoring more points than Daniel Ricciardo this season, Jean-Eric Vergne has failed to finish four races this season while Ricciardo has only retired from two, one being Monaco where he was shafted majorly. It is because of this and Ricciardo's supreme qualifying results that has saw Jean-Eric Vergne being overlooked for the Red Bull seat.

Rumours in the world of F1 have suggested that heavyweights such as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso have pushed JEV off the short-list entirely, and looks to be staying with Toro Rosso next season.

To me it's a huge shame that the Red Bull hierarchy (Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko and The Godfather, Dietrich Mateschitz) have chosen to review Ricciardo's progress rather than JEV's.

Regular readers will be aware that I like Ricciardo and have nothing other than positive things to say about the young man. That being said 10 out of 10 times I would pick Jean-Eric Vergne for the simple season of him scoring more points. I think over the course of a season, JEV has the energy and the will to provide over an entire season. This was always Mark Webber's problem, he would do well in parts but under perform in others.

While he may not have been a superstar in 2013, Vergne has definitely continued to deliver time and time again and even though he looks to have lost out, he still remains committed to his own personal cause.  

Webber Leaves More Than An Empty Seat

27th June 2013, Mark Webber confirmed what most already knew, that he would be leaving Red Bull at the end of the season. What we didn't know was that it would be forever when he announced he would be joining Porsche's new LMP1 programme and will compete in a full WEC season.

I'm gutted to hear about it. He is a true talent and Red Bull have lost possibly the brightest personality on the grid.

Irrespective of talent, Webber was F1's last true gentleman. He conducted himself well in the face of adversity, and always gave his 110% even when he was treated poorly.


His smile will be missed, his banter will be missed, his Grosjean jibes will be missed, his good looks will be missed, there is absolutely nothing negative anybody can say about this driver, other than that he should have had a world championship, but was robbed by those who were supposed to protect him.

Glory awaits him with Porsche, that much is certain and like Robert Kubica in WRC, I will follow every single move this man makes.

Where It Leaves Red Bull

As I discussed over at Let's Talk F1, the man to replace Webber will be a difficult process considering the eclectic options.

But Red Bull could find themselves in a bigger mess now than what they already have created.






Mark Webber was undeniably more liked than Sebastian Vettel. This isn't even a personal statement it is fact. Take Silverstone for example, when Vettel retired, the crowd roared, when Webber came second the crowd roared louder. Even in Canada when Vettel won, the crowd there booed him. How do you combat that?

Will any young driver want to join Red Bull? Strange statement but think about it, you know you're going to be oppressed, you've seen the damage Vettel does to team mate's careers, if he's not willing to be a team player why would you join the team?

The attraction of a winning team like Red Bull is exciting, but the better option could be to stay put until another big team opens their doors.

Raikkonen & Vettel are good friends, but the pair could be volatile together.

Big shoes to fill doesn't even come close to how important it is to pick the right guy. Sure a big name like Kimi Raikkonen is attractive, and he would get along with Vettel on a personal level.

However there is absolutely no way Raikkonen would put up with the nonsense that Webber did. The implosion within the team would be cataclysmic and counter productive.

If not Raikkonen then who else? He is the only one who can bring mass quantities of consistency to the table, not to mention experience or skills. 

If they employ a rookie yes the 2nd driver role is filled but out goes everything Mark stood for!

Red Bull have left themselves a ridiculously hard task, but they need to learn from their mistakes.

One of the reasons why the Vettel-Webber relationship was dangerous was because Webber never once signed up for the 2nd driver role, it was thrust unfairly upon him. The next driver if he is young needs to be made fully aware of where he stands in the team. "You are either playing support, or you're not playing at all." 

What the driver needs to say to himself is: "yes I'm here as 2nd driver, but look what I can do." If he is good enough, he will wait until a chance pops up. Then it's up to his inner champion to clinch the golden opportunity. Who will it be? Let me know in the comments.

The Story So Far... Part Three

The front runners this year have had a turbulent time as of yet. The only team who have been capable of looking after their tyres have only won a single race, while Ferrari have had a roller-coaster season thus far. The only consistent team have been Red Bull, however they have not been without their problems.

All things considered, no one has had a more disastrous time than McLaren. Let's delve a little deeper!

NOTE: I am not proud of the puns.

Lotus
The aftermath of the season opener left a huge Raikkonen fan like me in ecstasy. I was sure the season was going to be great, after all I had already made a pre season bet for Kimi.

However, things haven't been the same since. Yes yes yes, the tyre management is ace in the dry, and Kimi is still scoring points, but recently Lotus fans have had to endure rough times.

