2010 Belgian Grand Prix - The Conclusions

In this piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  After a four-week summer break, the F1 fraternity gathered at the awesome Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.  With the unpredictable weather element added in, this was always going to be a fantastic weekend and so it proved out to be.  Here is a round-up of round thirteen, which turned out to be unlucky for some and very lucky for others.

Lewis Hamilton – Is He Champion Elect Again?

If Lewis Hamilton lacked a fair degree of luck at the start of the season, he has it in abundance at Spa.  After the debacle of Hungary, when despite his best efforts, he was nearly two seconds off the pace, Belgium saw the tide turn his way again.  Firstly, his team-mate Jenson Button crashed out of the race through no fault of his own and with Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel not scoring either, he managed to inflict major damage on all three of their championship ambitions.  Secondly, he escaped from a trip into the gravel at Rivage on Lap 34.  Two years ago, Hamilton would have beached his McLaren in those scenarios, but he gently kissed the barrier and continued as if nothing had happened.  Lewis is driving out of his skin in 2010, and is warming to the hearts of many for his skill and bravery in a car that simply isn’t fast enough to win the championship.  He dominated the race on Sunday, and at the moment, I would put smart money on him becoming champion again.

Sebastian Vettel – Another Rash Move!

Jenson Button has called it ‘weird,’ Martin Whitmarsh has described him as a ‘crash kid,’ and no wonder.  Sunday was a day to forget for Sebastian Vettel, with another rash move which he is starting to gain a reputation for.  He drove into Mark Webber in Turkey, smashed into Adrian Sutil’s sidepod in Silverstone and got away with it, and failed unsuccessfully to smack Fernando Alonso into the pitwall seconds after the start of the German Grand Prix.  His move on Button in Sunday’s race was not deliberate, but he certainly could have avoided the contact which smashed the world champion’s radiator.  He deserved his drive-through, and when he was left driving around for a lap with a puncture, after being hit by Vitantonio Liuzzi, I don’t think many had much sympathy for him.  Vettel may have all the talent in the world, but if he keeps repeating the same mistakes, he may never win a title.  I certainly hope he doesn’t win the championship this year, because he has made too many avoidable errors. 

The Weather – Spa’s Usual Unpredictability

When F1 turns up at Spa, it is always going to throw up a cocktail of the unpredictable as far as the weather goes.  Spa’s unique microclimate produced again in 2010, with qualifying and the race turning into desperate lottery scrambles.  Q1 on Saturday looked more like a wild episode of ‘Wacky Races,’ rather than an F1 session, with cars spinning left, right and centre.  Though it was a fairly familiar front order at the end of the session, Belgium had done its bit and it did on Sunday too, with brief showers at the start and the end of the race.  Driver skill and keeping your nerve was the ultimate winner in this traditional Belgian battle with the elements.

Mark Webber – The New No.1 at Red Bull?

Yesterday, Mark Webber called for No.1 status at Red Bull Racing.  He is unlikely to earn this, especially because of their unrequited love for Sebastian Vettel.  However, the Aussie is the team’s best championship bet.  Since the Silverstone saga over the front wing issue, Webber has knuckled down and is driving even better than before.  Having made a shocking start, due to a dragging clutch and throwing away pole, Mark put in a measured and controlled drive to second spot on a track where Red Bull were never going to have the gulfing advantage they had at Barcelona and in Budapest.  Whereas Vettel was hitting other cars once again, Webber was doing his usual trick of staying out of trouble and picking up the necessary points.  Anymore errors from Seb and Christian Horner may have to bite his teeth and put all backing into Webber’s championship bid.

