Bleacher Report - Articles by Senthilkumar Rajappan

Indian GP Will Remain A Dream In Papers

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:35:47 -0400

According to a report in the Times of India, today the Government of India has rejected the request for transfer of remittance fee to Formula One Management for the conduct of the race by JKSP, saying, "F1 is not purely sports. It is entertainment and this venture by JKSP is a commercial initiative,"

Now that leaves us far behind in terms of appreciating the value that F1 has been able to do commercially otherwise. Let's forget the politics and the insane things about the sport, but what I am not able to understand is the idea that the so called enlightened men in the sports ministry have.

As if they have been doing yeomen service to other sports without politics involved they have taken a moral stand. I quote, "The proposed F1 race does not satisfy conditions which focus on human endeavour for excelling in competition with others, keeping in view the whole sports movement from Olympics downwards."

Now that leaves us with a big question mark. We don't yet know what will happen to an F1 dream that India will always have. This puts a larger question in terms of doing business in India. Even if it was a commercial venture and that someone is willing to do it, what right has the Government got to stop something which is private if they want to call it that?

Add to this, "The basic premise of the ministry is that F1 is not needed in India and the money can be spent on development of disciplines which have a wider base in the country."

I don't know whether to laugh or cry over this. Lets see how they build up other games.

No WADA Compliance Please We Are Indian Cricketers!

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:36:12 -0400

Hello did you hear me? If you didn't, please note, we are Indian Cricket players aka BCCI, and we have nothing to do with the WADA terms, in fact we don't even report to the Government of India. What the heck WADA, what does it mean?

And you want us to tell you our whereabouts, off the ground we have so many work, like shooting ads, being with Bollywood babes, and of course sponsor commitment.

Did you say Khel Ratna award, what is that, oh the one the President gives away, which President, sorry, the President of India. Anyways we are an organisation based at Chennai, good old Madras and we have our own accountants and audits duly and well signed by people at the helm.

We have a Minister at the Centre Government to take care of all those things, unlike the Hockey players getting late to the airport. Poor chaps what to do, and they still call Hockey the national game of India. It should have been Cricket.

Now, I still don't see why everybody is trying to advice us on WADA, probably they don't know what the money power of BCCI could do. We cant be fools like all other teams why I heard even Australia has signed on the dotted lines. Ridiculous on them, and people telling us that its mandatory for all Olympic sport to be a part of the WADA regime.

Well we don't want to be a part of the WADA or whatever you call it as. We have a rigorous schedule and more so our lives are in danger always. You should have seen that after our exit from T20 World Cup. Our houses are targeted and our effigies are burnt. If we give our whereabouts or whatever it will be easy for the terrorists to be following us.

We have always been the special people in Indian cricket and world cricket and that means a lot of special treatment and it includes us being excluded from WADA whereabouts.

And talk of doping we aren't the kind of people you know who dope, literally or how would you see so many of us being victims of injuries in our last campaign at T20.

I can give you more reason but above all we are Indian cricketers and we are only obliged to BCCI and no one else. WADA can wait and WADA can leave.

Team India!

Felipe Massa: 'I Hope I'll Be Back on the Track Soon'

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:46:52 -0400

Maranello – This morning Felipe Massa left Budapest in the direction of Sao Paulo, Brasil, where he will arrive in the evening. His wife Raffaela and his personal doctor Dino Altmann are travelling with him, while the rest of his family left for Brazil yesterday.

Before leaving the AEK hospital, where he recovered after the accident during the Hungarian GP's qualifying, Felipe gave an exclusive interview to the official Ferrari website.

How do you feel? What do you remember from the accident?

“It is sort of a strange feeling. I know exactly what happened, that a spring came off Rubens' car and hit me on the helmet. I know that something happened to me, but I didn't feel anything when it happened. They told me that I lost consciousness at the moment of the spring's impact on my helmet and I ran into the barriers, then I woke up in hospital two days later. I don't remember anything and that's why what the doctors did had to be explained to me. When I saw Rob (Smedley, his race engineer), he asked me if I remembered Rubens, but the last thing I remembered was when I was behind him at the end of my fast lap in Q2, and than it's blank. It's difficult to explain. I'm feeling much better now and I want to recover as soon as possible to get back behind the wheel of a Ferrari.”

