Vettel on Pole for Bahrain GP

The first qualifying session of the new F1 season was a pretty intense affair today with 24 cars vying for the pole position which was eventually taken by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel ahead of the two Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso.

Alonso looked decidedly pissed off in the post qualifying press interview shown on the BBC which helped to brighten up my day!

If you are a follower of this blog you will know that one of my 2010 predictions is for Massa to win the Bahrain GP. So far so good.... but I'll probably end up with egg on my face come tomorrow afternoon.

HRT's last minute signing Karun Chandhok was allowed to take part in qualifying despite never having driven the car before - HRT did not take part in Winter testing and Chandhok's car was not made ready in time for Friday practice.

Makes a bit of a mockery of the FIA's safety regulations allowing an untested car and driver on track during a Grand Prix weekend in my view.

Fortunately Chandhok made a good fist of it despite being thrown in at the deep end. He starts from the back of the grid. HRT will use this Grand Prix more or less as a shakedown test to identify any issues and try to keep out of everyone else's way.

In the battle of the McLarens first blood (as expected) went to Hamilton (P 4 versus Button P 8) but it would appear the car is lagging behind the Ferraris and Red Bulls by an alarming one second per lap. Hopefully McLaren can pull something out of the bag tomorrow when the cars run in race trim.

All did not go according to the script at Mercedes. Rosberg (P5) out qualified Schumacher (P7) by around 0.3 seconds.

Did anyone else notice BBC F1 Jake Humphrey's latest howler? Once again he put his size ten hoof right in it....

The camera panned to the Ferrari garage where Massa's father is being congratulated on Massa's SECOND place grid spot.

Jake Humphrey "Oh look they're celebrating Massa's POLE position". A couple of minutes later a sheepish Jake Humphrey "Of course Massa is in second position, not pole".

When are the BBC going to get shot of this berk?

Ten Predictions for the 2010 Formula 1 Season

As we approach the start of another season of F1 this weekend, I thought I'd share a few of my predictions with you.

I will warn you now, some of them are a bit tongue in cheek!

If you agree or disagree with me, please feel free to leave a comment or abuse (as appropriate).

1. 90 seconds

I'm sure many of you will agree with this one.... the amount of time it will take me to hurl abuse or possibly a heavy object, if one is to hand, at my telly when Jake Humphrey's soppy face appears and he starts to spout the usual fatuous drivel.

2. 95 seconds

The amount of time it will take me to get wound up by everyone on BBC F1 commentary being
referred to by their f*cking initials.

Are you listening EJ and DC?

3. The end of the first race (1)

Before one team will lodge a complaint of a technical rules against another team. There are already rumours that some are questioning the McLaren rear wing....

4. Massa to win Bahrain GP

I don't believe this to be beyond the realms of possibility.

The Ferrari car is good based on Winter testing. Massa goes well in Bahrain. All the hype is about Alonso so the pressure is off Massa.

This would get the season off to a great start and piss Alonso off at the same time - win win in my book.

5. End of the first race (2)

Before one of the established teams (probably Ferrari) registers a formal complaint about one of the new teams (probably Virgin or HRT) being too slow, holding up the front runners etc etc.

6. End of the third race

Before Massa and Alonso start to squabble.

7. Schumacher to win at least one race

I'll stick my neck out and say Schumacher to win at least one race this year. Probably somewhere like Monaco where outright pace isn't the only factor or Spa where the weather can play a role.

8. Button to lose his title

Jenson Button will not retain his title by the end of the season. It is hard to say who will walk away with the title but I'm pretty sure it won't be Jenson. I am leaning towards Hamilton or Vettel but time will tell.

9. Best rookie driver

I have a feeling that Hulkenberg will give Barrichello a run for his money in the Williams... Frank is a wily old dog and has a good eye for a talented young driver.

10. Best rookie team

I reckon out of the new teams joining the grid, Lotus will be the best of a fairly mediocre bunch.

They have an experienced technical team, two race winning drivers and have done more testing than the other new boys.

Virgin did some testing during the Winter but were hampered by a lack of spares (and I read into that lack of cash).

The much vaunted US F1 team came to the end of the road before their car even left the factory due to financial meltdown. Their entry on the grid has cancelled. A US F1 team looks set to remain a pipe dream.

Campos Meta also plagued by financial problems has now metamorphosed under new owners into Hispania Racing Team - to be known as HRT - no sniggering at the back please! The car is complete but has not turned a wheel on track - please refer to prediction no 5 above...

Well that's my predictions over for now. At the end of the season I'll check back and see whether I'm a Derren Brown or a complete Muppet!

2010 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Well after a long boring Winter break with no A1 Grand Prix to follow, the long awaited 2010 F1 season is due to kick off on 14th March in Bahrain.

Here are some of my thoughts and observations on the venues...

14th March - Bahrain

Bahrain has taken over the season opening slot from traditional holder Australia. I do usually enjoy this grand prix. The track has recently been "remodelled" with an extra section added to hopefully increase the chances of overtaking.... We will see, is all I can say on that subject!


