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.

Preview: German Grand Prix 2013

Is there a grander and more gruesome track in Europe other than the Nurburgring? No... And therefore, it's the most difficult track in the world. And the Formula 1 drivers are only allowed to do the easy part of the track because no one would let real racing drivers (and Sebastian Vettel) loose on the Nordschleife!

I'm not even gutted that we don't have this circuit every year because the Hockenheimring is just as fantastic, but there is a sense of magic around this particular track.

Pirelli will not only be bringing the Medium and Soft compounds this weekend, they are also bringing restructured kevlar rear tyres after incredible failures at last week's British Grand Prix. At some point, Paul Hembery is going to have to admit that when driver safety comes into question, he's actually going to research how to build a half decent tyre.



Despite being a technically demanding 16 turn track, both tyre and brake wear is low. Downforce is often at it's highest, but the new tyres seem to be coping okay.

I am very well aware brand new tyres are going to disadvantage Lotus and play straight into Red Bull's hands, but I don't want something like Massa's 09 injury occurring to any driver. I defy any man or woman to think differently.

Not only are we back in Germany, I also got treated to the sight of Michael Schumacher this weekend! I miss him lots but his old Mercedes team are doing quite well in terms of getting their tyre management during the race under control. Lewis Hamilton's incident was in the fate of God, no one was going to stop him at Silverstone. If he isn't a good shout for pole, he's a race winning contender.

One way of fixing the tyre issue.

As is his team mate, Nico Rosberg. I don't want to jump on any bandwagons, but he is fairly close to becoming full circle. If he could just involve himself in a championship fight, we may see a real hero. Interesting fact, he wants to complete his 'home hat trick.' This is the three Grand Prix's where he has some sort of base. Monaco is where he grew up and lives, Silverstone is a few miles from Mercedes's base so he wants to win the German Grand Prix as he himself is a Native (minus the whole not living there thing).

Vettel can be considered favourite for most races, but never Germany. He normally flops at his home Grand Prix or in last year's case, gets himself demoted following illegal manoeuvre's. But just like in Canada, ducks can be broken. You would be foolish to count him out. 

Just like compatriot Adrian Sutil, I've never been too fond of the man and I'm still not, but the racing driver surely has given me some food for thought. In the wake be being shown up by Force India team mate Paul di Resta, Sutil has stepped up and has produced some wonderful results. I wouldn't count out di Resta too soon though, I think a podium is looming.

Fernando Alonso's main objective this weekend will be too finish ahead of Vettel. Even though it is not my favourite way of fighting a championship, it's the best way to play Vettel at his own game. With Kimi Raikkonen still trying to find some competitive race pace, and the fact Germany doesn't sit well for Kimi, this is Alonso's chance to pull away and gain at the same time.

It's a race that will separate the men from the boy's, let's just pray fate stays the hell away and let the professionals do what they do best: RACE.

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.

Silverstone

God Rest.

First off, I'd like to start this blog off by offering my condolences to the loved ones of Allan Simonsen who tragically passed away during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A death in motorsport is always tragic, any racing driver will be sadly missed.




The British Grand Prix at Silverstone

As mentioned many times, Silverstone 2012 was the first ever live Formula 1 race I attended. Me and three very close friends decided to have a lads holiday watching the pinnacle of motor racing. It was a weekend in which I will never forget.

This year I am giving it a miss. Instead I'll be watching the race from a bar in Salou and as grateful as I am to be going away, I am still very envious of British Grand Prix goers. Still, a break from the pissy weather conditions in Northern Ireland with someone special is still pretty cool.

I absolutely love Silverstone, in my eyes it's a terrific circuit and is considered among the heights of Monaco, Spa, Interlagos and Monaco. I still have my old map from last year. It is soaked to its very fibres. I really hope the weather is perfect this year. Having said that, my favourite condition is a wet qualifying session and a dry race.

After wandering about the track during qualifying, we decided to stand at Luffield, the combination of a timing screen and huge TV screen was epic and truly informative for someone who had lack of access to Twitter. Plus it's great seeing the cars at such low speeds.

Obviously I'll not be covering any results, but it's not hard to predict winners. It's a Red Bull circuit, and considering Sebastian Vettel's form, he could very well complete a very dominate victory. That being said, his team-mate Mark Webber is something of a specialist here. I think he secretly practises at night time since he only lives a few miles from the track.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is also a very strong racer at Silverstone, and Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen will be looking to get his title charge back on track now that those stupid street circuits are over for now.