Do you want to thank anyone?

“First of all I want to thank God. Then I want to thank the doctors at the race track and at Budapest's AEK hospital, who have done a lot for me, and Dino Altmann, who came with my family from Brazil and who was extraordinary over the last days.

But I also want to thank everybody who prayed and who wrote to me via my own and Ferrari's website, hoping that everything went well. So many people wrote to me, also many who aren't interested in Formula 1, but had heard about what happened to me: Thank you so much and I want to tell them that I'm praying also for them. I would have done the same if an accident had happened to another driver: I would have prayed for him that everything went well.”

How much help was the fact that your family was here over the last days?

“My family is important to me. They have always been close to me during my career, victories and defeats, and the most difficult moments. There was only Edoardo at Budapest, but when the accident happened Raffaela, my father, my mother and then my sister came to Hungary. I know that they've suffered a lot and I want to thank them. And then there's another family I have to thank: the Ferrari family. They were great, they helped us in any possible way and it's a great thing to be part of this group.”

What's your first wish when you get back to Brazil?

“Coming back to my home, checking that everything is as it was before. Many things have happened over the last days and I want to get back to a normal life. I want to get back into the best possible condition, doing things you do every day.”

For a while your car will be driven by Michael Schumacher: do you have any advice for him?

“Michael doesn't need my advice! It was him who gave me many tips during my career when we were racing together. He knows how to win, he knows how to drive and he's great: it was the best choice handing over the car to such a fantastic person and I'm sure that everybody will be happy to see him back on the track again. Although I hope I'll be back on the track with Ferrari as soon as possible.

F1 Is Alive N' Kicking N' Uncertain

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:33:57 -0400

One week is too long a time to see things different for a fast paced sports like Formula 1 where 1/100th of a second differentiate a win or a loss. But that is what has exactly happened at F1, albeit with little discomfort at Massa's freak accident and more with the return of the Legend, Michael Schumacher.

Like the other day when we were discussing we found it that the F1 races have become a little drab and more of seeing the same cars, even I was holding an opinion that half ways through the season we are gonna sit back to see Jenson Button crowned.

But uncertainty is the name of the game, and who would have thought a spring would hold forth so much to the game to get back what every Ferrari fan wanted and more than half of the F1 fans wanted. Micheal Schumacher back.

Let me admit, Massa accident happening as it was in just a weeks time from Henry Surtees fatal accident made me almost go feverish. Why not, with no news or any official happenings nor the time they took to reach the spot with the cranes (SIGH) or the time they took to tell us well Massa is fine.

I am happy Massa is recovering fast and no damage to his eye is a huge relief by all reasons. Hopefully we wait to see him in the cockpit at the earliest possible occasion.

There was all this talks Kimi gonna be replaced, et al, so many driver vacancies predicted and I read that some 12 names cropped up for Massa's place.

But the wind got blown over with a statement from Ferrari. Micheal Schumacher will return in the place of Massa till of course Massa recovers. Well that's the idea. Now Now Now we need to watch how its gonna play.

Thus news has been a big relief for all everyone associated with F1 and has now inspired many an F1 fan to get back to viewing the spectacle on TV. Micheal Schumacher is one kind of a driver, Love him or hate him, he cant be ruled out and sure he will set the race track ablaze in Valencia.

I know now what Massa meant when he said F1 without Ferrari wont be nice. With Micheal Schumacher again it is going to be really great. One man who would be pleased would be of course Lewis Hamilton, who always had wanted an opportunity to drive alongside and compete against the Legend in his own words.

Now who will Schumi race against, first of course he needs to better his team mate Kimi, which will put him at a better position to attack the other drivers. Of course its is one odd time of the season that we are seeing his services being used at an exceptional and extraordinary situation, I believe this event in F1 will change the course of the game once and forever.

