The Finishing Straight - India (by HappyDude88)

IT WAS a brand new adventure for Formula One last weekend, as we entered a new country.  India hosted an event for the first time, but sadly produced a lacklustre debut race as far as on-track action goes.  The winner was Sebastian Vettel, but I’ve already done a special blog on the talents of this incredible German.  So, this week’s edition of ‘The Finishing Straight,’ will focus on the efforts of the midfield teams in India and how their performances have shaped up in comparison to the past and the future.

     Before I do that though, I need to digest and give my viewpoint on the latest clash between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.  The incident between the pair on Sunday was the sixth clash they have had over a race weekend this season.  On this occasion, the race stewards decided to blame Massa and give him a drive-through penalty for causing a collision.  Most of the contact this season has been triggered by mistakes or rash attempts at passing from a rather crestfallen Hamilton.  However, this time, I had to agree with the stewards and that Felipe was in the wrong here.  Lewis was down the inside line and had no more space to avoid the accident.  He was even backing out of a legitimate manoeuvre before the corner, realising that he wasn’t going to get the space that he rightfully should have been allowed.  From one of the televised replays, Massa was seen to be looking across to see where his enemy was on at least three occasions, possibly more, before deciding to turn in.  That for me is not on.  Although he was to blame, I do think a drive-through penalty was harsh, because it wasn’t like he got away scot-free.  He picked up superficial damage and ultimately, the Brazilian’s race ended when he decided to stupidly have another go at cutting the Indian plastering kerbs which had wrecked his suspension in qualifying.  The stewards have been far too insistent this year on dishing out penalties.  Whatever happened to the traditional ‘racing incident?’  In fact, out of the Hamilton/Massa altercations this year, only one out of the six deserved its sanction (Hamilton’s terrible attempt at passing into the Loews hairpin in Monaco.)  I feel sympathy for Massa on getting the penalty, but little else on another poor weekend for the Ferrari no.2.

      Okay, time to analyse some of the midfield performers and let’s start with the positives.  The form of Jaime Alguesuari in the second half of the season has been a revelation and a joy to see.  He had another superb weekend in India and has taken the Toro Rosso team forward.  He is outqualifying and outperforming Sebastian Buemi now on a regular basis.  The Toro Rosso looks like a missile in a straight-line at the moment and the radical improvements they brought to Japan have prompted a massive step forward.  I think they have been a real find this season and both drivers have impressed me this campaign. 

       The main Formula One rookies continue to shine as the season reaches its conclusion.  For the second time this season, Sergio Perez failed to pay attention to yellow flags in practice; picking up a three place grid penalty for not slowing down whilst marshals recovered Pastor Maldonado’s blown-up Williams on Friday.  Perez might need to check up the rules and regulations again over the winter, but the Mexican’s consistency continues to shine through.  The Sauber team have slipped down the pecking order in the second half of the season, as they have been simply out developed by the likes of Toro Rosso and Force India.  Yet Perez has kept the Swiss team right in the scrap for sixth place in the constructor’s championship.  I would even go as far to say that he is now Sauber No.1.

      Paul di Resta had a tough time in India, as for the first time since Nurburgring; he lagged behind Adrian Sutil all weekend.  However, the Scot’s weekend was made up with the news that he will be staying at Force India for 2012 and rightly so.  He has finished in the points on six occasions this campaign, outqualified his team-mate more often than not and firmly deserves to stay on.  The second seat remains a close battle between two Germans.  Sutil will hope to stay on if possible, but he has had five seasons with the team and might have to look elsewhere for options.  A seat at Williams is likely to be open, so he has some tough decisions to make.  It might be taken out of his hands if the Grove based team opt for Kimi Raikkonen to make a sensational return and if his current employers will put Nico Hulkenberg in the second car.  Hulkenberg has been a frustrated figure all season on the pitwall and told the BBC over the weekend that he won’t stay at the team if he isn’t racing for them next season.  Vijay Mallya has got a tough decision to make in the coming weeks.