British Hopes Are Feeble

Another thing I took from last year was the insane amount of support the British have for McLaren. It was crazy seeing a sea of orange hats. My friend Patrice caught and still has Jenson Button's hat from the F1 Forum last year.

This year there will be no surprise when Button and McLaren hopes flop. Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton will be the best opportunity for at least a podium. Hopefully McLaren can do something, The fans deserve something, driver appearances, free souvenirs, something to give back for their dedication.

I'll be cheering for Paul di Resta as always. He's such a talented driver and will be looking to prove to the British audience that he is capable of scrapping with the big boys.

With all being said, Max Chilton has as much chance as being a British winner as the other three do this year.

Soaring Ticket Prices To Blame For Record Low Ticket Sales

Whilst reading an article this week, I was shocked to discover that for a standard weekend ticket for the British Grand Prix is the third most expensive behind Interlagos and Abu Dhabi. 

That is sheer insanity on the face of it. 2012 broke the record for the most spectators at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This years preliminary numbers show it will hit a record low. Teams have took to Twitter and BBC to plug for sales.

Improved facilities and transport is great, but it's all for nothing unless you get the people there.

Enjoy

Folks have a great British Grand Prix. It's the greatest sporting event that happens in the UK, and it delivers a fantastic experience. I hope everyone enjoys themselves safely and cheers on whoever they may support!

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

The Story So Far... Part Two

Last time out, I covered the progress of the majority of the rookie drivers in the Marussia and Caterham teams, along with Valtteri Bottas and his experienced team mate Pastor Maldonado in the Williams.

The midfield last season was extremely tight with Sauber making an immense leap forward in terms of pace and podium finishes. Force India showed us how far they have come and Toro Rosso put their young talent on display with just the one driver breaking through. All these teams (excluding Toro Rosso) have swapped about drivers but no driver change was as big when it was announced Lewis Hamilton would take over from Michael Schumacher who was forced into retirement by the move. 

Toro Rosso
The Red Bull feeder team has always been known for hiring rookies to promote to the bigger team, but in recent years they have failed to find any talent worth of replacing Mark Webber.

Last year, Daniel Ricciardo was heavily promoted as the more talented driver but he was consistently beaten by Jean-Eric Vergne's driving ability. This year the team has made a much improved leap forward, the same can be said for both drivers.

Eventually, Toro Rosso will ditch these two boys, I reckon they won't have bother finding work in Formula 1.

Daniel Ricciardo
His season didn't get off to the best start with the first two races, but his qualifying magic was duly present in China this year when he qualified 7th and finished 7th. Usually when a team achieves that kind of result on Saturday, it turns out to be a nightmare on Sunday, so he done a great job holding it all up.

With more people noticing JEV's talents, the pressure has been lifted off Daniel, which can only be a good thing.

He needs to focus on trying to beat his team mate. When a seat eventually becomes vacant at Red Bull, this is how he will be judged, and at the minute, the ball is in JEV's court.

Jean-Eric Vergne
I have always thought JEV (great nickname) has been a great driver. Considering he's only 3 points off last season's total already speaks for itself.

His qualifying performances have improved quite dramatically, and his scoring points more consistently is achievable because of a great car.

He is the ideal candidate to succeed Mark Webber because he has no ego and a great fan base. Should he keep this up, championship opportunities will be plentiful.

Force India
Me and this team did not get off to the best start this year. The fact they waited until the last minute to announce their second driver was extremely disrespectful.

When Adrian Sutil was unveiled, an opportunity had been missed in the form of Jules Biachi. His raw pace should have been shown in this car, not a lacklustre Marussia.

Monaco was a high point for the team with both drivers proving overtaking is possible.

Adrian Sutil
Instead of a world championship, Sutil has something more unique to his name, an ASBO. I'm not a fan of Sutil or second chances. The fact he got one annoys me when there were better options.

It's hard to argue though that this driver decision didn't work. So far he has proved he can still compete with the best that the midfield has to offer, and staying out of the spotlight has not hurt his reputation.

It's hard to say what's in store for him. The fact he has only ever driven for Force India (and their two previous outfit names) has to say something about what other teams think of him. His aim for the season should be to stay out of Paul's way.

Paul di Resta
2013 was a great start for the Scot, but then someone in his team said "let's f--k everything up." Seriously though the amount of mistakes made by his garage is ridiculous.

