March - A personal self-reflection

CLOCKS: British summertime has arrived and brings fresh hope

WHILST I spend time blogging on worldwide issues and hobbies that interest me, I felt like doing a personal blog to sum up recent weeks for myself.  The clocks have gone forward and hence, British Summertime has arrived.  I have hope, belief and conviction that things are turning the corner, when three weeks ago, things looked rather bleak.  March has tested me and I have learned some lessons which I feel have improved me for the future.

     The beginning of the month was the low point of 2011 so far.  I turned issues that were bad for me into situations which completely took me to the brink.  Having numerous problems with a laptop is pretty bad, but I should have dealt with them in a far more calm and considered manner than I did.  It affected me far too much.  I also returned to University after a production week with an attitude of ‘I don’t care,’ ‘I can’t be bothered,’ and ‘I wouldn’t compromise.’  It was the first time that I had shown any form of attitude like that in my 18 months at the University of Northampton and looking back on it, I couldn’t believe that I’d be so awful in my behaviour.  To compound matters, I had a serious argument with a very close friend which pushed me to breaking point.  I don’t want to share the details, because it’s a personal matter, but it just made things really bad.  When I left Uni on Friday 11 March at around 4pm, I left a broken individual.  I had enough and I thought that was it.  I went home to Milton Keynes to consider what to do next and more importantly, would I return?

     I returned the following Monday in a more calm, friendly and fresh approach.  If I had left, I would have taken the defeatist approach to life.  We all have bad weeks, desperate moments where we don’t quite know where to turn to next.  However, to become a better person, we need to overcome the hard moments and overcome it, because at the end of the day, what would be left if you walked away from what you really wanted to do?  Absolutely nothing!

     Although events in Libya haven’t really interested me, and that’s purely because I don’t see any point in Britain being involved, the earthquake and tsunami to hit Japan on March 11 really shook me up.  It made me think and realise that there is more important moments around the world rather than personal reasons.  To see so much devastation happen in such a well-developed country was heartbreaking.  For those who think the world has ended because ‘Oh dear, my boyfriend has dumped me’ or ‘I have no friends, find some for me;’ I’d say hard cheese!  At the end of the day, think yourself lucky that you have a roof over your head, food in your stomach, clothes to wear etc.  What about those affected by the Japanese tsunami?  Lack of supplies, homes that have simply been washed away, no sign of friends and family.  These are all more important and necessary situations than a simply panicky domestic issue.

FEELING STRESSED: What's the point?

     Now, I am taking the chilled and relaxed approach.  There is no point running around like a headless chicken, I tried that and it didn’t work.  There’s no point stressing out, I’ve tried that and it didn’t work.  Taking a step back, embracing what I have and taking it easy is the way to go.  I’m pleased that March has taught me some hard-earnt and tough lessons, because I now feel in a better place for the experience.

     Of course, my thoughts still go to those who lost everything in Japan in such devastating and tragic circumstances.  

The Finishing Straight - Australia (by HappyDude88)

THE first grand prix of the season is over and it is time to reflect on the opening weekend of the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship in Albert Park.  Watch out everyone, because this is my personal take on the events in ‘The Finishing Straight!’

     To start off, the new rules and regulations need more time to bed in before anyone can judge them officially.  We learnt a lot today about the new formula, but it won’t be before we get to Europe when we can say whether the items that are meant to shake-up the order do so.  On first reflection, the Pirelli tyres are going to do the job required.  Well done to Pirelli for producing a tyre that not only wears down, but keeps the spectators interested all the way till the end of the race.  Once again, the race strategy effect, taken away by the refuelling ban at the end of the 2009 season is going to play a significant part.  Today, it seemed like Mark Webber and the Ferrari drivers were the ones struggling to keep their tyres in decent condition, hence their three stop strategies.  Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel seemed to have little trouble, which led to two tyre stops.  I think the nature and characteristics of the tracks will play a more pivotal role on the Pirelli tyres in relation to driver style.  As for the new DRS system, it made an unspectacular and unpromising start.  However, Melbourne is never the easiest track to overtake and the new moveable rear wing device did at least give drivers the chance to close up on one another.  Button was the beneficiary of this, passing both Kamur Kobayashi and Felipe Massa with the DRS control.  I think the DRS will work on more free-flowing circuits better, such as Shanghai, Silverstone and Brazil.  I think the FIA will tinker with the device and maybe, allowing the drivers the chance to use the device two opportunities in a single lap will help.  That decision now lies in Jean Todt’s hands.

ACTION: Massa and Button were engrossed in an early battle

     To the key moments of the race, and the best action was the early scrap between Jenson Button and Felipe Massa for fifth position.  Button made a poor start and was swamped by Vitaly Petrov and a fast-starting Massa.  It was clear that the Brit was much faster than the Ferrari, but couldn’t find a way past.  Massa was defending as if his life depended on it, and on Lap 11, Jenson had enough.  He tried to overtake the Brazilian through the fast Turn 11 chicane.  Massa gave him no space, and consequently, Button cut the chicane to gain an advantage.  McLaren alerted race control about what to do, but got no response.  Eventually, the race stewards handed Button a drive-through penalty and it was the correct decision, no matter what Jenson thinks about Ferrari pitting Massa deliberately to avoid him having to allow Felipe back through.  The replay is crystal clear and you would have thought that Button and McLaren, with the experience they have, would have done the sensible option and given the place straight back.  Alonso got penalised for a similar incident at Silverstone last year, which wasn’t as clear-cut, so there can be little symphonies with Button’s plight.  Ultimately, his actions cost him a podium position.