Rubens Barrichello – 300, but No Cake

Rubens Barrichello reached an amazing milestone at Spa, as he became the first driver to take part in 300 Grand Prix’s.  After qualifying an excellent seventh and in the mixed conditions, I’m sure everyone was hoping that the popular Brazilian could record a brilliant result.  Sadly, his race turned into a damp squib.  Whilst defending from Nico Rosberg, Rubens got on the brakes way too late in the damp conditions, and gave Fernando Alonso a massive wallop at the Bus Stop chicane.  Barrichello admitted his guilt afterwards; it was a sorry end to such a fantastic milestone.  However, there is plenty of life left in Barrichello’s career and I’m sure he will make up for it between now and the end of the season.

Fernando Alonso – A Terminal Blow To His Maranello Dream?

Having topped the timesheets in both of Friday’s practice sessions, Fernando Alonso went into the rest of the weekend as the red-hot favourite for the Belgian Grand Prix.  What happened next will remain a mystery?  The team’s decision to leave Alonso on old rubber in Q3 and give Felipe Massa fresh tyres was staggering, considering that after Hockenheim, Alonso is their only driver in the team.  Starting from 10^th, Fernando’s race was always going to be compromised and when Barrichello clonked him on Lap One, leaving him with a puncture, that made things worse.  The rest of his afternoon was full of bitter frustration and his lacklustre came to an end six laps from home, when struggling to keep up with Kamur Kobayashi’s Sauber, Alonso ran onto the wet kerbs at Malmady and slid into the tyres.  Another costly error from the double world champion, and this mistake could well be the terminal blow to his distant dreams of winning the title in his maiden season with Maranello, like Kimi Raikkonen did in 2007.

Mercedes GP – Mixed Fortunes

It was another mixed weekend for Mercedes GP, though a double-points finish will at least ease some of the pressure on Ross Brawn and co.  The team were on their backfoot from the outset of the meeting, with Michael Schumacher’s ten-place grid penalty for his vicious chop on Rubens Barrichello in Hungary, whilst a gearbox problem on Saturday morning for Nico Rosberg relegated him five spots.  Starting from 14^th and 21^st respectively was always going to make things very tricky, but the race was a very solid affair.  Despite nearly clashing twice, Rosberg and Schumacher impressed in the mixed conditions, without ever putting in anything starring.  Sixth and seventh place results hint at minor progress, but Mercedes will need to do more, especially with a hungry Kubica and Renault breathing down on their necks for fourth place in the constructor’s championship.

Robert Kubica – Another Stunning Performance

Robert Kubica is a world-class driver and his performances in the 2010 Renault continue to get better and better.  Although Hungary was a poor weekend by his high standards, Spa saw him challenging the frontrunners, on a track where I expected the team to really struggle.  Renault introduced the f-duct device in Belgium, and it worked from the outset.  Kubica was never outside the top five in any session all weekend and despite a fuel pressure issue, his third place on the grid was a genuinely outstanding effort.  In the race, he stayed ahead of Mark Webber easily and only the dominant Hamilton had the measure of him.  Had it not been for a costly error in the pits, overshooting his box whilst sorting out from steering wheel settings, second place was his.  Nevertheless, the Pole’s pace was impressive throughout and third place was the least he deserved for his efforts.  If Renault can continue this development rate, Kubica could be a major spoiler in the destiny of where this year’s champion will come from.

The New Teams – Best Weekend So Far

It was by far the best weekend of the season for the three new teams, Lotus, Virgin and Hispania.  They were closer to the back of the midfield than they have been all season, with all three teams showing glimmers of hope for the future.  Whilst Sauber messed up with their tyre choice and Vitaly Petrov crashed in Q1, Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock both put in excellent efforts to reach the second part of qualifying, whilst both Bruno Senna and Sakon Yamamoto put in best qualifying performances of the season.  In the race, the likes of Pedro de la Rosa and Sebastian Buemi were kept in touch with by Jarno Trulli and the experienced Italian would have finished as the best of the new teams, had it not been for a dramatic late spin.  Lucas di Grassi beat Glock in the race, which will provide the Brazilian a much-needed confidence boost.  Apart from a retirement from Senna early on, there was a load of positives to take from the Spa weekend for all three teams.

