2011 Brazilian Grand Prix - Webber ends barren run in style

SMILES: Webber finally has something to lookback on in 2011

AFTER 18 frustrating months playing second fiddle to his red-hot team-mate Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber finally tasted the champagne on the top step of the podium on Sunday.  The Australian won the 2011 finale in style in Sao Paulo, taking full advantage of a rare reliability issue that hobbled his team-mate.  From second on the grid, Webber was let through into the lead of the Brazilian Grand Prix on lap 29, as world champion Vettel had to battle on with a serious gearbox problem.  Nevertheless, he still finished second as Red Bull Racing put on a demonstration in a race that will quickly be forgotten by the avid F1 fan.

       On Saturday afternoon, Vettel broke another record with his usual pole position.  It was his 15^th of the campaign, eclipsing Nigel Mansell’s mark of 14 that he achieved in 1992.  From the moment the Red Bulls got into turn one first, the rest might have well parked their cars as they had no chance of getting on terms with the team that has had the best equipment, the best pit crew and the best strategies all season.  Vettel was first warned of his gearbox gremlin on lap 14 by his race engineer Rocky.  He was urged to short-shift in third and fourth and although he set some fastest laps to provoke some nerves within the team, Sebastian did what was asked.  Later, he said on the team radio; “I feel like Senna in 91,” which will go down as one of the sound bites of the season.  This was the famous reference to when the late Ayrton Senna won in 1991 with a major gearbox problem.  Webber caught his team leader and Vettel let him by into turn one in a piece of synchronised driving that is more likely to be seen by a couple of truck drivers on the M1.  It was an overtaking manoeuvre that would have struggled to get anyone excited.

       While the Red Bulls dominated at the front, the fans did witness an exciting dice between the other two standout drivers of the season, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.  The Ferrari looked to have the measure of the McLaren for much of the race, as Jenson struggled with a balance on the option tyres.  In fact, Fernando pulled off one of the best passes of the entire season, when he swept right around the outside of the Brit into turn six on lap ten.  52 laps later, Button had reeled him in again, as the Achilles heel of the Ferrari team came back to haunt them again.  Alonso couldn’t get decent consistency on the harder prime Pirelli tyre and Button outmanoeuvred him in turn four.  This decisive move meant Webber stole third place in the drivers’ championship from Alonso at the last event of the season.  

       Lewis Hamilton had a difficult race, as he was another driver to struggle with gearbox issues.  He had his from the tenth lap onwards, but unlike Vettel, his gave up the ghost whilst sixth on lap 48.  It completes a tough season for Hamilton, which sees him finish fifth in the championship and although he looked in good spirits, 2011 will largely be a season he’d like to forget.  At least he ended the feud with Felipe Massa that has ruined both of their seasons, by embracing his rival in parc ferme after the race; a gesture that was widely appreciated by Massa, Martin Whitmarsh and Stefano Domenicalli.  

DAMAGE: Senna and Schumacher harmed each other's races

     It was a race where there wasn’t a lot to shout about for the Brazilian fans.  Massa finished a lonely fifth, although he did pull off some donuts after the race to entertain everyone.  Potentially in his final race, Rubens Barrichello ended up in 14^th place for Williams after making a shocking start and dropping from 12^th to 20^th by the end of the first lap.  Bruno Senna qualified well, but was harshly penalised by the stewards for a clash with Michael Schumacher which wrecked both of their races early on.  The contact at turn one was unnecessary and pointless, but a racing incident.  Bruno damaged his front wing and Schumacher collected a left-rear puncture.  Both finished well out of the reckoning, in 17^th and 15^th places respectively. 

       The path was made clear for Webber to record the seventh victory of his career and his first since the Hungarian Grand Prix last July.  Vettel completed Red Bull’s fourth 1-2 of the season, followed by Button, Alonso and Massa.  Adrian Sutil put in his best drive of the campaign to record a fine sixth place for Force India, as he seeks a drive for next season.  His team-mate Paul di Resta completed a fine rookie season with eighth place and took Force India to within four points of snatching fifth in the constructor’s championship from the underachieving Renault team.  Nico Rosberg had his usual unobtrusive run to seventh place and the final points went to Kamur Kobayashi and Vitaly Petrov.  Kobayashi’s two points were crucial, as it kept Sauber ahead of Toro Rosso in the constructor’s championship by three points and could be worth an extra $5million to the team in prize money.

       So, that is it then.  The curtain has come down on a season which has produced five different winners, from three teams, in 19 races across the globe, taking place in 18 countries.  We have seen some vintage races, numerous overtakes, records tumble and ultimately, a team and driver at complete harmony with one another.  Red Bull have set the standard this season and raised the bar once again in Formula One.  McLaren and Ferrari have a lot of hard work to do in the winter to get on terms, otherwise come Melbourne next March; the team from Milton Keynes will be ready to crush everyone again.

      Enjoy the winter break!  

The X-Factor 2011 - The battle hots up

By Jason Wright (Entertainment expert)

FOR the first time in quite a while, the remaining acts in the competition were all genuine contenders, with none really being classed as ‘joke acts.’  Here is how the latest drama has unfolded over the last two weeks…

WEEK 7

The Ultimate Saturday Night Blockbuster

THE X-Factor met Hollywood for a night of movie themes.  The name’s Colton, Craig Colton. (I mention that way because he was assigned a classic Bond number ‘License to Kill.’)  Showing off his great vocals once again as he has always done, he came under the firing line however for the first time with questions over whether the song was wrong for him.  After two weeks of mediocre performances, Janet Devlin somewhat returned to form with a simple yet effective rendition of ‘Kiss Me’ from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

     The other two Girls also had strong nights, even if it wasn’t their best to date.  Returning act Amelia Lily’s performance of the Bridget Jones song ‘Think’ focused more on a stage production than just the voice but was still very competitive.  After a second stint in the bottom two the previous week, Misha B went out and proved she can still compete with the best in the competition and her take on ‘I Have Nothing’ from The Bodyguard had Gary Barlow calling for people to start supporting her again.

     The one remaining group in the competition Little Mix tried something different this week.  ‘Don’t Let Go’ from Set It Off was a song that might have been upbeat but more stripped back with more emphasis placed on their vocal abilities.  In a nutshell, it paid off handsomely again.  Finally, Marcus Collins also went down the stage-show route (again) for his performance of ‘Higher and Higher’ from Ghostbusters, this time with the help of a gospel choir.  It just proves that he is the real deal and it would be a travesty if he at least didn’t make the final.

Curtain Closes On Craig

After a surprise appearance from legendary icon Bryan Adams in the finalist’s group performance, and somebody nicking his guitar without anyone noticing, it was time for the latest round of results.  With Misha B, Little Mix, Marcus and Janet all having done enough to go into the quarter-final, it left Craig, expected on his performance level, and Amelia, just a week after coming back, battling for survival.  Both acts gave it 110 per cent and this wasn’t going to be an easy decision.  Both Gary Barlow and Kelly Rowland stood by their acts but Barlow was bang out of order in saying that Amelia “shouted her way” through her sing-off performance.  It wasn’t shouting at all, it’s the way Amelia performs.  Tulisa based her decision on the sing-off performances and decided Craig had put more passion into his before Louis Walsh decided that Amelia was a better all-round performer than Craig.