As we take a real break from work for the next week, I think we shall see some great racing with a legend in action and the wanna champions. And to see him in action of course we might need to wait patiently.

And to think we need to wait almost a month is sheer ridiculous and so much can happen in F1 in those time too.

Anyways in all these I forgot the news of Romain Grosjean testing for Renault, BMW withdrawing from F1 and Sauber will own the team the season next.

German GP: Sebastian Vettel in The Wets

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:28:05 -0400

I know it's the German GP, and with five native drivers, everyone is looking at them with awe and how would they perform. Some expected questions like, "Will they match a certain German named Micheal Schumacher," who too had the power to get things done on the track.

For once, Button must thank the gods. He is not under pressure to perform, though not logically. Never the less the press and forums this weekend has concentrated on the five home grown talents and especially the challenger from Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel.

In all this, the weather man forecasts rain and light showers for sure as on date, which must be happy news for Vettel and Red Bull. There is this sense of expectation because Nurburgring is his home circuit—literally, unless of course he is hijacked by home grown expectations in his mind. To me, he is a little matured on that count though he did stray a little too wide giving his pole position to Jenson Button on a platter at Turkey. Hopefully we expect he does not repeat it this time.

There is a likely hood of rain and already Bridgestone has come prepared on super soft and medium tyres. The race will also be decided on nature's terms with a rain or showers during qualifying, so we can see a different grid altogether.

All the expectations from German drivers apart, there are two German Teams in fray, the BMW and the Toyota. This year has been a little too unlucky for BMW, though Toyota holds a little promise to be competitive.

Will this be an opportunity for BMW to redeem its lost place in the run up to the Championship? With half the season behind us, it would be interesting to see if any one could actually alter the course of championship.

I can hear the chant of "Vettel, Vettel," already. The other German compatriots are also geared up to make it happen.

I think there is more fun on track this weekend than that is happening off it.

The 2010 Entries and The Politics Of It

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:45:24 -0400

Now that the immediate suspense of the FOTA entries are over we need to wait for another week. As the British GP progresses we will be witness to quite a few real off track events which will have a bearing on the future of F1. Next seven days will dictate who will be placed where.

No sooner had the FIA published its list, it had driven a direct wedge between the teams with Ferrari, Red Bull and STR not being made liable while the other teams, Brawn GP, Toyota, BMW, Renault and McLaren being asked to cooperate and find an amicable settlement at the earliest, of course the deadline being 19 June.

This sparked off a series of Press Releases from Red Bull, STR and Ferrari all suggesting that they had in fact been on the same side and something was amiss. All the press statements went to say they are integral part of FOTA and its mission.

I did not think much when people told me that F1 sans big names will be a lot stupid, it was really true than I imagined to think when I saw the other three names of USGP F1, Manor and Campos.

It made me go in search of all the three on Google. USF1 was a different website but google had lot of news material about US F1 and of course the Danica Patrick connection. Chances are you could see a lady drive an F1 car soon.

As regards Manor, I wasn't able to get to a website but I found they are also racing in European Championship and the like. Manor is based in Sheffield and has been active in racing since 1990. Antonio Pizzonia, Kimi have been a part of these motorsports group in 90s and now they are in Renault F3.

As for the history of Campos Grand Prix, it goes back to the year 1998 when Adrián Campos decided after having successfully competed for more than 18 years in formula racing and tourist trophy events, that it was time to launch his own racing team. Marc Gene has been a part of their driver lineup. Well you would be surprised to learn that one Fernando Alonso was a part of Karting team at Campos. Also successfully running now at GP2.

Now for those prominent names which we expected, Prodrive was looking like it had an entry in its bag, and so too was Lola with lot of people expecting it to be racing at F1.

Prodrive said it was really sad and disappointed at the news and may be all hope is not lost though and they remain positive. (read June 19)

The FIA stunt to split the teams has not worked. Except Williams and Force India no other teams seems to be driving on the FIA side of the road. So is it just a tactic to buy time or is it that we can be sure of a new series? The Press releases said it all, even before that Stefano Domenicali had categorically said that Ferrari's could not be considered an automatic entry.