     However, one driver who won’t have a decision to make on his future is Rubens Barrichello.  Sadly, the Brazilian’s career is whimpering towards a dreary conclusion, a real shame for a popular guy who has finished second in the driver’s championship on three separate occasions.  His 2011 campaign reached a new low, when he hit the back of team-mate Maldonado on the first lap in India and limped back with damage.  He finished behind Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus.  With Williams looking serious at Raikkonen and considering Sutil as an option, Rubens’s days in the sport look numbered.  At least he will be able to finish on home soil in Brazil in a month’s time.  Another driver who isn’t delivering at the moment is Kamur Kobayashi.  The Japanese driver has been outpaced by rookie team-mate Perez throughout the second half of the season and has only scored two points since the crazy Canadian Grand Prix back in June.  His Indian experience only lasted a lap, collecting damage in the incident with Barrichello and Virgin’s Timo Glock.  In fact, Kobayashi looks like he walked under an avalanche and out the other side came a twin who is half the driver he was in the opening stages of the season.  It was the same in 2010, when Sauber had a dismal car at the start of the campaign; Kamur struggled but radically improved when the car made strides forward.  I hope he can and will turn the corner in future.

       Final word goes to India, who did provide a wonderful spectacle.  The racing may have been disappointing, but the welcome F1 got was absolutely brilliant and the track is one of the best ever designed by Hermann Tilke.  After the disasters of Abu Dhabi and Valencia in the past, it is about time he got one which all the drivers seemed to like.  Hopefully the racing will be a bit more spectacular in India in 2012.

2011 Indian Grand Prix: New event, same winner

NICE: Vettel tastes the champagne after another win

IT MAY have been a new event, but there was a lot of predictability yesterday about the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. World champion Sebastian Vettel crushed the field again, as he so often has in F1 2011 to register his 11th win of a record-breaking season. In a fairly processional debut race at the Buddah International Circuit, the German coasted home, having led every single lap of the event. In the process, he broke Nigel Mansell’s record of laps led in a season and now is just two wins away from equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a single season back in 2004.

     With both championships in the bag for Red Bull Racing, attention focused more on the setting and venue for this new event, rather than the race outcome. Before the race started, there was poignant reflection with a dignified one minute silence held on the grid for racers, Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli, both tragically killed in accidents over the past fortnight which has raised questions again about the safety levels in professional motorsport.

     Once his visor was down, Vettel’s focus was again on producing a dominant display from his customary pole position. Once he got to the first corner first, there was little doubt about who was going to end on the top step of the podium. Further back, Rubens Barrichello outbraked himself and hit the back of his Williams team-mate, Pastor Maldonado. Kamur Kobayashi had to take avoiding action, but was speared by the Virgin of Timo Glock. Two corners later, Daniel Ricciardo ran into the back of Jarno Trulli, spinning the Lotus around and destroying one of his rear tyres. Barrichello and Trulli made it back to the pits for repairs, but their afternoons were severely compromised. Both Kobayashi and Glock retired from the damage picked up in the turn one fracas.

     Behind Vettel, Mark Webber lost second to Jenson Button into turn four on the first lap. After some resolute defending in the early stages from the Brit, Webber began to drop back into the clutches of Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. Although Button did set four consecutive fastest laps between laps 10-13, Vettel was looking after his tyres by this point and still never looked troubled.

     So, with little going on at the front, it was left to F1’s biggest conflict in 2011 to take centre stage. For the sixth time this season, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa collided. This incident happened on the 22nd lap, whilst fighting over fifth place. Fighting back from a three-place grid penalty for ignoring yellow flags in Friday practice, Hamilton had the measure of the Ferrari and got within striking distance out of turn four. He slipstreamed the Brazilian and dived down the inside into turn five. Massa looked across no fewer than three times before choosing to turn in, when Hamilton was already into the corner. The resulting connection had both blaming the other again, but it was Massa who this time got the penalty from the race stewards for causing an avoidable collision. Lewis didn’t get off lightly, as he had to limp back to the pits for a new front wing. He resumed in ninth, then toured home in seventh; not the result he wanted after a tough period for the Brit personally, which has concluded in a well-publicised split from his long-term girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

     It was worse for Massa, who had to pit soon after his drive-through to replace a front wing that was vibrating heavily on the track. Two laps later, he repeated his qualifying mistake by hitting the inside of the orange plastering kerbing at the turn eight chicane. The end result; a damaged front suspension and his race came to a premature and depressing end.