28th March - Australia


Following an intervention by the money grabbing Ecclestone, the race start time has been changed to 1700 hrs local to make it more convenient for television viewers in Europe.... Again, I find the Aussie grand prix one of the more entertaining ones.


Wouldn't it be great if Mark Webber could have a good home result? Remember how the crowd reacted when he came fifth in the Minardi on his F1 debut at the 2002 Australian GP?


4th April - Malaysia


Ecclestone has decreed that this race will start at 1600 hrs local time. It really annoys me when he sticks his nose in....


I find the racing at Sepang quite enjoyable particularly if it is rain affected. By changing the start time until the afternoon this race is more likely to be influenced by the weather.


It will be interesting to see if the new Lotus team can put on a good show.


18th April - China


All the BBC commentators bang on about what a lovely facility the Chinese have built... blah blah blah. The cars race in front of practically empty stands because the normal Chinese man (or lady) on the street can't afford to buy a ticket!


Last year's race was pretty lacklustre too. Not one of my favourites.


9th May - Spain


Not usually a classic. This year may be more interesting with the return of Michael Schumacher with Mercedes up against Alonso at his old team Ferrari.


16th May - Monaco


At last a proper old style classic GP. I know the race is won and lost during qualifying but there is always lots of drama. Even the best drivers can get caught out round this track.


30th May - Turkey


I have to say this is one of my favourites of the new circuits which have come on to the F1 calendar over the last few years. Sadly, I have seen reports that this venue's days in F1 may be numbered.


Our "friend", you know who, has apparently increased the fees which have to be paid to host the event. As per my comment for China, this was another track with empty stands last year.


It would be a shame to lose this event from the calendar in my view.


13th June - Canada

Wey hey! One of my favourites races makes a very welcome return after more posturing from Ecclestone last year.


Who will end up in "Champions Wall" this year!


27th June - Europe (Valencia)


From the sublime to the ridiculous. Why, Why, Why? another race in Spain - to line Mr Ecclestone's pockets of course! This race has taken over from Hungary as the most boring on the calendar. As Mark Webber put it "like racing around a supermarket car park". The sooner this one is killed off the better.


11th July - Great Britain


Saved and back at Silverstone (thank God) after the Donington debacle.


I really hope and pray that in their efforts to retain the British GP, Silverstone have not put themselves into financial difficulties and end up in the same boat as Donington.


Fingers crossed for a Lewis home win!


25 July - Germany


The crowd atmosphere here will be immense with Schumacher back in action. Hopefully this may make up for the usual lack of excitement on the track.....


1st August - Hungary


I've watched this GP for years and only remember one interesting race.... when Button took his first victory. I'm not expecting much from it although a certain Mr Schumacher could have a good shot at victory here.


29th August - Belgium


Probably my favourite race of the year. A classic driver's track with unpredictable weather to spice things up. Making a welcome return. A track which will suit Schumacher especially if the weather plays a part in proceedings.


12th September - Italy


Back to back classic race tracks. Definitely one of my top five. How will the Tifosi react now that
Schumacher has left Ferrari? One of the few high speed tracks left.


26th September - Singapore


I don't see why this race has to be run at night... It brings nothing to the show in my opinion. Not one of my favourites. It will be interesting to see if anything kicks off between Massa and Alonso at the scene of the crime!


10th October - Japan


I quite like the races in Japan as the weather usually plays a big part and results can be unpredictable.


24 October - Korea


The latest venue to pay into the Ecclestone retirement fund, I mean join the F1 calendar!


I have no idea what to expect from this race but judging by recent additions such as Valencia and Abu Dhabi, I'm not holding my breath.


Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and we'll get another Turkey....


7th November - Brazil

Another of my top five races of the year. I really hope that Massa will win his home GP following his return from injury. I expect Alonso will get a hard time from the partisan crowd.


14th November - Abu Dhabi


This is another venue which gets the BBC F1 commentary boys in a lather - Ooh what a lovely hotel they've built, ooh what a lot of money they've spent... why can't we do something like this back home...


Yawn. Yawn. Yawn.


I think I speak for other (real) F1 fans when I say, forget the window dressing, get back to basics and put on a decent race!


Well that's my thoughts on the 2010 venues for what their worth...

What do you think? Which races are you looking forward to and which ones would you ditch from the calendar? Why not share your views by leaving a comment?


Other posts you may enjoy.....

2010 F1 Teams & Drivers - Update

Schumacher Returns - It's Official!

Barrichello Takes the Championship Fight to Button

Photo by S G Mendez

Rubens Barrichello has taken the 2009 F1 Championship fight to Jenson Button by landing pole position for tomorrow's Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Button meanwhile made a hash of qualifying by failing to change to the intermediate tyre at the right point and remaining on full wets. He qualified fourteenth.

The third Championship protaganist Sebastian Vettel fell at the first hurdle by failing to progress from Q1 in a heavily rain affected qualifying "hour" which, due to various red flags, dragged on for nearly three hours. He starts fifteenth on the gird - directly behind Button.