But one thing is sure: there will be more action than you can ever imagine till the next Friday. If all the teams marked with an asterisk and those who have vowed allegiance to FOTA pull out, you have 5 teams in the fray; makes it 10 cars on the grid, you could be running a GP2 kinda series for sure.

I sincerely hope that common sense prevails at FIA. One man cannot hold the sport to ransom and we have had enough of Max, Maximum destruction in minimum time. In the garb of Budget caps, do we need to reduce a Fantastic F1 to another feeder series in all earnest. At this time, it is also noteworthy to point out the way FOTA has been crusading against FIA.

Will wait and watch.

2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Entry List

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:29:52 -0400

Making an anticlimax of sorts, the FIA released today the names of the 2010 entry list with all the present teams included....and a welcome change Cosworth as the engine supplier. Another information here is that there are only Five teams with conditional entries and they have time till 19th June to work out something...so the FIA says. The Press Realease for you.

Following the completion of the applications process for teams to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the following teams have been confirmed.

Team and the constructors in brackets

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO (FERRARI)
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO (STR TBA)
RED BULL RACING (RedBull Racing TBA)
AT&T WILLIAMS (WILLIAMS TOYOTA)
FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM (FORCE INDIA MERCEDES)
CAMPOS GRAND PRIX (CAMPOS COSWORTH)
MANOR GRAND PRIX (MANOR COSWORTH)
TEAM US F1 (TEAM US F1 COSWORTH)
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES* (McLAREN MERCEDES)
BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM* (BMW SAUBER)
RENAULT F1 TEAM* (RENAULT)
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING* (TOYOTA)
BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM* (BRAWN TBA)

*These five teams have submitted conditional entries.The FIA has invited them to lift those conditions following further discussions to be concluded not later than close of business on Friday 19 June.

The maximum number of cars permitted to enter the 2010 Championship has been increased to 26, two being entered by each competitor. Pending completion of the discussions referred to above, further due diligence is currently taking place on other potential entries.

I Need a Name for the Rival Series

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:37:00 -0400

Now that it is almost clear that there will be a rival series, I was just thinking what could be that name, which will be as catchy as F1, and has almost had a cult following in the last 60 years. Well that's what the guys in the picture are thinking about.

Now it will be tough for FOTA to be on the similar catchy name and therefore this initiative to go for a new name a brand which will resurrect the motorsports fans vision of F1 ought to be...

Now your time to suggest some cheeky well sounding and may be yours could be the name before the FOTA announces it. So the names will be added as update as and when you guys keep adding...

Let the naming begin...

OK OK

The first one we have from Gary Crabbe as "FZP" - Formula Zero Parasites of course you know who the parasites are...

Grand Prix World Series (GPWS) or Grand Prix World Series Championship (GPWSC) by Daniel Zylberkan

Formula Zillion (FZ)/ Formula Midas (FM)/ Formula Zero (FZ)(thats like infinity) these three names from Sara our wonderful Community leader.....

Paul adds to the list with Grand Prix One(GP1) / Formula Grand Prix (FGP)

Sara's added suggestion says "RACE" thats taking away the generic name to F1(old name)

PS: The only thing that could undermine our mission for a name could be FIA giving in to FOTA.

F1: June 12 and After

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:36:13 -0400

The F1 circus is known for off track antics than that happens as a spectacle on TV during race weekends. This is true especially this year with the teams looking to withdraw and seemingly a compromise being brokered to keep the F1 alive and kicking.

But as the reports indicate, this time around the issues are more serious than ever before and it could perhaps make or break a future for many an existing team and a new start up team. Going by reports and press statements across the F1 paddock and FIA stalwarts there seems to be an imminent clash of egos and that would be played by the rule book.

There are always two opinions shared on any issue here too the budget cap has generated quite a handful opinions some positive about it and some negative about it. Some teams are cheering them inside and not showing it out though, because it helps them work within their means, while global recession has made their survival a bit unlikely.