James Allison's departure has damaged the title hopes. With Mercedes on the rise, and Ferrari and Red Bull pulling away, 4th place is not good enough but unfortunately that is where the team is heading.

Maybe I'm being hard on the team? All I know is performances have been lacklustre. 

Romain Grosjean
His place as 2nd driver has been firmly cemented now.

This helps his confidence levels as has been shown. Without any pressure, he can concentrate on his driving. The first five races are proof, first lap and other laps incident free. That's a win in my eyes. Granted Monaco showed us the old Grosjean, but that's Monaco for you!

Team principle Eric Boullier (also Grosjean's manager) has always stated that Romain is a future world champion in the making. At the minute this statement is a little hard to materialize in my mind. Considering the losses Lotus are currently enduring (Allison leaving, big sponsors selling shares) I don't think anyone can be world champion at this team for some time.

Kimi Raikkonen
First of all, can he do it? Yes.

I have been extremely critical of Kimi recently. With bloody good reasons too. After the best start possible, he lost ground in Malaysia.Next followed a string of 2nd places, two of which he should have won (Spain was far beyond his reach). 

His performance in Monaco was extremely poor. A race he was supposed to do well in, he hit major flop, granted not all his fault, a particular Mexican became very bumper happy.

The lowest point this season so far was in Canada. Kimi just looked like he didn't care any more. Which is grand for personality, but when it comes to challenging for the title, it's not good enough.

Hopefully getting lapped will have kicked his ass into gear. Silverstone is by far a Lotus track. Not a winning opportunity, but a starting point.

Even though this equalling points record thing is great, it's not doing anything for the drivers championship. It's all well and good if Kimi gets on or two points on Vettel on a run of three or four races, but then it's a giant set back when Vettel wins and Kimi flops. Right back at square one.

It's sad to see a season where McLaren and Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton are no longer race winning contenders, and yet Kimi still struggles to be on top of the podium.

I'm negative at times, but I always do believe. Although I am starting to question if he really does know what he's doing.

McLaren
There's nothing I can say here that you are not already aware of. This is a disaster for "Britain's Best."

Revolution over evolution in the car's design did not help. Keeping the old car should have been a no brainer, not they're following William's into a dark descent. An abyss with no return is impending.

Sergio Perez
I have no idea how a driver can go from the heights of last year to the depths of this one.

His temperament on track this year has been tragic. The crap car excuse can only stretch so far, he has to accept some blame.

So far he has failed to do it. The events with Button in Bahrain, I thought Perez was entirely within his rights. However the events at Monaco I cannot defend. Not only did he attempt an entirely dangerous move on Raikkonen, he then had the gall to say it was Kimi's fault.

I would love to have been the one to punch him. It would have been great to read the headline "Checo Wins __ Grand Prix" and he genuinely thought he had a championship winning opportunity. The team has let him down on this basis, but his own attitude has not helped.

To make the most of this mess, he needs to keep out of trouble and stay positive. Something he's doing better than his team mate.

Jenson Button
I've always thought Jenson was the best at what he does. Last season, he proved he was Britain's best after he (in my opinion) out shone Lewis Hamilton, just like the season before that.

This year, Jenson has shown his darker side. A whiner, less likeable character. He blames everyone else for his mistakes, including Perez whenever he should take a leaf from Paul di Resta's book and aim his frustration to the people who need it.

THE TEAM. They have delivered a heap of metal that is not performing as well as the budget that they allow. Granted constantly complaining isn't helping matters, it might get someone in R&D to get motivated. It won't help the British cause going into Silverstone, but everyone loves his smile!

Ferrari
Results have been fluctuating to say the least, It seems to be going from extremely well, to extremely dire. If they follow the current patten, Silverstone will be a nightmare.

Luckily enough Fernando is an expert of the track. Hopefully he'll seal the win this year. I also think Massa has a chance to bag a long awaited win.

Felipe Massa
Barring an odd Bahrain and devastating Monaco, this season has been excellent, even by post 2009 Massa standards.  

Consistency is the best way to describe his on track performance. I also personally believe Massa's five year wait for a win is coming to an end. The dream would be at Interlagos, but in this day and age of Formula 1, what I want never happens.

Fernando Alonso
The up-and-down nature of Alonso's season is not helping his title charge. As I see it right now, Fernando is the single contender to Vettel. And The German is currently coasting to a 4th world championship.

Fernando should be aiming to generate consistency. Beating Vettel simply won't be enough, opportunities have never been greater, the only thing letting him down is his qualifying. Ferrari's last pole position was Silverstone last year. With the British Grand Prix coming up, now is his best chance to turn everything around.