     The other contentious incident was the kamikaze move by Rubens Barrichello that took Nico Rosberg out of the race.  Barrichello was clearly quicker than the Mercedes driver, but came from a hopelessly long way back; expecting Nico was going to see him coming.  Rosberg had every right to turn in and would have been surprised to see the Brazilian whack his sidepod.  Rosberg’s reaction of leaving his helmet on the way back to the pits suggested his fury.  Barrichello spun and got a drive-through penalty, but a grid penalty for Malaysia might have been a bit more appropriate, because his race was screwed here anywhere and he had no chance of getting any points.  For Barrichello to claim Rosberg braked early is a barbaric comment!  More looked like you braked far too late Rubens!

SPRAYING: Hamilton's second place was a surprise to McLaren

     McLaren touched down in Albert Park in a load of trouble.  The car was not very quick, had only done an 18 lap stint, which left reliability seriously questionable and frankly, the team looked in an appalling mess.  They leave with heads held high and a chance of fighting for some competitive results.  Lewis Hamilton was terrific and looked buzzing and happy all weekend.  He put everything into the race and second place was a fair reflection of his commitment to the cause all weekend.  Button had an adventurous day by his standards, but points are better than nothing.

DISQUALIFIED: Both Saubers were thrown out after the race

     Another team that were meant to come away very satisfied were Sauber, until their double disqualification for a technical infringement.  Sergio Perez put in a phenomenal performance on his debut and thoroughly deserved his seventh place.  Kamur Kobayashi had an unexciting day by his high standards, but also picked up points.  The Sauber team have a generally fast car and could be a serious threat in the midfield.  The disqualification sounds a bit confusing and harsh.  They might as well appeal, but I can’t see them getting the points back, which feels a bit wrong for Perez and Kobayashi.  After all, they didn’t design the car, they only drove it!  A loss of constructors points sounds like a fairer outcome.

     Mercedes GP and Williams will leave the weekend with heads very well down.  Williams had a quick car in testing, but flattered to deceive badly in Melbourne.  Apart from smashing into Rosberg in the race, Rubens Barrichello spun off in qualifying with an uncharacteristic mistake and also went off on the first lap.  To make matters worse, the car looks totally unreliable, as neither car finished.  They aren’t in as much trouble as Mercedes GP are, whose pace in the final pre-season test in Barcelona looks like a storm in a teacup.  Michael Schumacher was still smiling all weekend, and was unfortunate to be hit by Jaime Alguesuari on the first lap, whilst Rosberg was the innocent party in the Barrichello crash.  However, the car lacks ultimate speed, both on one lap and more especially, in a long stint.  Even if he had survived the shunt with Rubens, I don’t think Rosberg would have finished in the points anyway.  Mercedes have a lot of work to do to turnaround a situation that looks even worse than 2010.

     Speaking about worse than 2010, the three new teams still look a country mile off the pace.  Team Lotus was a major letdown, especially in qualifying; still two seconds off the midfield!  Jarno Trulli did finish and Heikki Kovalainen was keeping up with the likes of Barrichello and Alguesuari before his retirement, but they simply haven’t delivered on what they should be capable of.  Virgin Racing also got a car to a finish in the form of Jerome D’Ambrosio, but look distant backmarkers and more like road traffic blocks.  However, in comparison to Hispania Racing, they look world class.

     Hispania Racing arrived without turning a wheel in testing and did no running in practice.  To shakedown a car in qualifying for the first race of the season is absolutely ridiculous!  Both cars failed to make the 107% cut-off and some will have to question what on earth Vitantonio Liuzzi is doing in that team!  Surely he would have been better off in a third driver role with a midfield team.  Hispania is a waste of time, a waste of money and a waste of petrol.  Quite frankly, The Simpsons could do better if they were a racing car team and not a hit cartoon family!

     Once again, Mark Webber had a disappointing weekend on home soil.  It wasn’t quite as bad as his mere of a performance in 2010, but the gap between him and Vettel in both qualifying and the race was absolutely staggering.  More remarkably, he could only equal his best ever Albert Park result, which was 5^th in a Minardi way back in 2002.  His expression after the race spoke volumes in abundance.  We have seen him fightback before in crushing fashion on numerous occasions, so it’s dangerous to write him off at your peril.  However, Vettel already has the upper hand in Red Bull from the word go this season.  Vettel was untouchable all weekend and has sent a warning to his rivals.  He looked very relaxed, calm and polished.  Considering Red Bull decided not to run KERS for the weekend, and they still had a clear advantage shows the confidence in their team.  McLaren, Ferrari and the rest will be hoping that Red Bull’s concerns over KERS reliability continue for a while to come, because once they make it work, surely they will be even quicker.

     Final word of this first blog on the ‘Finishing Straight’ has to go to the star of the weekend, which for me was Vitaly Petrov.  Petrov earnt his best ever qualifying performance and then matched it up with his first visit to the F1 podium.  The Russian is very popular within the paddock and seems to have grown massively in maturity over the winter.  When Renault signed him up on a two-year deal before Christmas, I was amazed.  Petrov really struggled in his debut season, made a load of mistakes and was especially lucky to keep his drive.  However, he showed flashes of speed last season around the glaring errors and with Robert Kubica going to be missing for a long while, looks like the real deal this season.  I sincerely hope Petrov keeps his new found form up for a long time to come.