DEADLOCK: However, it was the end of the journey for Craig

     That meant after seven weeks, a Final Showdown finally had the judges torn over their votes.  The Deadlock situation was called into play for the first time this series and not to anyone’s surprise, Craig finished bottom of the public vote and his time on the show was up.  A bitter shame as he had performed beyond everyone’s expectations but in a competition so close, it was a case of one bad night and you’re out.

WEEK 8

Everyone has a guilty pleasure

WITH five acts now left standing, it was now double the pressure as each one had to perform twice for the support of both the judges and the public.  In the first round of performances, each act performed a song of Guilty Pleasure.

Little Mix went first with Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ and although it was made to perfection, Louis wasn’t impressed by the choreography involved in it.  At least they coped better than Janet who tried the tested and failed formula of an up-tempo song, ‘MMMBop,’ and yet again, she fluffed the lines and this time blamed it on being about to vomit.

Misha B played it rather safe but effective with Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ before we got the rather usual spectacular from Marcus, this time putting it together with the Wham! Hit ‘I’m Your Man.’ Finally, Amelia Lily brought the first round to a close with a mind-blowing rendition of T’Pau’s ‘China In Your Hand’ with Gary claiming it to be better than the original version.  It of course didn’t go down well with the original artists of the track.

And everyone does need a hero

With the Guilty Pleasure numbers done, it was now time for the acts to showcase one of their big musical idols.  Little Mix got an opportunity to showcase a completely different side.  This time, there was no dancing, no gimmicks, just the four girl’s voices of ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera.  It was an emotionally-captivating performance which helped them on their way to becoming the new bookmakers favourites to win.

     Janet fared slightly better on her second song, Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Under The Bridge’ but it was evident that the damage from the first song had already been done as the judges didn’t really warm to this either.  Misha B meanwhile was having a rather predictable night but still remained on the top of her game with Roberta Flack’s ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song.’

For his hero’s song, Marcus also decided to strip things back with Stevie Wonder’s ‘Lately.’  A very difficult song to conquer and although it didn’t prove to be spectacular, it was still proof of why he deserves a chance in music.  Having mastered a power ballad in her first performance, Amelia Lily went for a rock style in her second outing with Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since You’ve Been Gone.’  Her first song of the night was better but nevertheless, it summed up her intent to take on the opposition since her return.

Janet bids farewell – but not in a dignified way

With three of the original four girls left at this stage, surely the odds were strong that one of them had to go this week.  Despite five acts being left, a Final Showdown was still held, signifying the rule changes in elimination made last year were no one year fluke.  In the public vote result, Amelia was spared a second consecutive sing-off, Marcus continued to flourish under his growing fanbase and Little Mix made X-Factor history in becoming the first girl group ever to reach the semi-final.

     That left Janet and Misha B; the latter in the bottom two for the third time in six weeks, having to sing again for the one remaining place in the semi-final.  They once again, showed why they were great competitors but Misha’s ability to deliver under the pressure was what swayed it with the judges.  Even Louis, the biggest fan of Janet, decided to send her home and when Tulisa sided and sent her home too, it was game over and her mentor Kelly sealed it – by deciding to opt out of voting!  Despite being warned by Dermot O’Leary about the consequences of her considering actions, she stuck by her decision to refuse in casting a vote.  Cue the jeering from the audience and the typical explosion of angry and furious comments on Twitter and Facebook.

SLUMP: Janet struggled to recover in recent weeks and it has cost her

      Regardless of the outcome, the truth is simply that Janet’s decline began in the fifth week of competition and her failure to recover from this slump has finally led to her paying the ultimate price – a shot at winning the competition.  However, there’s no denying that this is the last we will hear of Janet; she surely will be selling records and albums in the future.

     So, it’s now down to the final four – Amelia Lily, Little Mix, Marcus Collins and Misha B will battle it out in next week’s semi-final.  The prize, for three of them is a place in the showpiece finale live in front of 10,000 people at Wembley Arena.  It doesn’t matter whether this series is trailing in the ratings, this has surely got to be the closest semi-final field yet, anyone can well and truly miss out on the final.

Football mourns the tragic death of Gary Speed

TRIBUTES have been pouring in from across the sporting world for the Welsh team manager Gary Speed, who has died aged 42.  The ex-Leeds United and Newcastle United player was found dead at his home in Cheshire.  He is believed to have taken his own life.  The news was confirmed in a statement by the Welsh Football Association on Sunday morning; “We extend our sympathies and condolences to the family.  We ask that everyone respects the family’s privacy at this very sad time.”

       Born on September 8, 1969, Gary Speed became one of the most honest professionals in the game and the tributes over the past 24 hours since the news broke indicate that no bad word could be said about his personality.  At club level, he came through the ranks at Leeds United, under the stewardship of Howard Wilkinson.  The former FA technical director told Sky Sports; “He had so much to offer as a person and as a sportsman.  I just find it unbelievable.  I cannot start to try to understand what his family are going through.  Gary had a lot of talent and that talent became his job.  Footballers are subject to all the stress and strains of things that happen in life.”

BREAKTHROUGH: Gary Speed's best club success came at Leeds

       Making his first team debut at just 19 years of age, Speed was part of the squad alongside the likes of Gary McAllister and Eric Cantona to win the final football league title in 1992 before the inception of the FA Premier League.  Another member of the squad and a managerial counterpart when Speed was at Sheffield United, Gordon Strachan shared his memories on BBC Radio 5 Live.  “I was proud of Gary Speed, like a kind of father figure would be because he wasn’t the most talented of kids when I first met him but he wanted to make himself better.  I am going to miss his laugh, he had a childlike laugh.  I was speaking to Gary McAllister and I said I would forget the games and the goals but I would never forget his laugh and I am never going to hear that again.”

LEADER: Speed celebrates scoring for Everton against Chelsea in January 1998

         An occasional goalscorer, Gary spearheaded Leeds to two top five finishes in the Premiership between 1992 and 1995, but after 312 appearances for the Yorkshire side, felt he needed a new challenge and made a £3.5million move to Everton in the summer of 1996.  An Everton fan, Speed became Toffees captain and made his mark in a mediocre period for the Goodison Park side.  He scored his only Premiership hat-trick in a 7-1 battering of Southampton in November 1996 and it was Joe Royle who was Toffees manager when Speed spent 18 months on Merseyside; “He always had a smile on his face, he played with a smile on his face and he was one of the best players I was fortunate enough to manage and handle and I still can’t believe it.  He was part of the North Wales Everton supporter’s band and from the minute he came, he was perfect for the club.”

