Spa Treatment

I'm the first to admit that when a 20 year old girl talks about going to 'Spa' in the summer, most people assume that they'll return with manicured nails and a whole host of skincare products. My own Spa experience was quite different, and, honestly, far more exciting.

Every year, F1 has a month long hiatus with an enforced two week shutdown. While this is great for those working within the sport, a time for rest, relaxation and seeing family members rather than travelling across the world, for F1 fans the break often leaves a void. Once the season starts back up again, we're often celebrating the sport's return. What better way to celebrate the restart of the season than by going to the first race back?

Back in March, Dad and I ordered the tickets to go to the first race back - Spa. This circuit is one of the most legendary on the calendar, and features perhaps the most well-known corner of any race track: Eau Rouge. Thus, selecting Spa was an easy choice.

After such a long wait, August finally arrived. In the run up to leaving, we were however beset with problems. Numerous health-scares in early August were followed by the discovery that the Range Rover had a serious problem which could not be fixed in time for us to leave. Despite all these problems, we managed to get everything together (thanks to a hire-car company and an understanding GP) and on Wednesday we set off for Belgium.

The journey itself was fairly uneventful. The weather was good as we were heading over the Channel on the ferry, although I did feel like Jack Sparrow once or twice while walking around the shop on board. The car we had hired was pretty boring, although the bonus was we didn't have to worry whether it would overheat or stop working while stuck in traffic near Brussels. When we neared the circuit, there were signs to the green campsite along most of the way. However, once we actually got very close, the signs suddenly stopped, and we were left driving around the forest for quite some time before getting in to the campsite near Les Combes. Luckily, we managed to set up the tent before the daylight ran out, and we spent the evening watching a lightning storm way off in the distance.

Thursday: Stavelot and the Pit Walk

For those of you who haven't been lucky enough to go to an F1 race in person, on Thursday afternoons the tracks usually hold a pit walk. Spa was no exception, and so we planned to get to the pit lane nice and early to get ahead in the queue. As the pit walk wasn't until 4, that left us plenty of time to explore the local area. Before we left for Belgium I'd read about a nearby town called Stavelot. Stavelot Abbey was at the centre, and in the basement was a museum dedicated to the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. 

We told the people who were camped near to us about the Abbey and museum, and so when we arrived at the town we saw quite a few F1 fans who'd had the same idea as us. Stavelot itself is a gorgeous place, with a market being held and lots of picturesque buildings around. The museum and abbey are also pretty cool, and it was great to learn more about the history of the circuit and what sorts of events were held there. 

Photo Album - Stavelot

Once we'd finished having a look around we headed back to the campsite, ate lunch and started the long walk to the pit lane. We were camping up near the top of the circuit, and of course the pit lane was at the opposite end of the track. Normally, this wouldn't be much of an issue, but on Thursday the gate to the circuit nearest to us was closed, so we had to walk miles to the only open entrance. 

It took us two hours to walk to the pit lane, and once we were there we were pretty tired. We managed to buy something to drink in the shop nearby to the entrance, and then began queueing. When we were in the queue, we were chatting to an Australian couple. They said that they lived practically on the Albert Park circuit, and went to the grand prix there every year and this year decided to venture to Europe for the Belgian and Italian races. This is one of the great things about going to races in person: you get to chat to fans from all over the world, and everyone tends to be incredibly friendly. It makes you realise how one common interest such as F1 can unite people, regardless of their backgrounds. 

Eventually after two hours of queueing, we were allowed into the pit lane. We had to walk through part of the circuit, and so had ample opportunity to take photographs. The pit lane wasn't too crowded initially, however as we headed towards the bigger teams the crowds grew bigger. We managed to see all the usual sites, including pit lane practices, and even a driver or two! Once we'd headed through the crowds, we wandered out of the pit lane and onto the starting grid, where of course I posed for a photograph on pole position. Overall I think we stayed in the pit lane for another two hours, and then headed back to the campsite on our long walk. On the way back we were walking by the side of the road, when a car passed us. Who was in that car? Felipe Massa. That's the beauty of being at a race track!

Photos - Thursday Pit Walk

Friday - Practice Sessions and The Rain

practice sessions from GP3, F1, GP2 and the Porsche Supercup, and so I thought that I'd have plenty of opportunity for photographs. However, not far into the morning the heavens decided to open, and from that point it did not stop raining until well into the evening. Safe to say, we were soaked, even with the umbrella and raincoat! 