     So, that’s it folks for round one.  I’ll be back after the Malaysian Grand Prix for more damming verdicts, more judgemental calls and more drivers being praised.  

2011 Australian Grand Prix - Vettel cruises to opening victory

WORLD champion Sebastian Vettel crushed the opposition this morning, to win the season opening Australian Grand Prix at a canter.

CRUSHING: Sebastian Vettel has sent out a warning sign

     The 23-year old produced a lights-to-flag victory, earning his third consecutive victory in the delayed start to the 2011 F1 season.  His Red Bull Racing car was amazing, and he was rarely threatened during the entire weekend.  Vettel won from McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton by just over ten seconds, in a race that was not a classic, but was certainly interesting for the fans with the new regulations coming into force.

     The promised degradation of the new Pirelli tyres came into force, as drivers had to make between two and three pitstops for tyres that lasted no more than 15 laps.  KERS returned, but fairly unsuccessfully.  The revelation that Christian Horner made afterwards; Red Bull didn’t use KERS this weekend both questions its future and the confidence that the Milton Keynes based team has.  The DRS system (moveable rear wing control) made an unspectacular debut, with only Jenson Button making full use of the device in the race.  However, with some fine-tuning from the FIA, this could turn into a successful innovation.

     Vettel had cruised to pole position on Saturday, and made an unbelievable getaway, whilst Hamilton did well to resist the attentions of Mark Webber on the rundown to turn one.  Although Hamilton kept Vettel in sight throughout the first stint, the ultimate pace of the Red Bull meant Sebastian was rarely troubled.  Damage to the undertray on Hamilton’s car left him fighting a losing battle against Vettel.  Nevertheless, Hamilton’s second place finish will feel like a victory to McLaren, considering where they were in winter testing.  Button made a poor start and then received a drive-through penalty for cutting the Turn 12 chicane when making a failed overtaking pass on the slow Felipe Massa.  Jenson ultimately finished sixth in the final reckoning.    

     Webber struggled all weekend on home soil and was absolutely nowhere in comparison to Vettel.  He struggled to make his tyres work and a technical problem just after crossing the finishing line compounded to his pretty dire weekend.  He finished fifth, finally equalling his best result at Albert Park, set in 2002 with Minardi.  Ferrari had an unspectacular weekend, with Massa finishing a lonely and below average ninth, after another lacklustre performance.  Having started fifth, Fernando Alonso was squeezed out in turn one and dropped back to tenth by the end of the opening lap.  Ultimately, the Spaniard did well to recover to fourth, on a weekend where he was fighting his car all throughout.  Massa’s morale will be crushed further, as he finished nearly a full minute behind Alonso, despite leading his team-mate in the first ten laps.

SPRAY: Vitaly Petrov enjoys the feel of cold champagne!

All this allowed Russian Vitaly Petrov through to make his maiden appearance on the Grand Prix rostrum.  Petrov capitalised on a brilliant qualifying performance and passed Button and Alonso at the start.  He benefited from a better strategy against Webber to earn a richly deserved podium.  This was a much-needed result for the Lotus Renault team, still recovering slowly from Robert Kubica’s terrible rally accident in February.  Kubica’s long-time replacement Nick Heidfeld finished an embarrassing 14^th.

     Rookie Sergio Perez produced a sensational debut; winding up seventh at the end, ahead of his Sauber team-mate Kamur Kobayashi.  Perez also somehow made it to the finish having just made one pitstop.  Easily, it was the best debut from a rookie driver since Hamilton burst onto the scene here in Melbourne back in 2007.  Sadly, it turned into a nightmare, when both Sauber’s were excluded for a rear wing technical infringement.  Technical director James Key has confirmed an investigation into the issue, and a possible appeal.  The revised results mean that Scot Paul di Resta scores a maiden championship point.  He finished tenth, just behind his experienced Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil.  Sebastian Buemi finished in eighth place for Scuderia Toro Rosso.  However, it was a bad day for both Williams and Mercedes GP.  Neither of their cars finished the race; with Michael Schumacher retiring in the garage after his suspension was bent by Jaime Alguesuari on the first lap.  Nico Rosberg parked his Mercedes, after his radiators were damaged in a desperate overtaking attempt by Rubens Barrichello.  Barrichello earnt a drive-through for his indiscretion and like Pastor Maldonado retired his Williams with technical problems.

     It wasn’t quite the dramatic start that many hoped for, but there is enough encouragement and optimism for the season ahead.  However, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing have laid down an ominous marker to the rest of the competition.  He will head to Malaysia in a fortnight’s time full of confidence and looking almost unbeatable. 

Elizabeth Taylor - A Hollywood legend

Elizabeth Taylor (February 27 1932 - March 23 2011)

AFTER months of medical treatment, the fantastic and hugely popular Hollywood actress Dame Elizabeth Taylor has died.  She passed away, surrounded by her four children from congestive heart failure on Wednesday morning.  The British-born icon died in Los Angeles, aged 79.

     Often regarded by many as one of the greatest ever movie stars to have graced Hollywood, Elizabeth’s numerous marriages, countless divorces and love for diamonds had the world captivated for over half a century.  Born in London, her family moved to America when she was only seven years of age, and this is where the great love affair stateside began.

     Just five years later, Elizabeth’s glamorous look had won her a film contract and made her become a household name.  National Velvet was the first movie she starred in, as a budding teenage show jumper way back in 1944.  More films followed, but it was her appearance alongside fellow screen legend Paul Newman in the film ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ that really turned her from national hit into global superstar.

