Crazy Canada

Firstly, apologies for this being nearly a week late. Things happening at home meant that I couldn't get this entry ready in time to publish it in conjunction with the video going online. I've published it as a double-bill with this week's answers though, so enjoy!


One of my favourite races of the year certainly lived up to expectations. Realistically it wasn't going to top last year, and it did lull a little in the middle of the race (maybe we should start calling this phase of the race "no-man's land"?), but the end more than made up for it. And I must admit, I did get emotional when I saw Lewis driving back to parc ferme with the Union flag in his hand...

© LAT Photographic

Q1) With Grosjean and Perez both claiming spots on the podium this weekend, do you believe that they are the best of the new crop of young drivers?

A: Up to now, definitely. Grosjean especially has really impressed me - I thought Kimi would be whipping him this year, but he's proven that when he can stay out of trouble he's got brilliant pace. Perez, meanwhile, seems to be the only driver on the grid that can make the Pirelli tyres work to his liking to some extent, letting him gamble with the conservative strategies that he's become famous for. If Grosjean can become more consistent with his results and Perez can improve his qualifying performances, people are going to take even more notice of them.

Having said this, there's new drivers further down the grid that haven't got the cars to be able to show their true potential. Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Pic in particular could be very talented for all we know, but the Marussia and Toro Rosso won't let them showcase their true potential.


Q2 [as suggested by @domcovkid]) Why, if Lewis Hamilton is repeatedly consistent with the McLaren, has Jenson Button been so poor in recent races when they both have the same car?

A: I think Jenson needs a much more stable car to suit his smoother driving style, unlike Lewis, who can really drag the car around the track as he's so aggressive. His performances have gone downhill quite dramatically since McLaren have used the modified, slightly curved nose... maybe that has something to do with it?


Q3) SKY viewers - what did you make of Jacques Villeneuve working for SKY this weekend?

A: Quite interesting actually! One thing you're guaranteed with Jacques Villeneuve is that you're going to get a straight answer - you may not like it, you may disagree with it and you may not like the man for it, but you have to have some respect for him for not being afraid to say what he truly thinks. For that one race I think he added a bit of something different, but I don't think I'd like him as a permanent pundit, à la Johnny Herbert. It's his new Dr Eggman look he's rocking. It scares me a little. All he needs is a pair of fancy goggles, a massive moustache and he'd be sorted:

BONUS) Who would you have liked to see join Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the river after the Grand Prix?

A: My favourite moment of the weekend, hehe! Judging by his many and lovely photo shoots, maybe Bruno Senna? Though that may have been a bit too much - just Seb and Mark in there was enough to get me, @Thrinne1 and @Sammybingo giggling like little girls!

10%

10% into the season already. I can tell this year is going to absolutely fly by...

Q1) In the past two races we have seen four different constructors on the podium. With the recent break do you think that any teams in particular will have made a large improvement or will this only occur by the European leg of the calendar?

A: I said in my last post that I don't think we'll see any major improvements until everyone brings updates to the Spanish GP, but then I remembered that Ferrari are giving Felipe Massa a brand new chassis for the Chinese GP. So we could well see a big improvement from them if Massa responds well to the new car, which I hope he does as it's been quite sad seeing him flounder in the lower-midfield up to now.

In the meantime, I think we'll see some improvement from Lotus. The only reason they don't have more points is because of sheer bad luck, with Kimi Raikkonen's gearbox problem in Malaysia and Romain Grosjean's bumper-cars in both races costing them chances of podiums. Whether they can keep up in the development race come mid-season is another matter, and one which they didn't seem to cope well with last year...

© Ferrari Media

Q2) This weekend has seen the 'kick off' for some of the lower series, including BTCC, Clio Cup and (during the Malaysian race weekend) IndyCar. Have you watched any of these series, and if so why and how?