          Gary’s next destination was Newcastle United, where he spent the bulk of his career and probably, his best period playing football.  He spent six years on Tyneside, experienced UEFA Champions League football and was on the losing side in two successive FA Cup finals.  It was Kenny Dalglish who signed him in February 1998 for £5.5million.  He paid tribute on the eve of Liverpool’s 1-1 Premiership draw with Manchester City yesterday.  “I knew Gary Speed as a fantastic footballer, but more important than that, he was a decent man and there will be a lot of people very saddened by what has happened.  The most important people at the moment are his wife and two boys and your heart goes out to them.”  Dalglish also confirmed that he withdrew Craig Bellamy from the playing squad yesterday, as he was very close to Speed as a friend and a mentor.  At the Liberty Stadium, news broke of the tragic circumstances only an hour before Swansea City’s sombre 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.  A minute’s silence turned into a minute’s applause from both sets of supporters.  Villa goalkeeper Shay Given was bravely seen to be wiping tears away moments before kick-off.  The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper had played together with Speed throughout his time at Newcastle United.  Another former Newcastle player paid tribute on Match of the Day 2 last night, Michael Owen.  “He was a gentleman and his footballing ability is without question but I would focus on him as a person.  Gary probably lived ten miles away from me and the other day I saw him on the way to school on the kids run and we shared a wave as we drove past each other.  It’s a terrible loss and the mood of Cheshire was just utter shock and disbelief.”    

         In 2004, Speed was deemed surplus to requirements by Sir Bobby Robson and he moved onto Bolton Wanderers.  During his four years at the Reebok Stadium, Gary became the first player to make 500 Premier League appearances, which is an incredible feat as only David James and Ryan Giggs have played more games in the 20 season history.  In January 2008, Speed moved down from the Premiership in a bid to improve the fortunes of Sheffield United.  They narrowly missed out on promotion the following season and it was injury that forced Gary to retire from football, aged 40 in 2009.  He wasn’t finished at Bramwall Lane though, as he worked on his coaching badges and became Kevin Blackwell’s assistant.  In the summer of 2010, the Blades refused him permission to speak to Swansea City about the vacancy at the Liberty Stadium, when Paulo Sousa took the Leicester City job.  The current Swans manager is Brendan Rodgers; “We’re all shell-shocked.  It was a real bombshell.  Gary was a great Welshman and it’s hard to take in.  My players loved working with him with Wales and really enjoyed it.  It’s difficult to comprehend.”   

       When Blackwell was sacked at the beginning of the 2010-11 campaign, Gary took over the managerial reigns at Bramwall Lane, but he only won six of his 18 matches in charge as Sheffield United slipped towards eventual relegation from the Championship.  Another young manager finding his feet in the Championship is Speed’s former team-mate, Dean Saunders at Doncaster Rovers.  He told BBC Sport; “I just can’t believe it.  I spoke to him last week.  We roomed together all of our careers with Wales, I just can’t get my head around it.  He’s so level-headed and was just a really nice fella.”

SMILE: Gary was turning around the fortunes of the Wales team

         At international level, his association with Wales began in an international friendly against Costa Rica in May 1990.  Aged just 20 when he won his first cap, Speed was made captain of the national team by Bobby Gould and only narrowly missed out on qualifying for both the 1994 World Cup in the USA and the 2004 European Championships in Portugal.  He retired from playing international duty in October 2004, having captained his country 44 times and recording 85 caps, which is still the most ever for a Welsh outfield player.  Despite his limited experience in management, Gary signed a three year contract to replace John Toshack as coach of Wales in December 2010.  Under his stewardship, Wales became a revitalised side.  Youngsters such as Gareth Bale, Norwich’s Steve Morison and captain Aaron Ramsay became senior figures in the national team as the Welsh made a 50 place gain in the FIFA world rankings.  Although Wales didn’t qualify for Euro 2012, he led the side to impressive victories over Bulgaria, Montenegro and Switzerland to finish third in England’s qualifying group.  His last game in charge was a fine 4-1 win over Norway in an international friendly last month, which meant he had recorded five wins in his ten games as manager.  There were high hopes for a successful World Cup qualifying campaign which was due to begin next September for Brazil 2014.  

        Gary’s last public appearance was only on Saturday, when he appeared alongside McAllister on the BBC magazine show, Football Focus.  Presenter Dan Walker has been left lost for words, as he posted on Twitter yesterday; “Gary was full of life yesterday talking about his kids, the bright future with Wales, twitter and golf.  I can’t get my head around it.”  Twitter was full of tributes from many personalities yesterday.  Cricketer Dominic Cork met him on A Question of Sport.  He tweeted; “Met him on Q.O.S and what a gentleman.  Kept in touch and devastated about the news.  Just doesn’t seem real.”  BBC Five Live Formula One pitlane reporter Natalie Pinkham shared the general feeling on Twitter; “Very sad news about Gary Speed.  Thinking of his family at what must be an incredibly tough time.”  Real Madrid footballer Xabi Alonso remembered his Premiership debut for Liverpool against Speed’s Bolton in August 2004; “RIP Gary Speed.  My first PL game was against him, he showed me in that game what is British football about.”

Gary Speed - 8 September 1969 - 27 November 2011

       Gary Speed made a positive impact on so many lives, both personally and impersonally.  He was a great sporting man, with a respectful personality and will go down as a Premier League icon.  Potentially, he had a great career as a manager on the way.  For me, words can’t describe how I feel about his sudden loss and it is a huge and horrible shock for football to deal with.  Gary leaves behind a beautiful wife and two boys who he devoted and spent so much time with.  They have revealed how overwhelmed they have been by the support they have received and whilst football mourns a great character, his family are the people we should be feeling for the most.

RIP Gary Speed – The game of football will never forget you!      

Chiles and Bleakley's partnership goes sour

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT SEEMED like a match made in heaven.  When Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley left BBC’s The One Show in a massive media frenzy last year to front Daybreak, ITV’s breakfast replacement for the ailing GMTV, it looked like ITV could finally take a hold to the growing popularity of BBC’s Breakfast programme.  They were wrong.  Now, 15 months into the mockery of a project, Chiles and Bleakley have paid for their gamble, with their jobs.

     So where did it all go wrong for Daybreak?  Firstly, the chemistry that was strongly built on The One Show could never be captivated at the time of first thing in the morning.  Many experts commented that Bleakley was “too light-headed” and Chiles “too grumpy” for breakfast television.  Secondly, the way the programme has been run is seen as a total laughingstock.  At times, it looks like as if the production team hardly pay attention to the news stories, often usually focusing on the main entertainment topics and showcasing weird and sometimes stupid talents.  Do people care about seeing what bubble art or speed stacking is like just before going to work?

DEPARTED: Daybreak will no longer feature Adrian or Christine

     Not surprisingly, ratings have rapidly gone down since the show’s launch last September and last week, reached a new low of just 350,000 viewers, compared to a peak of 1.5 million who watch BBC Breakfast.  Chiles is unimpressed with the decision taken, quoted as saying; “We were assured we could go with our dignity intact.  That’s obviously not happened.  We were enjoying the show and we thought things were going well.  We didn’t want to go.”

