What's Motivating Kimi?

I'm wondering what the real reason is behind Kimi Raikkonen signing for the Lotus (nee Renault) team next season. Does he really believe he will have a chance of winning races or is he just going to be there to collect a cheque?

Since leaving Formula One at the end of 2009, Kimi has had seemingly half-hearted attempts at Rallying and NASCAR Trucks. Obviously neither of these though satisfy his desires, hence the return to F1.

Raikkonen showed incredible promise in the early 00's driving a Sauber. Somehow though that potential wasn't fully realised when he went to Mclaren and his title for Ferrari in 2007 is better remembered for how Lewis Hamilton managed to lose it rather than how Raikkonen won it.

I think a moment that sums up Raikkonens commitment better than anything else was the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2009. Heavy rain had caused the race to be stopped and while the rest of the drivers were still on the grid Kimi was seen by millions of TV viewers to be eating an ice-cream dressed in his shorts and T-shirt. There was still a possibility at that time that the race might be restarted. You'd expect a driver of that stature, well actually any driver who has the opportunity to drive a Formula One car, to be prepared to restart the race until there is definitely no chance of it going ahead. 

Then There Were Six

In 2012 all the F1 World Drivers Champions since 2000 will be competing in Formula One. They are Michael Schumacher (1994-5, 2000-4), Fernando Alonso (2005-6), Kimi Raikkonen (2007), Lewis Hamilton (2008), Jenson Button (2009) & Sebastian Vettel (2010-11).  

The Head Master

Sad to hear that Patrick Head is ending his involvement with Formula One as from the end of this season. Apparently he will still be working for Williams but nothing to do with the racing team.

In the thirty years I have been a fan and follower of Formula One Patrick Head is one of the characters of the sport that has always been there. Back when I started following F1 in 1981, Patrick was arguably at the peak of his brilliance. The Williams FW07B he had designed had just won the previous years championships (both drivers and constructors) and it's successor, the FW07C, was in the running for both titles until the last race but in the end had to settle for just the constructors. In 1982, the fourth incarnation of the FW07, the normally aspirated model D won the drivers championship in the hands of Keke Rosberg despite being considerably underpowered compared to some of it's turbocharged rivals.

As the years progressed, Patrick Head seemed to move from being chief designer to being more a technical director, helping to keep the many complex facets of a modern Formula One design team synchronised. He also took on the responsibility of leading the team for much of the 1986 season after team founder Frank Williams was seriously hurt in a road accident. All through the years though he was always a presence in the Williams garage. Other designers like Adrian Newey came into the team and produced vehicles as brilliant as Heads earlier designs.  Patrick Head though was always there, one feels he was having the final say on what a Williams Grand Prix car was going to look like when it hit the track. He was also often quite frank in interviews and wouldn't be afraid to criticise the performance of one of his drivers, you felt though that he appreciated and respected a driver who would do his cars justice.

Despite being a hard taskmaster, I can't think of any controversy surrounding Patrick Heads career. He has always played to race and raced to win. 

Is Anyone Ready To Overtake Red Bull?

So the Red Bull team finish the 2011 Formula One season as they begun, by dominating a race. Will they be able to keep up this superiority next year. One wonders if there are any other teams ready to give them a genuine fight for the title in 2012?

In previous years, sometimes towards the end of a season there will be signs from a teams performance that though they haven't had a good season that year they will potentially be at the sharp end of the grid in the following season.

At the end of 1997 Mclaren started to show some pace after several mediocre years. Mika Hakkinen led in Britain and Austria before being sidelined with mechanical issues and then David Coulthard won in Italy before Mika won the last race of the season at Jerez. That year they were a team clearly on the ascent, and this was followed by titles for Hakkinen in 1998 & 1999.

In both 1985 & 1991, Nigel Mansell had a good second half to his and his teams season, following them up by almost winning the title in '86 and finally triumphing and winning the crown in 1992. Likewise Alan Jones preceded his championship year by being the class of the field also in a Williams towards the end of 1979.

Red Bull themselves showed their intentions by outpacing the Brawn team after the first half of their 2009 campaign. Since then they have been pretty much stuck to the top of the race results. Mclaren have shown moments of promise this year but you wouldn't bet on them, or anybody else, leaving Red Bull in their tracks in 2012.

Seb & Nige

So Sebastian Vettel has set a new record of 15 pole positions in a Formula One season. This surpasses the previous record of 14 set by Nigel Mansell in 1992. Nigel though had just 16 races in which to achieve his record which mean't he was on pole for 87.5% of that seasons races. Seb has had 19 events to achieve his tally of 15 pole positions, a hit rate of 78.5%. So both drivers now hold records for the amount of pole positions in a season, both of them quite remarkable.

