Sky and BBC to share Formula One

THE Formula One world has woken up to the shock news this morning of a broadcasting bombshell which will see the sport move to pay-per-view TV from the 2012 season onwards.  Current contract holders, the BBC will share the rights with sports powerhouse Sky Sports for the next six years.  However, fans who want to watch all 20 F1 events next year will have to pay for a Sky subscription, as only BSKYB will screen live coverage of all the events.  The BBC will screen half the races and qualifying live, including the jewel in the crown races of Monaco and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. 

     Earlier this year, there was talk of a takeover of the sport by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and News Corp.  The BBC had been considering axing their service (due to run out in 2013) thanks to budget cuts, so for both broadcasters, the deal seems to fit well.  However, the deal has enraged fans and the F1 teams alike;

SHARE: EJ and Jake Humphrey will have to share the limelight with Sky

     Bernie Ecclestone told BBC Sport this morning; “It’s super for F1.  It will mean a lot more coverage for the sport.  There’ll be highlights as well as live coverage on two different networks now, so we get the best of both worlds.”  BBC’s lead commentator Martin Brundle is believed to be considering his future, as he used Twitter to express his frustrations; “BBC/Sky/F1 2012+.  Found out last night, no idea how it will work yet I’m out of contract, will calmly work through options.  Not impressed.”

     The new broadcasting partnership will include;

• All races, qualifying and practice sessions live on Sky Sports across TV, Online, Mobile and Tablet devices.
• Half the races and qualifying sessions remain live on BBC TV, Online and Mobile including key races such as the British Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix and the final race of the season.
• Extensive BBC highlights on TV, Online and Mobile, of all races and qualifying sessions that the BBC  is not covering live.
• Extensive multi-platform coverage including BBC Red Button, bbc.co.uk/sport and skysports.com.
• Build-up coverage of each Grand Prix on BBC News, Sky News and Sky Sports News.

     Sky’s managing director Barney Francis is delighted with the deal; “This is fantastic news for F1 fans and Sky Sports will be the only place to follow every race live and in HD.  We will give F1 the full Sky Sports treatment with a commitment to each race never seen before on UK television.  As well as unrivalled build-up to each race on Sky Sports News, we will broadcast in-depth live coverage of every session.

     The teams are said to be shocked by this decision made by FOM boss Ecclestone.  Managing director of McLaren and head of FOTA, Martin Whitmarsh urges those upset to be calm before jumping to conclusions.  He told Autosport.com; “I don’t think anyone should be immediately reacting to say this is good, bad, or indifferent.  What we need to understand is whether the large audience we currently enjoy in Formula One will be maintained.  I think we also need to understand exactly how this is being done.”

     On his website, former ITV lead commentator James Allen sympathised with the fans, but felt the deal was on the cards.  “Many fans will be unhappy at the idea of having to pay Rupert Murdoch, one of the main shareholders in Sky and its driving force, in order to watch F1, especially in the current climate with the entire goings on at the News of the World.  This is a typically bold deal by Murdoch and a strong forward move in the teeth of adversity.  To me, it feels like’s it’s been coming for some time.  F1 fans will provide new cash flow to the Sky coffers, in a business which always needs to generate new lifeblood.”

     Ultimately, although some will see it as a sensible deal and both broadcasters happy, it seems to have left a gaping hole with many Grand Prix fanatics this morning.

MY VIEW

When I woke up this morning and saw the news on my phone via the BBC Sport website, I felt like throwing up.  Why has Bernie Ecclestone broken a promise he made!  In reality, it’s a simple answer, money.  Consequently, it makes Ecclestone and Rupert Murdoch perfect bedfellows.  All the pair care about is money, not the feelings of its viewers, readers or fans.

     We’ve been here before and Bernie should know that.  His F1 Digital+ platform on the pay-per-view Sky service for the 2002 season epically failed.  It was scrapped after one nightmare campaign, so I’m surprised he has decided to go back down an already failed experiment.  The general consensus from the teams is that they are unimpressed, with Martin Whitmarsh referring this morning to the complex Concorde Agreement and saying it could be seen as a breach in the regulations.  Consequently, I don’t see the dust settling on this one quickly.

     I understand that the BBC has to make license cuts.  They are scrapping the Football League, cutting back on Wimbledon coverage and might ditch Athletics coverage altogether, but why tamper with F1.  It might been expensive, but eight million tuned into last Sunday’s German Grand Prix, BBC’s highest viewing figures for an F1 event since 1996.  There was talk that Channel 4 was seriously interested in F1 and with ITV not wanting to bid for the rights again, why did Bernie not stick with the terrestrial route full-time, especially if the BBC wanted to ditch F1?

     For me, I can’t afford Sky Sports and even if I could, I wouldn’t pay Rupert Murdoch a penny, let alone his pathetic subscription fees!  I have to deal with Premiership Football being on pay-TV and I can’t believe my second sporting love is heading in the same direction.  What’s more, following the phone-hacking scandal, how the hell can News International bid for anything?  Is Bernie Ecclestone blind, stupid or both!  News Corp have been dragged through the mire, with further revelations set to come and Murdoch has screwed a lot of normal people for years, maybe even decades. 

     I am furious, upset, disgusted and bewildered by today’s events and I bet I’m not the only one.  Unfortunately, it is done and nothing can be done now.  Murdoch and Ecclestone haven’t made many friends down the years and they’ve made more enemies today.  If they want to annoy sponsors and reduce the viewing figures, be my guest!

Thanks for listening and thanks very much Rupert and Bernie!

Gina Little - Marathon magic

IN LIFE, we all meet or hear of some amazing feats and more so, people who inspire us.  Historically for me, I’d certainly put Nelson Mandela, the late Mother Theresa and even Bob Geldof into the list of people who have attempted to make the world a better place.  Last week, I was on work placement for Runner’s World and undertook the tricky task of doing a telephone interview (one of my biggest fears!)  I spoke to an inspiring woman, who has plenty of Marathon Magic.

INCREDIBLE: Gina Little has a load of Marathon Magic

     Gina Little might be in her sixties, but her passion to run is inspirational.  Only recently, she just took part in her 400^th marathon; an off-road trail marathon in Hertfordshire.  When I spoke to her, she had just competed in her 402^nd marathon, a staggering and amazing achievement!