Then people criticise Paul for hitting out at them?! He has every right to be outraged. di Resta is going places in the world, but he is being let done by his own team. Engineers being paid thousands and then not being able to count and do their job?!

Despite all this, Paul has scored points in every round bar Malaysia. The battle is equal between him and Sutil so far, but as the season progresses so will Paul. In addition, the team will need to clean up their act pronto.

Sauber
The Swiss team undoubtedly managed to steal raw talent from Force India by recruiting Nico Hulkenberg. Granted the start to their season got off to an awful start for many reasons, Nico managed to fight back before falling into another slump.

I predicted this before the start of the season. Sauber tend to have issues when carrying over momentum from one season to another. After reaching podium heights last year, they have only managed to score 5 points so far. 

The biggest mistake was not letting go of Sergio Perez, but rather Kamui Kobayashi. The Japanese driver had huge talent but suffered at the hands of poor set up. They miss him greatly and instead, they hired what can only be described as a disaster.

Esteban Gutierrez 
The aforementioned disaster comes in the form of this furry (look at his eyebrows) little Mexican.

Like Perez before him, Sauber brought him in as the Mexican government funds the young driver, making him an extreme pay driver.

Let me assure you, NOTHING has payed off. He has proven to be an absolute danger to everyone around him. If he's not crashing into barriers he's crashing into title contenders such as Kimi Raikkonen.


He seems to have no awareness and once he's in the car, he acts like a newborn puppy, almost scared of his surroundings. Not to mention he's not even come close to scoring any points.

My hope is that he will be replaced soon. I can think of a number of better candidates, particularly Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen. His only purpose is bound to be his cash flow. Theey're probably keeping him around in order to gain enough money for next year, whenever Krazy Kob comes back (hopefully).

Nico Hulkenberg
The words; 'future world champion' come to mind, although that's based on his previous performances, this year it has not been great, that can be put down to the team though but not all the bucks can be passed.

He has been incredibly quiet this year, mostly scrapping from the back, very little opportunity to showcase true talent. He slumped after a double points finished but looked to be on the mend before he struck out in Canada. 

The move from Force India has not prospered for him at all and I feel bad for him. The only thing keeping Nico in the game is his dreadful team mate.

Just wait for Brazil though whenever Sebastian Vettel is trying to keep up with him around Interlagos!

Mercedes
The decision not to retain Michael Schumacher last year was painful. Love him or hate him, not hearing the name is absolutely crap.

Michael's departure was only the beginning of a board revolution. Followed out the door shortly by Norbert Haug, big names like Toto Wolff, Niki Lauda and reportedly, Paddy Lowe all joined to create an all star package of money, personality and brains. Team principle Ross Brawn has supposedly been cut out of the picture. His departure is still not for certain.

Despite the heavy hitters added to the background, the biggest talent on the grid joined (Fernando Alonso is all tied up at Ferrari) in the form of Lewis Hamilton.

I'm not one bit ashamed to admit I said that Mercedes were going to buckle under the weight of their own ambition this year and to be fair, the first two races they did.

Then the string of pole positions came. I was proven wrong, they had one lap speed. But race pace? Dreadful. 

Nobody could have predicted that they would be involved in the biggest scandal so far this year, but I'll have more on tyre gate soon.

Lewis Hamilton
The move away from McLaren must have hurt Lewis at a personal level. But there is no doubt it was a lucky one. He moved from disaster into an environment where he can be Lewis.

He's still looking for this first Mercedes win, but his pole positions were quite frequent. It's just the cars awful ability to look after the tyres. The situation really came home in Barcelona when he snapped back saying [to his engineer] "I can't go any slower."

Considering the majority of the rest of the season is filled with permanent race tracks (harder on tyre wear) he will struggle to find that first win. Rest assure, it will happen.

The best thing about Lewis this season is his new dog, Roscoe. SO ADORABLE (I'm a dog lover).

Nico Rosberg
I am very, very glad Nico got the first win for the all new Mercedes this year. There was too much hype and attention over Lewis. Autosport at a four page article nearly every week about him and it got sickening.

Nico managed to achieve three consecutive pole positions and the (supposed) biggest win of the year at Monaco, thirty years after his father. 

The season has been great to him so far. His tyre management is significantly better than Lewis's, although a lot off the field.

Backing both drivers never worked for Mercedes in the past, but it's not possible to back Nico over Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, that was never going to happen. Solace should be found in what he has achieved so far. Moving to another team around Mercedes where he is the number one focus would definitely benefit his career.