Rather Jacarepaguá

This weekend sees the final Grand Prix of the season at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, the track that has hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix since the early nineties. Personally I used to prefer the Brazillian Grand Prix when it was held at the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio De Janeiro.  I thought the Rio circuit had a very good layout, the start/finish and back straight both seemed to offer passing opportunities and though it was flat I found the corners quite interesting. Formula One cars looked good going round the bends there.

I find Interlagos is too short for a Grand Prix circuit. It doesn't have that many turns and it just seems too brief and simple, not challenging enough for Formula One drivers. It also has few overtaking areas. The main start/finish straight is mainly a large bend and though in theory overtaking should be possible, it rarely seems to happen there. The pitlane entry is another area of concern, there is a tragedy waiting to happen there, it almost did in 2003 when Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso had massive accidents at that part of the track.   A few years back some advertising boarding was left hanging perilously over the main straight when it came loose from a gantry during a race.  I just get the feeling that safety concerns are maybe overlooked when it comes to Interlagos so to insure there is a Brazilian Grand Prix on the F1 calender.

I wonder why Rio lost the Formula One race. Probably at the time, the early nineties, Ayrton Senna was the local hero from Sao Paulo and there was commercial as well as popular interest in getting the race moved to Interlagos. I still think that Jacarepaguá was a better venue for modern Grand Prix racing, certainly safer and arguably more exciting.

Mixing Sport & Politics

I was happy to read today that Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that the Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead in 2012 despite some public protests in that country. Every country has a large percentage of the population that are unhappy with the government, that is part of life. Because there is a minority who wish to show their resentment by resorting to violence doesn't mean everybody else's lives have to stop. Why punish the motor sport fans in Bahrain by taking away their Grand Prix when they have done nothing wrong?

Unfortunately sport getting involved with politics and vice versa is nothing new, sadly the only people who suffer are the sportsman and the sports fans. Politicians and political activists are only interested in using sport as a means to get their message across. They have no genuine interest in the sports they are using for their own political gains and once they have achieved their goal they will no doubt lose any interest they may have briefly had.

Sportsmen and sportswomen are generally non-political, apart from the occasional loudmouth, most keep quiet about World affairs. That is how it should be. As a fan of sport and motor racing in particular, I want to see exciting races, I don't care about the politics of that country. Maybe if I was concerned I wouldn't want to see a race take place in China. Britain has seen rioting in recent months, why not drop the British GP until we are sure the underlying problems that sparked these unrests have been sorted out? Maybe the animal rights groups might want Spain to stop hosting their two annual races until they abolish Bull fighting? I'm sure I could find a reason not to host a race in every country currently on the F1 calender if I put my mind to it!

Despite not being a particular fan of the Bahrain circuit, I will be cheering when I see Formula One cars race there in 2012.

A Downforce Limit

There is a constant battle between Formula One car designers who are trying to create cars with more downforce and the sports governing body, the FIA who are trying to limit the amount that aerodynamics can help stick a car to the tracks surface. Designers and engineers want to have as much downforce as possible because the more the air pushes a car onto the tarmac the faster it can negotiate corners. The rule makers need to keep cornering speeds within certain limits to ensure the drivers and spectators safety.

The way the FIA have gone about reducing downforce is by limiting the size and design of the cars wings and bodywork as well as banning devices such as sliding skirts in the 1980's and, to be outlawed for next season, the blown diffuser. This constant banning of devices on the car and regulating of the car design has stifled innovation, especially the type of innovation visible to the spectator. All the cars have been regulated to the extent that they look almost identical, with only their liveries differentiating them from one another. It's making Formula One look almost like a spec series where all the competitors run the same cars.

A solution I can see that would allow more innovation and variety of design is not limiting the aerodynamic devices but by limiting the amount of downforce they produce. All you'd need is a wind tunnel at each race with scales in it to weigh the cars. The amount of downforce being produced could then be measured by the weight being exerted on the scales when air is blown over the car in the wind tunnel. A limit could be set of say 500kg of downforce at 300kmh. That would mean that whatever the car design looks like and however many and what size of wings it has, it won't be legal if it creates more than the specified amount of downforce. Teams would not be allowed to make any changes to the cars during practice, qualifying and race sessions. After each practice and qualifying session each car could be tested in the wind tunnel to see how much downforce it is generating. As cars are in parc-ferme between qualifying and the race there would be no need to re-test all the cars after the race, maybe just a random selection of finishers. Obviously a wind tunnel would need to be taken to each race, I'm sure that's no huge logistical problem though.

I think a rule like this would mean the aerodynamic and bodywork regulations could be relaxed and once again we'd see Formula One cars that don't look like they all came out of the same mould. Grand Prix cars shouldn't all look the same, we want to see identifiably different cars racing each other. There are already enough spec series going on, Formula One needs to set itself apart from these and be a place where innovation is possible and visible.  