Sutil Shows the Force Is Fast

Force India were never likely to repeat their breathtaking 2009 weekend, when Giancarlo Fisichella grabbed a shock pole and finished a close 2^nd in the race.  However, Spa was always going to be one of their strongest tracks of the season and a double point’s finish will go down well with boss Vijay Mallya.  Vitantonio Liuzzi earned his point in the stewards’ room, when Jaime Alguesuari was penalised for cutting a chicane, whilst defending from the Italian.  However, Adrian Sutil was the star of the weekend as ever for the Silverstone based team.  Eighth in qualifying was slightly disappointing for the German, but his race pace was sharp.  He drove clean past Kamur Kobayashi, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, proving that with such a fast engine in the back, they could be even stronger at Monza in a fortnight’s time.  Keeping Felipe Massa honest all afternoon showed how competitive Sutil was and fifth place was a fine reward for some fast speed and decisive overtaking.  Monza could be even better for the team, if this evidence goes with the book.

Fallen Car Giant Recalls More Models Over Engine Concerns

Despite a recent upturn in fortunes, Japanese fallen car giant Toyota is facing more pressing concerns from customers in the United States, after over 1 million Toyota Corolla models were recalled, amid fears of engine issues.

Although this latest recall is not thought to affect those, who own the Corolla from the UK, it will drive fear into many Toyota drivers, following the plague of issues they suffered in February this year, which battered their reputation significantly.  Reports in the US suggest that there have been at least three accidents with the Corolla, due to the engine fault detected.  However, these have not been confirmed by the under-pressure Japanese company.

The models affected are thought to have built before 2008.  The latest batch of recalls take Toyota above the 11 million mark for this year, which is absolutely staggering figure for a company that previously was well trusted for its safety and security of its established model.  The recalls have been previously prompted through braking fluid issues and sticky accelerators that were leading to shocking stories of accidents and more tragically, deaths.  Some will argue that the quick recall could be seen as the company pressing into immediate action, but others will say that they shouldn’t be in the sorry mess that they have been engulfed with in 2010, so there is little sympathy towards Toyota’s plight.

Models made in Canada have also been recalled for safety issues, though it is widely believed that these models have been recalled on a precautionary basis.  Toyota has said that the engine fault can cause the engine to stop whilst the car was being driven, or for it to not fire-up properly on start-up.  For the earlier problems this year, Toyota was fined £10.6million pounds and despite a record increase in profits worldwide in the spring, these issues don’t seem to be going away.  Toyota are going to have to produce a lot of convincing with people to ensure their cars won’t cause any issues, and that is certainly not going to be an easy job.

First Pictures of the EastEnders Pub Fire

WARNING: Spoilers may be included.  The text will be at the bottom of this piece, for those who just want to see these explosive pictures.

Thanks to the online media website Digital Spy, these are the first dramatic pictures to be released of the inferno that is going to engulf the Queen Vic pub in EastEnders.  It will start after another confrontation between Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor).  As Phil starts the fire and it spreads rapidly through the pub, some of the regulars including Max Branning (Jake Wood), Vanessa (Zoe Lucker), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) will face a struggle to escape the burning building.  And of course, what will happen to Peggy and Phil?

This unmissable episode of EastEnders is on Thursday 9th September at 7.30pm on BBC One!

2010 Belgian Grand Prix - Lucky Lewis Survives Gravel Scare To Win Magical Spa Race

Lewis Hamilton produced the perfect response from his Hungary disappointment to win the Belgian Grand Prix today, on the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit.  The Brit regained the championship lead from Australian Mark Webber, surviving a trip into the gravel trap in changeable conditions with ten laps to go in the process.  Webber finished second, on a day when the three other major championship contenders, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso all failed to score.