     Now attention turns to who will take over, with production of the programme being transferred entirely to ITV Studios.  The main favourites are likely to be sports reporter Dan Lobb and showbiz correspondent Kate Garraway, being promoted to full-time presenters.  They have currently been serving as a relief presenting team to Chiles and Bleakley.  Other big names being mentioned including Natasha Kaplinsky, who has recently joined ITV News from Channel 5, Keir Simmons, who currently serves as a reporter on ITV News and Sian Williams, who is due to leave BBC Breakfast next year ahead of the programme’s relocation to the new MediaCityUK studios in Salford.  However, Eamonn Holmes has rejected the chance to rejoin the ITV breakfast franchise, by signing a new three-year deal to front Sunrise on Sky News.

    As with Chiles and Bleakley, they will now move onto concentrating on their main ITV commitments.  As well as being promised new projects, Chiles will remain the broadcaster main anchor for Champions League, FA Cup and next year’s UEFA European Championships football coverage as well as staying on as frontman of That Sunday Night Show.  Bleakley will stay on to host selected entertainment specials, as well as taking over as co-host to Phillip Schofield on the upcoming new series of Dancing On Ice, following Holly Willoughby’s decision to co-host the UK version of the popular US talent contest, The Voice on BBC.

     The pair will certainly have nothing to worry about for the future for now but surely, a failure of a show like this will decrease their already declining popularities with viewers even further.

The Leveson Inquiry - Week one highlights

THE tabloid newspaper industry has had another week in 2011 it would rather forget as normal members of the public and high-profile celebrities spoke out against their illegal practices of gaining information.  The phone hacking scandal over the summer led to the closure of the News of the World newspaper and many other popular titles have had to defend themselves that they knew anything about phone hacking.  

Last week, the Leveson inquiry began at the Royal Courts of Human Justice in London, set-up by the government in the wake of the damaging scandal.  It is a scandal that has seen the arrests of former NoW staff, including Andy Coulson, high-profile resignations like Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch being forced to defend his News International empire from a barrage of allegations and criticism.

     However, it isn't just phone hacking at the centre of attention.  We have learnt in the four days of evidence so far that victims have spoken out at paparazzi and photographers being camped outside their residences for days, desperate for a story to provoke a distasteful reaction.  On Monday, the parents of murdered teenager Milly Dowler spoke of their distress over the fact that her phone had been hacked into.  They told the inquiry that they believed Milly was still alive from her voicemail messages.  It was this frankly unforgivable piece of journalism that ultimately spelt the end for the News of the World and prompted the Leveson enquiry to take place.  Also on Monday, we heard from actor Hugh Grant, who alleged that the Mail on Sunday had hacked into his voicemail messages to break a story about his private life back in 2007.  The Mail on Sunday has responded by saying that no such practices took place at their newspaper, although launching an attack at Grant's evidence during the inquiry was not the smartest move they ever thought of.

Later on in the week, the author of the Harry Potter books, JK Rowling described how the press had targeted her five-year old daughter by slipping notes into her schoolbag.  Rowling also said that if you are famous, then this is the kind of stories you pay the price for, which was a stinging and damaging remark, but probably a fair one in the light of what was revealed in the summer.  Actress Sienna Miller, who accepted damages from the News of the World earlier in the year went further to say that the paparazzi even spat at her  in an attempt to provoke a reaction.  She also claimed that the tabloids twisted stories of her and how she had to take out an injunction at the High Court to prevent the press from hounding her private life.

     Former FIA motorsport boss Max Mosley has campaigned heavily against the press for abuse into his privacy when a story broke about his sexual activities in 2008.  Mr Mosley won damages from the News of the World, but had to face a vote of confidence from FIA members at the time to keep him in the job.  He stepped down in 2009 after a row about a proposed breakaway from the major manufacturers in Formula One, although the tabloid stories probably didn't help their confidence in Mosley.  On Thursday, he told the enquiry that he couldn't put a figure on the legal fees he has had to fork out in a desperate vain to keep his privacy away from the media's watchful eye.  The inquiry has also heard this week from the bereaved parents of Madeleine McCann; Kate and Gerry McCann, comedian Steve Coogan and Paul Gascogine's estranged former wife, Sheryl.  

The inquiry resumes tomorrow and the case against the press is set to continue.  On the schedule tomorrow are former breakfast presenter Anne Diamond, singer Charlotte Church and Chris Jefferies, the landlord of murdered Bristol teenager Joanna Yeates.  The press will have their say also in the inquiry in an attempt to defend their actions; even Piers Morgan has been called from TV duties in America to give evidence at the inquiry in weeks to come.  

     No doubt that the events of the summer still feel sour to many involved within journalism, both training to be one and those who innocently ended up losing their jobs.  It was a week where those who suffered at the hands of the tabloids showed their displeasure and told of their anguish at being targeted.  I'm sure there will be plenty more revelations in the weeks to come at the Leveson inquiry.  

BBC F1 - Another broadcasting chapter ends

NOT only does the 2011 FIA Formula One world championship ends this weekend, but it will also feel like the end of an association for many Grand Prix petrol heads.  Television viewing changes next year and the BBC is taking a backseat from its coverage of one of the most colourful and glamorous sports in the world.  2011 has been the final season where you will be able to watch every single Grand Prix on free-to-air television.  From next season, Sky Sports becomes the home of Formula One racing.     

     Under the controversial new deal, signed at July’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Sky subscribers will get extensive previews to races, plus live coverage of every single practice, qualifying and race event from the currently 20 scheduled events in next year’s championship.  The deal runs until 2017.  The BBC has had to scale back its coverage, due to sweeping budget cuts.  It decided to do this, despite recently renewing deals for the Six Nations and the Wimbledon tennis championships.  However, they will still screen ten live weekends next year of all sessions, plus delayed highlights of the other ten events it will not show live.  Monaco, the season finale in Brazil and the British Grand Prix will be definitely covered in the agreement by the BBC, while there is still an announcement pending over the other seven races.  Pundit teams have also yet to be revealed, although we do know that Jake Humphrey will still be fronting BBC’s coverage, whilst Martin Brundle is debating over taking over as the lead commentator for Sky Sports, or staying on as the leading anchor for the BBC.

       The BBC has a prestigious history of screening Formula One, even if that is not so much in recent times.  They began showing live coverage of the entire Grand Prix season from 1978 onwards.  ‘Grand Prix,’ became the home of F1 for 18 years, until 1996.  They showed the drama of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna's dramatic collisions in successive years at Suzuka, Nigel Mansell's spectacular tyre blowout that robbed him of the 1986 championship and Damon Hill's popular title success in 1996 which had Murray Walker literally with a lump in his throat.

    In 1997, ITV outbid the BBC to take the rights away for 12 seasons.  Although the levels of extensive coverage improved from BBC’s output, especially in the early days, its later years were seen as a massive letdown for fans.  Commercial breaks during some huge moments in events, including the embarrassing faux-pas at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix added to the mounting frustration.  In March 2008, ITV announced their F1 exit for commercial pressures; three years before their current deal was due to expire.  The BBC took back the rights for 2009 on a new five year deal.  Formula One was coming home!