Underachieving Italians

There are many Italian Grand Prix drivers whose careers have failed to live up to early expectations. No Italian driver has won the drivers championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953 which is a bit surprising considering the passion Italians show for motor sport and fast cars in general.

Many thought it was inevitable Michele Alboreto would become World Champion on the strength of his performances in the under-powered and under-funded Tyrrell in 1982/3. He got a win early in his Ferrari career in the otherwise Mclaren dominated season of 1984 and in the first half of 1985 looked like he was a serious contender for the World Championship. Somewhere along the line though his season and career started to unexpectedly head south and despite several more seasons at Ferrari he never showed the form that had got him there in the first place. His Formula One career petered out making up the numbers in the bottom half of the grid. Tragically Alboreto was to be killed driving an Audi Sports prototype in 2000.

Ricardo Patrese showed stacks of promise early in his career driving for another perennial underachiever, the Arrows team. He almost won the 1978 South African Grand Prix and at Long Beach in 1981 he managed to grab pole position. A move to Brabham in 1982 brought a mixed bag of performances including two victories that some might say he lucked into. They were at Monaco in 1982 where rain late in the race caused complete havoc sending several competitors into the armco. The other was his last race for the Brabham team at the 1983 South African GP, a victory he inherited from Nelson Piquet who was more interested in just securing enough points to take his second world title. He should have won on merit at the San Marino Grand Prix that year but for some reason decided to park his car in the barriers at Acque Minerale, an act that I'm sure pleased Patrick Tambay no end as he took the victory.

Patrese spent the next couple of years in uncompetitive Alfa Romeos before switching back to a Brabham team in slow decline. At the end of the eighties he joined Williams and at Imola in 1990 he finally got the win he threw away at the Italian circuit 7 years earlier. In 1991 he was very competitive, even leading Williams number one driver Nigel Mansell in the early season standings and grabbing two victories. The Williams FW14B was the dominant car of 1992 and Nigel Mansell put it to good effect with nine wins that year while Patrese managed just one. A lacklustre season with Benneton in 1993 wound up his Formula One career. At that time Ricardo had started more races than any other driver.

Jarno Trulli led the 1997 Austrian GP in his first season of Formula One while standing in for an injured Olivier Panis in the Prost team. In the fourteen seasons since then he has amassed a few quite good qualifying results and plenty of underwhelming race performances. The sole exception being the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix which he won, his first and last (unless he somehow produces a miracle in the Lotus) victory.

Andrea de Cesaris was unfortunately more famous for his rate of accidents than he was for his race results. To be fair to him though he spent most of his career in machinery that at best was rated mid-field. There were flashes of brilliance early in his career; pole position and leading at Long Beach in 1982 and leading at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix the year after, both times in an Alfa Romeo are stand out moments. He could have also have won at the chaotic 1982 Monaco Grand Prix if he had not run out of fuel near the end of the race. Unfortunately de Cesaris wasn't able to live up to his early promise and spent the best part of the next decade in a variety of different teams. During these years good results were few and far between. In 1991 he joined the Jordan team in their inaugural Formula One season and had a brief return to form, most notably at Spa-Francorchamps once again where he ran second to Ayrton Senna before retiring with mechanical trouble. The following few seasons once again saw Andrea sliding again towards the back of the grid before his Formula One career petered out at the end of 1994.

There are probably several more drivers I could add to this list, I think these four drivers though excelled in having underachieving Grand Prix careers.  

My Grand Prix 'Grand Slam'

Both Golf and Tennis have Grand Slam tournaments, in each case four a year. These are events that have a long history and garner more support from competitors and spectators than other tournaments on the calender.

How do we determine a Grand Prix Grand Slam of four races that hold more importance than the other events on the F1 calender? In Formula One, all teams are obliged to race a whole season and unless there are unforeseen circumstances their driver line-up will remain the same for the whole year. We are not able then to distinguish one race from another by the entry it attracts. Also all races are roughly the same distance and they offer the same points. The only way we can really choose a Grand Slam of Formula One Grand Prix is by looking at their history.

Three quarters of the four events I would choose for a F1 Grand Slam are probably pretty obvious. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been an almost permanent fixture on the Formula One calender since it hosted the first round of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. The only exceptions have been when Aintree hosted the British GP in the 1950's and when Brands Hatch alternated as host with Silverstone from the 1960's until the mid 80's. Silverstone always attracts a good crowd and it is also the 'Home' circuit for a lot of the Formula One teams, who have their headquarters close to the Northamptonshire track. So in my opinion Silverstone is firmly entrenched as a Grand Slam event.