However, being the hardy F1 fans that we are, we stayed out for most of the day and watched F1 cars at Eau Rouge, something that every F1 fan needs to do at least once. We wandered around most of the circuit on Friday, before calling it a day just after the GP2 qualifying. 

When we headed back to the campsite, disaster had struck. The tent that had survived the Nurburgring weather wasn't a match for the Spa rain, and was flooded. Dad had to bail water out of his side of the tent, and so we took the decision to sleep in the car. While this was a hell of a lot warmer and drier than the tent, sadly it wasn't much more soundproof and was infinitely less comfortable, so I didn't managed to get much sleep that night. Still, the F1 was what I was there for, and I could catch up on sleep upon my return home!

Photos - Friday Practice

Saturday - Qualifying and Spa Sunshine

After sleeping in the car we woke up early on Saturday morning to see blue sky and sunlight - a stark contrast to the rain of Friday. In the morning we had the GP3 qualifying and F1 practice, and it was great to finally see the F1 cars getting up to speed instead of holding off in the rain.

I have said this before, and I will continue to do so (at least until the 2014 engine reg change), but the sound of F1 cars is perhaps the best part of watching the sport in person. While you get an impression of the sound on the television, nothing compares to how they sound in the flesh. This year you heard a bit of a difference due to the change in the regulations about off-throttle blown diffusers, but once again the cars sounded fantastic - although we did opt for buying ear defenders after a while!

Once the F1 practice was over, we wandered towards Eau Rouge in time for the qualifying. In between we had the Porsche Supercup qualifying, which we watched near Pouhon. The walk around Spa is really, really long, and if anyone is planning their 2013 trip you need to be ready to walk. The bonus of this though is that we get to see things that aren't spotted on the television - namely, the trucks and transporters. It was here that we got a reminder of how much money is in F1: 14 FIA trucks, each with personalised numberplates.

Photos - Trucks

After posing next to some trucks, we continued our walk towards Eau Rouge and qualifying began. While we'd seen F1 cars in practice 1 coming up the hill at Eau Rouge, we hadn't seen them at full throttle. Watching them at speed during quali was pretty special, although you cannot imagine how disappointed I was that Sebastian didn't make Q3. Also, being the one of few Vettel fans in amongst a lot of Jenson fans was pretty funny, although F1 fans are generally a good-natured bunch (as evidenced by the Italian guys who offered to take a photo of Dad and I in front of Eau Rouge) and friendly banter is expected. Ultimately, Button took pole position and the race was set for Sunday.

Once quali was over, we walked up towards the pit lane and the Bus Stop chicane to watch the GP2 race. GP2 is a new discovery for me this year, and often the races are as exciting - if not more - as F1 races. The race got off to a good start, although Nigel Melker had quite a nasty accident requiring him to be airlifted to hospital. Thankfully, he was unhurt and the race continued after a lengthy delay, making it the longest GP2 race in history. Following this race was the GP3, which turned out to be one of the shortest due to another horrible accident. Luckily, the driver, Robert Cregan, was also unhurt - a testament to the safety of the sport. After the race was over we headed back to the campsite and our now dry tent to get ready for an early start on Sunday.

Photos - Qualifying

Sunday - Race Day and The Chain

 

We got up early on Sunday to claim a spot within the circuit. We grabbed a croissant from the stall on the campsite and headed towards Rivage to watch the final support races (GP2, GP3 and Porsche Supercup) and the drivers' parade. Again, all of those were a sight to see, and during the lunch break we grabbed the Belgian speciality of frites and mayonnaise and stood near the top of the circuit, where we got a view of the start of the race.

Watching the start of a race is usually a treat reserved for those who pay mega-money for tickets during an F1 weekend. However, due to the elevation of the Spa circuit we were able to see the grid (with the aid of binoculars of course) and the first movements of the cars.

The crowds were thick and fast where we were stood, and so we decided to get closer to the track and stood near Les Combes, where the crowd was thinner. Here, I was the only Vettel fan in amongst a lot of McLaren fans - something which much have looked amusing as I cheered at different times from the rest of the crowd. Vettel made up for his poor qualifying position by an absolutely amazing drive, landing him second - I finally got to see him on the podium! It was an amazing race, and it's slightly surreal watching the TV coverage on a big screen with the cars passing by right in front of you.

