Ok, I have no excuses. It's been a ridiculously long time since I updated my blog. There are many contributing factors, none of which are linked to motorsport (rather, work, university and life in general), however now I'm hoping that I can get back into the swing of things - especially given the weekend's forthcoming Spa grand prix.
So what's been happening over the past couple of months? Well, recently not that much to tell you the truth. We should be well into 'Silly Season', the part of the F1 calendar when we hear lots of rumours and speculation about who's moving to which team and so on. This year, it hasn't happened, despite a free seat at Red Bull for 2014. In fact, the only real news we've had over the summer break is that Kimi Raikkonen won't be going to Red Bull. I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed with the dearth of speculation - we all like a bit of gossip now and again, but the summer F1 break hasn't really delivered. Hopefully, we'll have some more exciting news when the season gets back underway this weekend, although I suspect all that will happen is the predictable announcement that Daniel Ricciardo will go to partner Vettel. Still, there's still an outside chance that Kimi might go to Ferrari - I doubt it, but we have to get our gossip where we can!
The 2013 F1 season has been exciting - arguably, not as much as in 2012, but still a complete joy to watch. A lot of people are unhappy that Vettel is seemingly running away with the championship once again (I'll admit that I'm not part of that crew), but given that we're only just halfway through the season, I think everything's still to play for - Lotus in particular are looking strong, and so there's every chance Kimi could get another championship. We'll see, come race 19.
With the lack of news in F1 so far, all I really have to talk about is past events that I've seen. A while ago Dad and I ventured up to Silverstone for the F1 young driver's test (YDT). This year was a little bit different: the FIA had bent the rules slightly to allow teams to use their race drivers during the test in order to get used to the new and (supposedly) improved Pirelli tyres following the horrific problems that had been occurring previously. While this didn't mean that the drivers would be racing, it was good news for us as we could see the current F1 drivers in the flesh for another year running, albeit at a 10th of the price of Silverstone proper. In an unexpected bonus, Red Bull announced that Vettel would be driving on Friday - the day we had planned to go and watch! Overall it was a pretty cool sight to see: Silverstone is one of the legendary tracks, but most fans are priced out of going to the race and so watching F1 cars in my own country has thus far been a bit of an elusive sight. However, at £15 per ticket the YDT was a great day out!
The only other news I can really report on isn't related to F1 at all, but rather MotoGP. Motorbike racing is something that I've never really been into - I've always preferred watching 4 wheels going round a track. Last year I started to watch MotoGP off and on, but was put off a little after Simoncelli's accident. However, this year I've gotten back into the swing of things - partly because I'm completely in awe of the new guy on the circuit, Marc Marquez. This guy is completely insane and completely brilliant at the same time. He's leading the championship in his rookie year, and he's a marvel to watch. Admittedly, it's hard to say whether he'd be leading the championship if Lorenzo and Pedrosa hadn't broken their collar bones, but Marquez's performances so far have been stunning. Winning all three American races, a podium in every race this year bar one... You've got to be amazed. Now all I hope is that he finishes the season without injuring himself - having worked in a neurorehabilitation unit over a year, MotoGP does worry me immensely, but with entertainment like this, I can't help but watch.
So, onto the F1 at Spa this weekend. It's scary to think that it's almost a year since Dad and I were there in person. I know that the race will be fantastic - Spa always is - so here's to the season restart (and hopefully more gossip)!