      Jake Humphrey was preferred to Steve Rider in taking over the hosting duties.  He was joined in the paddock by Eddie Jordan and newly retired David Coulthard, who have certainly added plenty to the coverage, especially Eddie’s horrific choice of shirts!  Jonathan Legard, who had previously covered F1 for BBC Radio 5 Live became lead commentator, whilst both Brundle and Ted Kravitz switched from the ITV team to the BBC crew.  Lee McKenzie, an experienced motorsport presenter from A1GP and GP2 joined Ted in reporting from the pitlane and the legendary voice of Formula One, Murray Walker, has been part of the team too, previewing, reviewing and answering burning questions from fans on a regular basis.

        The BBC era started brilliantly and in a way, they took over from where ITV left off, with a British world champion.  Jake and the team did magnificently to interview Jenson Button in a massive media scram only moments after he had clinched the championship in sensational style in Brazil.  They took coverage to a new level, with every session on the red button and all qualifying and race events on BBC One, with a prime time highlights package on freeview station BBC Three.  BBC built on this in 2010 and has also given plenty of time for analysis from the action, which has included the popular F1 Forum.  The forum lasts an hour online and on the red button after every race.  Blogs from the presenters on the BBC F1 website, Ted Kravitz’s behind the scenes report from the pitlane and features such as Classic F1 have only added to the experience. 

       There was a minor change to the team in 2011, when Legard was dropped from the team and Coulthard joined Brundle in the commentary box; Brundle moving into the lead role having been the expert provider since 1997.  TV ratings have always been very high, peaking regularly on raceday at between five and seven million viewers.  It won the BAFTA for Sport in 2011, thanks to its coverage of the season decider 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Sebastian Vettel take the title in the first four way showdown ever.  Its impeccable coverage of the sensational Canadian Grand Prix this season, which lasted nearly five hours, means it, will be a favourite for more awards in 2012.

       This isn’t the end for the BBC and the F1 partnership, as they will still be giving us unbeatable coverage in 2012 and for the next five seasons afterwards, but on a more reduced scale which is a big disappointment to the normal viewer.  Money talks in this business and it is clear that BSkyB has this in abundance.  I have no doubt that Sky Sports has the ability to take F1 coverage to another level, like they have with the Premiership since 1992, but they will never get the same audience appeal that the BBC has enjoyed in the last three seasons.  Enjoy the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend everyone, as another F1 broadcasting chapter reaches a conclusion.

F1 classic races - Brazil

FOR the final time this season and on this blog, I will be looking back at specific events from previous years of the country about to host a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.  This time, it will be a bit different, as I charter the history of the Brazilian Grand Prix since it returned to Interlagos in 1990.

        The Brazilian Grand Prix had been staged on the Rio de Janeiro circuit in the 1980s, but returned to a shorter Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo from 1990 onwards.  To locals, it is better known as the Autodromo Carlos Pace, a Brazilian driver who won his home event in 1975.  Sao Paulo has certainly put on some special events since its return to the Grand Prix calendar.

        Alain Prost won the first event in 1990 after local hero Ayrton Senna ran into the back of backmarker Satoru Nakajima whilst leading.  Senna had never won his home race, but he ended the barren run in 1991.  He started on pole position and spent the majority of the race, fighting off a stiff challenge from the Williams of Nigel Mansell.  A wild spin for Mansell led to a gearbox failure, which was the Achilles heel of that chassis.  With three laps to go, the unpredictable Brazilian weather played its usual wildcard, with Senna waving furiously for the race to be stopped.  Aided to that, he was struggling with a misbehaving gearbox of his own.  Somehow, he finished the race with just one working gear and the McLaren beat Riccardo Patrese by just two seconds.  Cue euphoria and ecstasy in the crowd.  Senna had worked so hard for the victory; he was in intense physical pain and had to be lifted out of his car by paramedics.  He was suffering from cramp in his arms and shoulders.  Undeterred, he stood on the podium to take the top prize and achieve his remaining ambition of winning his home race.  He repeated the feat in 1993, edging out Damon Hill in another wet/dry race.

      For 1994, Ayrton switched to the all-conquering Williams team.  With Mansell away in IndyCars and Prost retired from racing, surely he was going to steamroller a mediocre field and take his fourth championship.  However, the partnership didn’t work out and as we all know, it ended tragically at Imola.  However, it was already in trouble from the outset in Brazil, with the 34-year old clearly unhappy about the nervous handling of the FW16 chassis.  He did drag the machinery to pole position, but that was more down to his brilliance behind the wheel, rather than the car’s competitiveness.  In the race, he spun off and stalled his engine whilst running second on lap 56.  As Michael Schumacher coasted to victory by a full lap, the Brazilian fans heading out of the gates in their droves, unaware that this was the last Brazilian Grand Prix Ayrton Senna had competed in.

        For years afterwards, Brazil had to largely do with pay drivers in the sport, such as Pedro Diniz, Tarso Marques and Ricardo Rosset.  Their only shining light was the talents of Rubens Barrichello and when he moved to Ferrari for the start of the 2000 season, there were high hopes that he might end their long drought for a home winner.  Sadly, Rubens Interlagos jinx continued to strike at Maranello.  Hydraulics failure twice, an accident with Ralf Schumacher in 2001 and a fuel feed problem in 2003 put him on the sidelines, part of an event that will go down as a special race.

       New tyre regulations meant both Michelin and Bridgestone had not brought a full wet tyre to Sao Paulo in 2003 and with the track soaked, the race started behind the Safety Car.  An aquaplaning river at turn three turned that corner into the car version of Beachers Brook at the Grand National.  Juan Pablo Montoya, Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher were among the six victims who crashed out on this corner.  Barrichello looked set for victory, when he passed David Coulthard’s tyre hungry McLaren, but the fuel pressure issue robbed him of a certain triumph.  The incident-packed race was stopped early after almighty accidents for the Jaguar of Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso’s Renault.  Both escaped unharmed, although Alonso needed precautionary checks in an ambulance, so missed the podium ceremony.  The race was initially awarded to the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen, but a countback error meant Giancarlo Fisichella was rightfully awarded his maiden success five days later in an FIA enquiry into the incidents in Paris.

      Traditionally, Brazil had been one of the early season races, but it moved to a season ending regular from 2004 onwards.  Juan Pablo Montoya secured the final victory for Williams to the present day that year, before Interlagos became the setting for some gripping championship deciders.  Fernando Alonso was crowned champion in 2005, becoming the youngest driver to achieve this in the process.  A year later, he did it again, although this was overshadowed by Michael Schumacher’s final race of his first career, which involved a storming drive back through the field to fourth, after an early puncture.  In 2007, Kimi Raikkonen pinched the championship from under the noses of McLaren’s Alonso and Lewis Hamilton with a season ending victory and in 2009, Jenson Button put in the drive of his life from 14^th on the grid to clinch the title with a stirring performance to fifth for newcomers Brawn GP. 