     Acting was important, but off-screen, Elizabeth’s complicated romances had already begun.  Having already experienced two broken engagements, she married for the first time at 18, to hotel owner Conrad Hilton jnr.  The marriage only lasted a year, and was to be the start of a familiar pathway.  Actor Michael Wilding was her second marriage, which was more successful.  They were hitched for five years and he gave Elizabeth the first two of her four children.  Film producer Mike Todd was husband no.3, providing Elizabeth with a third child.  Todd was killed in a plane crash, leaving the young Taylor a paled widow at the just 26.

STARRING: Elizabeth's role in Cleopatra was her greatest moment

     Elizabeth’s desire to be happy was starting to become over-excessive and there was little support when just a year after Todd’s death, she ran off with husband of her best friend Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher.  Her golden hour came in 1962, when she landed the mega part of Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra in ‘Cleopatra,’ one of the greatest movies of a all-time.  Off-camera, she had found love in Richard Burton.  It would be the start of a very tempestuous relationship.  Fifteen years of drama, heavy drinking, stormy rows and ultimately, two marriages.  Together, Taylor and Burton appeared in ten films together, with Taylor’s role in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ winning her a second Oscar in 1967. 

     By the time Burton and Taylor divorced for a second time in 1976, Elizabeth’s glamorous lifestyle was started to get affected.  She suffered from chronic back problems, struggled to control her weight and continued to drink excessively.  When her good friend Rock Hudson died from AIDS in 1985, Elizabeth took up a new and unexpected role.  She founded the American Foundation for AIDS research, which allowed Taylor to promote and heighten the awareness of the little-known disease.  As her own health deteriorated, Elizabeth checked herself into the Betty Ford Treatment Centre.  Having battled with drink and drugs for several years, it was a reality check for Taylor; face death, or get cleaned up. 

     It was whilst recovering that she embarked on an eighth marriage, this time to fellow addict Larry Fortensky.  They married in 1991, but it ended five years later, like most of the other marriages; in divorce.  In 2000, Elizabeth was made a Dame for her services to acting and her immensely successful charity work.  She admitted afterwards that it was ‘the crowning achievement of her career.’ 

     As her ill health continued to plague her, public appearances became less frequent.  Apart from a brief guest role on The Simpsons, AIDS funded events were the only occasions that Elizabeth could be seen for the cameras.  She struck up a very close and personal friendship with the singer Michael Jackson and was devastated by Jackson’s death in the summer of 2009.  A month later, Elizabeth underwent heart surgery and recently, was admitted back to hospital due to her delicate condition last month.

     To the end, Elizabeth Taylor retained her magic and glamour.  A turbulent personal life in the public spotlight, combined with a history of poor health and ultimately, a very successful acting career, she touched the lives of many.  Her death is a shock to many and although her loss to the film and acting world is a masterpiece of understatement, her legacy will remain forever.

RIP Elizabeth Taylor (February 27 1932 – March 23 2011)

Spring Unique Magazine - University of Northampton

THE journalism team at the University of Northampton has returned to bring you the second edition of Unique magazine.  This is the Spring edition and after some problems with the content, we have managed to produce a fine 28-page edition on events and issues around the University

The magazine is here at : http://content.yudu.com/Librar
y/A1rkkz/UniqueMagazineSpring/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F308281%2FUnique-Magazine--Spring-2011-Issue----University-of-Northampton-journalism-students

Well done to everyone who had content published

By: Sian King, Amy Fordham, Shane Scanlon, Emily Shears, Hannah Smith, James Walerych, Rochelle Lye, Tamika Short, Richard Parker, Farida Zeynalova, Ellie Birmingham, Simon Wright (ME), Stef Ventura, Tramaine Reindorf, Tom Campbell, Lauren Bowen, Nicole Weale, Chris Ola, Josie Copestake and Stephen Frost

Dancing on Ice 2011 - The semi-final

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THEY thought it would be tough but never this tough.  For Chloe, Johnson, Laura and Sam, they had to learn how to skate on their own in a pressurised task to reach this Sunday’s Dancing on Ice final.

Chloe Madeley

Out of all of the final four, Chloe had the public advantage as she had never been in the skate-off.  Her main performance was once again pleasing, but a nasty fall when her and pro partner Michael Zenzini’s blades became tangled lost her vital marks and in her solo routine, she didn’t really put much emphasis and it lacked momentum as a result.

COUPLES SCORE: 21.0

SOLO SCORE: 20.0

ACCUMULATED TOTAL: 51.0/60.0 (3rd)

Johnson Beharry

MEAN: Jason Gardiner criticised Johnson's performance, AGAIN!

People will indeed question why he is still here but the fact is, Johnson just hasn’t given up and so deserves to be here on merit.  The main performance was the best that he could deliver in the situation but it did wind the criticism of a certain Mr. Gardiner.  His solo skate was a real letdown, no energy and no commitment; it was certainly the worst week to expose his weakness.

COUPLES SCORE: 18.5

SOLO SCORE: 15.5

ACCUMULATED TOTAL: 34.0/60.0 (4th)

Laura Hamilton

The headbanger move really needs some guts and skill to pull off and Laura has that to the core.  In a situation where she really wanted to assert herself as front-runner, it was something she had to execute and did…by just the narrowest of margins.  The solo spot was bang on and she perhaps couldn’t have asked for more as she delivered.