After the race was over, with a great win from Button, we managed to get on to the circuit. We crawled under the fence near Rivage, and wandered down the track towards Eau Rouge. Another thing you don't quite see on the television is how much of a hill Eau Rouge actually is - it was tiring walking up and down so much! On the circuit were a lot of Kimi Raikkonen fans - who apparently felt the need to stand naked at Radillon. Now, I'm a Vettel fan, but I'm not sure I'm dedicated enough to remove my clothes on the middle of a race circuit. Still, in F1, anything goes!

We also had the chance to chat to a GP3 driver while we were wandering around, and it's great to chat to potential F1 starts of the future. The whole atmosphere at the race was just fantastic. It's probably true that F1 fans are the best in the world.

Photos - Sunday

So, once again F1 gave me a great holiday. Honestly, if you get the chance to watch a race in person, go. The sound, atmosphere and spectacle can't be compared to anything else. Now all that's left is to plan next year's trip!

The Summer Countdown

Well, with the first 11 races of the season over and done with we're now into the F1 summer break. For teams and drivers a force shut-down of two weeks gives time to relax and recover, with the final two weeks of break left for developing and enhancing their prospects for the rest of the season. For me, the summer break means that it's time to prepare for 2012's F1 road trip, this year to Spa.

Last year, I had the chance to go and watch the F1 in person at the Nurburgring. It was such an experience that Dad and I decided we had to go and watch a second race, again at a legendary track. Nothing really compares to watching F1 in person. You don't get the atmosphere when you watch the sport on television, and you don't really understand how amazing those cars sound until you're standing a few feet away from them.

So with 25 days until we catch the ferry there are only a few things left to sort out. We're taking our awesome blue Range Rover once again, and we're braving the elements by staying in a tent on the Spa campsite. When we went to the Nurburgring, we drove through Wednesday night and Thursday morning to arrive at the campsite at around 6 in the morning. The pitches were already pretty much gone, and we were lucky that we took the Range Rover so we could camp wherever there was space. This time around, we're leaving on Wednesday in the afternoon, so no driving through the night. Luckily, the official Spa camping has set out pitches by the look of it, so hopefully we won't have to find an unoccupied patch of forest!

The weekend will consist of a load of motorsport, with F1 as the main event. We'll also see racing from the Porsche supercup, the GP3 series and the GP2 series. Last year I wasn't much into GP2, largely because the supporting races never received much television coverage. However, this year GP2 has completely caught my attention, with some races being even more exciting than the F1! So this time around I'll be sure to catch more of those races in person.

Aside from the racing, we also get the chance to wander around the pit lane - with the pit walk at the Nurburgring being my first glimpse of my hero Vettel in person (I later managed to meet him at the Goodwood Festival of Speed). The pit walk is great, as you get to see what goes on behind the scenes of the sport, so this is something else that will be a highlight of the weekend.

So, this year's F1 trip is inching ever closer. As in 2011, I'd like to know what you think I should do while I'm in Belgium, whether it's linked to the circuit or the surrounding area. Send me a message on Twitter (@Mooevilboffin), and maybe your suggestion will appear in pictures when I return! The countdown begins...

Distinctly Underwhelming

This post might strike many of you as a little odd coming from me, but stick with it. This weekend sees the European grand prix from Valencia. Up until a few years ago, the European grand prix traditionally moved to different circuits - with the Nurburgring in 2007 being one of my favourite races. However, this particular race has now apparently settled on the street circuit of Valencia.

When you think of street circuits, the most prominent in the mind is Monaco. While there is arguably not much overtaking at Monaco (or indeed any street circuit) owing to the narrow race track, Monaco is nonetheless a spectacle to watch. The speed of the cars in such a circuit is inherently exciting, and with Monaco you get much more of a sense of the atmosphere of the race even if you're not in attendance yourself. However, Valencia is a circuit which often leaves me disappointed, and as such I'm not especially excited about the prospect of a race this weekend.