    I asked Gina what made her start running in the first place; “The London Marathon goes above the top of my home, so I went and watched the second marathon.  I then did the next marathon in 1983.  I enjoyed it, but thought it was going to be a one-off.”

     401 marathons later and not only is Gina very experienced at this distance, but she still loves the competition and certainly has caught the marathon bug.  In fact, she has competed in 41 marathons in each of the last two calendar years (2009 and 2010).  Admittedly, she said that the marathon suits her body and style of running and finds shorter distances such as 5K and 10K tough to work out, but even so, it takes a lot of fitness and stamina to keep going without even thinking of stopping.  Gina joined a special 100 marathon club in September 1999 and from then, it all exploded.  The following year, she had to cope with the tragic death of her husband, yet the running bug kept appealing to her.      

     Part of her local Plumstead Runners club, Gina told me what keeps her driving to succeed in the marathon distance; “The other people you meet in marathons are great.  I still enjoy the challenges thrown at me.  In fact, I am still beating marathon runners today who are 20 years younger and that’s exciting.”

     Gina’s PB (Personal Best) for a marathon is 3hrs 26mins, achieved in of all places, London in 1993.  Fifteen years later she took part in six marathons in six days in six separate counties of Northern Ireland.  To keep the amazing statistics going, Gina has competed in 21 Berlin marathons and has also competed in Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles, Hawaii and last year, Tokyo, which was one of the destinations she’d been determined to compete in.  For the 400^th marathon, she had a cake of her picture to celebrate the remarkable achievement and loads of good luck and congratulations cards from friends, colleagues and well-wishers.

     I asked Gina about today’s training regimes and whether she fits into the crowd of sticking to a demanding physical routine.  “I don’t have a race plan; I simply go and run how I feel.  I prefer to run on my own and do my own thing.  At the end of the day, you can’t plan when you do a PB, it just happens and I’m a prime example of that (the London PB 1993), it just happens.  I firmly don’t agree with all these high-profile training regimes.”

     Gina has absolutely no plans to finish either.  She is still hoping to go to New Zealand and attempt the Auckland marathon and with her desire to run abroad, it’s hard not to see why.  This year alone, she has already run in Cyprus, Spain and Switzerland and trains hard for a marathon nearly every week.  In fact, her next race is this weekend in Faversham, with further events in Cambridge, Ireland and Yorkshire around the corner.  Gina is already booked up for the rest of the year and upto April 2012 and will also be marshalling at next summer’s London Olympics.

     Gina Little is an amazing woman and I had real pleasure in hearing her story, as she said to me; “I just want to carry on doing what I want to do for as long as possible.”  She is an inspirational character if there ever was one.  

TV classics (or rejects!) - The Premiership

IN THE summer of 1999, smooth talking Des Lynam made the shock decision to leave the BBC, to take the role as lead football anchor for ITV Sport.  He would front live FA Cup and UEFA Champions League football, alongside shared coverage of major international tournaments.  Just over two years later, he was back in his traditional role of presenting Saturday evening Premier League highlights.  However, ‘The Premiership’ turned into one of the biggest flops in ITV’s distinguished history.

     There was big surprise when ITV outbid the BBC for Premiership highlights in the summer of 2000.  The three-year contract cost the commercial broadcaster £185million.  The BBC’s MOTD team was left devastated by the news and trundled through the remainder of their Euro 2000 coverage looking depressed and downcast.  In fact, when watching Gary Lineker that summer, it felt like we were about to watch a funeral procession, let alone a major football match!  Always critical of late starts, Des Lynam wanted the new programme to be an early Saturday evening show, rather than the traditional 10.30pm slot, feeling it would appeal to all audiences.  He aimed for 6pm at first, but this idea was scrapped due to Sky’s curfew time lock it had on Premier League rights.  9pm was too late, due to ITV’s compact Saturday evening entertainment line-up, so the decision was taken to screen ‘The Premiership,’ at 7pm every Saturday evening.  It would turn into one of the most horrendous timing misjudgements of all time!

     U2’s Grammy-award winning track ‘Beautiful Day’ was selected as the music theme and although it has no comparison on the Match of the Day theme tune, it was still a brilliant choice of music for football.  Major drinks giant Coca Cola was signed up to sponsor the programme, using ‘Leggsy,’ (its mascot) in some hilarious break bumper parodies.  Alongside lunchtime show On The Ball and the doomed afternoon results show, The Goal Rush – ITV was the new place for Saturday football entertainment.

     On Saturday August 18 2001, ‘The Premiership’ debuted with Middlesbrough v Arsenal, Liverpool v West Ham United and Sunderland v Ipswich Town being chosen as the three featured games.  ITV would send its four main commentators; Clive Tydlesey, Peter Drury, Jon Champion and Guy Mowbray out to featured matches, whilst reporters such as Ned Boulting, Russ Williams and Gabriel Clarke would cover the less featured matches.  Terry Venables and Ally McCoist would be the main pundits alongside Des in the studio, with Robbie Earle and Ron Atkinson also being used on occasion.  ITV decided to pioneer two new technology pieces which failed miserably.  The ProZone programme saw Venables hopelessly being able to keep up with technology and had to rush through key moments of games, struggling to explain what this new data meant.  Also, Andy Townsend, former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder would be at a key match from the weekend in a pathetic ‘Tactics Truck!’  If lucky, Andy might be joined by a Premiership player who had nothing else to do on their Saturday evenings to analyse a game in better depth, but this experiment was quickly abandoned.  It worked for Channel 4 with Test Cricket and Channel Five for their live UEFA Europa League coverage, but this format simply didn’t work for highlights.  Townsend’s Tactics Truck was torn to shreds by avid football fans and journalists, calling it “totally inept and excruciatingly painful.”

     Despite getting critical acclaim on the opening weekend from the News of the World, the viewing figures were disappointing.  Only five million watched the opening 7pm show, two million lower than The Weakest Link, which was BBC’s head-to-head competition.  The Daily Mirror was a strong critic of The Premiership’s lack of match action and ITV’s determination to show those annoying commercial breaks whenever they could.  A week later, viewing figures dropped to 3.1million; ITV’s worst Saturday night viewing figures for a decade and although the average slightly picked up, the 7pm experiment was a doomed failure.  Under pressure from the likes of Cilla Black, who was concerned about the later time for her show Blind Date and advertisers, ITV’s controller of sport, now FA chief executive Brian Barwick had little alternative but to shove the show back to a traditional 10.30pm slot from November 2001 onwards. 

