Yesterday's Bahrain Grand Prix proved wrong those who dare suggest that Formula 1 is dull. It was a race full of high-speed overtaking and wheel-banging, with plenty of competition on display.
F1 is frequently criticised, sometimes fairly I will admit, as being boring. But each to their own, of course, and what does such sniping matter when the faithful fans get a great race?
The Lotuses were competitive, Mercedes and Force India weren't too far behind, the Ferraris suffered unfortunate mishaps, the McLarens nearly smashed each other off the track like dodgems - and Red Bull took another confident victory...
Thanks to my family I have tickets for British Grand Prix this year, and I'm looking forward to it more than ever. Formula 1 is boring? Pull the other one.
Monday, 22 April 2013
Friday, 12 April 2013
Fireworks at the Chinese F1 Grand Prix?
This weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in China should be interesting. Sebastian Vettel’s act of mutiny against his Red Bull team three weeks ago in Malaysia has been the subject of much scrutiny, and judging by comments made in the past couple of days he’s not as repentant as he first seemed, which is as disappointing as it is surprising.
There are few true racing fans who like the idea of team orders – it is, essentially, a way of fixing results – but it’s an understandable evil when there is a championship at stake. However, Malaysia was only the second race in the F1 calendar, and Vettel defied team orders to overtake teammate Mark Webber purely because of his desire to win. It didn’t matter that he undermined Christina Horner’s authority as Team Principal or that he was screwing over a long-standing colleague who has, contrary to Vettel’s recent suggestions, always supported Vettel and the team when it mattered. Some have posited that Vettel was entitled to go for the win, and indeed it’s true that of the two racers Vettel is the most likely candidate for the championship this year. Webber might not want to admit it, but he has always been Number 2 to Vettel, both in terms of long-term performance and team preference. There are many great drivers who were never quite champion material, and unfortunately Webber is one of them. I suspect he knows this, too. Nevertheless, he has always supported his team, and he did not deserve to be treated in such a manner by Vettel.
Michael Schumacher was another champion who too often did whatever it took to win, no matter how arrogant, callous or damaging his actions might seem. He was a great racer – the sport’s most successful – but his reputation will forever be marred by his not-insignificant lapses of character. I truly hope that Vettel will not fall into the same trap: he’s always come across as a genuine, likeable person, and it would be a tragedy for a triple-World Champion to descend into
There are few true racing fans who like the idea of team orders – it is, essentially, a way of fixing results – but it’s an understandable evil when there is a championship at stake. However, Malaysia was only the second race in the F1 calendar, and Vettel defied team orders to overtake teammate Mark Webber purely because of his desire to win. It didn’t matter that he undermined Christina Horner’s authority as Team Principal or that he was screwing over a long-standing colleague who has, contrary to Vettel’s recent suggestions, always supported Vettel and the team when it mattered. Some have posited that Vettel was entitled to go for the win, and indeed it’s true that of the two racers Vettel is the most likely candidate for the championship this year. Webber might not want to admit it, but he has always been Number 2 to Vettel, both in terms of long-term performance and team preference. There are many great drivers who were never quite champion material, and unfortunately Webber is one of them. I suspect he knows this, too. Nevertheless, he has always supported his team, and he did not deserve to be treated in such a manner by Vettel.
Michael Schumacher was another champion who too often did whatever it took to win, no matter how arrogant, callous or damaging his actions might seem. He was a great racer – the sport’s most successful – but his reputation will forever be marred by his not-insignificant lapses of character. I truly hope that Vettel will not fall into the same trap: he’s always come across as a genuine, likeable person, and it would be a tragedy for a triple-World Champion to descend into
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Guy Delisle's Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City
I've been on something of a graphic novel kick recently (I blame my local Oxfam's sudden abundance of them!) and would like to take a moment to sing the praises of Guy Delisle's Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City.
I haven't read any of the author's previous works but I certainly will be doing so. Jerusalem isn't much more than a depiction of a foreigner's year in the Israeli city, but it's attractively-drawn pages are full of great observations, gentle humour and subtle poignancy. It's hard to write a book about Jerusalem and not get entrenched in politics and religion, but Delisle does a great job and has produced an uncontroversial account of life in a fraught territory.
The book brought back some great memories (and some that weren't so great too) of my own brief visit to Israel back in 2007, so I feel partially qualified to give it two thumbs up. It makes a nice change from Batman, too...
I haven't read any of the author's previous works but I certainly will be doing so. Jerusalem isn't much more than a depiction of a foreigner's year in the Israeli city, but it's attractively-drawn pages are full of great observations, gentle humour and subtle poignancy. It's hard to write a book about Jerusalem and not get entrenched in politics and religion, but Delisle does a great job and has produced an uncontroversial account of life in a fraught territory.
The book brought back some great memories (and some that weren't so great too) of my own brief visit to Israel back in 2007, so I feel partially qualified to give it two thumbs up. It makes a nice change from Batman, too...
Monday, 8 April 2013
The Death of Margaret Thatcher
Goodness me, there seems to have been a wide spectrum of reaction to the passing of Margaret Thatcher, ranging from the predictable overblown Tory tributes to the equally inevitable leftist sneering.
The Guardian raised the very good question of whether "death etiquette" was misguided. It's an interesting debate, perhaps, but somewhat lacking in compassion and humanity. I personally am no fan of Maggie's politics, party or legacy - indeed, I simply don't understand how Tories are even theoretically possible - but perhaps we should all remember that this is an elderly woman who has died from a stroke: a woman who left behind a mourning family.
Of course it's impossible to write about the death of any political figure without mentioning politics, but can grievances not be put aside for just a moment? After all, we have the rest of eternity to argue amongst ourselves...
The Guardian raised the very good question of whether "death etiquette" was misguided. It's an interesting debate, perhaps, but somewhat lacking in compassion and humanity. I personally am no fan of Maggie's politics, party or legacy - indeed, I simply don't understand how Tories are even theoretically possible - but perhaps we should all remember that this is an elderly woman who has died from a stroke: a woman who left behind a mourning family.
Of course it's impossible to write about the death of any political figure without mentioning politics, but can grievances not be put aside for just a moment? After all, we have the rest of eternity to argue amongst ourselves...
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