Another event that unquestionably should be regarded as a Grand Slam event is the Monaco Grand Prix. The playground of the rich and famous has held a Grand Prix around it's streets every year since 1929, except a break for World War II. The Monaco GP is such an integral part of the Formula One calender it is unimaginable not having it.

Monza is another circuit that few would argue against being a Grand Slam event. It has hosted Grand Prix races since the 1920's and since the Formula One World Championship started in 1950 it has hosted the Italian Grand Prix every year except 1980 when Imola hosted the event. Monza also has the most fanatical crowd on the calender, the Tifosi worshipping their beloved Ferraris.

The fourth and final Formula One Grand Slam event should be the French Grand Prix. The very first Grand Prix motor race was held at Le Mans in 1906 and starting even before that and continuing till today France is one of the superpowers of motor sport. The sports governing body, the FIA, are based there and the country has produced many top drivers and manufacturers. There are a number of reasons why it shouldn't be a Grand Slam host though. Firstly the most recently used Grand Prix circuit in France, Magny Cours, only started hosting Formula One races in 1991. The historic circuits that hosted races in the 50's & 60's such as Reims, Rouen & Clermont Ferrand are all consigned to the history books. The closest the French could get to having a race with a bit of history behind it is having it at Paul Ricard, a track that hosted the French Grand Prix intermittently from 1971 until 1990. Secondly, and more critically, there hasn't been a French Grand Prix since 2008. The prospects of there being one in the near future look bleak so this is one event that can't achieve the Grand Slam grade.

The Nurburgring in Germany could also be considered but the current Grand Prix circuit shares only its location with the classic 14 mile Nordschleife, it also only hosts a Grand Prix every other year since it started alternating with Hockenheim. These days it's an average track with lousy weather.

The final Grand Slam event would have to be the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Like Monza, Grand Prix races have been held there since the 1920's, though then the race was run on a much longer version of the circuit. The old long track was abandoned by Formula One on safety grounds in the early seventies and it wasn't until 1983 that Grand Prix cars returned to a shorter track that retained many of the classic parts and more importantly the charm of the original circuit. Spa is one of the few last remaining links with pre and post war Grand Prix racing. The track used to be entirely made up of public roads, the present layout retains some of these which gives it a unique character and sets it apart from the modern designer circuits that litter the modern Grand Prix calender.

So there we have it, my Grand Prix Grand Slam would consist of The British Grand Prix at Silverstone, The Monaco Grand Prix, The Italian Grand Prix at Monza and the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps.

My Top Five Current F1 Circuits

There are many great racing circuits that have held but no longer hold Formula One races. This is a pick of my favourite five tracks that are currently part of the Formula One World Championship:

1. Circuit Gilles Villenueve - Now one of the older tracks on the Grand Prix calender, the venue of the Canadian Grand Prix has changed little in the last 33 years it has hosted Formula One races. A circuit that is hard on cars due to the amount of hard accelerating and braking and is hard on drivers thanks to the close proximity of the concrete walls around the edges of the track. For one reason or another races at this Montreal track usually provide some good old fashioned racing and the odd surprise.
2. Hungaroring - Every year I hear people say that the Hungarian Grand Prix is always a boring processional race where it is impossible to pass. I wonder if these people actually have watched any of the races held at the track near Budapest? There have been many classic Grand Prix races at the Hungaroring; Mansell passing (overtaking on the track not in the pits as is done today) almost half the field to win in 1989, Boutsen holding off Senna the following year, Damon Hill nearly winning in the Arrows in 1997, Fernando Alonsos first victory (where he lapped Michael Schumacher) in 2003 and Jenson Buttons wins in 2006 and this year. 
3. Monte-Carlo - I mention the Monaco circuit because it is truly a unique event on the calender. It has run virtually the same route through the streets since the first event over 80 years ago. The narrow streets and sharp turns mean passing is very difficult though not impossible. Monaco is not just about the racing though, it's about the glamour. Beautiful rich people living seemingly carefree existences, partying hard on their yachts or sipping Martinis while viewing the race from a hotel balcony. This is the kind of imagery that makes young men want to become Grand Prix drivers and long may it continue.
4. Yas Marina - To me the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the closest a modern day circuit has got to the Monaco GP. Like Monte-Carlo there seems to be plenty of partying on the yachts in the harbour during the race weekend as well as plenty of other sports and entertainment celebrities mingling with the F1 in-crowd. The circuit also looks super futuristic, especially as the sun sets and the lights on the hotel start glowing, it takes on the look of a science fiction movie. I've also found all three races held there so far, tremendously exciting, just because cars aren't overtaking each other all the time doesn't mean they aren't racing.
5. Monza - Thankfully Monza has not been subjected to the same desecration that happened to the Hockenheimring a few years back. The Italian circuit still retains the flat out straights that make it the fastest track on the F1 Calender. The main feature about Monza is though the Tifosi, fanatically supporting their beloved Ferraris. It's the closest Formula One has to a team having a true home venue, as in other sports like Football, where the whole crowd is behind them.