Perhaps the biggest problem I have with Valencia is that nothing really ever happens there. The cars go round for qualifying, then I feel like we watch a warm-up lap for the entire race duration. Ok, now and again you see incidents - with Mark Webber's take off after hitting Heikki Kovalainen's then-Lotus being one of the most dramatic I've seen - however I don't feel that we should be watching races for the crashes, and we should get a chance to see racing. This simply doesn't happen at Valencia in my mind. There is a balance with street circuits as to the thrill of watching cars on the edge and getting enough chance to overtake and race. In all honesty, Valencia fails to hit either of these marks in my opinion.

Maybe I'm being overly harsh, however there are simply some races that don't excite me. What annoys me also with Valencia is the fact that the race is the European grand prix, yet it stays at the same circuit. I feel that the old way of moving the race every year was a much better way to host a European race. Instead, we're left with two Spanish grand prix every year. While I have nothing against this, I'd like to see the race at Valencia have some sort of appeal to the fans, and if this is not possible then perhaps Bernie Ecclestone should consider changing the circuit for the European race. A while ago, there were rumours that the return of the French grand prix would mean that the Belgian grand prix would have to alternate. Considering that Spa is one of the legends of the season, would not a more appealing solution be to remove Valencia from the calendar and keep the French and Belgian grand prix every year? That way we have one race in each of the countries, and we maintain the most enthralling circuits.

I understand that any sport is not necessarily enthralling all of the time. However, the consistency of Valencia's processional approach would signal to me that its place in F1 should be reconsidered. Of course, being a die-hard fan I will still watch the race this weekend - and who knows, maybe the magic of the 2012 season will spice the race up a little - however if this race retains its usual theme then I honestly think that something should change. The current trend in F1 to discuss money saving options might do well to look at how appealing fans find the races, and perhaps a neat cost cutting measure would be to do away with Valencia. I honestly hope that this weekend my opinions will change about this race. Street circuits should be something to look forward to - not something that is openly criticised. However, unless we get proper racing and overtaking this weekend, I'm afraid that Valencia will remain my least favourite race of the year.

The Checklist

Over the past few years I've attended a fair few motorsport events. Last year, I saw my first F1 race in Germany, and this year I'll be going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Belgian grand prix in Spa. Attending big events like this is a must for anyone who is into motosport, and so I've been thinking of writing out a list of events which are a must for petrolheads of all kinds. Most of these are my personal choices, although a few friends and family have suggested events to include. If you're reading this and think of any others that belong on this list, drop me a message on Twitter.

Formula 1

First up, I'll start with my personal favourite: F1. If you follow F1 regularly, you probably understand the ins and outs of the sport. However, there are some things that you simply don't get unless you attend a race in person. When I went to the Nurburgring last year, I was hit by the sound. Yes, you know that F1 is loud, but until you actually go you don't appreciate how loud the cars actually are. Now when I watch F1 on TV, all I can think of is that we're getting an impression of how the cars sound only. If you think back to 2011, there was also the issue of the off-throttle blown diffusers, which caused an odd noise when the drivers lifted off the accelerator. This was one of the most surprising things when I attended the Nurburgring: the noise was nothing like on the television, and was incredibly loud! So, if you like the noise of a car, you have to go to an F1 race.

The second reason why you should attend F1 is for the atmosphere. With many sporting events, you gain a sense of community and motorsport is no different. I often discuss races with other like-minded petrolheads on Twitter for example. When you go to a race, you actually feel the sense of community. At the Nurburgring, we got to chat with the others around us (of course, with friendly banter between me and the Hamilton fans!), and could feel the atmosphere generated by large numbers of people with a common interest and understanding. This is something that I would highly recommend experiencing at least once in a lifetime.

Finally, in attending an F1 race you get to experience the history of the sport. Legendary tracks such as Spa, the Nurburgring and Silverstone allow you to get more of a feel for the sport than you would if you simply watched a race on television. While not all circuits are accessible to all people due to distance and cost, if you plan a trip well I'm sure that most will get to visit an historic race track for a high profile event such as F1. The Nurburgring was an amazing experience, and hopefully Spa will be just as great as well. I can't imagine that watching an F1 car at Eau Rouge is anything less than amazing!

More information: http://www.formula1.com/

Le Mans

This weekend sees the annual Le Mans 24 hour race. If you're on Twitter, you'll have noticed how this motorsport event has completely taken over the most talked about topics, giving you a hint of how popular this event is. I've never actually attended Le Mans myself, but it's on my list of things to do in the next couple of years. It seems as though this event is another one with a fantastic atmosphere - and with 24 hours of racing you're sure to get your money's worth!