Having started 2^nd, Hamilton jumped into an instant lead, as Webber threw away his pole position with a shocking start, not helped by a dragging clutch.  Webber dropped back to sixth position, and was on his backfoot from the outset.  Whilst Hamilton sped into the distance, a brief shower on the opening lap caused chaos, as the drivers struggled on their slick tyres.  On his 300^th Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello caught a damp patch and ran into the back of Alonso at the Bus Stop chicane, forcing Alonso into the pits for repairs and Rubens onto the sidelines.

Despite incurring some front wing damage, after a brush with Robert Kubica at La Source on the opening circuit, Jenson Button was looking strong to make it a McLaren 1-2, though struggling to match Hamilton’s blistering speed.  That was until Lap 16, when Sebastian Vettel hit a nasty bump at the Bus Stop, lost control and then drove into Button’s radiator.  The 2009 World Champion was an instant retirement, whilst Vettel pitted for a new front wing.  It was a ridiculous overtaking attempt from the rash German and quite rightly, he received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision.  Later, he made more contact, this time with Vitantonio Liuzzi at the same spot, which saw Sebastian limp around for a full lap with a left-rear puncture, finishing off any hope of points.

After gambling wrong on tyre choice early on, Alonso had a fairly lacklustre race and got frustrated more and more when he got stuck behind slower cars.  With six laps to go, the former double world champion ran wide onto the wet kerbs at Malmady, lost control and smashed into the tyres.  With shattered front suspension, Fernando was finished for this race.  Team-mate Felipe Massa produced an error-free race to wind up 4^th.

With ten laps to go, Hamilton locked up on the greasy surface at Rivage, went straight into the gravel and kissed the barrier.  Luckily, he survived this scare and got into the pits for the required intermediate tyres.  Webber had raced hard with Kubica, and grabbed 2^nd spot when the Pole got distracted by changing some settings on his steering wheel and overshot his pit box.  Nevertheless, it was another stunning performance from Kubica, who earned his third podium finish of the season. 

Adrian Sutil was an excellent fifth place for Force India, matching his best performance of the season, and he drove clean past both Mercedes during the race too.  Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher made the most of the inclement weather conditions to score 6^th and 7^th place finishes for Mercedes, despite some minor contact between the pair early on.  Kamur Kobayashi was a strong 8^th for Sauber, with the points rounded off by Vitaly Petrov in the second Renault, from the very back of the grid and the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguesuari.

With six races to go, there is bound to me many more twists and turns, but few of the remaining races will throw up the classic that Belgium did today.  However, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber have stolen momentum and a march on the other contenders.  Button, Vettel and Alonso need to respond in clinical fashion in two weeks time at the fastest track on the calendar, Monza.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (21st - 23rd August 2010)

The second weekend of the new Premiership season bought a number of penalty misses, amazing scorelines and highlighted the gulf between the best and the weakest in England’s top flight, here is my review from last weekend’s engrossing action.

Sunday 22^nd August: Fulham 2-2 Manchester United

Manchester United dropped their first points of the season, after being held to a deserving draw by hard-working Fulham at Craven Cottage.  Paul Scholes stunning start to the new campaign continued, when he drilled in a 10^th minute opener, scoring his 150^th career goal for the Red Devils in the process.  However, Mark Hughes’s side had the better of the second half, and equalised through Simon Davies on the hour mark.  It looked like United had stolen all the points eight minutes from time, when Brede Hangeland put through his own goal in another goalmouth scramble.  Then, a Damien Duff handball gave substitute Nani the chance to wrap it up.  His penalty was saved by the inspired David Stockdale.  With 90 minutes almost up, Hangeland made amends for his earlier misfortune by meeting his towering leap to Paul Konchesky’s corner and earning a share of the spoils.

Saturday 21^st August: Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool

Following their impressive demolition of Wigan on the opening weekend, new boys Blackpool ended up on the receiving end of an Arsenal demolition derby at the Emirates.  The under-fire Theo Walcott scored the first hat-trick of his club career, and once Ian Evatt was dismissed for fouling Marouane Chamakh when the Moroccan was in on goal, it was curtains for Ian Holloway’s side.  Andrei Arshavin dispatched the resulting penalty and there were further second half strikes from Abou Diaby and Chamakh, who scored his first goal in Arsenal colours.  Considering Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie were left on the bench, this was an impressive signal of intent from Arsene Wenger’s Gunners.