      However, if you want drama, try the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, which will go down as one of the most dramatic finishes of all time.  Going into the event, Lewis Hamilton had a seven point lead over local hero, Felipe Massa.  Massa did nothing wrong all weekend, starting on pole position and never looked troubled to take his sixth win of the season in changeable conditions.  Fifth place would have been good enough for Hamilton to take the title in only his second season in the sport, but when he was overtaken by Sebastian Vettel’s Toro Rosso with three laps to go, Hamilton had been relegated to sixth.  For the second successive year, the championship seemed to be slipping away from Hamilton, but the wet weather intensified on the final lap and left Timo Glock’s Toyota stranded on dry tyres.  He was powerless to resist Vettel and Hamilton, who passed Glock into the final corner on the last lap of the season.  Ferrari celebrated, thinking they had won, as did McLaren.  It was the latter who had it right; Hamilton had secured the title in the most sensational fashion possible. 

      This season’s title battle may have been settled a long time ago, but let’s hope Brazil produces another special event this weekend to conclude the 2011 Formula One season.

English rugby exposed by embarrassing media leaks

AFTER three and a half years in one of the most pressurised hotseats in sport, Martin Johnson elected to stand down as England’s rugby union coach last week.  Johnson, who had no previous coaching experience before this role has made the decision after a dismal World Cup in New Zealand, which included off-field issues involving captain Mike Tindall and Manu Tuliagi jumping off a ferry.  Quarter-final elimination at the hands of France was the final straw for Johnson, whose decision gives Rob Andrew and the RFU the chance to find a replacement in time for next year’s Six Nations.

     At a press conference to explain his decision, Johnson said; “While we’ve had our most successful season with ten wins from 13, we are disappointed with how we ended it with the World Cup.  I think it’s the right decision at this time.  It’s a thoughtful and considered opinion.”  On Twitter, former England captain Will Carling was disappointed with the final outcome; “Sad for MJ, the man was an awesome player, an incredible captain and one of the greatest England players.” 

RESIGNING: Martin Johnson has decided to leave after World Cup failure

      As a player, Martin Johnson had considerable success with Leicester Tigers at club rugby level and England on the international stage.  He won 84 caps in test rugby, with the big moment seeing Johno captaining England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.  In his 38 game reign as coach, he only won 21, coming out with a 55 per cent win conversion since succeeding Brian Ashton in 2008.  Under Johnson, England did beat Australia home and away last summer and won the Six Nations in 2011 for the first time in eight years, but even that success was tempered by being denied the Grand Slam in Dublin by Ireland.

      Rob Andrew now needs to look for a replacement, but that looks like being a difficult challenge.  New Zealand World Cup winning coach Graeme Henry ruled himself out of the running in midweek, saying he only wants to be involved in an advisory role with a Heineken Cup team.  Jake White, who won the Webb Ellis Trophy with South Africa in 2007 and former England boss Sir Clive Woodward have already said they aren’t interested in taking over the reins.  The favourite with many seems to be Northampton Saints coach Jim Mallander, who already looks after the careers of England stars such as Chris Ashton.  Mallander has indicated that he is interested in the role, but the RFU seem reluctant at the moment to make a decision.

       What seems to be a more pressing concern for the RFU is the damming leak to The Times newspaper of player comments made by the squad during the disaster in New Zealand.  The leak contains information that would normally be handled in a confidential manner and will leave Andrew being asked some serious questions over his already tricky position.  We don’t know how much The Times got hold of, nor how many players views have been published, but some of the comments below make for grim reading for the RFU;

“The man-management was absolutely terrible.”

“There wasn’t enough focus on basic skills.”

“I really can’t believe we lasted as long as we did in the tournament. We played like c##p.”

“To go into World Cup games not having a game-plan, any structure or clear idea of what we were going to do in attack was astonishing.”

“Coaches did not put enough trust in players on the field.”

“We just wanted Johno to have the b######s to take action, especially after the Tindall night. He was too loyal and that was his downfall.”

“It was amazing how some players who couldn’t play due to an injury were doing back flips into the swimming pool and playing golf.”

“It’s our own fault we came back so unpopular.”

That is only a selection of what has been released, but it is hugely embarrassing for everyone connected with English rugby.  At a time where there is no structure in place, players are trying to win back reputation and multi-million sponsorship contracts from the likes of Nike and O2 waiting for urgent renewal, this comes at the worst possible time.

      While we say goodbye to Martin Johnson and wish him the best for the future, English rugby has got a lot of soul searching to do in the nine weeks before the start of the 2012 RBS Six Nations.

Children in Need 2011 - A record breaking night

By Jason Wright (Entertainment expert)

RECORDS: Children in Need was very popular again with the public

FAMOUS faces were out in force again at Television Centre for the 32nd staging of the popular BBC Children In Need telethon night.  BBC One, as ever, cleared its Friday night schedules for the seven and a half hour marathon of music and entertainment in the aid of giving disadvantaged children a helping hand.

     Sir Terry Wogan again oversaw the proceedings across the night and was joined by Alisha Dixon (7:30pm-8:30pm), Tess Daly (8:30pm-10:00pm) and finally Fearne Cotton (10:35pm-2:00am.)  With the financial times getting so tough, it was predicted that the appeal night total would be down again for the third year in a row.  They were wrong!

     X-Factor boyband One Direction were the headline act of performances, getting the girls screaming out more as usual.  JLS, Susan Boyle, the reunited Steps, Olly Murs and the Saturdays, which saw Frankie Sandford make a surprise return to the band after several months away due to illness, were among the other musical guests on the show.  For this year’s official single, Take That and new X-Factor head judge, Gary Barlow gathered some of the finest acts from the R&B and hip-hop scene, including Rizzle Kicks, Tinchy Stryder and Tulisa from N-Dubz to perform his self-penned song ‘Teardrop.’  The song however was blighted with a sound failure in the microphones during its performance on the show.

     BBC programmes once again got in on the act.  The cast of EastEnders paid tribute to rock legends Queen, Lord Sugar took on the terrifying Dragons in a special Dragons Den sketch.  There was a special edition of Never Mind the Buzzcocks shown on BBC Two during the interlude on BBC One for the Ten O’clock News and Doctor Who fans were treated to a special sneak preview of the upcoming Christmas episode.  BBC Radio 2 rose over £2 million through their popular ‘Money Can’t Buy’ auction and ‘Music Marathon’ events.

     Of course though, Children In Need wouldn’t be the same without something from the BBC News team.  This year, four of the presenting team – Emily Maitlis, Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Sian Williams joined forces with four professionals from Strictly Come Dancing for a special group dance.  Strictly is one of a few programmes to raise interest in Children In Need, and this weekend’s show is being broadcast from Wembley Arena in front of an audience of 6,000.  In three weeks from now, 10,000 will be seated inside the same arena for the X-Factor final weekend.