More information: http://www.lemans.org/en/

Bathurst 1000

The Bathurst 1000 comes in as a suggestion from Brenton Holden (Twitter: @Bjholden1). The event is a 1000 kilometer touring car race taking place in Australia, and regarded as one of the most spectacular motorsport races. The cars themselves are V8 supercars - so again if you like the noise of a car, you should probably put this one on the list! Another epic, which is definitely worth watching if you're lucky enough to be in Australia!

More information: http://www.bathurst1000.com.au/

Motorsport Shows

Next up on my list is attending big motorsport shows. I've attended loads of these in the past couple of years, from Top Gear Live to Autosport to the Festival of Speed in a few weeks. At events like these, you get a chance to be up close to the cars, and if you're lucky to the people who drive them. While nothing really compares to watching racing in person, if you're interested in seeing the cars up close then you should attend a motorsport show. 

Top Gear Live was one of the first motorsport shows that I attended. The main focus of this event is supercars, although at the first show there was an awesome classic car display too. There are a lot of stands there where you can buy pretty much anything and everything to do with cars, although if you're buying stuff be prepared for a spending spree! The other feature of Top Gear Live is the show itself. Presented like the BBC series of the same name, you get to watch Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond playing around with cars. Expect lots of fireworks, stunts and general entertainment. 

More information: http://www.topgearlive.co.uk/

The Autosport International show is another great one to attend. Dad and I have visited this event in the past two years, and every year there's loads to see. The focus of this show is more motorsportAutosport has its own live show, based on Fifth Gear. In this show, we get to see demos of various race disciplines, as well as the ever popular stunts. Definitely one to attend if you like your racing!

More information: http://www.autosportinternational.com/

One of the clear greats in motorsport shows is the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I've wanted to attend this one for a few years now, and this year I'm finally getting my chance to go! This event is a whole weekend of action, with a moving motorsport show on Thursday, followed by the chance to see a whole load of racing cars and supercars in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is one of few events where most F1 teams are in attendance, and you really get a chance to meet drivers from pretty much every discipline of racing. Of course, you can expect to see me blogging about the show when I return - only a week and a half before I will be in attendance!

More information: http://www.goodwood.co.uk/festival-of-speed/welcome.aspx

Live Racing at Local Circuits

Of course, if you're into motorsport you probably don't need me to tell you that you should go and watch live racing at every opportunity. While big events such as F1, Le Mans and so on may be expensive and require long trips, watching club events at circuits close to you is a great way of getting involved. I'm lucky enough to live not too far from Brands Hatch, and so whenever we can we go and watch the racing. Some notable events that I've attended at Brands include the DTM, the BTCC and the Historic Master's Festival. Unlike larger events, attending races at local circuits gives you much better access to the cars. At Brands for example you get to go on pit walks, and the paddock is almost always open. The prices are often lower than for massive events, so this is a fantastic way to get close to the racing! Of course, it's up to you what you consider a local circuit, but it's worth looking around to see what you have on your doorstep.

More information: http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/

This is by no means an exhaustive list of motorsport events to attend, but rather it's a selection of events that I consider to be absolute musts. Overall, if you're a fan of motorsport the best thing is to simply get involved in anything that you can. Of course, motorsport is often expensive, but even if you can't compete you can still be involved through spectating or even marshalling at events! As I said earlier, if anyone has any other suggestions of what should be featured on this list feel free to let me know. Also, expect lengthy updates when I check off more items on this list - next stop, Goodwood!

One Happy Red Bull Racing Fan

In my last post, I wrote about my 20th birthday and the 1 year anniversary of beginning this blog. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday - despite having an exam and an injection (as part of my research over the summer) I had an absolutely fantastic day with my friends and family. So all in all, a brilliant start to my twenties. I even had a motorsport theme to my birthday card from my parents:

Well, just when I thought that it couldn't get much better than this, today I had the biggest surprise of my life. On returning to my PC after lunch, I checked Twitter. I had a fair few new followers. This was strange, as the number had jumped in between me having lunch and returning. Scrolling down the page, I notice a tweet from @RedBullF1Spy, Red Bull's mysterious paddock reporter. What did the tweet say? Well, read for yourself:

Now, I've had a lot of birthday greetings this year, and all of them are special, but this one has absolutely made my day, week, month...! As you know, I'm a big fan of Red Bull, and I think it's things like this that make the team so special.