Fernando also needs to watch for a resurgent Kimi, but the best chance for a drivers championship at Ferrari is now.

Red Bull
As the saying goes, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything They have again managed to fluke, lie and deceive their way to the top.

The focal point of the season is obviously the disgrace that occurred at Malaysia. But I'm not getting into that again, and you read my feelings here & here, the incident which I have dubbed Twat-gate following an hilarious tweet.

Mark Webber
Mark Webber has only made a few bad mistakes this year. The first was that Christ awful haircut. The second was at the Chinese Grand Prix where he t-boned the Toro Rosso.

He handled the Twat-gate scandal with relative ease, simply not letting Vettel away with it. He called him up on it and made sure the world knew he had been wronged. It was the team who had let him down, but why would anyone want to disturb the golden child at Red Bull?

Webber won the only Grand Prix I have attended (Silverstone 2012) so I have a soft spot for this guy. His problem is that he is in the shadow of a fake driver. But I'm not getting into that again. 

This could very well be Webber's last season at Red Bull. If it is, I would like him to walk away with at least one win.

Sebastian Vettel
Why is he still on top? Three-fold answer:
1) He is still a major fluke. Nobody can defend that anymore.

2) He's a cheat. Malaysia, if you are still disillusioned, get your head looked at. You may have a severe mental disorder.

3) He hasn't put a foot wrong. Did I just compliment Sebastian Vettel? His lowest finishing place this year? 4th. When did he last achieve that? 2011, and I don't need to go into detail of what happened in that year.

While Kimi has failed, Fernando has flopped and Hamilton is no match for Red Bull, he has seized the opportunity to take the early advantage. And he might not let it go.

I had to explain to someone recently why there is no use in hoping Vettel's car will fail or he'll retire: because that kind of bad luck doesn't happen to Vettel.. It has nothing to do talent, it's pure fluke.

The way I see it, if Vettel grabs pole, Houston60 doesn't mind missing the race. His performances in Europe are mixed... Between 1st place and 3rd but when the Asian tracks hit, it's all Vettel town. Considering nothing looks like picking up for Kimi, and Alonso can't find consistency, Vettel may very well have walked away with the championship already.

But I always believe in one man:

#KINGKIMI

Rosberg Wins The Crown Jewel Of F1

Personally, the result of this race was a disaster, and I can't help feel at this early point that at the end of 2013, certain drivers will be kicking themselves after Monaco. Lots of negative things to say but first, a big congratulations to Nico Rosberg!

The Mercedes driver led from the very first lap to the chequered flag, not necessarily putting to bed the tyre issue. While Monaco is without doubt the most technical track on the calendar, it's technical for drivers skills not the balance of the car. It never has been a true test of the car.

Nevertheless, Rosberg had a great drive and I always would have liked him to get the first win over [team mate] Lewis Hamilton during their time at Mercedes. The German looked in control the whole race, almost like he was never pressured from behind. Fluent pit stops and no arguments, a lot of fortune from two safety car periods.

Hamilton did of course get screwed over by the first safety car period. A huge crash from Felipe Massa was deemed enough to launch the Mercedes SLS, but I personally thought this was unnecessary. He wasn't in a dangerous enough place and all the debris was in the run off area (only a little at the impact point further up). Yellow flags would have sufficed. It definitely gifted F1 fake Sebastian Vettel 2nd place. The flukiest driver on the planet was once again given points on a Silver platter.

Great drivers from both the Force India guys. Adrian Sutil proved that overtaking at Monaco is possible if you focus, and Paul di Resta developed an amazing attack, overtaking on the outside of turn 1. He was a fantastic spectacle to watch, and my driver of the day.

Other drivers from Jean-Eric Vergne and Max Chilton really gives me faith for the future of the sport. Maybe now we can stop looking for rookie drivers and get more experience on the grid for next season.

Unfortunately that's all the nice I can say about the race. I don't like Monaco anyways and I knew it would not be a great day for my favourite driver, Kimi Raikkonen so I was hoping he could do some form of damage limitation. 

But oh-no, he proved once again he will not overtake unless he absolutely can. While this may sound a great thing to do, and ultimately secured him 3rd last year,  it's not good enough for a title finish. Here's why. Say over the course of two or three races, Kimi builds like an eight point lead over Vettel by just finishing once place above him each time. What happens after that fourth race when Vettel flukes the win and Kimi gets stuck behind a slower car? He has all that work to do again.