    Afterwards, the show never really recovered and in 2003, the BBC won back the highlights rights from the 2004/05 season onwards.  The Goal Rush ended in December 2003, after spectacularly dismal ratings and in May 2004, both On the Ball and ‘The Premiership’ made a quiet and tame exit after three failed seasons.

     You have to give ITV some credit for attempting such a bold move, but this was a gamble that spectacularly backfired.  The Premiership will always be remembered as a ‘Desater!’  

The Finishing Straight - Germany (By HappyDude88)

AFTER my planned absence from Silverstone analysis, I return with my strong opinions on last weekend’s German Grand Prix, held at a very chilly Nurburgring (a.k.a a typical November day in the UK).

ENJOYMENT: Hamilton liked spraying the bubbly at weekend

      Lewis Hamilton produced one of those weekends in Germany where he was unbeatable.  He is always exciting to watch, does Lewis ever do dull?  You can file this victory alongside the likes of Fuji 07, Silverstone 08 and Shanghai 11, as amongst his greatest.  After free practice, McLaren simply didn’t look in the game.  If they got their act together, Hamilton might have been fighting for the bottom step of the podium – but a victory chance looked very unlikely.  However, his qualifying lap on Saturday was magical.  To lap 1.1secs quicker than Jenson Button, in the same car was a mighty effort.  On Sunday, he was so determined and focused and all of his attacking was this time, for the right reasons.  His outstanding move around the outside of Fernando Alonso was one of the best of the season so far.  This was Hamilton at his best and I’m so pleased to be able to say positive things about him again in ‘The Finishing Straight.’  I hope he put a smile on many British faces, who let’s face it – Golf and Cricket aside, have had a pretty grim sporting year.

     Alongside McLaren, Ferrari has made significant upturns in its performance over the last few races.  The days of being two seconds slower than Red Bull and getting embarrassingly lapped by their closest rivals in Barcelona seem like a distant memory.  Fernando Alonso has been driving magnificently of late and once again, is leaving Felipe Massa trailing in his wake.  Alonso might lament a low-key qualifying performance, or the moment where he failed to spot Hamilton’s attack when he grabbed the lead after the second pitstops, but he seemed rather happy with second place.  I would certainly expect Ferrari, certainly in Alonso’s capable hands, to win more races between now and the season’s climax in Brazil on November 27.

     The most dramatic moment of the race was a collision between Sebastian Buemi and Nick Heidfeld on lap 11.  The result saw Buemi into the pits to replace a punctured tyre and Heidfeld spin spectacularly out of the race.  Renault team principal Eric Bouillier has gone public with his criticisms over Heidfeld’s lack of performance and you have to agree with him.  Heidfeld should be leading the team in Robert Kubica’s unfortunate and untimely absence and he isn’t doing the job required.  Bruno Senna will get his chance tomorrow morning in practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix and I’d even like to see Senna or the GP2 championship leader, Romain Grosjean be given a shot in the team before the season’s end.  Renault is trailing 12 points behind Mercedes GP in the constructor’s championship and Vitaly Petrov simply doesn’t have enough underneath him to fight two consistent points’ scorers from Mercedes.  In regards to the Buemi/Heidfeld crash at the weekend, I cannot understand why Buemi has been given a five place grid penalty for this weekend’s action.  He could have given Heidfeld a bit more room, but he was ahead approaching the braking zone for the chicane, didn’t make a dangerous move across to protect his position and with his experience, Heidfeld should have expected that the gap he aimed for was always going to close.  He was unlucky in Canada, being caught out by Kamur Kobayashi’s lack of acceleration, but he was fully to blame for his departure in Germany, so no symphony for him.  Plus, what is Buemi meant to do; jump out of the way!  He’s not Jarno Trulli!

SPIN: Karun Chandok looked a bit out of depth at Nurburgring

     Speaking of Trulli, he was absent from the weekend’s activities, as Team Lotus elected to give Karun Chandok a go in the car.  Karun is one of F1’s nice guys and it was pleasing to see him back behind the wheel for the first time since last year’s British Grand Prix.  He was treated like dirt at Hispania and seems happy at Lotus, but he did struggle all weekend, with brake and gearbox problems.  Sadly, he finished last, behind Jerome D’Ambrosio and both Hispania cars.  Chandok looked a bit out of his depth at Nurburgring and Trulli, if he was present, must have been cringing at the Indian’s driver lack of performance.  Jarno has a new power steering system this weekend, so he has no more pitiful excuses to save him now.  Also causing a stir was Timo Glock, who made some rather barbaric comments on the radio to his race engineers after another expected Q1 exit.  24 hours later, Glock confirmed that he had resigned for Virgin Racing for another two years.  I can’t work the 29-year old out; it was a strange move.  I have to appreciate his hard work and graft for the team, but he deserves a car firmly capable of his talents and frustration isn’t going to get him anywhere.

     I was totally convinced that Sebastian Vettel was not going to win last weekend at his home event.  If he has a bogey event, it is the German Grand Prix.  Vettel was chasing the ultimate set-up all weekend and looked a step behind Mark Webber throughout.  He made some uncharacteristic errors in the race, such as the turn ten spin he had early on.  However, fourth place, considering it was a pretty ordinary weekend by his high standards was a good result.  However, Red Bull must be worried.  They were outpaced by Ferrari on one of their strongest circuits, Silverstone and at Nurburgring, were behind both McLaren and Ferrari.  Not every race can be perfect, but there can be no doubt that their massive pace advantage they had at the start of the season has been whittled away by its closest competition.

      Mercedes GP scored some solid points on home soil, but for the second year running, both cars were lapped infront of many of their hard-working employees.  Nico Rosberg has admitted that he needs to work on his race pace and that can’t be argued with.  Mercedes don’t seem to have many issues on a Saturday, with both cars being regulars in the pole position shootout.  However, heavy Pirelli rear tyre wear has hurt them far too often on raceday.  I’d imagine Ross Brawn will be writing 2011 off very soon, if he hasn’t already and concentrate on 2012.  Although it is important to beat Renault in the battle for fourth spot in the constructors championship, that is no consolation for the team.  Results have simply not been good enough, in fact, they are worse than last year.  It’s been a year since Rosberg got their last podium finish, so it feels like the team are going backwards, not forwards.