COUPLES SCORE: 28.0

SOLO SCORE: 26.5

ACCUMULATED TOTAL: 54.5/60.0 (2nd)

Sam Attwater

Although he may have lost his way in recent times, Sam’s competitive start still ranks him as competition favourite.  Not wanting to be outdone by rival Laura, he too executed the headbanger, and also had a very close call with it to cause a tie in the leaderboard after round one.  However, he went one better in the solo round but perhaps the judges scores were somewhat of a safe measure.

COUPLES SCORE: 28.0

SOLO SCORE: 27.5

ACCUMULATED TOTAL: 55.5/60.0 (1st)

The Result

BRAVE: Johnson Beharry has fought hard, but not enough for the final

Only two couples could be assured of spots in the grand final and as widely expected, Sam and Laura earned those places with Chloe and Johnson having to rely on the judge’s decision for the final place.     

     This was Chloe’s first time in the skate-off in Johnson’s second in three weeks.  It is indeed the worst possible time to leave the show but in the end, it was no contest.  Chloe was by far the stronger and earned approval from all three of the judges.  Hard luck on Johnson though.  He has been brave and courageous and thoroughly deserved a standing ovation from the crowd after his elimination.  This will not be the last we hear of him, mark my words.

     However, it is the final that everyone had been predicting and hoping.  Chloe Madeley, Laura Hamilton and Sam Attwater have been the best three skaters this series by far and will do battle in the final.  Next week, they will compete to win Dancing on Ice 2011 and there will be a few changes to its format.  Sadly, the flying routines have gone but what hasn’t changed is the prize for the final two.  They will still get to skate their version of Torvill & Dean’s unique Bolero routine.  Who are you supporting to win?

F1 2011 preview (Part 2)

THE new Formula One season begins this weekend, two weeks later than initially planned.  The Australian Grand Prix takes over the mantelpiece of the F1 opener, after Bahrain’s cancellation, following the current unrest in the Middle East.  With another big shake-up in the rules, another new race in India to look forward to and a rather stable driver market this time around, 2011 can beat the drama of 2010.  Can Sebastian Vettel defend his title?  Will Fernando Alonso bounce back from last year’s Abu Dhabi heartbreak?  How will Renault fare without Robert Kubica?  Is Michael Schumacher going to prove his critics wrong?  Have McLaren been sandbagging in testing?  All the talking stops this weekend in Albert Park, so here’s the inside guide.  

Force India Mercedes

14           Adrian Sutil (GER)

15           Paul di Resta (BRI)

As 2010 continued, Force India dropped down the pecking order and 2011 could turn into a very tough one for the Silverstone-based team.  The loss of key technical staff is James Key and Mark Smith has hit the team hard and testing form suggests that they could be looking backwards rather than forwards in the incoming campaign.  Adrian Sutil is a proven point’s scorer and ditched his accident-prone image last year to score some solid points results.  He will do well to match his best results of 5^th in Malaysia and Spa last season.  After four seasons in DTM, culminating in the 2010 championship, Scot Paul di Resta joins the grid.  He deserves his chance, and is bound to be more of a match for Sutil than Vitantonio Liuzzi ever was.  However, the car’s ultimate lack of pace could be the downfall for these two talented racers.

Sauber-Ferrari

16           Kamur Kobayashi (JPN)

17           Sergio Perez (MEX)

The distinctive feature of the Sauber last year was no sponsorship whatsoever.  However, with rich Mexican businessman Carlos Slim onboard, that changes in 2011.  Young Mexican Sergio Perez’s arrival is a interesting move, as it means there will be a lack of experience on the driver front.  Perez looks either fast or wreckless and he is bound to add a lot of flair and charisma to the team.  They have plenty of that in Kamur Kobayashi already.  The Japanese is expected to thrill everyone again with his no holds barred attitude of driving and has all the talent in the world, if he tones down on the wackiness that can lead the Japanese into serious trouble.  The car looks very promising but it may need early development if they wish to be regular point’s scorers.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari

18           Sebastian Buemi (SUI)

19           Jaime Alguesuari (SPA)

The departures of Gerhard Berger and Sebastian Vettel hit Toro Rosso very hard at the end of 2008, and they haven’t recovered since.  The car looks very strong and far more consistent than its previous challengers.  Even Lewis Hamilton has told the media to keep a watch on them.  Sebastian Buemi enters his third season and was a massive disappointment last season.  The Swiss driver is under pressure to deliver, especially with the highly-rated Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings as third driver.  Buemi will need to perform from the off, if he doesn’t want to go the same way as Scott Speed and Sebastian Bourdais; in earning the sack mid-season.  Plus, we know Franz Tost doesn’t accept any excuses.  Jamie Alguesuari is in a slightly more secure position and has the knack to pull off some daring overtaking moves.  He needs to improve his qualifying performances, and eliminate some of the careless driving which you’d expect to see from a rush hour driver on the M25’s hard shoulder!  With Ricciardo waiting and watching, the loser of this team-mate battle is likely to be out of F1, so this could be an intriguing watch.

Team Lotus Renault

20           Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)

21           Jarno Trulli (ITA)

Team Lotus, as they are now known were the class of the new teams in 2010, and have closed the gap to the midfield in winter testing.  With two experience racers and a strong reserve in Karun Chandok, excuses will be less vain this season.  The move to Renault engines and gearboxes has caused some severe reliability bugs, which has consequently hurt their testing mileages.  However, don’t be surprised if they begin to give Toro Rosso and Force India some severe headaches this season.  Points are a necessity this time around and Heikki Kovalainen looks a class driver, after his mere at McLaren.  Kovalainen is expected to lead the team from the front again and will cause some giant-killing upsets, similar to Takuma Sato at Super Aguri in 2007.  Jarno Trulli’s speed over one lap is still as strong as ever, but his racecraft last year was frankly dismal.  2011 is surely Jarno’s last chance to fulfil anything decent onto his CV, otherwise he will end up like Olivier Panis; winning the Monaco Grand Prix once and did very little else with so much supposed talent.