So, thank you Red Bull and thank you Sebastian! You've made an F1 nerd very happy, and I will be seeing you at Spa!

Motorsport, or: How to Survive the Thought of Six Exams

I'm at the end of my penultimate week of my second term of my second year of university. In this time, I've had a hell of a lot of ups and downs and a phenomenal amount of coursework and revision. Over the past couple of weeks, it's been pretty intensive. We've had written coursework, as well as exams crammed into the last two weeks. It's honestly felt that I've had no life outside of university. So, how do I still have a shred of sanity left? The answer: Motorsport.

I have to admit that in the week before the first F1 race in Australia I was going completely mad. I was writing up an essay for cognitive psychology, I was working on another essay for social psychology and I was writing a practical report for statistics. I was also revising for the two exams, and trying to plan my revision for the summer exams. The only thing that kept me from going mad was the thought of having a weekend off at home watching the race. I also think that the F1 race helped me massively with my organisation, and consequently I'm now finished with all of my coursework for the year. I know it seems incredibly random, but the reason for this is simply that to justify having my F1 weekends off, I had to finish my work early.

So, now that my coursework's over, I'm looking towards the six summer exams. It's going to be pretty intensive over April and May, but I'm not worried at all and I have a huge motivator. Namely, that in the summer my Dad and I will be going to the Grand Prix in Spa, as well as the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Having motivators like this is a huge help I find. If I don't have anything to look forward to in the summer, the work seems kind of wearing and drags along. However, because of the thought of these trips I know I'm going to increase my preparation and work especially hard, just because it feels as though I'm working towards my holiday and my motorsport trips. Of course, the race weekends over this time will be of massive help, so that I actually remember to have some time off and relax a little. If I didn't have those weekends then I know I would just work almost 24/7 and end up more stressed and wound up than Massa when he's being told to let Alonso past...

With this in mind, let me give you an overview of the trips Dad and I will be taking this year. Firstly, we'll be going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the end of June and start of July. I've wanted to go to this for the past couple of years, but financial constraints have often been a bit of a barrier to this. However this year the festival have introduced a young person's ticket, which is half price of a full adult ticket. So, if you're under 21 and can prove this then you're allowed this cheaper entry. A big attraction of this festival is the sheer proximity to the cars and drivers. At other shows and events like Autosport or even F1 weekends you're fairly closed off from the cars and drivers, however at Goodwood everything's made more accessible and you are allowed just a bit closer to the elite world of motorsport. This is a particular attraction for me this year, as Red Bull Racing will be in attendance with both drivers of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, as well as Christian Horner and Adrian Newey. Hopefully soon we'll get the tickets booked up, and you can definitely expect an update when I've been to the race!

The second big trip this year is another F1 weekend away. Last year, Dad and I went to the Nurburgring to watch the German Grand Prix. It was the most amazing weekend I've ever had, and it still brings a smile to my face to remember it, and honestly I don't think you can have a more vivid memory than standing next to the circuit's fence with Schumacher's Mercedes passing by you at eye level! This year, we're heading to Spa Francorchamps, one of the most iconic races on the calendar. I booked the tickets last week, and we've got access to most of the circuit. We've also got camping booked, so we'll be staying just outside the circuit itself. If the atmosphere at the Nurburgring was anything to go by, it should be another amazing weekend!

So now that I've given you an overview of where we're going and what we're doing, it should give you a bit more of an idea why motorsport is such an important feature in my life. University work is hard, I don't care what anyone says. To some people, having nights out in clubs or bars is what they do to relax and (possibly) motivate themselves. Personally, I don't go anywhere near the archetypal student stuff. Instead, my motivation and relaxation comes from watching cars zoom round circuits, or occasionally driving in off road competitions myself. When I go on big trips to F1 races or to shows like Goodwood, it reminds me that the work I did throughout the year was worth the effort, just to get to this break. Hopefully there will be many more trips in the future!