That happened at Monaco. First off I thought (before the safety car) Lotus would have gone for a 1-stop less strategy from everybody else, but they opted against it. Then after the red flag from a horrific crash from Pastor Maldonado, he stayed on soft tyres when everyone else switched to super softs. This may have seemed the bright thing to do with thirty laps remaining, but as it turned out degradation never really kicked in, and the super softs were the smarter option.

None of this mattered of course because thanks to a feisty Mexican (more on him soon) Raikkonen suffered a puncture. But Kimi has no one to blame but himself. He should never have been in that position in the first place. He spent far too much time behind Mark Webber at the start. The Red Bull driver was very slow and Raikkonen failed to capitalise. Then the same sob story happened when he got stuck behind Hamilton AGAIN. I dunno what it is when he's stuck behind the Mercedes cars!

Raikkonen wasn't all there this weekend, it's almost like he wasn't trying. This conservative nature has to stop, or he's lost the championship. Although overtaking cause team mate Romain Grosjean his place in the race (and the next following a 10 place grid penalty for hitting Daniel Ricciardo) Kimi needs to take the risks soon.

McLaren also had a very disappointing day, and it's official: I am no longer a Jenson Button fan. I have never seen a more whiner driver in the history of the sport. He cries every race because Sergio Perez is quicker than him, and then he tries to get Perez a penalty! Unbelievable.

McLaren also issued team orders, but there is a very good chance this was FIA issued after Perez cut the chicane after the tunnel to avoid contact with Button. He soon got it back with a phenomenal over take, showing he had more skill than Button on the day.

However Perez was well out of order for hitting Raikkonen. He had no right to try that overtake, Kimi didn't leave him room because he wasn't supposed to heading into that turn! Perez had to retire and then blamed it all on Kimi! Although as I said, Kimi should not have been in that position in the first place, Perez should have known better. Where's his penalty?

The Ferrari's drove the nail into my coffin topping off a bad day for me. Massa endured a heavy shunt but I am glad he's okay. Alonso just didn't have any pace and was overtaken by nearly every driver on the track.

I had a day off work, so this is the only race I got to watch live. Unfortunately I had to watch it on Sky. I dunno where Sky hire their commentators but I'm glad they give mentally impaired people jobs. David Croft got over excited and then realised it was just a replay. To quote Montana: "what a fucking idiot."

I'm not happy and I'm feeling quite pessimistic about Canada which is disappointing considering I thought it would be the best race of the season. I don't know what to expect now. If my favourite drivers who I consider to be the most talented are letting the side down race after race, then it's going to be an easy season for Vettel.

And yes, I would let Raikkonen punch Perez in the face. Better yet I'll pay for all legal fees.

FINAL RESULT (BBC):

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes 2:17:52.056

2. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull +00:03.888

3. Mark Webber - Red Bull +00:06.314

4. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes +00:13.894

5. Adrian Sutil - Force India +00:21.477

6. Jenson Button - McLaren +00:23.103

7. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari +00:26.734

8. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso +00:27.223

9. Paul di Resta - Force India +00:27.608

10. Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus +00:36.582

11. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber +00:42.572

12. Valtteri Bottas - Williams +00:42.691

13. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber +00:43.212

14. Max Chilton - Marussia +00:49.885

15. Giedo van der Garde - Caterham +01:02.590

16. Sergio Perez - McLaren retired, 72 laps

17. Romain Grosjean - Lotus retired, 63 laps

18. Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso retired, 61 laps

19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia retired, 58 laps

20. Pastor Maldonado - Williams retired, 44 laps

21. Felipe Massa - Ferrari retired, 28 laps

22. Charles Pic - Caterham retired, 7 laps

No Monaco Qualifying

Sorry guys, I missed it today and won't see the highlights!  I think it's horrible that it was a Mercedes lock out, that gives no hope for overtaking,  Kimi just meeds to make sure he finishes above Vettel. But because Seb is the flukiest driver in the history of the universe, it's all against Kimi.

The only hope rests with Mark Webber... and that says it all!

Team Battles Occurring Early On & Remembering Ayrton Senna

Starting off, I'd like to apologise for my lack of activity. Poor connectivity to Twitter and the internet have all resulted in an F1 blackout, plus whenever Vettel flukes a win, nobody wants to write anything. Starting today I will be posting a blog everyday. Keep up to date on Twitter @Houston60. Also over on Let's Talk F1 I'll be continuing my 'Where Are They Now?' series.

When team mates clash, the whole world suddenly stops in disbelief. "Did he just do that?" Sometimes the blame is evident, sometimes it is not. Everyone even if they were not born during the era saw the most famous crash between team mates when it was depicted in the movie Senna, whenever Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost came together at Suzuka 1989. The most famous one of my era definitely has to be Turkey 2010 whenever Sebastian Vettel saw fit to drive like a maniac into Mark Webber, and then had the audacity to blame it on Webber. Not wanting to get into that argument now but my point is they don't happen often. 