HRT-Cosworth

22           Narain Karthikeyan (IND)

23           Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA)

Is this becoming the ‘Andrea Moda’ of 2011?  Remember that joke of the 1992 team that evaded taxes, cars broke down meters from rolling out of the garage.  Well, having your entire car failing to get through customs certainly qualifies for this title.  Narain Karthikeyan is only on board for Indian sponsorship whilst Vitantonio Liuzzi will bring experience of driving for backmarker teams.  With no pre-season testing AGAIN, it is once again going to be a battle for survival till the end of the season for HRT.

Marussia Virgin-Cosworth

24           Timo Glock (GER)

25           Jerome D’Ambrosio (BEL)

They were F1’s joke team of 2010, especially by not building a fuel tank big enough to finish the early season races.  However, the future looks bright, especially with backing from Russian sportscar brand Marussia and a confident new rookie in Jerome D’Ambrosio.  Timo Glock drove brilliantly in the second half of last season and will be there to pick up the pieces and grab the odd point, but they will struggle to be regular midfield runners.

Rules

As with nearly every F1 season, there have been some changes to the rules this season.  The 107% rule returns for qualifying for the first time since 2002 to prove that cars are quick enough to race, this will only apply to Q1 and if the qualifying session is wet, the rule will not be used.  Pirelli replaces Bridgestone as the tyre supplier and has been challenged by the FIA to produce a tyre that grains more and causes drivers to pit more often.  So far, this seems to have worked and it certainly spice up the racing.

     KERS returns after a season away and is once again optional for the teams to use it or not.  The most innovative concept for 2011 is an adjustable rear wing, which will aid more overtaking particularly on very long straights.  Gearboxes must now last five races instead of four in another case of cost cutting measures and the safety car rules have been tweaked once again with the overtake line abolished after the controversy surrounding it last year, meaning drivers again can only overtake when they’ve crossed the start/finish line at the restart.

For the 2011 season, I will be posting the following on the Formula One season

- A race report from all 19 events in the 2011 FIA Formula 1 World Championship

- NEW! F1 classic races (A brief lookback at six/seven classic events from the country that is about to stage a race that weekend)

- NEW! Replacing 'The Conclusions' will be a new personal blog.  'The Finishing Straight' by HappyDude88 will be online every Tuesday after the Grand Prix weekend, where I will be giving my own personal take on the weekend's events.

F1 2011 preview (Part 1)

THE new Formula One season begins this weekend, two weeks later than initially planned.  The Australian Grand Prix takes over the mantelpiece of the F1 opener, after Bahrain’s cancellation, following the current unrest in the Middle East.  With another big shake-up in the rules, another new race in India to look forward to and a rather stable driver market this time around, 2011 can beat the drama of 2010.  Can Sebastian Vettel defend his title?  Will Fernando Alonso bounce back from last year’s Abu Dhabi heartbreak?  How will Renault fare without Robert Kubica?  Is Michael Schumacher going to prove his critics wrong?  Have McLaren been sandbagging in testing?  All the talking stops this weekend in Albert Park, so here’s the inside guide.  

Red Bull Racing Renault

1              Sebastian Vettel (GER)

2              Mark Webber (AUS)

Red Bull starts as defending double champions and on pre-season testing evidence look like the class of the field again in 2011.  Adrian Newey and his technicians at Milton Keynes have come up with another highly impressive contender, which looks quicker than last year’s RB6 and far more reliable to its predecessor.  Sebastian Vettel stole the title last season, with some irresistible driving at the end of the last campaign.  If the young German cuts out the silly errors, then Schumacher’s records could be beaten after all.  Mark Webber came so close, yet so far last season and the Aussie knows that he needs to beat Vettel this season, especially as he is out of contract at the end of the season.  Webber rattled Vettel at times last season, but lacked the cutting edge when required.  He has some points to prove this time around.

McLaren-Mercedes

3              Lewis Hamilton (GBR)

4              Jenson Button (GBR)

They were undoubtedly second best to Red Bull in championship last year and McLaren so badly want to take the constructors title for the first time since 1998.  However, their car just hasn’t been up to scratch in testing and looks way too slow to cope with Red Bull and Ferrari.  Expect Lewis Hamilton to wring the neck out of it, and he has a better chance than at the start of 2009 at least.  Jenson Button had a promising debut season with McLaren, and could be the one to beat in changeable/wet conditions.  However, he fell away from the ultimate pace in the title run-in and how he handles the new Pirelli tyres will be interesting to see.  Race wins are certainly possible, but a championship tilt looks a long way off at the moment.