So we can understand what was Sir Frank William thinking when they went ahead to file their entry for 2010 a week before the deadline ended and all the teams cried foul. Not only that they took the Williams off the list of members of FOTA. His was an independent team without any manufacturer added to the name. The commercial considerations are limited to his interest in being in F1 than anything else.

As for other teams, they had F1 as a platform for their commercial interests being exploited. I would at this instance quote what Carlos Ghoshn had indicated to Renault F1 if they were not going to add to the value of the brand, they would be off F1. At that time Renault was the Champion and he had a point to make, being champion is one thing and if it does not help selling cars on road, then its not ok. Period.

To me it seems big teams can illafford to lose a platform as big as F1 for their marketing considerations atleast. A mega Television affair across more than 100 countries live for over 18 weekends, this is at best a global platform next to FIFA, which occurs only in every four years. So the situation has been win-win on the marketing front, never mind the results on the track.

All of a sudden, in a year where the minnows have dominated the time sheets in practice and a newly formed team in race results, we are caught in a controversy that seems to get bigger by the day. Some people even attributed motive to these events as an excuse for F1 to resurrect its image of being a level player.

Chances are that, as the Turkish Grand Prix is underway we might get some racy news of the teams who have submitted an entry, those belittled by the big ones.As I read through the statements they have offered, it seems that something fishy is gonna happen on June 12th.

After having told the FOTA they can have a separate championship, Max sure knows what he is talking, and he has had his way in some of the known controversies around F1. Now if he is giving ideas what do we make out of it. And if things don't go as FOTA wants, a rival series will be a possibility and am sure they will have their own budget cap or some big team will help them out with the smaller team.

My sympathy here is for the F1 fans. The people up there don't seem to appreciate the lesser known player that keeps F1 afloat paying huge money for the tickets and also getting up at odd times to keep the race going live.

How will this dormant player react to the events off the track and what will be his decision, are some of the moot points they are just taking for granted. Having built a cult following, fans I believe should have a definite say in the overall perspective of the sport for the betterment of the same.

Mine I think must be an Utopian suggestion, but sometimes we need to spell it out. I now don't want to suggest the inevitable if it happens though, but the sensitivities of those lesser people may please be communicated to those in the making of the drama.

Till such time lets enjoy what Turkish GP has to offer on track.

FOTA: Conditional Entry for the 2010 Championship

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:21:08 -0400

In a way that will diffuse the present drama of pull out major teams the FOTA have conditionally submitted entries for the 2010 F1 World Championship. In a statement issued by Ferrari, they have put forth some plans to make some changes to next years rules and budget cap. The press release follows:

All FOTA Teams have today submitted conditional entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

FOTA confirms all its Members’ long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the Championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 Championship for new Teams. These measures are in line with what has been already decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important saving on engines and gearboxes.

All FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that:

1) The Concorde Agreement is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012. The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance.

2) The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.

All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One Season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole.

All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance.

FOTA Suspends Williams F1

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:41:00 -0400

Oxford, UK. 27 May, 2009. Following Monday’s confirmation that the team has submitted its formal entry for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Formula One Teams Association has today decided temporarily to suspend Williams F1 from membership of FOTA.

Frank Williams, Team Principal: “FOTA’s decision, although regrettable, is understandable. However, as a racing team and a company whose only business is Formula One, with obligations to our partners and our employees, submitting our entry to next year’s Championship was unquestionable.

In addition, we are legally obliged under our contract with FOM and the FIA to participate in the World Championship until the end of 2012.”

Jenson Button: On a Magical Run at His Home Track

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:24:12 -0400

Whats common about the movies, Pulp Fiction and Sword Fish, well John Travolta you would say, add to that, it happens to be two favorite movies of Jenson Button the current championship leader by a big mile.

Jenson Button these days is getting to be a legendary name for the sheer purpose that it has defied logic in turning the tables against established names in F1. For someone who was set to be in his twilight years, this phoenix-like rise is unnatural even to his past standards, and yet this man has not let the wins take over the better of him.