     Things went better for his team-mate Alonso, who managed to stay out longer than Webber to undercut him in the second round of pitstops. Out front, Vettel was so dominant, he was barely seen by the TV cameras. He cruised home to win his fifth race in the last six events. Button’s fine second place finish, combined with Massa’s DNF ensured McLaren will finish second in the constructors championship. The canny Alonso took another podium ahead of a disappointing Webber, who once again failed to maximise the opportunity of a promising grid slot.

     Michael Schumacher had an excellent afternoon to finish fifth, having started a lowly 11th on the grid. He beat team-mate Nico Rosberg to match Mercedes GP’s best team result of the campaign. Behind Hamilton, Jaime Alguersuari collected more points for Toro Rosso in an impressive run to eighth place. Team-mate Sebastian Buemi suffered a rare Ferrari engine failure, which enabled Adrian Sutil and Sergio Perez to pick up the minor points in ninth and tenth. It was another difficult day for Renault, with both cars finishing out of the top ten and Paul di Resta’s risky tyre strategy didn’t work either, with the Scot coming across the line in a low-key 13th.

     With two races left in this season, the remaining question seems to be; can Sebastian Vettel break more records in this historic season. It is staggering to think that he is still only 24 years of age. He is in another zone to everyone else on the grid at the moment, so I would be very surprised if he didn’t win the final two races of what has been a vintage 2011 season for this incredible German. The twilight of Abu Dhabi awaits, in two weeks time.

The end of the road for Nicole and Lewis

THEY were one of the closest and famous partnerships in the world of showbiz, but after four years together, time has been called on the relationship between Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton.

      McLaren Formula One ace Hamilton, 25, confirmed the frenzied speculation of the past week was true and that the pair had gone their separate ways.  Speaking to reporters in the build-up to this weekend’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix, he said; “We’re friends at least and we can move forward.  It’s never easy going through tough times.  These times are sent to try you, and it’s about how you pull through them.” 

      The Brit, who has had a tough season on the track, has spent some time away from the fast lane with his family and he seemed to be in more positive spirits on arrival at the Buddah International Circuit.  At the last event in Korea two weeks ago, he looked miserable and downbeat all weekend, which had already suggested that the relationship with his popstar princess had already, ran into trouble.  Despite the behind the scenes turmoil, Hamilton broke the Red Bull run of pole positions in South Korea last time out and finished second to reigning champion Sebastian Vettel in the race.  It will be interesting to see how the separation affects or benefits his driving.  He has won two races this season and is hoping to close up on the likes of Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber this weekend in the drivers’ championship.

OVER: Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger's relationship has hit the skids

     There were times when it looked like Hamilton and Scherzinger were the perfect match, despite the age gap between them.  The American singer is currently in London, preparing for a performance of her latest new single ‘Try with Me’ in Sunday night’s live results show of the X-Factor.  She is also booked in for an appearance on Alan Carr’s chatshow programme, Chatty Man on Channel 4, due to also be screened on Sunday.  Nicole has not commented on the spilt, with close friends just saying that the decision had been very amicable last week.  It is believed that the reason for the parting of ways was because of the long-distance working pressures between the pair.

      Scherzinger, 33, is currently judging on the US version of the X-Factor, with certain sources of the media suggesting that she is seeking comfort from Welsh presenter of the show, Steve Jones.  She has had immense success in the UK with her debut solo album ‘Killer Love,’ soaring to the top of the charts with hit singles such as ‘Right There,’ ‘Poison,’ and ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath.’  Her relationship with Hamilton has gone down rocky roads in the past, as they did have a brief separation in January 2010.  Her role in Lewis’s life has also been seen as a catalyst in the decline of the racing driver’s close relationship with his Dad, Anthony.  They first got together in Monaco in 2008, with the former Pussycat Doll cheering for her boyfriend when he sensationally won the 2008 F1 championship on the final corner of the Brazilian Grand Prix.  They were last seen together in public at a Grand Prix event back in Monaco in May.  During the summer, both denied a possible engagement through the social networking site, Twitter.