Ferrari

5              Fernando Alonso (SPA)

6              Felipe Massa (BRA)

Ferrari’s strategy cock-up cost them a driver’s title in Abu Dhabi last season and heads have rolled in the winter.  Chris Dyer, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen’s former race engineer has been demoted to a factory role and the charming boss Stefano Domenicalli is surely on a last chance.  The pressure is intense, not just from Luca di Montzemolo, but also from the Tifosi.  No driver’s title since 2007 is simply not good enough.  The car looks short of one-lap speed in comparison to the Red Bull, but its long-run speed could be its wildcard.  Fernando Alonso has moulded the team around him and is sure to be Vettel’s main threat this season.  Felipe Massa’s morale was destroyed by the team-orders debacle at Hockenheim last season and time is running out for the likeable Brazilian at Ferrari.  If he doesn’t score consistent podiums, expect Alonso to have a new team-mate for 2012.  Massa’s last corner title heartbreak in Brazil 2008 seems like a century ago. . .   

Mercedes GP

7              Michael Schumacher (GER)

8              Nico Rosberg (GER)

After the miracles of Brawn in 2009, the much-hyped takeover of Mercedes GP somewhat fell flat as a pancake in 2010.  The car just didn’t do the job and Michael Schumacher drove much of the season like a pig, resulting in several calls for him to pack it up again.  However, the 41-year-old stays on for 2011 and is bound to be better on the Pirelli tyre.  Nico Rosberg is getting ever closer to that maiden F1 win, but this is his sixth season in the sport and he must deliver that breakthrough this season if he really wants to be considered as serious championship material.  The addition of Bob Bell as technical director is a shrewd move and though testing has delivered mixed results, they look quicker than McLaren at least.  The jury’s still out on where they will be in the chasing pack.

Renault

9              Nick Heidfeld (GER)

10           Vitaly Petrov (RUS)

The heart of Renault’s team was ripped out by Robert Kubica’s horrific rally accident in Italy.  His absence from the team for this season is going to have a major effect, but Nick Heidfeld is the best possible stand-in.  Heidfeld has finished second on eight separate occasions in his career and the car looks good enough for race wins, even though championship material looks some way off.  At worst, Heidfeld will be a consistent point’s scorer.  Vitaly Petrov showed promise in 2010, notably in holding off Alonso in the season finale at Abu Dhabi, but too many daft errors cost Renault a load of points in the season.  Renault have the best resources to break the top four, but the loss of their golden jewel in Kubica could have some major implications, especially in the early races.

Williams-Cosworth

11           Rubens Barrichello (BRA)

12           Pastor Maldonado (VEN)

Juan Pablo Montoya’s win in Brazil 2004 seems like a century ago now, and although Williams have dropped into the midfield, they seem to have produced a very quick car for 2011.  With more sponsorship terminations, the Grove squad has been hit the hardest in the post-2008 recession, but what they do have is winners in Patrick Head and Sir Frank Williams.  With money tight, the late season heroics of Nico Hulkenberg wasn’t enough for him to keep his drive and GP2 champion Pastor Maldonado takes his place.  Maldonado will do well to match Hulkenberg’s impressive point’s tally of last campaign, but he isn’t any slouch.  The incredible Rubens Barrichello enters his 20^th season in the sport and his energy and enthusiasm never seems to dwindle, despite having a midfield car again.  If Williams sort out the KERS issues that have dogged pre-season, they could be the dark horse.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (19th - 20th March)

THE final hurdles in the Premiership season have seen the whole of the bottom half engulfed by the biggest relegation scrap in the league’s history, whilst at the top, Manchester United regained control of their own destiny.

     Despite having Sir Alex Ferguson banned from the touchline for six matches, following his comments about Martin Atkinson after a recent loss at Chelsea, United had to work extremely hard to edge out Bolton Wanderers 1-0.  Ferguson was sat in the stands, but was on the phone half the time to the dugout, as his leaders struggled against Owen Coyle’s determined Wanderers outfit.  Manchester United’s defensive problems continued as Wes Brown limped off injured and Jonny Evans was sent off for a crunching tackle on Stuart Holden, which has left Holden on the sidelines for the rest of the season.  Despite playing very poorly, the home side nicked it through substitute Dimitar Berbatov.  The Bulgarian pounced on Juusi Jaaskelainen spilling Nani’s shot to score the most valuable goal of his career.

OOPS: Manuel Almunia made another blundering error at the Hawthorns

     It earnt the Red Devils a four point lead at the top of the table, after Arsenal dropped two more points, this time at West Brom.  The Gunners had to fightback from 2-0 to leave the Hawthorns with a battling 2-2 draw.  Steven Reid headed improving West Brom infront inside of four minutes, and the second Albion goal was indefensible as far as Arsenal concerned.  Manuel Almunia entered no man’s land, got into a horrible muddle with Sebastian Squillaci, which allowed Peter Odemwingie and easy goal.  Jens Lehmann has been bought out of retirement as a back-up may be needed sooner rather than later, especially as Almunia looks like a clown juggling away in a circus!  A brilliant hit from Andrei Arshavin bought Arsenal back into the game, before Robin Van Persie bundled in a late leveller.

     Chelsea moved into third place, as they comfortably beat a negative Manchester City 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.  City’s key threat Carlos Tevez was missing through injury and they failed to show any attacking intent whatsoever.  Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli was dropped after his Europa League kung-fu kick had seen him sent off against Dynamo Kiev three nights earlier.  Chelsea had to wait for their goals, and they came in the last ten minutes.  A David Luiz header and a brilliant solo effort from Ramires were the difference, as Fernando Torres continued to misfire badly at Stamford Bridge.