Sunday 22^nd August: Newcastle United 6-0 Aston Villa

Top-flight football returned to St. James Park in impressive and sensational fashion, as Newcastle United ripped Aston Villa to pieces.  It was the Villains who started the stronger, and had a great chance to open the scoring, when Steve Harper fouled Ashley Young in the box.  However, John Carew’s penalty was simply atrocious, smashing the ball towards Newcastle Airport.  The Norwegian kicked the turf in sheer frustration and from then on, Villa rolled over and died.  Joey Barton smashed in an opener four minutes later, meaning that that moustache he had been growing could be removed, as Newcastle won their first Premiership match of the season.  Kevin Nolan chalked up two strikes, but home-grown hero Andy Carroll went one better, with the new Newcastle No.9 scoring his first senior hat-trick and a very impressive one it was too.  Kevin McDonald could only look on in horror at Villa’s lack of fight, determination and belief – as this result might have cost him the top job too at Villa Park.

Monday 23^rd August: Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool

In front of their rich owners, Manchester City signalled their intentions, with an emphatic 3-0 win over former established top four side Liverpool.  With Joe Cole suspended and Javier Mascherano refusing to play, as speculation over a move to Barcelona intensifies, Roy Hodgson’s side had an off-night and City took full advantage of the situation.  Gareth Barry opened the scoring, after a neat link-up between Adam Johnson and new acquisition from Aston Villa, James Milner.  Eight minutes into the second half, Micah Richards powerful header was shinned in by Carlos Tevez with the smallest of touches possible.  The Eastlands skipper put the seal on a dominant performance, by slotting home a penalty on 67 minutes, after the impressive Johnson was tripped in the penalty area by Martin Skrtel.  Even with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the side, Liverpool looked bereft of ideas and quality.  It could be another long season for the red half of Merseyside.

Saturday 21^st August: Wigan Athletic 0-6 Chelsea

Chelsea continued their scoring spree as Wigan took their third consecutive Premiership battering.  Less than four months after their 8-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge on the last day of the season, more schoolboy defending from Roberto Martinez’s men allowed Chelsea’s attackers another field day.  After an even-fought first 30 minutes, Florent Malouda broke the deadlock, tapping in after Chris Kirkland could only parry a close-range Frank Lampard shot.  The visitors ran away after the break, with Nicholas Anelka and Salomon Kalou both helping themselves to two goals each.  Summer signing Yossi Benayoun put the seal on the final result, as Chelsea showed their superior class once again. 

 Saturday 21^st August: Stoke City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Gareth Bale’s inspired performance was the difference between these two sides in a hard-fought clash at the Britannia Stadium.  Bale’s opener for Spurs came after 11 minutes, when Ryan Shawcross attempted clearance struck Bale on the knee and crept over the line.  Stoke’s leveller came when Ricardo Fuller smashed in, following a misjudged attempt to clear from Tottenham keeper Gomes.  If Bale’s opener was lucky, his second was simply breathtaking.  The Welshman volleyed in Aaron Lennon’s cross, leaving Thomas Sorensen staring into thin air.  Stoke lost Malmady Sidibe to a season-ending injury and also felt that Peter Crouch cleared a Jonathan Walters attempt off the line, when the ball crossed the line in stoppage time.  Television cameras have since proven that Tony Pulis men have a right to be aggrieved at the final outcome, but Spurs have already shown that last year’s 4^th place finish was no fluke.