       It is a sad ending for one of the most well-known and well-liked celebrity couples.  Let’s hope both can put aside the difficult time in their private lives at the weekend and produce electric performances in London and India.  

Russell & Katy Get Hitched In India

US POP sensation Katy Perry tied the knot last Saturday with the controversial comedian Russell Brand.  In a private ceremony in India, Perry and Brand exchanged vows infront of a selection of celebrity guests, including Rihanna, David Walliams and Jonathan Ross.

Brand and Perry first met in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music awards and have been almost inseparable ever since.  The popular comedian, who has his own Channel 4 show, ‘Ponderland,’ proposed to Perry outside the Taj Mahal whilst enjoying a romantic holiday last Christmas.  They have desperately tried to keep details of the wedding under wraps, to stop a massive intrusion from the British and American media. 

Consequently, few pictures have appeared of the celebration, with the belief with many is that an exclusive magazine deal may have been put in place at a later date.  Perry also revealed on Twitter that she pleaded for privacy whilst the wedding was happening.

Russell Brand made the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2008, when along with his best pal Jonathan Ross, the pair left obtrusive and insulting messages on the answer phone of former Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.  The scandal that followed led to Brand having no option, but to resign from his very successful show on BBC Radio 2.  Since then, he seems to have grown up and taken responsibility for his action and Katy Perry has certainly played her part in a change of cultured personality.  Perry has been successful in the charts with hit songs such as ‘California Gurls,’ and ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ in the last two years.

We shall see how long the happy times can go on for, but I wish Katy and Russell the very best of luck with their newly-found happiness.

Commonwealth Chaos

Delhi has taken an absolute battering in the worldwide media, due to its complete lack of disorganisation and preparation that has threatened to completely destroy the Commonwealth Games.  This week’s events have been nothing short of a disgrace, and although some athletes have pulled out for safety reasons, it is surprising that all 71 countries look set to take part in the showpiece event in India which starts next Sunday.

The first signs of trouble were highlighted by concerns over security levels for the athletes around the city, in case terrorists struck.  Next, there were rumours of the standard of accommodation in the athletic village simply not being upto scratch.  Then on Tuesday afternoon, a footbridge collapsed near the main stadium, injuring twenty-three people, the majority being workers on the site.  Five of these were taken to hospital with critical injuries, though luckily, there were no fatalities.  Government officials said that the bridge had been weakened by heavy rain within the area of recent.  Since then, the roof at the weightlifting area has also collapsed, though no-one was hurt in this relatively ‘minor’ incident.

World and European triple jump champion Phillips Idowu has pulled out of the defence of his Commonwealth title that he brilliantly won in Melbourne four years ago.  He announced the news on his Twitter homepage.

"I can't afford to risk my safety in the slightest.  "All the press today about bridges collapsing and 23+ people being hurt, floods and inhabitable living conditions, getting my daughter ready for school this morning and seeing all of that put me off.  "So statements like toughen up, I'm toughening up, was a tough choice to make but I made it for my children."

Pictures attained by the BBC on Friday afternoon showed the state that some of the accommodation is in.  To be honest, a typical room at University’s Halls of Residence looks better, so no wonder why Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has entered into the debate, by saying that “time is running out.”  However, it does look like the Games have been pulled back from the brink of being totally obliterated by the travelling nations.

Competitors were due to start arriving in preparation for the games on Thursday.  After consultation with the leading delegates from all sports taking place, the English team began leaving for Delhi on Friday afternoon, with another batch due to fly out tomorrow.  The Scottish, Australian and Canadian teams, who had all delayed their journeys out to Asia, before getting absolute total guarantee of necessary improvements, are all on the way out to the location in the next 48 hours.  The only question mark of a country participating seems to be the New Zealand team, who seem to have been the country that has been the most outspoken about the events over the past five days.

The English team will also be missing the likes of Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Lisa Dobrinsky.  All four will not be competing due to fatigue of injuries, though Dobrinsky’s absence is also thought to be around a safety issue.  Sprinting ace Usain Bolt will also not take part in the games for Jamaica, due to injury.

