The Blog of G

Yes indeed kiddies, the 2010 F1 season is going to be officially kicking off in just a few short hours with the first practice session of the first race. Yeah there has been testing before now but you can’t trust the lap times in testing because we don’t know if we’re seeing a lap on full fuel tanks or low-fuel etc.

With the return of no refuelling for this season, it makes trying to judge the form for the upcoming season a wildly pointless affair, at least that’s my thoughts on it anyway. Although we can see that the big names (Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Redbull and possibly Lada sorry meant to type Renault) are looking like they will remain at the pointy end of things.

This year has got to be the most eagerly anticipated season in F1 for a long time. Why? well there are so many reasons, there have been rule changes, driver changes, new teams, new circuits and more announced and in F1 the more new things you throw into the mix the more the anticipation builds.

Will the rule changes mean that one team gets a relative jump in performance like Brawn GP did last year? will any of the new “rookie” drivers surprise and excite people the way Hamilton’s arrival did? Will the new teams be the “mobile chicanes” or “embarrassment” that some have suggested? Will the new circuits bring new excitement to the circus?

At this point, every question brings to mind another and another and another, you get the idea. There is another reason to be excited about this season as well and it’s a doozy, something that hasn’t happened in F1 in so long that I’m not sure it’s happened since I started following the sport in 1978. There are 4 (former) F1 World Champions starting the season and they’re all in cars that I’m expecting to be highly competitive and 2 of them are in the same team! I’m starting to sound like an informercial

Monza, Parabolica, Tyre wall

But wait there’s more! (yes, i went there) As if all that wasn’t enough, there’s another big story, in fact a huge story and one that is sure to dominate a lot of F1 columns this season (it certainly has taken a lot of them in the season build up) The return of the one, the only, the legendary, Micheal Schumacher.

Without question the most successful F1 driver of all time, is he going to add to the legend or destroy it, at his age (41) and with his name already on almost every page of the f1 record book I don’t think he can destroy the legend. But what is there left for him to achieve? well for one thing he’s only 9 victories away from having 100 F1 race wins to his name and that might be enough to grab him another world title.

All these questions will start to be answered on Sunday, when the lights go out and the engines roar. I can’t wait, really I can’t, I may not sleep again until the first race is over. There is one final question that only I can answer?

Who will I be supporting this year?

Well, I’ve been called a Ferrari Fan but that’s only because some of my favourite drivers have driven for them (Giles Villeneuve, Stefan Johansen, Michael Schumacher & Felipe Massa) But I was a Schumacher fan before he was a Ferrari driver and the same goes for Felipe. Am I an Alonso Fan? well no, some of my previous posts about him should make that clear.

So I have 2 drivers to choose between from that statement alone, but I’m also a fan of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, so that could make me a Red Bull fan, but then there’s, also an up and coming driver who I think has been underrated, Nico Rosberg and finally a driver whose name alone brings memories flooding back like Jacques Villenueve‘s arrival did.

That’s Bruno Senna, he like Jacques has a legendary shadow hanging over him, Uncle Ayrton, I don’t think he has a car to compete with the big boys this year but then Uncle Ayrton won in a Lotus that people didn’t rate terribly highly either.

Oh the choices, I guess I’ll just have to support them all as much as I can, I’d love to see anyone of them lift the crown at the end of the year, but there can be only one WDC 2010 and I guess when I look deep, deep down into my soul, I want to see Schumacher lift the crown again, I want to see the “old guy” (at least in F1 terms) not just beat the “young pretenders” but do it by a humiliating margin.

Why?

Oh come on do you really need me to answer that?

Schuey wins Nurburg 2006

Oh alright then, It would be the greatest comeback of all time, it would be the ultimate “never give up” story, jaysus it’d be like Rocky come to life!

And finally, here’s a thought to keep you distracted from all the other F1 goodness until sunday. I remember way back in Schuey’s early days an interview where he was asked what his ultimate goal in F1 was, his answer? to win 10 World championships, he has 7 and he’s signed to Mercedes for 3 seasons and I think he’ll need luck on his side but, I don’t see any other driver on the grid this weekend that has a chance of ever winning 10. Go Michael!

25 years ago today, a hero of mine died in a horrific accident. I will never forget seeing the footage of the crash on the RTE news. I refused to believe what I saw with my own eyes, I was only 8 years old, after all and I had just seen the greatest driver of his generation and my unquestioned racing hero, Gilles Villeneuve die.

Gilles was the reason that I started to follow F1, how could anyone not be drawn to a character so charismatic, so talented, so fast, so determined and so entertaining? if you haven’t seen this before then your in for a treat, if you have then why not cruise down memory lane with me for a minute or 2 and remember Gilles for what he was, pure, unfiltered Racer.

Other coverage; Grand prix, Formula 1

So I hear, any way. It just goes to show you shouldn’t believe everything you here

Ok so it still isn’t the best second and third place battle in F1 History, and to be fair Ranault have been waiting a while to get there own back,  but how long is it since we saw 2 world champions that close at the end of a race? (Conor are you out there?)

Oh BTW the link above is Described Completly incorrectly so ignore that, this is the closing laps of the 1979 French Grand Prix in Dijon, the race was the first race to be won by a Turbocharged car in F1 by Jean-Pierre Jabouille in a Renault.

Those of us who saw this on the day (tv or at the circuit) know what really mattered that day and that was the battle for second place between Rene Arnoux (Renault) (who’s quoted at the start and end of the clip) and Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) Even at 4 years old (okay almost 5) I knew I was watching something very very special.

Mixed emotions but what a race Felipe, I saw a spark of genius early in your Sauber days, your style then reminded me a little of a young Villeneuve (Gilles) maybe that’s what Ferrari saw as well but that style does not suit modern F1, so you have tempered that raw talent with a clear focus on the goal. I was in Nürburg when you had your first podium and today I watched you take your place on the world stage.

Don’t let anyone take anything from that victory, remember 3 things, first, you beat the class of the field, second, the title fight was in your mirrors for the whole race and third, you didn’t need half the front runners to drop out of the race, for you to win.

The real question is not if your next win will come but what seat you’ll be sitting in when it comes, Me I’m hoping it’s gonna be a Red one.

Congratulations on a fantastic drive and an inspired win.