FORM: Sutil put on his best show of the season in Germany

     I was delighted to see Adrian Sutil have such a strong weekend and pick up valuable points for Force India.  For only the third time this season, Sutil outqualified Paul di Resta and was on the pace all weekend.  He ran seventh for most of the race, beat both Mercedes drivers fair and square and finished on the same lap as race winner Hamilton.  Sutil has had a tough season, but once again, proved he can collect the points the team need, especially with Toro Rosso and Sauber having improved drastically on their 2010 performances.  With Nico Hulkenberg waiting in the wings, it could also be seen as a career saving performance from Adrian, whose career has stalled in the past twelve months.  Hopefully, he has managed to turn the corner this season.

     Finally, it is time to nominate my Driver of the Day and Driver of the Weekend.  Sutil and Alonso both deserve valuable mentions, but Lewis Hamilton has to scoop up both awards for his extemporary performance at the Nurburgring.  You could see how important the win meant to him, as indicated by his team radio message after the race.  Hamilton is adamant that the championship is not over yet.  Well, Vettel still has a massive lead and I disagree with those who say he is cracking under the pressure but if Hamilton and Alonso can apply more pressure, we will see what happens.  Budapest will answer a lot more questions before Formula One goes on a deserved summer break.

Terrorism hits Norway

OSLO and Utoya Island were the scenes for mass murder on Friday afternoon.  It is thought that 76 people were killed in two separate attacks which have rocked the world.  32-year old Anders Behring Breivik has been arrested and might even face the death penalty, although a long jail term of upto 21 years is more likely.

     On Utoya Island, around 20 miles away from the capital, Breivik dressed up as a police officer, enticed young political activists to him, as he let them know about the earlier carnage he’d caused outside the government buildings in Oslo.  He then went on a shooting rampage, which gave his victims very little chance of escape.  Initially, the death toll stood at 10 and had risen as high as 98.  This has been downgraded today, as in the carnage; it is thought that some bodies were counted twice.  Around 600 young people were estimated to be at the campsite for the summer.

WRECKAGE: A crumpled car lies in ruins after the Oslo explosion

     For those who escaped Breivik’s madness, they have been brought back to Norwegian mainland by the police, completely shocked and traumatised by the whole incident.  Just hours earlier, Breivik had detonated a car bomb outside the offices of Norway’s prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg.  Stoltenberg was due to visit the Utoya Island site on Saturday.  Seven people were killed in Oslo, which saw finance, oil ministry buildings and the PM’s office severely damaged.  Although they remain on high alert, the police have said that they aren’t linking Breivik to an international terrorist organisation, despite Norway’s small presence of army troops in both Libya and Afghanistan.  Instead, they believe that this was the work of a ‘madman.’

     PM Stoltenberg has vowed that the country will stick together.  He told the Reuters news agency; “We are a small country, but a very proud one.  Nobody can bomb us to be quiet; nobody can ever scare us from being Norway.”  Breivik’s apartment in Oslo was searched before his arrest.  A Christian fundamentalist, one of his friends told a media organisation that he was extremely right-wing in political aspects and used websites often to express his strong, unforgiving opinions. 

     Both David Cameron and Barack Obama have expressed their support with the Norwegian people following the trauma.  Obama, who collected his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, said that “our hearts go out to them and we will provide any support we can.”  Cameron told Sky News; “The Norwegians are old friends and allies and neighbours of Britain and I know all of Britain will stand with the Norwegian people in the days of sorrow that lie ahead.”

    Norway has always been seen as a friendly, peaceful country with a good society and no sign of any impending trouble.  The tranquil life that Norwegians enjoyed has now been terminally shattered on its darkest day, as the country and the entire world not only mourn the dead and pray for those seriously injured, but face up to the still severe threat of international and domestic terrorism.  

Hillsborough papers to be released

CABINET records of documents and discussions in the aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster have been ordered for release.  The Information Commissioner Christopher Graham revealed yesterday that he felt that it was in the public interest for this information to be released.

     Under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, the government now has either 35 days to release the records or 28 days to appeal the decision.  95 Liverpool fans were crushed to death on the terraces of Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium while watching the early stages of an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.  The 96^th victim, Tony Bland, died from his injuries in 1993. 

     Campaigners have welcomed the decision to release the files, including Anne Williams, who lost her 15-year old son Kevin in the tragedy.  She told BBC News; “This is good news.  I’m very surprised.  I thought the government would block it.  At least now, we may get to the truth.”    

JUSTICE: Yesterday's ruling is a massive step forward for Liverpool

     The files are believed to include reports relating to Hillsborough that were provided to Margaret Thatcher.  Also expected are discussions between her and the then Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd and minutes of meetings she attended.  Chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Margaret Aspinall is angry that more information wasn’t released; she told the official LFC website “We have always wanted to see the minutes of Mrs. Thatcher’s meetings, but when we asked, we were always told there were no minutes taken.”  “I find it quite strange that now the minutes are going to be released.  Yet again, I feel we have been lied to.”

     After 22 years of false hope, untruthful allegations from tabloid newspapers and an inquest that was a massive miscarriage of justice, the truth of what happened on that sunny day at Hillsborough which turned into such a nightmare on April 15, 1989 might finally be revealed.  This document order means the families can feel there’s a massive step forward in the long-standing fight for justice.

F1 2011 - The half-term report

IT IS the halfway point in F1 2011, so it’s time for me to assess how some of the drivers have done in the first ten races;

Sebastian Vettel (1^st in the world championship, 216 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st on six occasions

This season, there can be no doubt that Sebastian Vettel tops the class.  Six victories, seven pole positions and over 70 per cent of laps led so far have shown that he has destroyed the opposition on a regular basis so far.  His win in Turkey, considering he missed all of Friday, due to a practice crash showed how awesome he is at the front of the field.  Sunday’s performance at the Nurburgring was below par, but everyone has a bad weekend during any Grand Prix season.  Sebastian probably needs to still shake off the tag of struggling to race in the pack, but great strategy, sensational one lap ability and a reliable car means it will take a miracle for him to be denied a second championship.