Another Nineteen?

The 2012 Formula One calender is scheduled to have 20 races, a record number of world championship events in one season. The differences in the schedule between 2011 and 2012 are the dropping of the Turkish event, the reintroduction of the Bahrain GP and the inaugural running of the Austin GP at the currently under development, Circuit Of The Americas in Texas.

In recent days there has been speculation that all is not well with the American event and we may well only be having 19 races again next season. I'm not going to go into all the technicalities regarding why or why not we will be having a race in the US next season. I think the real reason is the general mindset regarding Formula One that you find in the States.

We've seen, in the last dozen or so years, Formula One steadily move away from it's traditional base of mainly European circuits to a spread of venues more widely scattered around the globe. In 1998 eleven out of sixteen events were held in Europe. In 2012 only eight out of the twenty races will be on European soil, the same number that will be taking part on the Asian continent. In 1998 there was only one race in Asia, the Japanese GP.

I think the reason we are seeing so many races in Asia now is their hunger to have a top international sporting event. Though not being cheap, a Grand Prix is far simpler to host then a big competition like the Olympics or World Cup and it is part of a World Championship. It's one of the few sports where you get all the top players in the World competing against each other all at once. Because it's one single event and it is most probably of a much higher profile than other regular sports fixtures in these countries, more effort is focused on ensuring that the race goes ahead no matter what. Whatever resources that are necessary will be poured into securing a place on the F1 calender because there is nothing else directly competing for those resources, particularly in motor sport.

In the US and Europe, motor racing is more mature and there are, especially in the US, many other series and formula that have a lots of fans. In the States there is NASCAR and Indy Car which both have a huge following. Formula One has a fan base there but it's not like every American racing fan will be disappointed if there is no Austin Grand Prix because most of them would rather be watching NASCAR anyway. This lack of enthusiasm I can see being echoed by the people writing the cheques. They're probably thinking why are we going to all this trouble and financial expense when we could spend a lot less on a NASCAR or Indy Car event and get far more local interest from fans.

I hope the Texans do get it together and we do have a Grand Prix in the United States next year, I just get the sad feeling the Texans don't want it enough.

The Raikkonen Plan?

There are rumours doing the rounds about Kimi Raikkonen possibly having signed or about to sign with Williams for 2012. One wonders why he would be tempted to rejoin the F1 circuit with a team that has had it's worst season ever in 2011.

My feeling is that as he's already won a World Championship, with Ferrari in 2007, joining a top team again would be more of the same. He would be fighting probably less than half a dozen drivers week-in week-out for a place on the podium. A less than perfect car under him might end up causing a season full of frustration, being near the front but not being at the front. Similar to what Fernando Alonso has experienced at Ferrari this year.

Joining a team like Williams in their current position, things can only move forward. They are a team who know how to win races and championships. For 2012 they will have Renault engines powering them once again, there will also be some key personnel changes in the team for next season. If things gel together nicely then we could see some rapid progress back to the front half of the grid.

Kimi is probably looking at driving for Williams as a huge challenge to help haul them back to winning ways. Like Michael Schumacher helped get Ferrari back into the habit of winning in the late nineties. Admittedly Ferrari weren't in quite as bad shape, they had won races in the two previous seasons, when Schumacher joined them in 1996. Kimi's got at least a half dozen good F1 racing years ahead of him, there is no reason why he can't make this a long term project. If any of the mid-field teams have got a chance of winning in the next few years, you'd have to say it would be Williams. 

He Who KERS Wins!

So despite Jenson Button only being nine thousandths of a second behind team mate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP, he finished the race 25 seconds behind him in the race. Is this maybe due to Jenson not having the use of the extra boost of power from KERS for a large portion of the race? Somehow I don't think there would have been much difference in the top three positions even if Button did have use of the KERS button for the whole race, it does give me an excuse though to use a silly title for this post!

Lose The Front Wing

Though I'm no expert in Formula One aerodynamics, or aerodynamics of any sort in fact, I do have a theory that I think could reduce cornering speeds and increase the closeness of Formula One racing.

'But the racing has been close in 2011!' I hear everyone cry. Yes, agreed there has been more overtaking this season than there has been in probably the last ten years. It has mostly come about though due to the DRS (also known as the Drag Reduction System), the flap in the middle of the rear wing that can be opened to give a driver a bit extra straight line speed so he can get past a competitor. It has generally had the desired effect and we've seen lots of passing but some people probably feel that it's a bit artificial and overtaking is a bit too easy sometimes these days.