A: I've watched all the above, bar the Clio Cup, as I just happened to be busy when they were on the TV! This year I'm trying to make more of an effort to get into other forms of motorsport that are on TV - as fun as single-seaters are, there's many more series out there that give the same, though usually rather different, thrills when you watch. BTCC in particular was brilliant and it was great to see it back in it's carnage-ridden, controversy-fuelled glory, while I've only really been watching IndyCar because of Rubens Barrichello's recent move there. The race from Barber was a great watch though, so much overtaking! I'll be keeping an eye on the Indy Lights series too, as local lad Oli Webb makes his American debut this year.

Q3) With the Crazy Chinese Grand Prix fast approaching, it will be the first Grand Prix that the BBC will have live and be in direct competition with Sky. Who do you think will be the channel that the majority choose and which will you be watching live?

A: The BBC will win hands down - free-to-air will always win over pay-per-view, no matter how different the channel's approaches to presentation, analysis etc. are as it's just easier for the majority to access. Personally I'll be watching the race on the BBC, as I miss the more laid-back camaraderie between Jake, David and Eddie and I'm warming towards Ben Edwards' commentary with every race.

BONUS) Vettel referred to Karthikeyan as a 'cucumber' after the Malaysian GP but if you could represent a driver of your choice as food, which food would it be and why?

A: I wasn't observant enough to notice this myself, but a few weeks ago @theFakeVettel was comparing Romain Grosjean to a croissant. Not only are they both French (well, one's from Geneva but I think we'll let him off) and quite warm and lovely, I think the likeness between them is rather uncanny...

When I get that feeling...

The wait is almost over everyone, tomorrow morning we get to see our first Formula 1 race of the year! We've all been whetting our appetites in different ways, whether it's been watching the 2011 season review DVD on loop, playing F1 video games endlessly, or entertaining ourselves with the stream of funny photoshops on the Autosport forums. Indeed seeing the first promos on TV is that long-awaited sign that, finally, what's felt like a very long winter is close to ending. And it will have been very hard to avoid them, especially Sky's offerings as they seek to convince us to part with our hard-earned money to get in on the experience.

There was, however, one trailer that caught my attention like nothing else:

© Sky Sports F1™

For me it's a brilliant example of how editing can create such a sense of atmosphere and anticipation. The hive of activity in the pits, the crowd on their feet to cheer their beloved drivers, all accompanied by that ever-growing undercurrent of engine revs and drum beats into a great crescendo. Then silence, as everyone anticipates the arrival of the five red lights.


It's at this particular moment when I was watching it, that 'the feeling' started to build up.


'The feeling' is a phenomenon that many can never convey. Not in any certain concrete terms, anyway. Some describe a it as a slight fizzing sensation in the pit of their stomach, while others (me included) can end up having to take very deep breaths to try and control the shivers that race through their body. And it almost always occurs when we experience a very exciting or nervous moment in our lives, as it's our body's way of preparing us for the stress that it's about to undergo. It's no wonder that the often stressful nature of following sport is such a sure-fire way of getting these experiences to surface.

But the wonderful thing about 'the feeling' is that although it's an intensely personal experience for each of us, every single human being can experience it. Everyone can feel the rush - waiting for a crucial penalty kick in a football match, waiting for the 100m runners to rise from their starting blocks in the Olympics final, waiting for those five red lights to come on and then disappear on a Grand Prix raceday. For those few agonising seconds every single person watching that moment, no matter what their allegiance, is engrossed in their anticipation to witness some of the greatest athletes in the world perform at the highest level. I don't know about anyone else, but witnessing such achievement gives me a great sense of pride in humanity and really enforces the notion that if we can set our minds on something, and be as committed and passionate as the athletes we idolise, we can do whatever we've dreamed to do. You hear so much about the negative aspects of following sport and indeed there are plenty, but every sports fan is fundamentally united in their devotion and passion for it. It's a bond between all of us that can never, ever be broken.

© www.grandprixweekly.com

So however you're watching the Grand Prix tomorrow and at every other race thereafter, remember that when those five red lights are coming on, there'll be millions of other people around the world feeling exactly the same emotions as you. And for once rivalries and controversies won't matter, because for those few seconds we'll all be united in our passion, in our love, for our sport.

And it'll be absolutely brilliant.