GRADE: A+ (An almost flawless campaign so far, he deserves to be where he is)

Lewis Hamilton (3^rd in the world championship, 134 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st in China, Germany)

Lewis Hamilton has had an inconsistent season so far and for his talents, some of his results have been very disappointing.  Considering where McLaren looked in winter testing, third at halfway point is not bad, but Lewis wants more and at times, has overdriven the car.  Run-ins with Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado in Monaco; team-mate Jenson Button in Canada, it has either been silly mistakes or masterful drives in 2011 and nothing in-between.  His comments about the race stewards in Monaco didn’t go down very well either and his relationship with McLaren might be permanently damaged after ‘that’ meeting with Christian Horner in Canada.  Nevertheless, the victories in China and Germany showed us why we love Lewis; for his natural aggression and the ability to outperform the machinery he has at his disposal. 

GRADE: A- (Calm it down Lewis, you have shown what you are capable of)

Mark Webber (2^nd in the world championship, 139 points – BEST FINISH: 2^nd in Turkey)

Mark Webber is under pressure this season, especially as he is now definitely playing second fiddle in the Red Bull camp.  At times, he has shown his hard-charging determination and his fightback from 18^th on the grid to a podium finish in China is testimony to that.  He has consistently finished on the podium of late, but no wins in nearly a year tells its own story.  Sometimes, he can just disappear into thin air, as the races in Australia and Spain would highlight.  Considering he is in the best equipment, Mark should have won races by now, so although there is consistency, the extra edge is missing at the moment.  He knows he has it, but the question is, can he deliver it before the season’s end.

GRADE: B+ (Gradual improvements during the year – but needs to start winning soon)

 

Felipe Massa (6^th in the world championship, 62 points – BEST FINISH: 5^th in Malaysia)

Felipe Massa had a lacklustre start to the season, with a terrible opening weekend in Melbourne.  He only just made Q3 and finished an entire minute behind team-mate Fernando Alonso.  His performance in Turkey was erratic too, especially on a circuit where he has ruled before and the Spanish Grand Prix weekend was an unmitigated disaster.  However, he is a reliable foil for Fernando and on occasion, such as China and Canada, can outperform his ace team-mate.  The results haven’t quite been upto scratch, and that will need work in the second half of the season, especially as Fernando will need his help if he stands any remote chance of a shock comeback.

GRADE: B- (Shown flashes of the old Felipe, but not enough to prove he can win races again)

Vitaly Petrov (9^th in the world championship, 32 points – BEST FINISH: 3^rd in Australia)

The season couldn’t have started any better for Vitaly, as he secured a popular podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix.  Since then, he has struggled to deliver high-profile results, but that is down to the Renault’s lack of development rather than the driver failing to live upto standards.  Fifth in Canada and eighth in Turkey were days when Petrov made the most of a day when others struggled.  Valencia and Silverstone aside, he has threatened points on every weekend and with a better car and more support from a higher scoring team-mate, would achieve far more than his points tally suggests.

GRADE: B+ (A pleasant surprise so far – totally written off those critics he had last term)

Fernando Alonso (4^th in the world championship, 130 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st in Britain)

Personally, I think Fernando is driving the best he has ever done in his career.  Time and again, he has dragged even more than what the Ferrari is capable of.  Not once has he shown his general frustrations this season, even after being lapped in Barcelona having led the first 20 laps of his home event.  His success at Silverstone was fully deserved and second place finishes in Monaco and at the Nurburgring show the fire is still well and truly burning brightly.  Alonso will win another title, especially now he is tied down long-term to Ferrari, but Vettel’s sheer pace means that the wait will have to go on a bit longer.

GRADE: A (With better machinery, he would have given Vettel a run all season)

Nick Heidfeld (8^th in the world championship, 34 points – BEST FINISH: 3^rd in Malaysia)

Things didn’t start well for Robert Kubica’s replacement, as major KERS problems left him down in 13^th in Australia.  It looked much better after a brilliant Malaysia weekend, which saw Nick in the top six, run second in the first stint and end up on the podium.  However, he has failed to deliver on that promise.  He has shown a real lack of pace in qualifying and it has really hurt race efforts.  Despite being a consistent point’s finisher, he hasn’t set the world alight.  With Kubica recovering well, plus the likes of Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean pushing hard, Nick might as well begin looking around for other motorsport employment next season.

GRADE: C+ (A lacklustre campaign from Mr. Reliable, must do better!)

Rubens Barrichello (16^th in the world championship, 4 points – BEST FINISH: 9^th in Monaco)

He has started over 300 races, but perhaps the time has come for Rubens Barrichello to hang up his helmet and make a gracious exit from the sport he still truly loves.  The 2011 Williams is not a good car and his frustrations at times this season have shown, especially as the car has been unreliable too.  It might not be his decision either, especially if Williams continue to require money from drivers for the seats.  Pastor Maldonado has embarrassed him in qualifying too frequently and although he bought home valuable points in Monaco and Canada, the spark seems to have gone. 

GRADE: D (Going out with a whimper, don’t make the same mistake as many others Rubens!)

Michael Schumacher (10^th in the world championship, 32 points – BEST FINISH: 4^th in Canada)

After a shambolic season opener in Melbourne, Michael has shown flashes of the man we love best.  His drive in Canada reminded us of the glory days and he was desperately unlucky not to get a rostrum.  Like the Williams, he has been severely limited by his machinery this season, but the scrapes he has had with Jaime Alguesuari in Melbourne, Vitaly Petrov in Turkey and Kamur Kobayashi at Silverstone suggest that his judgement is not the same as it was.  He needs more days like Montreal if he doesn’t want to get the label of the ‘worst comeback’ ever!