I am one of those who feel that DRS is a bit artificial, I'd like to see drivers passing due to their skill rather than the fact they have a straight line performance advantage over the car they are trying to pass. I think the key to providing non-gimmicky close racing could be removing the front wing.

Before DRS when we (Formula One fans) used to moan about the lack of overtaking in Grand Prix races, a common excuse was that cars couldn't follow each other close enough through corners. The reason stated for this was that the preceding car was causing air turbulence and the car following was losing downforce due to having to drive through this unsettled 'dirty' air. This is because Formula One cars these days are so dependent on aerodynamic downforce, the air flowing over their wings and bodywork, pressing them onto the track surface, enabling them to go much faster round corners than they could without these aerodynamic aids.

One of the most important pieces of aerodynamic kit when it comes to cornering a Formula One car is the front wing. The air pushing down on this helps the front wheels turn and helps prevent the car understeering off the outside of the corner. It is a vital piece of aerodynamics on a Formula One car, as can quite often be seen in a Grand Prix, when a car has a damaged front wing, it has to immediately make a pitstop for a new one as it won't be able to keep up a competitive pace without a fully functional front wing.

If we were to remove the front wing it would greatly reduce downforce to the front of the car, cornering speeds would be reduced dramatically. The cars will be more dependent on mechanical grip through the front tyres than aerodynamic grip when going round a bend. Because cars won't be depending on aerodynamic grip as much, the following car will not be at such a disadvantage as before in the dirty air left behind by the car it's chasing. This will allow it to follow much closer through corners and in doing so be close enough when the cars come on to the straight to pick up the slipstream of the car in front and have a go at passing him.

With the reduction of forward downforce due to the absence of a front wing, it would then become necessary to reduce the amount of downforce created by the rear wing to make the car more balanced. If you keep the same amount of downforce on the rear wing, the rear tyres will have a lot more grip then the front ones. This will cause the car to understeer and not want to turn around the corners. Reducing the downforce created by the rear wing would mean cars overall would have much less aerodynamic grip and be prone to slide around more through corners, making viewing a race that much more enjoyable. It would also increase the chances of drivers making small mistakes, giving competitors chance to close up a gap or pass.

Another benefit of not having front wings on Formula One cars would be the fact that if it's not there it can't be damaged or fall off. Quite often, especially at the start of a race we see cars colliding with competitors and damaging or losing their front wings, necessitating a pit stop for repairs. This usually puts that driver out of contention for a good result in that particular race.

In essence the removal of the front wing will make racing closer, passing easier, racing more spectacular, cornering slower and safer. It will require more skilful car control from the driver and will do away with the need for gimmicky devices to aid overtaking.

Get Rid Of Maldanado!

There seems to be a lot of speculation about Kimi Raikkonen replacing Rubens Barrichello at Williams next season. I wonder why they don't consider getting rid of Pastor Maldonado instead. Though everyone will agree it's been Williams worst season since anyone can remember, Rubens has though managed to score four points compared to Pastors one point.

Maldonado's season has appeared fairly unremarkable.  The most memorable incident being when he had a rush of blood to the head during qualifying at Spa and made a side swipe at Lewis Hamiltons car, causing contact and damage to the Mclaren. An incident that amazingly went unpunished. His performance at todays Abu Dhabi event was most notable for the way he turned his Williams-Cosworth into a mobile chicane whenever somebody was trying to lap him.

At this moment in time the Williams is slow enough as it is and they don't need juvenile antics further jeopardising their chance of getting a decent result.

Five Circuits I'd Like To See Dropped From The F1 Calender

As opposed to a recent previous post where I listed five ex-F1 tracks I'd like to see back on the F1 Calander, this is a list of five tracks I'd hope never to see Grand Prix cars on again. I'm limiting my choices to circuits that have held Formula One races in the past two seasons:

• Valencia - Not only is the surrounding scenery a bland expanse of concrete, the racing at the Valencia street track has tended to be exceedingly processional and boring. I've heard it described as another Monaco, obviously that person has never seen Monaco or works for the Valencia tourist board! What I really don't understand is why the F1 cars don't use the purpose made circuit that I've seen the motorbikes use? That track has an interesting layout and the more natural scenery is far more pleasing on the eye. I think it would make a great Grand Prix venue. 
• Hockenheim - The new Hockenheim layout is just a shadow of the once great high speed track that blasted through the forest. The old Hockenheim was in modern times a unique fixture on the Formula One Calender. It was mainly flat out straights with a twisty stadium section at the end of the lap. Because  individuality is scorned upon in Formula One, it had to go and make way for another overblown go-kart track that shamelessly still keeps the same name. At least it makes the new Nurburgring now look like a half decent circuit!
• Shanghai - No real complaints about the circuit itself. Ok, it's a bit bland and seems too similar to Sepang. It's just that I feel there is total apathy to Formula One amongst the Chinese, I don't think they'd really care if F1 visited or not. It feels like Formula One is going there because of the possibility of 1.2 billion Chinese people seeing their sponsors logos. I'd much rather seeing a race at a circuit with a passionate crowd such as Imola.
• Korea - A circuit that manages to encompass all the bad features from the three tracks I've mentioned above. The scenery is nondescript, the layout is disjointed and the crowds seem sparse and unexcited. The long straight is wasted in my opinion, instead of a low speed corner leading on to it a high speed bend would be much better and even with a shorter straight section would allow more overtaking. Why when building from scratch they had to put concrete walls so close to the track-side, I don't know? It has a temporary feel to it, hopefully it's inclusion in the Grand Prix calender will be brief. 
• Bahrain - The 2011 race was one of the more memorable Bahrain GP's for the fact that it didn't take place due to civil unrest in that country. I think that says it all.

Five Circuits I'd Like To See Back In Formula One

Out of all the circuits that Formula One no longer visits but are still in operation, these are the five I'd like to see Grand Prix races on again:

• Österreichring/A1-Ring/Red Bull Ring - Nestled in mountainous Austrian scenery, the very quick Österreichring was one of the most spectacular circuits on the Formula One calender in the 70's and 80's. Almost a decade after it's demise it was reborn as the A1-Ring in the late nineties. Though it was slower and not quite as spectacular as the original circuit, it did retain some of the character of the old track as well as the gorgeous scenery in the background. At a time when a lot of new circuits were being criticized for being dull and uninteresting, the A1-Ring proved that a modern and safe track could still provide exciting racing. Formula One races sadly stopped again in the early 00's and since then Red Bull has purchased and redeveloped the venue. It is also now, unsurprisingly, known as the Red Bull Ring. There are apparently no plans yet for F1 to return. I really hope we do see Grand Prix cars blasting through the Austrian countryside once again, seeing what they've achieved already in Formula One I'm sure it's well within the capabilities of Red Bull to pull it off.
  
• Long Beach - I think many Grand Prix fans like myself lamented the passing of the US GP West after the last Formula One race at Long Beach in 1983. Despite being a street circuit their never seemed to be a problem passing and the races always seemed to be entertaining. Since it's F1 days Long Beach has continued to host a round of the CART/Indycar championship in every season since 1984. Obviously the relationship with Indycar is a happy and successful one and unfortunately for F1 fans, I can't see Long Beach breaking it off any time soon.
  
• Brands Hatch - As opposed to modern 'Designer' circuits, Brands Hatch flows over and around the Kent countryside it sits on. As a spectator, even for a Grand Prix, there were always plenty vantage points to clearly see the racing even if you didn't have a grandstand seat. It also always seemed to have less temperamental weather than Silverstone.
• Paul Ricard - It's a disgrace that France doesn't host a Grand Prix these days. Not only did the French host the first Grand Prix in 1906, they also hosted the second and the third in the succeeding two years. In recent times Magny Cours hosted the French GP. It's a bit of a rubbish circuit though, more akin to a Go-Kart track in my mind. Many of the old classic French circuits such as Reims and Clermont-Ferrand are sadly no longer in existance or not a viable option for todays F1 machines. One circuit though that is equipped for Grand Prix Racing and has a bit of history is Paul Ricard. It's used for F1 testing still so there is no reason it wouldn't be able to host a race under those glorious Mediterranean skies.
• Zandvoort - Back in the day you could almost bet your house on the Dutch circuit giving us an exciting Grand Prix every year. The quick final bend leading to the main straight and then the tight Tarzen hairpin provided an excellent passing spot. The circuit has undergone some changes in the quarter century since it hosted it's last Formula One race. The A1 GP's it hosted a few years back though showed that it has lost none of it's character and still provides thrilling racing. Due to local noise pollution laws it is unlikely we will ever see a Formula One car amongst the Dutch sand dunes again.

Another five that deserve a mention: Watkins Glen, Imola, Estoril, Kyalami, Dijon.

Abu Dhabi

I prefer the Yas Marina circuit as a venue for a night race over Singapore. For the TV viewer the night scenery in Singapore is vary sparse at track level, in Abu Dhabi it is far more visible.

With the lights on the hotel changing colour at the UAE venue it reminds me of a science fiction movie or a racing game like Need for Speed, it's a bit surreal. I like it though, it really does set itself apart from the rest of the Formula One calender.