This is why it is a shock that we've seen three already this season! Is this a theme we're going to see? Will Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado play up to their old habits and take out their Finnish team mates? Will the new dangerous drivers in Esteban Gutierrez and Giedo van der Garde create grey hairs on their bosses heads? I'm gonna take a look at the team mate clashes we've had so far this season.

Malaysia - Vettel proving that he is without a shadow of a doubt, an utter bell end.

Even though they didn't physically come together, the fallout from the puppet boy's ignorance and disregard for his team and our sport proved that the fake three time world champion is nothing more than a boy in a man's world. Vettel ignored orders from his bosses to steal the win from Webber who had turned his whole car down to minimum power to save rubber and fuel. 

Given the pair's rocky history, many Formula 1 commentators (me included) predicted that the incident was the straw that broke Webber's back, and as a result foresee that Webber will find fields anew next season. Even if it's a step down, it would still be better than being oppressed by every single Red Bull employee.

China - Feel the Force... On each other?

It seems that Adrian Sutil doesn't release his inner hulk on just his rivals. he also saves a bit for his own team mate. During the opening laps Paul di Resta was battling to get up the field but was eventually pushed wide by his team mate. Contact did occur but nothing serious to damage anyone's race. Racing incident or not, it all came back to Sutil after he endured a massive shunt from the most dangerous man in 2013, Esteban Gutierrez.



Bahrain - How can it get any worse?


If it's not an absolutely dismal qualifying performance, it's poor race pace, but on this particular day it was both and worse. McLaren have always had a "no team orders policy," one which we all thoroughly enjoy. But I guess Jenson Button only enjoys it when it's going his way. For the first time this season, Sergio Perez showed his class and produced a near classy drive. That was until he got too greedy and suddenly wanted a bite out of Button's car. The Brit was quick to get on the radio and complain, but that was the only speedy aspect of his race. it was only a little push, these things happen all of the time, and to tell your boss to tell your team mate to slow down is very Vettel-ish, and therefore frowned upon. Jenson needs to grow up quick and realise that it's a team effort in order to turn their season around. Checo's performance in this race was just what they needed. Combine that with Jenson's master-class and some big updates at Barcelona, and you've got yourself a tidier package. 

Three consecutive races with three consecutive team mate incidents is a heart stopping scenario, especially for the team bosses. Like me, they (and the rest) will be hoping they don't see any repeats. But can that be guaranteed? 

We all know Perez has A LOT on the line, and Webber WILL be looking for revenge. 2013 could throw up just about anything at the minute, but inter team collisions is something nobody wants.

Gone But Never Forgotten

RIP Ayrton Senna.

On the 13th of May 1994, not only did Formula 1 lose its leading light, the world lost a wonderful human being.

I never got the chance to watch Ayrton drive, I only have to watch archive footage to know that he was something special.

There was more to the man than just motor racing. He was a hero, a saint to his people in Brazil. Never letting the glam and glitter of Formula 1 divert him from his true cause, helping people especially children out of poverty.

The world sorely needs more Ayrton Senna's in it. Throughout his life he emphasised that family is key to a happy and healthy life. As much as a phenomenon that he was on track, I'll chose to celebrate Ayrton Senna's life through his actions as a person during his time on Earth.

Gone, but never, ever forgotten.

Still Unacceptable

My love letter to the Sebastian Vettel fans 

"Every Vettel fan is still so far up their arse with lies they can practically taste their brain."

After I cooled down from the weekend's events and taken a step back to look at my previous blog, I've come to the conclusion: that I'm still right and every Vettel fan is still so far up their arse with lies they can practically taste their brain. The fact that you're stilll defending this event that has put the sport in an awful light shows you're an absolute joke of a supporter.

The response to the situation has been absolutely staggering. The drivers are appalled, the media are surprisingly one sided, commentators are disgusted, one even wants Vettel banned! The response I got to my blog as overwhelming and Twitter was fuming too, I'd personally like to thank all those who got in touch. The fact that you're as passionate about this as I am, and that you're willing to be as open and as honest about it as I am is absolutely amazing. It really goes to show how many real fans there still are. Don't get me wrong, there's still the odd arsehole on Twitter and Instagram who cannot admit that they are wrong, or see the issue here, and it's these arseholes I'm aiming today's blow at.

Any 'fan' who has supported Vettel are quite keen on giving what I like to call; a politicians answer. This means in their messed up head, they think they've answered the question when in reality they have completely avoided it. So from now on, any Vettel 'fan' will now be called a patient, as you must have suffered some severe trauma to still miss the big picture.