Considering that India was awarded the Commonwealth Games for 2010 way back in 2004, this is a startling story, but one that doesn’t surprise many.  Warnings were adhered last year, and don’t seem to have been taken seriously by the Indian government.  To me, although it can make for fantastic television, I think the Commonwealth Games are largely a waste of time, especially when so many top stars pull out of what used to be such a star-studied event on the sporting calendar every four years.  I just hope that when the Commonwealth Games begin next Sunday, the two weeks of competition will go off without a hitch and make all the messy and confrontational build-up a storm in a teacup.  However, that may take quite a bit of convincing for many experts and fans across the world.

British Success At The Euros

So, England has had a miserable sporting summer so far, but recently, our athletes managed to lift the doom and gloom with their outstanding performance at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona. 

Team GB arrived back at Heathrow airport on Monday 2^nd August with their best ever haul of medals at the Euros, 6 gold’s, 7 silver and 6 bronze.  That is seven more than the previous overall best, set in Munich in 2002.  With this success, hope will undoubtedly rise for the Olympics in London, now just two short years away. 

The heroes of the championships from a British perspective with Mo Farah, who after years of suffering, clinched a spectacular double gold in the long-distance events (5,000m and 10,000m).  The Kenyans may not be too frightened by Farah, but at least we now have someone who can compete against them at the highest level.  Another success story was that of team captain and Sheffield’s golden girl, Jessica Ennis.  Ennis, who cruised to World Championship glory in Berlin last summer, beat the Olympic champion on her way to another record-breaking gold in the woman’s heptathlon.  There was also a very surprising gold for Andy Turner in the men’s 110m hurdles and a Welsh 1-2 in the men 400m hurdles, Di Greene leading home Rhys Williams.

As ever, there was the odd failure that letdown the team’s overall performance.  4^th in Berlin in 2009, William Sharman was amongst the favourites to win the men’s 110m hurdles, but whilst Turner clattered his way to the gold, a false start in the semi-finals put paid to Sharman’s dreams.  Diabolical and unacceptable changeovers saw both 4x100m relay teams miss out on final berths.  Although the men have a history of dropping the baton (Sydney 2000, Edmonton 2001, Gothenburg 2006), the women’s failure was something of a surprise.  The main international star was France’s Christophe Lematre, who charged to three gold medals, in the men’s 100m, 200m and part of the French squad triumph in the 4x100m relay. 

The likes of America, Jamaica and Kenya may have been missing, but Team GB rose to the fore, and alongside Russia, has proved to be the best that Europe has to offer.  With the Commonwealth Games in India likely to be decimated by withdrawals due to security threats, athletics attention will now turn to the 2011 World Championships in Seoul, Korea.

London 2012 is getting ever closer and our athletes have shown what they can do, and made us all proud to be British. 

Muttiah Makes Cricket History

Last Thursday, one of the legends in the game of Cricket bowed out of the arena, and in absolutely fantastic and flamboyant fashion.  In his final test match, Muttiah Muralitharan took the final wicket of Pragyan Ojha to become the first player to reach a staggering 800 Test wickets.

Muralitharan, possibly the greatest spinner in Cricket history was carried off the ground by his Sri Lankan team-mates, as they celebrated a tremendous test victory in Galle.  Muttiah started the test on 792 wickets, needing eight more to set a record that is more than likely never to be beaten.  On the milestone, Muralitharan said this:

“Thanks to my wife and family for their support.  To my team-mates, past and present, to the cricket board and officials and the public of Sri Lanka.  Thank you for supporting me all through these 19 years.”

Muralitharan is now the greatest wicket-taker, in both the one-day internationals and Test Cricket scene.  His bowling action has been questioned in the past, but has been cleared twice by the ICC (International Cricket Council).

He sits well above the great Australian spinner Shane Warne, who took 708 wickets and India’s Anil Kumble, who claimed 619 Test victims.  Some may have questioned his actions, others may say 25% of his wickets came against the more inferior sides such as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, but despite the controversy, what he did with the ball is amazing.  We may never see the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan again.