The first couple of races in Abu Dhabi have been relatively unspectacular due to lack of overtaking. This I find somewhat strange as there are at least two substantial straights which should both offer passing opportunities. I wonder if night conditions somehow effect the tyre grip as the Singapore races are also usually processional affairs. This year DRS has created a lot more passing at some tracks, while at other circuits the effect of the movable rear wing has not made overtaking that much easier. We will wait and see how effective it is this weekend

Rosbergs Future

News this week is that Nico Rosberg has signed with Mercedes GP till at least 2013. I only hope the Mercedes car improves in the near future.

Five years ago I'd have predicted Nico to have racked up many wins by now in his F1 career by now, he was seemingly the bright hope for the future. I thought he would have easily have overtaken his fathers tally of five Grand Prix wins by now. Frustratingly fellow German Sebastian Vettel has barged in and become the driver I thought Rosberg would become.

The main part of the problem has been Rosbergs knack of joining teams just as they are experiencing a downturn in fortunes. He joined Williams just as they started their current dry winless period and Mercedes suffered a sharp drop in form, when he joined them in 2010, after being the championship winning car (as a Brawn) in 2009. His career is starting to mirror Jean Alesi's who was a career underachiever, thanks to joining successful teams just as they were about to enjoy a less successful period.

Will Nico's fortunes take an upturn in the next two seasons? Manufacturer teams, apart from Ferrari, don't have a good record in modern Grand Prix racing. I am not convinced that Mercedes can become a team that can win consistently at least not soon. Saying that though, there probably weren't too many other options for him in the way of competitive drives for next year? Maybe he should have signed a one year contract though in the hope that an opportunity might arise in one of the top three teams for 2013? 

The Blue Flag

I'd much rather see a return to the old blue flag regulations in Formula One. Before the current rules, where a blue flag means a car that's being lapped must move over and let the car lapping him pass, a blue flag was just advising a driver that a faster car was behind him. In those days lapping backmarkers was a skill in itself and being good at it was one of the weapons a great driver kept in his armament to help maximise his advantage over his competitors. Great Grand Prix drivers for a century or so had no trouble dealing with tail enders without any outside interference, I don't see why it should be any different for todays superstars?

Testing

One of the better rules the FIA have implemented in recent years is the F1 testing ban during the season. Testing adds nothing to the spectacle of Formula One racing. It's just a huge waste of resources in order to make gains that will be in any way negated due to rival teams spending an equal amount of time doing the same thing.

Restarts After Safety Car

I'd rather have as few safety car periods as possible in Grand Prix races. Seeing as we do have them why not use them to add as much excitement as possible to the proceedings.

I expressed my thoughts about cars pitting during a safety car period in a previous post. In essence I don't believe anyone should be allowed to pit once the safety car comes out until the whole field is bunched up behind the safety car, or alternatively nobody should be allowed to pit at all while the safety car is out.

Getting back to the topic of restarting the race after the safety car period. Often lapped cars are in between cars on the leading lap so when the race is restarted the lead lap cars don't have the opportunity to try and gain positions. They first have to get past the cars that are a lap down first before they can try to make a pass on their direct competitors. Often by the time the leaders have dispensed with the lapped traffic, they have spread out and are not in a position to challenge each other.

As the field is once again bunched up it seems a pity to not give the drivers chance to make up a position. I would like to see one of two solutions to this. Let any lapped cars, who are in between lead lap cars on the road, pass the safety car and unlap themselves, leaving all the lead lap cars in one group directly behind the safety car. The second idea is to send all lapped cars to the back of the field before the restart so you would have the lead lap cars at the front of the field and all the cars a lap or more down at the back.

My final wish would be to have double file restarts. The the drivers forced to stay in formation until they cross the start line. That would be like another start to the race and could be very exciting.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Please....

........change the livery of your cars so they don't bear any resemblance to the Red Bulls. When they are spinning, it's difficult to tell the difference between the two and I experience sudden excitement until I realise it's one of your cars!

Who Finishes Second In The Championship? (Who Cares?)

Though the 2011 Formula One World Drivers Championship has long ago been decided in favour of Sebastian Vettel, there is apparently a fight on for the runner up position.

This got me thinking, off the top of my head, how many championship runners up can I remember? In 2009 was it Barrichello or Vettel? Rubens was in the dominant Brawn that year but Seb was also doing pretty well. In 2007, Räikkönen beat the other two contenders, Hamilton and Alonso, in the last race of the season. What order were they in the final standings though? Going back to 2001, David Coulthard was Michael Schumachers main rival in the first half of the season, did he remain second best till the end?

I'm actually not completely sure who finished second in probably at least half the drivers championships which I have followed these past three decades. I can only some to one conclusion from all this. It is not the taking part, but the winning, which counts!