Guys, it's nothing to do with getting points, or having the hunger. I'm not pro team orders or against them. It barely has anything to do with racing, it has to do with ETHICS. In the working world, if your boss tells you to do something, you bloody well do it. It's a case of them saying "jump" and you saying "how high?" But Vettel thought himself above his team principle Christian Horner, and thought he knew best.

So you can put away your silly points about wanting it more, or that Mark Webber was too slow, Sebastian was told to stay behind by his authority, and he didn't.

The point that really irritates me about the patients, is one of their favourite people to quote. Bare this in mind, I love Ayrton Senna. He is the greatest driver in the history of Formula 1, and I don't appreciate his name being used, but these patients are low enough like their idol Vettel to drag his name through the dirt. If you're not familiar with the famous Senna quote, here it is:

"And you [Jackie Stewart] know a lot about racing. And you should know that by being a racing driver, you are under risks all the time. By being a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver, because we are competing. We are competing to win, and the main motivation to all of us is to compete for victory; it's not to come 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th"

Senna lived his life by this, and his career, which has inspired a lot of drivers including Vettel obviously. It brought the Brazilian lots of success, 41 race wins and 3 world championships, so I can see why it's a great quote to use in an argument, and let's be honest, it instilled him as a legend forever.

Here comes the controversial point and the one the Vettel patients are missing. Alain Prost, Senna's rival for years lived by a completely different philosophy. He believed that if you only need so many points or a certain finish, then that's all that you need to do. He's a smart, well educated man, nicknamed 'The Professor' for a reason. You could say this makes him the polar opposite to Senna.

Now, do you want to know why his philosophy is better than Senna's, and why in the argument's case it renders Senna's quote moot? Because Prost was more successful than Senna. It's not a matter of talent (Senna was far more talented and the better driver), it's a matter of statistics and unless you are severely brain damaged and in the case of the hardcore Vettel fans, a total brain dead rabbit, you'll know statistics are a huge part of F1. Prost won 51 races and 4 world championships, all of which came before Senna's death. Not that I hope anyone would use that as an excuse.

I can see why pushing the limit is attractive, it gets results. But Prost's way, adopted by drivers like Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, gets the results more fairly. The only reason Vettel has won more championships is because of his car. 

The other point I absoutely adored was the whole "it has nothing to do with the car" or "Newey has nothing to do with it." It made me realise just how desperately pathetic some Vettel patients are and instead of arguing with you, I'm going to pity you. Because like your driver, you are a lost cause and a waste of my time.

Vettel and Webber have never had the same car. They've never had the same backing or resources. There's very simply the Red Bull corner, and the Webber corner. There is a car designed for Mark Webber, then there is the car designed to win the championship, all because of Adrian Newey. Vettel has nothing to do with it, if the roles were reversed, Webber would be a triple world champion, and maybe I'd be supporting the German. This should hopefully answer why Webber hasn't been champion yet. Not because of his (perceived) lack of ability, but because he has been oppressed by his team. Anybody denying this should really get themselves checked out for criminal levels of insanity.

The other arguments that have surfaced from the rats are the fact that Vettel is in it for himself, and the team are lucky to have him. When I challenged one, he tried to tell me that if Vettel was still in a Toro Rosso, he would still be a triple world champion. Well, I'll let you guess among yourselves what my response was.

The big issue with these people, is that you cannot cure stupidity. Vettel patients will always defend their boy because they cannot see beyond the bigger picture. The pity I have for you guys is astronomical, but I have no time for idiots.

Unacceptable

"The sports fan in me feels quite numb."

Right I don't know where to begin so off the bat I'm just going to say this; I've never liked Sebastian Vettel. He's not a real driver, he was gifted three world championships on a silver platter, he's had the easy route his whole career and has been protected by some people who are deemed untouchable. He is the puppet boy controlled by the puppet masters. Furthermore, on a Sunday or, race day, for most of them I am working which generally means I can only catch highlights, which is fine because I'm out earning a living to keep me afloat at university.

So I work hard for roughly ten hours on a Sunday 7-5 kind of job, long days work which I do enjoy, but come 5 o'clock I'm tired. I generally want to come home, have a nice dinner and relax watching some Grand Prix action and then I come on here and do my thing. So how does it feel knowing that I find out prematurely that one of only nineteen races this year has been tarnished in controversy by a driver who I despise more than any human being on the planet? Revolting.