     Outside of appeal night, other companies have been offering their support for good causes.  Some of the most highlighted were:

·         ASDA sold a wide variety of Children In Need kitchenware and Pudsey Bear gingerbread biscuits.

·         Greggs sold Children In Need themed cupcakes and doughnuts.

·         Boots sold Pudsey teddy bears along with key rings and wristbands.  Wristbands were also on sale in Post Offices.

·         Welcome Break motorway service stations and CostCo cash & carry stores displayed donation boxes.

·         Build-A-Bear Workshop had Pudsey teddy bears in a wide range of different outfits.

     All that, along with the rolling donations from the night, ensured that Children In Need against all odds broke the record for an on-the-night total, raising a massive £26,332,334.  This was over six million higher than the previous record set in 2008.  The final total is already projected to hit over £45 million.

     It proved that despite the doom and gloom on the financial market that for just that one night, Britain can afford to pick their phones and give some money in the aid of a good cause.

Turning the corner

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

“I know what is around the corner – I just don’t know where the corner is.” – Kevin Keegan (Former England manager)

SORRY Kevin, no-one knows what is around the corner, but the unexpected can happen so easily to derail things.  However, the second part of that quote can sometimes be said when you are looking for love.  However, this isn’t me pining for something special, this is turning around the corner and feeling positive about me again and that’s the first time I can say that about myself in a long time.

      I can’t quite believe it; it has been such a positive week but the trick worked.  As people who know me, follow the blog, I think the problems I’ve faced of late have been well-documented.  I’ve been a troubled soul before ‘production week,’ last week.  I returned feeling refreshed, with as much power from a standard Duracell battery and ready to take on everything again.  However, what was important was to bring my old self back and return to the caring, supportive, relaxed side that had worked so well in the final weeks of second year at University.  I feel that I have achieved this and I’m on the edge of continuing this momentum.

        Mondays can be such a long slog; but the 9-6 day (with a three hour gap in-between) is good practice for all trainee journalists.  Not only does it remind those who have undergone placement and faced this, it is what is to be expected at the minimum after graduation.  I came home feeling that everything went according to plan and that is the first Monday I’ve felt like that since my birthday over six weeks ago.  I got something out of all the timetabled lectures/sessions, was encouraged by progress made in a group project and understood how to reference a dissertation within your work.  Yep, it was all largely encouraging.  If there was a black mark, then it was confirmation of a choice of five topics for a 2,000 word feature; abortion, death penalty, the right to bear arms, freedom of expression and something else that I can’t remember!  Not a great choice, but as one of my close friends on the course Ellie said the other week, it is no good complaining about this in a proper job.  We all have strengths and weaknesses and sometimes you need to work on the weaknesses.  Excitement is not going to feature in this piece when I write it up, but I can stay encouraged by attempting something that might not only help me understand the law a bit more, but you never know what you might find out in your research.  Oh, I’m not writing about abortion or the death penalty, I do have my limits when it comes to this!

It certainly is and something I want to get used to

       The good vibe continued on Tuesday when I went in to have my first detailed meeting with my tutor on my dissertation.  For stating the obvious, I will not be revealing what I’m doing, but I had already written up my first chapter and felt ahead of the game.  There was a lot of red pen on the paperwork I sent in, which could be seen as a bad thing.  However, the feedback was very detailed, very constructive and I know what I can change and attempt to improve; e.g.; my exaggerated use of language.  Criticism can come in many forms and it is something I have struggled time and again to accept.  I’m one of those who would rather learn and improve, rather than someone come up to me and say; ‘Your work is rubbish, start again you imbecile!’  I still feel confident in meeting my dissertation targets and believe I’m well on track to succeed with one of the toughest challenges.

         It doesn’t end there; I’m now feeling like I’m contributing far more to the group project on Silverstone and motor racing too.  I’m helping out with two of the three tasks and only attempting to stay clear of the third task on the worry that a technical involvement (i.e. editing) will end up in me having to change the tougher individual project.  I feel everything is under control with this too and the good news is I can restart the production folder.  Okay, it’s not the most attractive piece, but for me, a crucial one.  For those who probably were ready to write me off and they may have had a point a fortnight ago, my message now is ‘Who’s laughing now!’  I’m not one to brag, never have been but I feel like I have proven myself and I can cope with third year.  Yes, it is a shame that it took seven weeks to get a grip of it, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.  While I am mentioning laughing, I love that song by Jessie J!

         Has there been any frustration this week, not personally anyways.  BlackBerry’s do seem to have a severe lack of application memory space and the bumbling Sepp Blatter still refuses to quit as FIFA president after a disgraceful comment he made about racism in football.  However, both events are out of my control, so I will not let these issues bother me.  On the charging side of things, I would like to know why the FA (Football Association) charged Luis Suarez 32 days after Liverpool played Manchester United in the Premiership.  Suarez is alleged to have said something to United defender Patrice Evra in the 1-1 draw last month at Anfield.  You would have thought that he would have been charged on the Monday after the game, not a month later.  However, it is the alleged bit that really strikes me and can be used so much in journalism.  ‘He allegedly said,’ or ‘I think this guy has no place in society’ allegedly – it is a word that is so often used to protect quotes and sources.  That’s the thing with this; we don’t know what Suarez said and that’s the same with John Terry in the QPR v Chelsea stormy encounter.  The British justice system has been questioned in the past, but I’m maintaining the belief that these two are innocent until proven guilty and they shouldn’t be trialled by media. 

          Finally, Christmas is not far away now and I can’t wait.  It is weird for me to feel like this, especially as it didn’t appeal so much a few years ago (2006, 2007 era).  Christmas is a time of year where you forget the bad times and remember the good moments, not just in the present, but the past year too.  It is a time for reflection, a time to be with family and the time to indulge in all that food, drink and TV.  In fact, the build-up is almost just as exciting as the day itself.  Let’s never forget the meaning of the festive season and for anyone who says; ‘It’s not Christmas yet,’ it's on TV now and here is my vindication that it is;

See you next time!

The Finishing Straight - Abu Dhabi (by HappyDude88)

THIS will be the final edition of ‘The Finishing Straight,’ as I will be doing a comprehensive review of the 2011 Formula One season after next week’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

        The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a race that provided the fans with some much-needed overtaking, but questions have been raised about the DRS (Drag Reduction System) and its worth following Sunday’s race.  All of the passing on Sunday was done artificially and for the sport, it isn’t a good thing.  On that sense, I would agree with Jacques Villeneuve and Eddie Irvine when they have already admitted how bored they’ve been with artificial passing this season.  However, what choice do you have on a circuit which is one of the dreariest on the current calendar?  I’d rather watch a procession around Imola than another event in Abu Dhabi.  The facilities are top class and probably the best in the business but the track is very second-rate.  Once again, Hermann Tilke’s race circuits let the audience down and configuration changes will be required to ever make a classic Grand Prix here.  We have to put up with Valencia every season being a snooze fest and no-one wants to see another example again.  It is shame to give the circuit the thumbs down, especially when you think of the spectacular twilight setting in Abu Dhabi.