After the last win at Monaco he said "Wow Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is something that you dream about as a child and as a racing driver and the reality of taking that victory just feels awesome. To win in Monaco is truly a special feeling." So much summing up that the journos need not do some extra effort into what it means to win this Monaco GP.

So what was his secret to this and more so the man is a composed self all through, no tantrums ever...He says his success secret is 'Being surrounded by fantastic people, and I'm very lucky in that way. And being able to laugh at yourself is important too.'

In an interview to F1.com, Brawn the man behind this phenomenon says how he was convinced by the team members that Jenson was good under any circumstances only that he should get a machine to match. The best part was that the team was always prodding him on to scale greater heights. For once we could see a driver praising all his team every time he's on podium, so much full of camaraderie.

This year has been a roller coaster year for Jenson, for someone who does not have a hero, the future holds bright for him and chances are that he would indeed be a role model and a hero for many more young aspirants.

With such a run, its going to be little boring to see Jenson and all of a sudden we are getting used to his being the man to reckon with. The talks of Lewis or Ferrari has taken a back seat, and they are occupying much less mind space, will this be a year of the Brawn and Button so to say.

Let's watch this spectacle unfold in the days to come and hopefully he would be able to rewrite quite a few records, after all records are made to be broken.

And going by the resident's take at Monaco, they were happy that one of their own people finally won the crown. Jenson happens to reside in Monaco.

I think this team Brawn GP and the drivers have that sort of conviction to make it happen for them come what may. And Jenson is all set to deliver what the team wants and the team couldn't have asked for more...

As I write I should admit that I wasn't a big fan of Jenson Button when the season started, but heroes are those who make these kind of changes right, and here too Jenson has changed me to be his fan of the man, his style and humbleness.

PS: No marks for guessing Jensons' favorite actor - John Travolta

IPL: Now For The Clash of the Titans...

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:54:12 -0400

The last year's champions are out of the reckoning, so too are the dashing young starlets who almost got more television time than the players, Shilpa Shetty and Priety Zinta.

Well I can't remember the face of the most unpopular owner if I may call him from Deccan. They are a wonderful lot this year doing the best. Even Anil Kumble and his men seem to have got it right and Super Kings are on a song. Dare Devils hopefully should keep their hopes alive.

But the headline should have been Shah Rukh Khan drowns Shilpa's Royals. It was not meant to be, at least Shilpa must have thought, the script horribly gone wrong that fateful day when Kolkata Knight Riders decided to make an honourable exit, in the process making Rajasthan Royals lose out on their march to semifinals.

Now for the other teams; Chennai Super Kings now seem to be the favorite after they got their act together and defended a low total. It was anybody's game but they played so well and Dhoni was there all over to see things happening. It was cool of him as always to work like that in that situation and get through unscathed yesterday.

Delhi Dare Devils really look up to the challenge and they have to fire from the top or else it could be the opponent who will have a field day. If the Sehwag factor along with Gambhir does not work then it's easy for the opposition Deccan Charges to go for the kill in the semifinal.

Royal Challengers have also made a huge discovery with one Pandey making 118 not out during their encounter with Deccan Chargers. He held the innings as if it was his last match and played some lofty shots into the crowd. At 19, and being the first IPL Indian centurion, his captain would want him to repeat the feat on Saturday against Chennai Super Kings.

It has been a great entertainment all through this season of IPL. Certainly making it the game of uncertainties, how else would you describe a loss when you require just four runs off the last over. It sometimes does defy logic and that's what cricket as a game is all about.

We hope to have the same final edge of the seat encounter during the semis and the finals.

One thing I wanted to mention here, I was watching all that charity show on TV for schools and et al...my only question was if the organisers would do it in India, India needs so much of these kind of charities.

Before I end, let me answer a doubt you would have had in your mind as to the picture I has chosen on Lalit Modi, the answer of course is he is the man of the match called IPL.

He's scored the DLF Maximum, lives Citi Moment of Success, and of course makes the most of now (Vodafone). Sorry if I missed any sponsor...And well according to informed sources Sony has deputed one camera man exclusively to cover the Man—Modi.

It is just a reflection of his popularity.