I've not watched the race. I'm not going to. Read autosport, BBC, eurosport, Sky if you have too, it's all the same but it has to be sugar coated in order to remain "partial." Well, bias is a luxury I can afford, except it's not called bias and it means something completely different. It's called honesty, and here is what those websites all want to say:

Sebastian Vettel disgraces everything F1 by deifying team orders.

Yes, "disgraces". He is a disgrace to his team, to his country, to his fellow drivers but worst of all, he has had a total lack of respect for his team mate and us the fans. I don't want to hear any of this "racing" bollocks. he was told to stand down by his boss, and he refused. He has thought himself a better mind than his team principle, his arrogance sickens me.

There is no further doubt in my head, and I am not ashamed to say: Sebastian Vettel is utter scum. Any die hard Vettel fans who are reading this and thinking of commenting, don't bother your opinion is now and forever invalid (I will still publish just to let the world see how fickle you are). 

"Mark is too slow get him out of the way." Piss off you immature excuse of a human being. How can anybody criticise their team mate like that? Mark Webber has nothing to show for it because of Vettel being easily played, but he is the better racing driver and character of the two. It's him today I feel so sorry for because I can't see him wanting to be at Red Bull any more. If you gave him a drive in a Marussia he'd be happy to get away from that sly piece of work. Christian Horner and Adrian Newey need to handle this correctly. Who am I kidding, no they won't. 

Sad thing is, nothing will get done. As Webber says, "he is protected." The FIA can't do anything, it wasn't illegal. Red Bull can do something, but they won't. What they can actually do, is flag up something to do with the FIA, even something made up about Seb's car that deems it illegal, thus disqualifying Vettel and giving Mark his rightful place. The team are going to win the championship any way, they can afford to give up the points. But they won't for fear of upsetting their cry baby "world champion."  

This is how soccer-ball fans must feel every week, complete and utter jokes and mugs for actually watching nonsense events such as this. I'm not proud to be a fan of F1 today. I will be tomorrow again when I clear my head and realise there is still a long way to go, but right now the sports fan in me feels quite numb.

2013 Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying (Sunday Morning)

In in the unprecedented situation where we have qualy on a Sunday, the teams set off early on Sunday morning to pick up where they left off. The weather had continued on and off but the track was still damp.

Q2 - Despite the on-circuit conditions, the FIA deemed it safe enough for the DRS to be used but due to regulations, the driver aid can only be used in the two DRS zones. 

There were no big incidents like yesterday, Valtteri Bottas and Jean-Eric Vergne both going off track but the biggest moment came from Kimi Raikkonen who hit oversteer in the penultimate corner during a fast lap.

McLaren decided to be the first team to try the option supersoft tyre, Sergio Perez embarked into unknown territory and soon regretted it after he found that the conditions were too harsh for the option. Jenson Button soon realised this and before the curtain came down on Q2 he came back on the intermediate tyre to set a quick lap in order to enter Q3. To be quite honest, it was an absolutely hopeless move. Teams around McLaren were putting on fresh inters, yet they decided to try the least grippy tyre for a track that was still changing. Madness. 

In the end though, Nico Rosberg was fastest again.

OUT: HULKENBERG, SUTIL, VERGNE, RICCIARDO, PEREZ, BOTTAS

Really disappointing for Checo to go out on such a silly call, really doesn't instill a lot of confidence in your young driver if risks like that are going to be taken. Martin Whitmarsh was quoted as saying the team will "only be looking to score points" at this part of the season. Surely then the best thing to do would have been to get them in to Q3. Although Perez has managed to salvage podiums from these positions, different car, different pressure.

Q3 - No drivers were in any hurry to leave the comfort of their garages early, inters were the preferred choice when they did but it wasn't before long that the option supersofts became the fastest tyre.

In the end as the session finally came to a close, my predicted Red Bull front row lockout came to fruition as Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap with a 1m.27:407s, 0.4s quicker than his team mate Mark Webber. The closest challenger to the already dominant Bulls was Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton who was 0.6s off the pace. Rosberg who was quickest in the earlier sessions only managed 6th, a disappointing position considering his earlier pace.

The biggest down point of the morning was Button who was nearly 3s off Vettel's time down in 10th. After the session, he was quoted with saying "I'm surprised we're in Q3." Not good enough Jenson, McLaren as usual hitting out with an epic fail.