SPECIAL: Setting is brilliant, but the racetrack is not great

        I’ve been a fan of DRS this season and it has at least made overtaking more possible on a number of circuits.  It has been a case of trial and error this season, which was always expected in its debut campaign.  We saw the device being used far too easily in Istanbul and Spa, yet it was still difficult to overtake in Melbourne, Barcelona and Monza.  DRS is part of F1’s bright future and I wouldn’t scrap it, but we need to make it the right spectacle for the fans and give the drivers a chance to defend their position without feeling the need to give it up without a fight.  Abu Dhabi was okay last weekend, because at least the artificial element meant it wasn’t a follow-the-leader event, but for the sport, we can’t have many races like this otherwise the predictability effect creeps in again.

        It has been well documented that Lewis Hamilton has had a tough 2011 season, both on and off the track.  However, Abu Dhabi showed signs that he was coming back to his best.  In India, he looked distracted all weekend as the speculation over his doomed romance with Nicole Scherzinger took centre stage.  The performance he gave on Sunday reminded us of why Lewis is world class and still on his day, one of the best drivers in the business.  Despite his rough times, he still has at least matched Jenson Button’s win tally of three for the season and Mark Webber’s fourth place in the drivers’ championship now looks vulnerable, with Hamilton just six points behind.  It is often said that bouncing back quickly from disappointment is one of the strongest points in an individual.  Hamilton has done that and in commanding fashion and I truly hope that he can use his success on Sunday as a real stepping stone to a better 2012 campaign.

LIMPING: Vettel tours home after his sudden tyre failure

       For once, Sebastian Vettel got a dose of bad luck at the weekend.  A sudden puncture on the second corner of the race ended his hopes of matching Michael Schumacher’s record for wins in a season.  By his incredibly high standards, Sebastian had a very scrappy weekend.  He crashed on Friday and looked unhappy with the car throughout practice.  As expected, he produced the perfect lap to earn another pole position in qualifying, but I never believed he would win on Sunday, especially when you consider how invincible he has been at Silverstone and Suzuka in the past and been beaten fair and square this season.  The cause of the puncture doesn’t look like it will be revealed, although my theory is low tyre pressure.  I’m only saying this, as Red Bull had significant problems with tyres in the early stages of the Belgian Grand Prix, with tyres close to structural failure too.  At least he saved his bad luck for when both championships had been sewn up.

        Race stewards have returned to their bad 2008 ways this season.  Why did Bruno Senna get a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags?  I never saw any evidence of this on the worldwide feed.  Perhaps he did, but if the evidence doesn’t come through our TV screens, no wonders why the normal fan would have a quizzical look on their faces.  Senna’s penalty seems harsh but the stewards didn’t come down hard enough on Pastor Maldonado.  Maldonado picked up a similar penalty and it was deserved, only for the clueless Venezuelan to then battle Jaime Alguesuari when the leaders were lapping the pair.  Not only that, he blocked Mark Webber and when Webber rightfully showed his displeasure, Maldonado was stupid enough to run side-by-side with the Red Bull in an episode almost as distasteful as his attempt to drive Hamilton into the wall during Belgian GP qualifying.  Generally, he has done well in a rubbish motorcar and has put Rubens Barrichello in the shade more often than not, but Maldonado has more lapses than anyone on the grid.  He needs to sort himself out; otherwise it could lead to a more dangerous occurrence in the future.  I’m sorry but his behaviour at the weekend deserved a black flag, get out of the car you naughty boy and head for the airport with your head held in shame.  A 25-second penalty added to his race time is a peanuts penalty.  Jean Todt has done so well in his FIA role, but giving the stewards more option to penalise those regular offenders with black flags and race bans has to be a priority for future.  It is the only way to teach lessons into some of these drivers.

         Vitaly Petrov was the hero of the Red Bull pits last year, when his valiant defence of Fernando Alonso denied the Spaniard the world championship.  This season started so well for the Russian, with a wonderful podium finish in Australia but his campaign has gone downhill rapidly since.  In Abu Dhabi, he toured home in a distant 13^th and then launched a sensational outburst at his Renault team on Russian television, criticising them for a severe lack of development and dismal race strategies which have left him and his team-mate Bruno Senna, fighting too many losing battles.  Petrov has since apologised to the staff and Eric Bouillier has drawn a line under the matter, but he needs to control his drivers.  I understand Vitaly’s frustrations, but having a quiet word with Bouillier would have been better.  Speaking to the media like that doesn’t do any favours and it could throw his future with the team into doubt.  GP2 champion Romain Grosjean looked very competitive in Friday practice, Senna has kept him honest and of course, there’s the Robert Kubica factor.  Renault has more drivers than a job agency and errors in judgement like this from Petrov will not help his future prospects.  Wonder what Bouillier would have done if Nick Heidfeld had said this?  Sacked him would be the answer, oh wait, he did that earlier in the season. 

MOVING: Daniel Ricciardo continues to outperform Liuzzi

       The form of Daniel Ricciardo at the underfunded Hispania racing team has not gone unnoticed.  He is now outperforming Vitantonio Liuzzi on a regular basis and now it looks like he will be rewarded with a Toro Rosso drive next season.  This was a smart move by Dietrich Materschitz to place one of his promising youngsters in a new team to help develop his maturity and experience.  This news though means that Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguesuari might now be fighting for one seat in that team, which would be a tough break for both.  Buemi retired at the weekend with hydraulic problems.  It is his third retirement in the last four events, but all have been mechanical reasons and have cost the Swiss driver points in all of them.  Both Buemi and Alguesuari deserve another go at Toro Rosso next season, but it looks like one will be the unlucky loser and I fear for Buemi’s career, as he has been at the team longer and is older than his Spanish team-mate.  Formula One is a tough business and that is about to be proven again.  If Rubens Barrichello remarkably ends up staying on at Williams, both Adrian Sutil and Buemi, two very talented and solid Grand Prix drivers could be left in the wilderness.  It will be a tougher break for Sutil, considering he is staring at a top ten finish in the drivers’ championship, has outqualified Paul di Resta five times in seven races and picked up 60 per cent of Force India’s points.  Throw in Nico Hulkenberg into the mix, plus Grosjean, Senna and the possibility of Kimi Raikkonen returning to the F1 paddock and there will be some very disappointed and frustrated racers who won’t be on the grid come Melbourne next March.

         Driver of the day in Abu Dhabi was Fernando Alonso.  Hamilton may have won and is Driver of the Weekend, but Alonso’s performance on Sunday was sensational.  On Friday, the Ferrari was struggling to stay in a straight-line, let alone get around corners!  So, once again, Alonso surprised no-one, expect maybe himself with a gritty, fighting challenge to Hamilton and McLaren’s package superiority.  In that sense, it is a shame Vettel did retire, because it did deprive us of a classic three way scrap for the victory.  Perhaps Brazil will give us that chance next weekend.