GRADE: C- (Willing to improve the car, must start beating Rosberg on a regular basis)

Kamur Kobayashi (11^th in the world championship, 27 points – BEST FINISH: 5^th in Monaco)

Kamur Kobayashi is the hottest and greatest racing driver to have ever come out of Japan.  His thrilling attitude towards overtaking has meant that there is never a dull moment when he is around.  Sauber have given him a much better chassis this season and Kamur is starting to produce a string of strong, consistent results.  His enthusiasm for the sport can’t be questioned, especially considering the tough times his country has faced following the devastating tsunami only weeks before the season’s beginning.  Only his qualifying needs to be worked on, but a shrewd team leader he is turning out to be.

GRADE: B- (Great season so far, with few errors of judgement)

Paul di Resta (17^th in the world championship, 2 points – BEST FINISH: 10^th in Australia)

The ability to beat your team-mate on a regular basis makes you a hot property and that certainly is what Paul di Resta is.  He has left Adrian Sutil trailing in his wake at Force India this season and only Valencia and Nurburgring was he significantly outpaced by the German.  However, Paul needs to cut down on the clumsy manoeuvres he is making in races.  He missed out on point’s opportunities in Monaco and Canada by attempting almost impossible overtakes.  With Mercedes chasing after his services long-term, Paul has earnt his right to stay in F1 for the long-term.

GRADE: C+ (Shows great potential, but needs to stay out of trouble more often) 

Jarno Trulli (19^th in the world championship, 0 points – BEST FINISH: 13^th in Australia and Monaco)

Jarno Trulli was dropped from the Team Lotus squad for last weekend’s race and is not hard to see why.  The Italian has been smashed by his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and continues to complain about the lack of power steering available to his disposal.  Lotus has a new system for him this weekend, so there can now be no excuses.

GRADE: E (Time to move over for the younger generation)

Sebastian Buemi (15^th in the world championship, 8 points – BEST FINISH: 8^th in Australia)

Until Nurburgring, Sebastian Buemi had put in a very good showing in all the races this season.  The Toro Rosso has struggled again this season, but is more firmly in the midfield and four point’s finishes show that Buemi is no slouch in the car.  He has had the measure of Jaime Alguesuari for most of the season and can surely look forward to another season at Toro Rosso next year.

GRADE: C+ (Significant improvements on last year’s horror show)

Adrian Sutil (12^th in the world championship, 18 points – BEST FINISH: 6^th in Germany)

Having been outpaced for large periods this season by Paul di Resta, Adrian has to make massive improvements in the second half of the season.  He threw away points in Canada with some clumsy mistakes and when he has finished races, the team’s strategy has often cost him points.  Nevertheless, he did well to bag some useful points in both Monaco and last Sunday in Germany and although his stock has dropped, the quality on his day is still there.  Considering criminal charges for a nightclub incident in China hang over him, Adrian is doing well to get on with the job in hand.

GRADE: C- (More needed, especially on a Saturday afternoon)

Jenson Button (5^th in the world championship, 109 points – BEST FINISH: 1^st in Canada)

Bad luck has got in the way of Jenson Button in the last few races and that’s a shame, because he has a very good season so far.  Surprisingly, he hasn’t quite managed to get the best out of the new Pirelli tyres, but he won in such brilliant fashion in Canada against all the odds.  He should have won Monaco too and a flying second place in Malaysia proves just why Button is world champion quality.  Saturday’s have been a struggle though and it has just given him far too much to do on too many occasions.

GRADE: B+ (Outstanding on Sundays, too average on Saturdays)

Sergio Perez (14^th in the world championship, 8 points – BEST FINISH: 7^th in Britain)

Although his first campaign will sadly be remembered for the horrific qualifying crash in Monaco, Sergio Perez has proven that Mexico has Got Talent!  Perez’s ability to keep his Pirelli tyres durable has seriously impressed me.  He lost a stunning seventh place in Melbourne to a technical infringement, but has made up for it with strong points results in Spain and at Silverstone.  Sergio is the rookie of the year so far.

GRADE: B- (Able to handle the pressure of Grand Prix racing extremely well)

Vitantonio Liuzzi (20^th in the world championship, 0 points – BEST FINISH: 13^th in Canada)

Tonio has got on with it this season, considering he has a pig of a car to drive.  He has more than matched the Virgin cars this term and although his best years have gone, it’s good to see him outperforming his equipment.  It’s such a shame it took too long to deliver.

GRADE: C (A good effort in rubbish machinery)

F1 classic races - Hungary

IN A new series, I will be looking back at six classic races every weekend from the country about to stage an event in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship.  This is my selection, of races in Hungary between 1991 and 2010.  Enjoy the archive!

1992

FINALLY: Mansell achieves his goal, although Senna won the race

WINNER: Ayrton Senna (McLaren Honda), 2^nd: Nigel Mansell (Williams Renault), 3^rd: Gerhard Berger (McLaren Honda)

ONE man dominated the 1992 world championship, but it was a charging drive that earnt Nigel Mansell his coveted crown.  Starting second behind team-mate Riccardo Patrese, Mansell made a bad start, dropping behind both McLaren’s of Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger.  He fought back past Berger and when Patrese spun off, the championship looked secure.  However, a puncture forced Nigel into the pits and back down to sixth spot.  Catching Senna was a forlorn task, but ‘Our Nige’ ensured he fought for his title.  First, Michael Schumacher was catapulted off the road when his rear wing flew off in the direction of Budapest airport!  The Lotus of Mika Hakkinen and Martin Brundle were easily dispensed with and finally, a bullish pass on Berger got Mansell back into second spot, even when third was enough for the title.  After many near-misses, Nigel had done it at last!

1997

WINNER: Jacques Villeneuve (Williams Renault), 2^nd: Damon Hill (Arrows Yamaha), 3^rd: Johnny Herbert (Sauber Petronas)

THE Damon Hill/Arrows combination always looked like it would fail and so it did; but for one magical weekend in Hungary.  The world champion recaptured his 1996 form to qualify his underpowered chassis in third spot.  Hill jumped past Jacques Villeneuve into the first corner and then sensationally overtook Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari on lap 11 into the first corner.  Blistered tyres and a spare chassis finished Schumacher’s podium chances and he wasn’t the only one suffering.  Giancarlo Fisichella spun off trying to pass the Ferrari; Mika Hakkinen lost engine power on his McLaren and Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s bad luck continued when the fuel filler cap refused to open at his pitstop.  After seeing off the threat of David Coulthard, Villeneuve pursued in vain, but cruel luck was about to strike.  Hill’s throttle started cutting out with three laps to go, leaving him a sitting target.  On the last lap, Villeneuve used the grass on the exit of turn three to steal victory from Damon’s deserved grasp.  Johnny Herbert came home in an excellent third for Sauber.