Remember, McLaren will be joining forces with Honda again and even though I am sceptical, it could bring back wonderful feelings to the team. I don't think they will want to keep Jenson Button or Perez around any longer. 

Nico Rosberg could easily find his Nirvana at McLaren.

2013 Canadian Grand Prix - Qualifying

Canada always throws up an exciting race, in my opinion it is the best Grand Prix to watch because of the unpredictability. The 2011 race was my absolute favourite of all time, and I hope this years will be just as good!

Q1 started under wet conditions, a few drivers such as Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen and Marussia's Jules Bianchi tried slicks but soon found themselves straight off the track.

Ferrari Mishaps

When Ferrari called both their drivers in to change their tyres, they didn't look to closely at each drivers track positions. Felipe Massa wasn't prepared to leave his pit box when team mate Fernando Alonso came in to change his tyres. The encounter looked awkward but hilarious!

However the second mishap wasn't so funny. In an even wetter Q2, Massa had a second qualifying disaster when he took his car onto the slippery wet lines in sector 1. The result was a huge sideways smash, clocking in 5 G's and a red flag for the session.

Massa after the accident.

Felipe was able to walk away unharmed, the frustration in the car was adamant after he banged on his steering wheel immediately. After a Monaco crash that seen him sent to hospital, this isn't what the resurgent Massa needed. A dry race will be his only hope if he is to salvage anything.

Phenomenal Bottas Shows His Salt

Just whenever the critics start hitting him, he throws a huge left hook back. Valtteri Bottas not only shocked the world in Q1 & Q2 by setting quick times, but he managed to grab P3 in Q3 after setting a blindingly quick lap.

I have always believed the boy is talented but being held back by his team and car, but something went very very right for the Williams team today, and I am very glad it happened to him and not Pastor Maldonado, that would have been an opportunity wasted.

Strong Push From Raikkonen and Alonso

Sebastian Vettel was the overall quickest driver by nailing pole position, but the man sitting in second place in the championship could only achieve P9 and then got set back further by a grid penalty. There is no doubt in my mind that Kimi Raikkonen will throw us up a strong push tomorrow, providing a hugely entertaining race.

That is until he gets stuck behind a Mercedes and forgets how to overtake. Kimi give us those final two laps in Monaco again, but make them last a whole race. Please?

Likewise, Fernando Alonso will need a monster drive from P6 if he is to achieve anything. Because his car is so kind to his tyres (like Kimi) he is not so effective in wet weather conditions. This is bad because the weather is ridiculously unpredictable. 

I couldn't honestly begin to fathom a prediction for tomorrow. Common sense dictates Vettel, but the motorsport fan in me says Kimi could achieve greatness if he would just bloody take a chance. Being Mr. Conservative won nobody a title ever! Alonso is the in the better position and if it's a dry race, I think he'll start on the harder compound. I don't know, I'm not a doctor.

Lewis Hamilton didn't look to happy with P2. That's maybe because he knows he'll slip away down the field and hold up Raikkonen!

Thanks very much for reading! Please let know what you think in the comments section!

RESULTS (NOT INCLUDING PENALTIES) (AUTOSPORT):

Pos Driver                Team                 Time           Gap   
 1. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m25.425s  
 2. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes             1m25.512s  + 0.087s
 3. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault     1m25.897s  + 0.472s
 4. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m26.008s  + 0.583s
 5. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m26.208s  + 0.783s
 6. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m26.504s  + 1.079s
 7. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m26.543s  + 1.118s
 8. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes 1m27.348s  + 1.923s
 9. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault        1m27.432s  + 2.007s
10. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m27.946s  + 2.521s
Q2 cut-off time: 1m36.811s                                   Gap **
11. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari       1m29.435s  + 1.786s
12. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes     1m29.761s  + 2.112s
13. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault     1m29.917s  + 2.268s
14. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m30.068s  + 2.419s
15. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari       1m30.315s  + 2.666s
16. Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m30.354s  + 2.705s
Q1 cut-off time: 1m24.776s                                    Gap *
17. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m24.908s  + 2.590
18. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault     1m25.626s  + 3.308
19. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault        1m25.716s  + 3.398
20. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Cosworth    1m26.508s  + 4.190
21. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth    1m27.062s  + 4.744
22. Giedo van der Garde   Caterham-Renault     1m27.110s  + 4.792