Grid:
1. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull
2. Mark Webber - Red Bull
3. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
4. Felipe Massa - Ferrari
5. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari
6. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
7. Kimi Raikkonen - Lotus
8. Romain Grosjean - Lotus
9. Paul di Resta - Force India
10. Jenson Button - McLaren

11: Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber
12: Adrian Sutil - Force India
13: Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso
14: Daniel Ricciardo - Toro Rosso
15: Sergio Perez - McLaren
16: Valtteri Bottas - Williams

17: Pastor Maldonado - Williams
18: Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber
19: Jules Bianchi - Marussia
20: Max Chilton - Marussia
21: Giedo van der Garde - Caterham
22: Charles Pic - Caterham

My Thoughts - Honestly, it's the nightmare start I was dreading. The fact of the matter is, Vettel was able to slip and slide everywhere on the lap before his fastest, and still went 0.9s quicker at the time. If this keeps up by China I have to say the interest in Formula 1 will just deteriorate.

Felipe Massa out-qualifying Fernando again is a great sign for his form, no immediate questions over the formers future early on will be a big change to debates around the paddock. Kimi Raikkonen is in a far better position that this time last year but just like every piece of machinery that wasn't designed by Adrian Newey, his Lotus team was miles off the pace.

For the race later on, expect the Bulls to tear away, Vettel-Webber 1-2 is guaranteed. The race will be for third, just like the whole season. Naive people will say "it's early days yet" but if anyone really knows the sport, you'll understand my negativity. As I've said before if it's the same story by China, well I can't see there being anything even close to 2012.

The teams should start thinking about 2014 right away, voices at Ferrari have stated they aren't even discussing it but after this result, there will be notes jotted down.

Preview: 2013 Australia Grand Prix

There is no better track to open a Formula One season than that in Melbourne. Albert Park or Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a 16 corner street circuit which traditionally since 1996 (bar two seasons) has been the calendar opener. There is a unique focus on this weekend because we don't know how the teams are going to preform. Yes from testing we have an idea, but there are some things that teams hide from us. After the lights go out, we'll have a clearer picture.

Track profile courtesy of Caterham Racing

Track Characteristics
Melbourne is a high downforce track which is also very demanding on the brakes. Pirelli have decided to open their campaign by providing the teams with supersoft and medium compounded tyres, the first time supersofts have been used at this circuit. Let's hope they hold out during the high speed corners. Grip levels will improve as the race goes on and with the average track temperature being 25°C, rain is highly unlikely. Going by testing figures, commentators expect a 2 or 3 stop race. The double DRS zones (which are now mandatory for each circuit) are on the pit straight and the straight between turns 2 & 3.

Jenson Button was the most recent winner, a circuit he tends to favour and succeed in. The story couldn't be more different for national hero Mark Webber who always seems to find nothing but disappointment at his home GP, however the odds are often reversed come Silverstone for the pair. An Australian driver has never won here.

Preview
A number of the teams will certainly feel uncomfortable following a rain ridden testing campaign in Barcelona. Lotus lost their impressive Jerez pace and a day without Kimi Raikkonen following his illness, they join a number of teams who will have very empty data logs. Due to no dramatic technical changes for this year, the cars performance's are expected to remain the same, so expect strong charges from the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso but most importantly, the McLaren of Jenson Button. No doubt though, all eyes will be on Lewis Hamilton in his new Mercedes.

The surprise form of the midfield teams like Sauber and Williams looks unlikely to make a re-insurgence, though do not rule it out. Challenges from the Force India of Paul di Resta would also be a welcome feature, and expect home boy Daniel Ricciardo to try and impress his crowd.

Qualifying
Always ridiculously hard to predict, I would always refuse to but since I've started this blog I feel obliged to. As quick as Sergio Perez was last year, I can't imagine him getting his first pole position in Formula 1, the same goes for team mate Button's chances. Pole position is most likely going to come from Vettel, Alonso or Raikkonen. I also think the people on the bandwagon are going to be highly disappointed after they see Mercedes's qualifying performance.

The Race
Expect a frantic 290m sprint to turn 1 as all drivers attempt to establish their roles within their respective teams and the grid's pecking order. However I genuinely think the drivers who will come out on top will be those who were in the title hunt at the tail end of last season. Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso will take 3rd, 2nd and 1st respectively whenever the race Down Under comes to a close.

After Sunday there are going to be a lot of satisfied F1 fans as this weekend ends the draught we so desperately hate. The last season of the current engines will not see a mighty unpredictable turn of events like last year, but round 1 will certainly give us the opening we know it can provide. 

Editors Note
Every weekend I will be providing qualifying and race reviews but due to my future Marshall and work commitments on a Saturday and Sunday and the BBC selling all my rights, I'll not be able to provide live coverage on Twitter or immediate reviews. To amend this, I plan to watch every highlight session with a note book on hand to jot down even the tiniest of details. Remember to keep it here for everything Formula 1, and follow me on Twitter @Houston60.