Brawn GP On The Prowl For The 2009 World Championship

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:18:52 -0400

Like I said in my last piece "I might be naive to suggest but the way things are at Brawn it could be that Championship could be settled at half the way through the calendar." I think at least the constructors championship will definitely be settled half way through the calendar.

At the Friday Press conference, Ross Brawn was asked about Barichellos's performance, he was all praise for him, for all the team effort they were after and one time he did mention that Barrichello was sometimes more in an advantageous position though luck was not on his side and was hopeful he would be up there. He did not dissappoint, he was up there on the podium ofcourse beside Jenson Button on top.

With 4 wins and a second place, its can be really a no-contest, may be Barrichello could provide some competition if the way things are happening. Ofcourse its like one of our fans said its become predictable and boring.

As Q1 was on yesterday I was like many other fans, here comes Ferrari and McLaren leading a fight back, it almost was like that but not to be. I still wonder if anyone would wild guess the timings and take a strategic decision not to send your driver to post better times. That this is happening for a second time makes it all the more ridiculous and when Kimi walked out of the car, the body language was clear resentent, it showed that even the 'cool' man can be otherwise.

At the end of it we had one McLaren and one Ferrari, well in the relegation zone. Then we saw how Lewis was unsuccessfully trying to make it to the next stage.

And Vettel and Webber had crossed the line there was a shortened jubilation at RedBull camp when Button eclipsed the timing in the dying moments. Thats been one characteristic of Qualifying this year, close contest and final dying moments giving you the pole sitter.

The Red Bull are doing a fantastic job this year and its making a great rapid strides. Though they would have preferred the KERS and the diffuser in their car, the drivers have put in a lot of effort to keep the team perform.

BMW could be up for some improvement though they have not made any serious impression of being a challenge to Brawns. Nick and Kubica will have to try really hard in the remaining races to see where they can be in the championship.

It was a home race for Alonso and he tried his best with the machine he had. His team mate is also seriously under tremendous pressure to perform.

Toyota was also in the competition for sometime, Williams too made an impact with Nico finishing in the points.STRs were plain unlucky today and Force India salvaged the pride of bringing home one car.

It would have been things horribly gone wrong at the end of the race, when Massa ran out of gas after the chequered flag though, imagine it happening one lap before, something is not ok at Ferrari, like Gods must be crazy.

Having come home to Europe, the biggies have their task cut out or it will be far too late to catch up even to some decent points at the Championship table.

IPL 2: The Games With Strategic Breaks...

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:36:16 -0400

I couldn't resist writing about our IPL and the innovations that go hand in hand with every ball delivered keeps us guessing whats in store for us?

IPL version 2 started on a great note with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers winning against much touted Chennai Super Kings and the last years champions Rajasthan Royals.

The game as much as it is showcased on TV, courtesy SET Max and guess who is back, no marks for guessing—our very own Mandira Bedi, I know you would ask about her neck lines, less said the better. Her fashion designer knows too much or too little.

Here we come as it is the SET team is known for 5 ball an over or 4 ball an over telecast and then whenever a batsman is out we can be seeing Amitabh Bachhan or the Vodafone little creatures (they are cute I should admit).

Now in all this they have devised to sell another extra 10 minutes in between the game. And they call it Strategy(ic) break. I am at a loss to understand whose strategy are they trying to break.

It would be really tough to add extra ten minutes that too at crucial tenures in the game, say today, Chennai Super Kings were in full flow when they had a Strategy break at the end of 10 overs and what do the viewers get to see, advertisements and some highlights...

Anyways they are the people who decide on what we should see and what we shouldn't. So it is no use trying to reason. All in all another tamasha happening at the South African grounds with Indian money. Meanwhile the Indian political leaders are hard trying to gain TRPs so much with saying some hard core terrorist is his friend...

I would like to write on the Television coverage that the other news channels have for us. I liked Cyrus Broacha making the best pun of the cricketing action, while Ajay Jadeja at NDTV is all seriously making reviews, the team at Times Now is also pretty serious sometimes.

That's it for now or I will be boring you with another strategy break.