My F1 (Blog) Comeback

Well, it's been a while. The 2011 F1 season has been and gone, and this weekend the 2012 season is back up and running. What with all the F1 comebacks in recent years, I thought it was only fitting that I get back into blogging. I've not posted on here since October. Shocking, I know, but as well as my life as a motorsport geek I also have a life as a psychology geek, and it's the psychology geek which has had the upper hand in the past few months while I work towards my degree. Luckily, we're heading towards the end of the spring term, and so I have a bit of extra time in which to get back into my motorsport geek role. So there we are, I'm back, and I'm planning to stick around for quite some time.

Since my last post in October, the F1 season finished on (for me and other Red Bull Racing fans at least) a massive high. Sebastian Vettel won his second world championship title, and Red Bull also secured their second constructor's title. I have to admit, watching the season review a few weeks back I felt kind of overwhelmed at 2011's racing. It was a very special year for me, as it was the season which marked my first live F1 experience. I often look back at the photos of the Nurburgring as a reminder of what a special weekend it was. I don't think you'll find many people out there who would be disappointed with 2011's F1, and regardless of what you think of DRS we definitely saw some exceptional racing. Speaking of whihc, my favourite moment of last year (bar the entire Nurburgring trip - that is definitely at number one) had to be Webber's overtake on Alonso at Eau Rouge. Hopefully the coming season will bring more of this.

So, to 2012. F1 seems to be loving the comebacks just lately, and news that has not gone unnoticed is that of Kimi Raikkonen's return with Lotus (formerly Lotus Renault - the Lotus naming saga has hopefully come to a close now, with Team Lotus now becoming Caterham. Keep up...). In pre-season testing (which I managed to follow while typing up an essay about Freud, I got a good mark for that essay too, so I'm planning on watching more F1 and typing essays simultaneously... I digress), Lotus looked to me like they had gotten something right, as Grosjean (another comeback, but less prominent) was one of the only men to top the timesheets twice in a testing spate. Whether this testing form converts into race pace is another matter.

The 2012 cars have been branded by many people as ugly, as new regulations have prompted most teams to have a 'stepped nose'. I'll admit that the noses aren't exactly the most aesthetically pleasing, but I kind of have a bit of a soft spot for the ugly cars. The biggest surprise was McLaren's lack of a stepped nose. They've either hit on something genious, or they've missed out on a trick. With any luck we'll have the answers to this question this weekend. Red Bull also appear to have a trick up their sleeves, as their stepped nose features a gaping hole; something which Adrian Newey (Red Bull's technical genious and referred to by internet nerds as 'The Chuck Norris of Formula 1' [yes, really]) has insisted on being nothing more than driver cooling. Again, we'll wait and see this weekend if the Red Bull team have pulled something out of the bag.

The last of the big names, Ferrari, have also been watched intently. 2011 was a poor season for the red cars, and there have been some big claims from team members that in 2012 they will be back fighting. However, this hasn't really appeared to be the case in testing. The car has been, frankly, unpredictable. As such, it's not really all that clear how long it will be before Ferrari are back where they would like to be.

Testing is always a notoriously unreliable indicator of race pace and such, so the real test for the cars will come this weekend in Australia. I for one am hoping for Red Bull glory once again, but for the most part I'll be happy that the season is back up and running. The off-season break seems too long to me, although I'm still ambivalent towards Bernie Ecclestone's idea of having F1 most of the year. I always think that once you have a break from something, the return is all the more appreciated. Although we'll have to see whether I'm still saying this once this season draws to a close!

Hopefully we'll have another awesome season, and see whether Sebastian can chase down a hat trick of championships. This year will also bring another epic F1 trip for me and my Dad: Spa here we come!

Hello 2012.

The Summer's Over. The Battle Has Resumed. Oh Yes!

Did we all have a lovely summer break? Yes? Wonderful! Or were you like me, and desperate for the F1 to come back off of its holidays? Yes? Excellent! Either way, you have to say it's good to be back, and it feels good to dust off the old blog.

So this weekend just gone saw the Spa Grand Prix - one of the most iconic races on the calendar. There was the usual talk around the paddock over the weekend, and there were questions about Red Bull's performance after their lack of wins at the previous races. Would McLaren and Ferrari overtake them? Has Sebastian Vettel finally cracked? Will Mark Webber say 'to hell with this' and leave at the end of the season? Well, no. None of these things happened and Belgium just proved what a strong team Red Bull are.