Unfortunately the delayed coverage meant that those of us watching on the BBC had to endure Jake (the Plank) Humphrey asking numerous mind numbingly inane questions to pad out the time waiting for the qualifying sessions to restart.

At least today he managed to refrain from incessantly referring to David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan as DC and EJ - one of my pet hates - aaaarggghhh

It's almost enough for me to want the BBC to start showing adverts!

Putting my latest BBC F1 commentary rant to one side, it now appears that the Championship is a straight two horse race between Button and Barrichello - barring any miracle from Vettel tomorrow.

I still believe that Button will take the Championship but not until Abu Dhabi and with a whimper rather than a bang.

Call me unpatriotic but I'm afraid I do not class Button as a driver in the same league as the likes of Lewis Hamilton or Kimi Raikkonen.

The Championship was virtually gifted to him by dint of the fact the Brawn car in the first half of the season, due to their clever interpretation of the rules, was streets ahead of the opposition.

At the same time any misfortunes to the Brawn Team seemed to fall in the lap of Rubens Barrichello.

In the second half of the season the other teams have improved their cars, in particular Red Bull and McLaren and since that point Button has not had the sniff of a victory and has played safe.

If he remains with Brawn next year, as is expected, and their car is on a parr with the McLarens, Ferraris etc it will be interesting to see how he fairs on a level playing field - if I would hazard a guess, not too well.

The race tomorrow holds a lot of promise and could be a classic (maybe too much to hope!).

It will be great to see Vettel going for it from the back - after all he has nothing to lose. Button will need to try and keep himself out of trouble and avoid a DNF.

At the front Barrichello and Webber (P2) will both be desparate to win. Barrichello to keep his Championship hopes alive and Webber to prove to his doubters that he can get the job done.

Others to look out for in my opinion are Sutil who took an impressive P3 for Force India and Kimi Raikkonen in P5.

If it rains again during the race Sutil is definitely in with a shout for a podium finish.

Other posts you may like....

Button Wins at Spanish GP Barrichello Spits the Dummy!

Jenson Button Makes it Five Wins Out of Six

Button Wins again in Turkey. Is the Season Over?

Greedy Ecclestone's Malaysian GP Fiasco

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone's decision to delay the start time of the Malaysian Grand Prix, despite advice from the locals, was yet another example of how he runs the sport - like a private fiefdom with no regard to the fans and purely to further line his already bulging pockets.

The usual start time for the race was delayed allegedely to enable viewers in Europe to watch the Grand Prix whilst eating their breakfast on the Sunday morning rather than having to get up at an unearthly hour.

The true reason was so that Mr Ecclestone could sell more attractive television advertising slots and feed his greed once more.

As predicted by the locals, the race was rain affected and could not be completed due to failing light making it unsafe to continue.

I don't imagine Mr Ecclestone will consider reimbursing the Malaysian fans who had saved up their hard earned cash to see a full Grand Prix or those who spent thousands of pounds travelling from Europe or North America.

BBC 1 F1 Commentary Team - Could it be any worse ??

The long anticipated 2009 Formula 1 season kicked off in Australia last weekend.

I, no doubt in the company of many thousands of like minded petrol heads across the UK, dragged myself out of my lovely warm cosy bed at the crack of dawn on the Sunday morning to "enjoy" the BBC's new coverage of the sport.

A coverage without irritating ad breaks after every five laps, I thought, and, even more importantly,.... a coverage without that reedy voiced twat James Allen who had not, (thank God), been invited to cross over the channels from ITV.

Could this possibly be as a result of Sniff Petrol's long running "Stop the Cock" campaign? We will probably never know for sure.

What a dissapointment. It was dull, dull, dull.

To my horror it would appear that the BBC have decided to employ their own replacement for the Cock - one Jonathan Legard.

Who's he? I hear you ask. Yes, the same question has crossed my mind too!

As the transmission went on, I felt my hand wandering towards the screen as if it wanted to reach towards his neck to end his incessant torrent of drivel.

Perhaps Sniff Petrol will have to start a new campaign?

Why oh why couldn't the BBC have enticed Murray Walker out of retirement or given the job to a decent commentator like Ben Edwards?

In their infinate wisdom, the BBC have employed another wooden plank - Jake Humphrey.

He appears to be as enthusiastic about Formula 1 as I am about ballet dancing!

Add to that a drippy pit lane reporter - Lee McKenzie (the poor cow looked like a rabbit in the headlights when interviewing Lewis Hamilton) and the biggest whinger in Formula 1, David Coulthard.

The only small ray of sunshine, apart from the Beeb's one sensible decision - to keep Martin Brundle on board, was when Eddie Jordan had a dig at that smarmy self publicist Richard Branson.

Eddie asked, Why had Branson suddenly decided to sponsor a Formula 1 team now?

Branson started to spout some tosh about not wanting to see a wonderful British team go down the pan (Honda??? - British???) blah blah.

Eddie countered with - What about all the letters the BRITISH team Jordan had sent to Virgin over the years asking for sponsorship?

An embarassed Branson quickly changed the subject......

You can read the L2F Australian GP report here