     Torres’s old club Liverpool closed to within four points of fifth placed Tottenham, after getting more than a friendly helping hand in a 2-0 success at Sunderland.  The main controversy came in the first half.  Jay Spearing was fouled by John Mensah, after the Ghanaian made an awful mistake.  Referee Kevin Friend gave a free-kick, but one of his linesman, 40 yards away from the incident amazingly decided that contact was made inside the box and consequently, a penalty was awarded.  Dirk Kuyt duly converted the spot kick calmly.  A dynamic finish from Luis Suarez with 13 minutes to go, helped by a poor piece of goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet sealed the result and to make matters worse for Sunderland, they only had one shot on target and Mensah was given a straight red card for fouling Suarez.  This red card has since been rescinded.  Tottenham missed their chance to close the gap on the top four, as they shared a belting 0-0 draw with West Ham United.  There were over 30 shots on goal, with Robert Green in inspired form.  Jermain Defoe, Gareth Bale and Roman Pavyluchenko were all denied spectacularly by Green, who showed form not seen since his England gaffe in Rustenberg.

     At the bottom, there were more questions created rather than answers given.  Everton reached the 40 point mark and probable Premiership safety, with a 2-1 victory over Fulham at Goodison.  David Moyes celebrated his ninth year in charge and with a potential takeover at Goodison Park being reported, life seems much better on the blue side of Merseyside.  Seamus Coleman made the breakthrough with a diving header in this match, with Louis Saha scoring against his former club, driving a free-kick in early in the second half.  Clint Dempsey did pull a goal back, but Everton deserved their victory.

OPENER: Charlie Adam strikes home the penalty at Blackburn

     The relegation battle at Ewood Park turned into the ultimate game of two halves.  Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw; a result that helps neither side.  Luke Varney was denied a goal by the offside flag and then the Tangerines were given a dubious penalty.  Charlie Adam scored the penalty, and then produced a perfect free-kick to have Blackpool 2-0 up at half-time.  Christopher Samba pulled a goal back early in the second half after a spot of penalty pinball and in stoppage time, Richard Kingston flapped at a free-kick and Junior Hoillett turned in the equaliser for Blackburn.

     In the other matches, Stoke City recorded their biggest ever Premiership win, to all but guarantee their own Premiership safety.  They thrashed Newcastle United 4-0, who had a miserable day and still need at least two wins to follow Stoke’s survival state.  Birmingham are now second from bottom, after losing a crunch match at Wigan Athletic.  Maynor Figueroa produced a stunning late winner to earn the home side a 2-1 victory and throw a lifeline into their season.  Finally, Wolves first win at Villa Park in 37 years has thrown Aston Villa into serious trouble.  Matt Jarvis headed in the winner in a 1-0 win, resulting in a deserved England call-up.  Villa got booed off the pitch and the fans demanded Gerard Houillier to be sacked.  They are now only one point clear of the bottom three.  Two months remain, and who goes down, it’s still far too close to call.

Comic Relief 2011 - Doing something funny for money

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

SINCE its inception back in 1988, Comic Relief has raised more than over £400 million to help disadvantaged children in both UK and Africa, thanks to its successful Red Nose Day campaign.  Over the last few years, the record for fundraising in a campaign has always been broken and this year was no exception.

     A massive £74.4 million was raised on the night on Friday and where as the final total on the last Red Nose Day finished up on just over £80 million, this figure is expected to topple this when the final totals are published in a few months time.  In total, the biggest donations came from the following:

BT raised £1.7 million for their sponsorship of the Celebrity Desert Trek

Sainsbury’s raised £10 million for sales of official merchandise, a new record for the supermarket

TK Maxx raised £3 million for sales of official t-shirts

Maltesers raised £1.1 million for a public competition

Walkers raised £1.2 million for sales of four special crisp flavours

British Airways raised £801,000 for sales of special scratch cards on selected flights

BBC raised £2.9 for some of their stars attempting various tasks

The remaining £53.7 million was provided by public donations

     BBC One again provided a full evening’s worth of entertainment to help fundraising initiatives.  The programme featured comical sketches of Doctor Who, Outnumbered, Miranda and MasterChef, which featured an appearance by none other than Prime Minister David Cameron himself.  Also, Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton attempted to pull off a high wire walk between two of London’s tallest buildings and Radio 1’s Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave succeeded in fronting the station’s longest ever show, at a staggering 53 hours, setting a new Guinness World Record in the process.

     David Walliams also proved his stern material to survive long hours by attempting to appear on as many panel shows in 24 hours.  ’24 Hour Panel People’, which was broadcast on the BBC website, saw Walliams joined by a selection of guests to participate in various shows past and present, including 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and They Think It’s All Over.

     Nine famous faces endured an energy-zapping trek across the Kenyan desert to raise nearly £2 million which featured Scott Mills, Lorraine Kelly, Kara Tointon, Dermot O’Leary and Olly Murs.  Meanwhile, Ant and Dec were challenged by Comic Relief to gatecrash as many shows as they could in 24 hours unannounced and steal various items to auction off.  Daybreak, This Morning, Loose Women and The One Show were among those that were targeted.

     On the music front, the campaign has brought out two songs.  Rising boy band The Wanted provided the official track ‘Gold Forever’, the first original song for Red Nose Day since 2005.  However response of the track was largely negative.  The other is another comical edition which has Peter Kay on board again, reprising his alter ego Geraldine McQueen to team up with Susan Boyle to perform ‘I Know Him So Well,’ originally sung by Elaine Page.  As expected, this has gone down as a huge hit and it won’t be surprising if it claims top spot in the charts next Sunday.

     All in all, it has been another successful night for the charity.  Now everyone is indeed wondering how they will top those events for 2013.  A whole 731 days must pass before then.