Saturday 21^st August: West Ham United 1-3 Bolton Wanderers

The forgotten man of the Premiership, Johan Elmander scored a surprising double, as West Ham crashed to their 7^th successive defeat against hard-working Bolton Wanderers at Upton Park.  When Gretar Steinsson conceded a first-half penalty, the Hammers could have been infront, only for Carlton Cole’s kick to be so bad, that it could have been saved by Juusi Jaaskelainen with his eyes closed!  An embarrassing own goal from Matthew Upson gifted Owen Coyle’s side the lead and two headers from Elmander, either side of a successful Mark Noble spot kick kept up Bolton’s impressive start to the season.  For Avram Grant, this job already looks like a poisoned chalice.

Saturday 21^st August: Birmingham City 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

A second half double from Craig Gardner, his first two goals for the club helped an unimpressive Birmingham to a fortunate win over Blackburn Rovers.  Ben Foster made a superb penalty save from Morten Gamst Pedersen, but Blackburn, on top for large periods, grabbed a deserved through a Steven N’Zonzi header.  Gardner’s two goals cancelled out N’Zonzi’s header, with the second going straight through the hands of Paul Robinson.  Sam Allardyce will be disappointed to have left St. Andrew’s with nothing.

Saturday 21^st August: West Brom 1-0 Sunderland

In a game where the goalkeepers excelled in an attempt to prevent this game from without a goal, Nigerian debutant Peter Odemwingie scored the only goal at the Hawthorns, with nine minutes to go.  West Brom claimed their first win back in the big time, while Steve Bruce will be disappointed that his side failed to create enough opportunities.

Saturday 21^st August: Everton 1-1 Wolves

After a shambolic first half performance, Wolves did well to battle back and earn themselves a share of the spoils at Goodison Park.  Everton dominated the opening exchanges and Tim Cahill gave them a deserved lead on the stroke of half-time.  After the break, Everton sat back and their lack of adventure cost them, as Sylvain Ebanks-Blake netted a deserved equaliser for Mick McCarthy’s side.  

ITV Cleared Over World Cup Ad Gaffe

Television regulator OFCOM has sensationally cleared ITV for their incredible World Cup gaffe, which saw thousands of fans miss England’s first goal at the 2010 World Cup.

Those who had tuned into the ITV HD service, including myself were treated to a 10-second advert from the Korean car manufacturer Hyundai, which sponsored ITV’s coverage of the finals from South Africa.  By the time the situation had been restored to normal, England captain Steven Gerrard had already steered England into a 4^th minute lead against the United States in Rustenberg. 

As a consequence of this fault, plus the previous glaring error when millions missed Dan Gosling’s extra-time winner for Everton against Liverpool in a 2009 FA Cup 4^th Round Replay, ITV will now be fitting foolproof covers on key buttons in its control room, to stop anymore fiascos like these during live televised events. 

A full investigation was launched into the event afterwards, with OFCOM receiving 800 complaints over the incident.  Having listened to ITV’s explanation of what happened on June 12^th, the media regulator has accepted their reason as valid and cleared them of any blame and wrongdoing.  ITV insist that the incident was down to “human error” and due to the precautions they will be putting in, this kind of incident will never happen again.  I am not convinced whether that will be the case, as ITV have a proven track record for missing key events and angering many fans in the process.

ITV also said that 90% of those who watched the England v USA game were not affected by the glitch, as they were watching the game in standard definition.  Nevertheless, although it is something that everyone hopes will never be repeated again, it does leave another stain on ITV’s football coverage, which has suffered several moments of misfortune and inadequacy since they began their association with the FA in the autumn of 2008.

Miracle Miners Are Found In Chile

After being trapped underground for two weeks and with seemingly little hope of survival, a group of Chilean miners have managed to send a message to confirm that they are miraculously, still alive.  The 33 miners were first reported missing on August 6^th and have remained trapped in a cave near the city of Copiapo.

The President of the South American country, Sebastian Pinera confirmed the news by showing the message to local television stations.  The message was written in red paint and in English translation said; “The 33 of us in the shelter are well.”