The Friday practice sessions were very wet, and we didn't see a whole lot of action there. What was lovely to see was the return of Bruno Senna to F1. He took over from Nick Heidfeld, and is set to race once again in Monza, and possibly for the rest of the season. However, it has to be noted that a lawsuit is currently in progress as Heidfeld is technically locked into the contract until the end of 2011. Whether this lawsuit is successful is another matter of course. What wasn't so good was that Ayrton Senna's nephew got caught out in the tricky conditions and stuck the Lotus Renault into the barriers. At least Senna can be comforted by the fact that Paul Di Resta did exactly the same thing, and that both cars were repaired before qualifying.

After wet running in pretty much every session up until qualifying, everyone seemed cautious about what quali would bring. McLaren looked on brilliant form during qualifying and at the last minute Lewis Hamilton looked set to take pole... Until Sebastian Vettel came along and went almost half a second faster! Well, normal service resumed from the German driver and his Red Bull team then! The big surprises in qualifying included Schumacher losing a wheel on his first outlap and crashing into the barriers. Turns out, the wheel nut was cross-threaded and so the accident was kind of inevitable. However, this wasn't much of a comfort as Schumi qualified in 24th place. Heikki Kovalainen had some good luck though, as he managed to get his Lotus into Q2 once again, showing that Lotus are indeed improving and are approaching the pace of the mid-field. Another surprise was that Jenson Button could only qualify 13th, after slowing to let team-mate Lewis Hamilton past - something which must have been (to use a common F1 phrase) 'bitterly disappointing'. After Senna's crash on Friday, everyone was thrilled when he managed to qualify in 7th place - clearly, this man is one to watch in the future.One final thing to mention about quali was the crash between Hamilton and Maldonado - a crash which looked like revenge from Maldonado after Lewis Hamilton passed him when setting a fast time. Maldonado was given a 5 place grid drop (surprisingly lenient in my view) and Hamilton given yet another reprimand for the incident.

So, with the grid set it was time for race day. Spa is typically a circuit suited to those cars with great straight line speed - traditionally not Red Bull. Sectors 1 and 3 are characterised by long straights, whereas sector 2 is more to the Red Bulls' liking. With this in mind then, it would be interesting to see who had the advantage this year. Another problem for Red Bull was that their tyres suffered from blistering (possibly caused by Newey experimenting with more camber than Pirelli recommended) to such an extent that the bosses and drivers were worried for the safety of their drivers. So worried in fact that they appealed to change their tyres on the grid - something which is not permitted for those in the top 10 qualifiers. Of course, this request was denied, provoking anger among the team - not less Sebastian who could be seen having stern words with a Pirelli worker. Red Bull are though a racing team and so rather than face a penalty for changing tyres, extensive calculations were carried out and the team figured that Mark Webber's tyres would last until lap 3, and Sebastian's would last until lap 5 - both pitted on these respective laps. With disaster averted in this respect, the race could continue.

Although Sebastian started on pole, it was Nico Rosberg who had an awesome start - seriously one of the best starts I've ever seen - and took the lead on lap one. However, this lead was short lived and eventually normal service was resumed. You all know I'm not one to describe the race in every detail, so I recommend you watch the race to see Rosberg's amazing start, and to see an edge-of-the-seat overtake by Webber on Alonso. Really, an overtake on the outside of Alonso at Eau Rouge is something else - no wonder Christian Horner said he closed his eyes! Spa wasn't so kind on Lewis Hamilton however, and he clocked up another DNF after crashing into Kamui Kobayashi. Lewis did later say that it was 100% his fault and apologised to the team, however you have to wonder whether Hamilton is becoming one of the unluckiest men in F1 right now.

After one of the most thrilling races I've seen this year, Sebastian Vettel overtook several other drivers (who said he wasn't a racer?!) and eventually won the race, with Mark Webber bringing in a second place for Red Bull and Jensonwatch the race if you haven't already - it's convinced me and my Dad to take a trip to this race in 2012! With Sebastian's victory comes another blow to the championship rivals - Sebastian can win the driver's championship in Singapore should he win the next two races. However, F1 is increasingly unpredictable and so we can only wait and see what happens. No doubt we'll still get some thrilling action throughout the rest of the year. Bring on Monza!