1998

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Jacques Villeneuve (Williams Mecachrome)

HALFWAY through the 1998 race and Michael Schumacher’s world championship hopes looked to be in tatters.  The McLaren’s were walking away into the distance and Schumacher was struggling to pass Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams Mecachrome.  Ross Brawn came up with an absolute masterstroke and brought Schumacher in for an early second stop, turning his race into a three-stopper.  His searing pace was unleashed and when the McLaren team tried to respond, they crucially lost track position.  Even a brief excursion onto the grass on lap 52 couldn’t halt Schumacher’s charge and he started lapping three seconds quicker than anyone else.  By lap 60, his advantage was sufficient enough to pit for the third time and retain his lead.  Mika Hakkinen’s challenge faded thanks to a faulty shock absorber, which relegated the Finn to a lapped sixth, behind David Coulthard, Villeneuve, Damon Hill’s Jordan and a flu-ridden Heinz-Harald Frentzen.  Even today, this remains one of Michael Schumacher’s greatest ever victories.

2001

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), 3^rd: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes)

THIS was nowhere near a classic, but it was a title clincher.  David Coulthard had to beat Michael Schumacher to stand any hope of launching a title fightback.  It became ever more unlikely when Schumacher lapped 0.7secs quicker than anyone else in qualifying.  He took off at the start and wasn’t seen for the remainder of the afternoon.  The main scrap was between Coulthard and the second Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello.  DC lost out at the start to the Brazilian, but slick McLaren pit work got the Scot out ahead in the first round of pitstops.  However, Ferrari turned the tables at the second stops and Barrichello leapfrogged ahead again.  The path was clear for Schumacher to take his seventh win of the season, his fourth world drivers’ championship and to equal Alain Prost’s record of 51 GP victories.  With Barrichello second, the constructor’s championship was also sealed in Ferrari’s favour, having scored nearly double the points of nearest rivals McLaren.  For Ferrari, it was the perfect day and years of Maranello domination were well and truly underway.

2003

WINNER: Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2^nd: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams BMW)

THE remarkable Fernando Alonso had gone off the boil in mid-season and Jarno Trulli had outpaced him in the last three events.  When Trulli went quickest in Friday’s qualifying session, with Alonso down in sixth, it looked like we were in for more of the same.  However, Alonso stormed to pole position on Saturday and never looked back.  He was massively helped by Mark Webber’s much slower Jaguar getting into second position in a chaotic start.  Webber held up the rest of the opposition, allowing Alonso to build up a 30 second cushion in the first 15 laps.  Rubens Barrichello’s championship challenge ended when he suffered a calamitous rear suspension failure.  After spinning at the second corner, Ralf Schumacher produced a stirring fightback to fourth position, but his title chances also looked dead and buried.  This was because his team-mate, Juan Pablo Montoya survived a scrappy spin in the closing stages to finish third.  Kimi Raikkonen was an excellent second and it set the championship up for a grand finale, especially as Michael Schumacher qualified and finished a very distant and lapped eighth.  At least he started; Ralph Firman fractured his heel and missed the race after a terrible crash in practice, but this was Alonso’s weekend, as he stole Bruce McLaren’s record to become the youngest ever Formula One winner.  That was until a young German called S. Vettel came on the horizon of course!

2006

WINNER: Jenson Button (Honda), 2^nd: Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)

BOTH Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher entered the race with grid penalties.  Alonso had been penalised for brake-testing Robert Doornbos in Friday practice, whilst Schumacher overtook Alonso and new BMW driver Robert Kubica under red flags on Saturday morning.  On a wet day, the unpredictable took place.  Alonso produced a great drive and looked set to win from 15^th on the grid.  However, a wheel nut came loose after his second pitstop, which left him spinning helplessly into the barriers.  Schumacher couldn’t take advantage though; retiring with suspension damage after minor contact with Nick Heidfeld with just three laps remaining.  Kubica’s later disqualification still earnt the German a fortunate point.  All this opened the door for Jenson Button to storm through from 14^th on the grid to claim his first Grand Prix victory.  Pedro de la Rosa was a notable second for McLaren, recording his first podium finish.

2011 German Grand Prix - Hamilton secures thrilling German win

ECSTASY: Hamilton celebrates a great German success

LEWIS Hamilton used the cooler track temperatures at a very cold Nurburgring to win a thrilling German Grand Prix yesterday.  Hamilton produced a weekend of incredible performances to deliver his second win of the season, as Sebastian Vettel had an off-day infront of his partisan home supporters.  Vettel finished off the podium in fourth place, behind Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and the pole sitter, Mark Webber. 

     Hamilton qualified a sensational second on the grid, with one of the best laps of his F1 career.  He started behind Mark Webber and took full advantage of another terrible getaway from the Aussie.  Hamilton charged into the first corner ahead of Webber, whilst Alonso eased inside Vettel for third place.  A lap later, the Spaniard ran wide onto a wet patch at turn three and allowed Vettel back past him.  Further back, Nick Heidfeld connected with Paul di Resta, spinning the Force India driver to the back of the pack.

EXIT: Heidfeld tangles with Buemi and makes a spectacular exit

     On lap eight, Alonso showed his stunning straight-line speed to maximum effect, as he closed down Vettel and cruised inside him into the first corner.  Two laps later, Vettel made a very uncharacteristic mistake.  He got on a white line, hit a wet puddle and spun away seven seconds at turn ten.  This mistake left him with little hope of catching the top three for the rest of the afternoon.  Fellow German Heidfeld was doing much worse.  The usually reliable Renault driver was squeezed off the track by Sebastian Buemi approaching the NGK chicane.  Heidfeld went briefly airborne and ended in the gravel trap.  Buemi picked up a puncture and was given the blame by the race stewards, meaning the Swiss driver carries a five-place grid penalty into next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

     At the front, Hamilton’s early tyre advantage had disappeared and Webber was right on the back of the McLaren.  As the marshals were recovering Heidfeld’s crashed car, Lewis got distracted and went in too deep into the first apex of the chicane.  He was a sitting duck, as Webber angled himself inside Hamilton at the Coca Cola curve.  However, the Brit wasn’t finished and used the slipstream to duck back infront approaching the first corner.  Webber pitted shortly afterwards and used the ‘undercut’ on fresher tyres to steal the lead from Hamilton in the first round of pitstops.  The problems continued for Vettel, as he was overtaken by a slightly reluctant Felipe Massa.  The world champion spent the remainder of the afternoon staring at the back of the Ferrari’s exhaust.