Pinera also told reporters how the message had been reached from deep underground.  It had been a tied to a drill that rescuers had previously used to bore through to the area near an underground shelter.  Celebrations have got underway after the news brokethrough, with parties being held in the capital Santiago, a country which is still attempting to rebuild itself from the shattering earthquake that ripped through the nation back in March. 

President Pinera has said that it could take months for the miners to be rescued back to sea level, possibly even as late as Christmas.  This is because the miners are about 700 metres underground.  The miners are believed to have a limited about of food accessible to them, but are looking in better shape that what had been previously expected.  Doctors are advising that high energy foods be sent down as soon as possible.  The miners are staying alive, due to a massive tank of water and ventilation shafts being around in the area.

When this news brokethrough on Monday afternoon, these people can only be described as the ‘Miracle Miners.’

GCSE Results On The Rise Again

Once again, GCSE results have smashed all previous records, with pass rates rising for the 23^rd year in a row.  Despite another slump in students taking a German or French GCSE, 70% of entries were awarded at least a C grade.

That is up 2% on the results from 2009, with nearly 23% of these entries at least earning an A or A* grade, which is up 1% on last year.  Whereas there was nosedives in the language results, Science seems to be standing out as a shining academic subject, with huge rises in passes and exams undertaken in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.  Overall, it is an significant improvement on the results from last year.  The government will be delighted to see a 2% increase on students passing the standard English Literature and English Language courses, after a slip in standards in 2009.  Add into the equation that there was an overall slip in entries from last year; these results do consequently stand out very highly. 

For the second successive year, boys got the better of girls in higher grades for Maths, which is one of the most competitive subjects around nowadays.  Despite that surprise, females are still doing better on an average basis than males.  A director of JCQ, (Joint Council for Qualifications) Jim Sinclair gave this reaction.

“Students and their teachers can be proud of their achievements.  The increased entries in biology, physics and chemistry, as well as the improvements in English and Maths results is very good news indeed.”

Of course, some are claiming that the GCSE exams are getting easier with every passing year; hence the results improve year-in, year-out.  However, this might be done to students putting in harder work than ever before, especially with the uncertainty of further education opportunities, as many can highlight from last week’s outstanding A Level results. 

GCSE exams may be under-fire once again and some critics will say that these exams simply do not stretch today’s everyday students.  However, that shouldn’t take the gloss off these fantastic results, so congratulations to all those students who worked extremely hard to get top-notch exams results in both GCSE and A Level standard. 

Hamilton Fined For Melbourne Car Stunt

Formula 1 ace Lewis Hamilton has been fined £288 for performing car stunts in Melbourne back in March.  The McLaren driver, who won the Formula 1 World Championship back in 2008, was caught by police outside the Albert Park circuit executing some burnouts for his many fans, by spinning and skidding his wheels in a public place.

This sort of stunt may be allowed on a racetrack, but the Brit wasn’t going to get away with this kind of lurid behaviour on a public road and he was arrested, with his Mercedes car impounded in the incident.  The fine he has received is the maximum that can be given for this kind of offense.  Hamilton conducted this offense two days before the Australian Grand Prix, in a race which he finished in 6^th position. 

Lewis didn’t attend the hearing in Australia, as he is busy preparing for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, where he will be looking to regain the drivers’ championship lead from Mark Webber.  The Australian leads Hamilton by seven points in the standings.  His lawyer was at the hearing though and admitted Hamilton had pleaded guilty to one charge of losing control of a vehicle.  After the incident, Lewis, who is currently dating Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, admitted his “embarrassment humiliation and distress” at the incident.

After the hearing, the magistrate Clive Alsop told the media that “This is somebody in a responsible position, who was behaving like a hoon.”  Let’s hope Hamilton will be able to create some more positive headlines come the conclusion of the Belgian event on Sunday afternoon, the 13^th race of a gripping 2010 season, which has five drivers covered by just twenty world championship points.