     However, Webber couldn’t pull away from Hamilton and Alonso and an earlier second pitstop backfired, as he dropped to third.  In fact, Alonso briefly had the lead on lap 33, but Hamilton drove clean around the outside of his bitter rival into turn two and his sensational bravery landed him back the lead.  Whilst Hamilton was having a great weekend, Jenson Button was having a mere.  A dismal qualifying and a very poor start left him stuck behind Vitaly Petrov for most of the first stint of the race.  Although he briefly worked his way upto sixth, a hydraulic problem forced Button into the pits on lap 36 and into a second consecutive DNF. 

     The question now was how slow the prime medium compound tyre was going to be in comparison to the option tyre.  Petrov was the guinea pig and his quicker pace suggested that the drop-off wasn’t as bad as anticipated.  Hamilton pitted with nine laps to go and traffic forced Alonso’s hand early.  This ended the Spaniard’s hopes of back-to-back wins.  Webber tried to stay out longer, but his softer tyres were past their best and he got nailed down into third.  Attention switched then onto a final lap pit showdown between Massa and Vettel.  The Red Bull mechanics put in the quickest stop of the day and a slow Ferrari pitstop allowed Vettel to take fourth position again on the last lap.

     The way was clear for Hamilton to take his 16^th career victory and his first points finish, let alone podium result at the Nurburgring.  Alonso finished four seconds behind to collect his fourth podium in five races, whilst Webber was left disappointed by his lack of pace that left him down in third and stretches his winless drought to a year.  Vettel finished fourth; the first race he has finished off the podium since Korea last year.  Massa was fifth, whilst Adrian Sutil illuminated Force India’s underperforming season with a great drive to sixth place.  The two Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher came seventh and eighth.  Schumacher wasn’t helped by a mid-race spin.  The final points went to the consistent Kamur Kobayashi and Petrov’s Renault.

     If McLaren and Ferrari can work together, we might still have a championship battle.  Sebastian Vettel showed some cracks in Germany and Hamilton and Alonso will be hoping to keep the pressure up in Budapest next weekend.

Sky and ESPN announce TV fixtures

Sky Sports and ESPN have announced their first set of live Premiership televised fixtures for the 2011/12 season.

Newcastle United and Arsenal will be involved in the first televised fixture of the season, to be shown on ESPN at 5.30pm on Saturday 13 August.  I bet the broadcaster will be hoping for another memorable battle between these sides.  Last season's corresponding fixture finished in a 4-4 draw.  A day later, last year's top two will be involved in a double bill on Ford Super Sunday.  Chelsea visit FA Cup finalists Stoke City at 1.30pm on August 14, followed by defending champions Manchester United's trip to the Hawthorns to face West Brom at 4pm.  Twenty-four hours later, Manchester City begin their quest for Premiership glory against newboys Swansea City in the first Monday Night Football of the campaign at 8pm.

The following weekend sees Arsenal v Liverpool and Manchester United v Tottenham on Sky Sports, with the following fixtures all confirmed until the end of November.

13 AUG 11	Newcastle United v Arsenal	17:30
14 AUG 11	Stoke City v Chelsea	13:30
14 AUG 11	West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United	16:00
15 AUG 11	Manchester City v Swansea City	20:00
20 AUG 11	Arsenal v Liverpool	12:45
20 AUG 11	Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion	17:30
21 AUG 11	Bolton Wanderers v Manchester City	16:00
22 AUG 11	Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur	20:00
27 AUG 11	Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers	12:05
27 AUG 11	Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers	17:30
28 AUG 11	Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City	13:30
28 AUG 11	Manchester United v Arsenal	16:00
10 SEP 11	Bolton Wanderers v Manchester United	17:30
11 SEP 11	Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion	13:30
11 SEP 11	Fulham v Blackburn Rovers	16:00
12 SEP 11	Queens Park Rangers v Newcastle United	20:00
17 SEP 11	Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal	12:45
18 SEP 11	Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool	13:30
18 SEP 11	Manchester United v Chelsea	16:00
24 SEP 11	Manchester City v Everton	12:45
24 SEP 11	Stoke City v Manchester United	17:30
25 SEP 11	Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa	16:00
26 SEP 11	Norwich City v Sunderland	20:00
01 OCT 11	Everton v Liverpool	12:45
02 OCT 11	Bolton Wanderers v Chelsea	13:30
02 OCT 11	Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal	16:00
15 OCT 11	Liverpool v Manchester United	12:45
15 OCT 11	Chelsea v Everton	17:30
16 OCT 11	Manchester City v Aston Villa	13:30
16 OCT 11	Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur	16:00
22 OCT 11	Wolverhampton Wanderers v Swansea City	12:45
22 OCT 11	Liverpool Norwich City	17:30
23 OCT 11	Manchester United v Manchester City	13:30
23 OCT 11	Queens Park Rangers v Chelsea	16:00
29 OCT 11	Chelsea v Arsenal	12:45
29 OCT 11	West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool	17:30
30 OCT 11	Tottenham Hotspur v Queens Park Rangers	16:00
31 OCT 11	Stoke City v Newcastle United	20:00
05 NOV 11	Newcastle United v Everton	12:45
05 NOV 11	Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City	17:30
06 NOV 11	Wolverhampton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic	13:30
06 NOV 11	Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur	16:00
19 NOV 11	Norwich City v Arsenal	12:45
19 NOV 11	Swansea City v Manchester United	17:30
20 NOV 11	Chelsea v Liverpool	16:00
21 NOV 11	Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa	20:00
26 NOV 11	Arsenal v Fulham	17:30
27 NOV 11	Swansea City v Aston Villa	13:30
27 NOV 11	Liverpool v Manchester City	16:00
28 NOV 11	Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers	20:00