Ferrari's Cup of Woes Overflows...

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:39:52 -0400

Well the picture is a bit misleading as much as the rains yesterday when no one expected it to drizzle it poured. Even otherwise the picture is reminiscent of good old days of Ferrari leadership. Imagine how three races in a season can change a perception?

So what ails Ferrari these days, so much so that they are not being considered in the talking point at all. The diffuser has taken its toll on the big names to say the least never the less it remains to be seen how they can pull off something spectacular to be in the race for championship.

At the Chinese GP, Massa was making a solid progress and even by the team's assessment a podium was a possibility, till of course an electrical problem came in the way and Massa had to desert his car literally and take a two wheeler to reach his pits.

As for Kimi the ice man he is, he doesn't show his displeasure at all, does he? He was at a loss to understand why KERS was not in either of the cars when it could have been an eventuality.

Every die hard fan of Ferrari still thinks that the team is made of the "invincible" a halo that they really look forward to every race in the Red cars and look to see them at the chequered flag.

If what Kimi said was true that their Championship race was over then we have really a big task at hand. On the other hand, there is still ample opportunity to race the most common sense way. Like what the McLaren is trying to do. Or what the Red Bull did as a classic racing yesterday—make no mistakes, don't overshoot, keep it simple.

Perhaps the very factor that there is a pressure from everywhere is what might be ailing Ferrari, or that when the driver is on the track, all eyes are on them to perform. May be in its pursuit to excellence have they overshot themselves under pressure.

All of a sudden Ferrari looks like a minnows. Something which we cannot take it at least for the racing part of it. May be if we have better understanding of the issues then we would not ask for more, would we? Possibly that we will wait for the next race to see things back as Ferrari can be in its winning ways.

Massa and Kimi have a lot to deliver this season so too the team has a lot to prove and perform. Reliability have never been an issue but of late this has made a mockery of the Ferarri's strength. So are the tyre and pit stop strategies, which are misfiring on all cylinders if I may use the phrase.

Now that all the issues stand really diffused, it is up to the Managers to see how to deliver in the best possible way given the limitations that they have and more so enliven up the championship race before it becomes settled even half way through the season.

I might be naive to suggest but the way things are at Brawn it could be that Championship could be settled at half the way through the calendar. If this can be stopped I think it could be fairly a chance from Ferrari. If they aren't thinking let me assure them that their fans world over think they can.

Chinese Grand Prix: Get Ready for a Great Race Tomorrow

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:03:10 -0400

Well the picture says it all, Sebastial Vettel crossed the lines in the final moments to clinch the first pole for the team at the Shanghai Grand Prix in China. It was a good last minute effort by everyone in the top five including his mate Webber who held on to P1 for most of his time in the final Q3.

All eyes were on Button and Barichello looking to repeat an Australian and Malaysian GP here. But that was not to be. One great surprise here was Alonso making it to the front row at P2. Tomorrow will be a great day which will see the action start from the first corner and we will have more to see as the race progresses.

The day was perfect for a qualifying and teams don't see any rains coming on race day and this could augur well for making their strategies work.

Team RedBull seems to be on a roll and in all the qualifying they were very competitive. Webber was on top so too was Vettel, both complimenting each other.

The final lap was a close fought one with Barichello taking it off from the Webber. As everyone waited Button could not better the time. Both the Brawns will start at P4 and P5.

McLaren had Lewis fighting it out and could garner a respectable 9th on the grid. His team mate Heikki will start at 12. Bad day at office for Heikki though.

Williams were making good strides though they seem just short of performance when it matters, they have to work extra hard during the qualifying...Nico starts on 7th and Nakajima on 15th.

A forgetful day for Ferrari again, the nightmarish experience continues, with Massa not getting into Q3 and Kimi posting 8th fastest today. So too was BMW not fully upto the mark though they had KERS on both the cars, they could not make any difference. At 11 and 18 they will have to beat many cars to make it to the top.

As for Toyota, they seem to be making progress little by little, Trulli made up well, to start at 6th on the grid. Timo will have 5 place penalty for his gear box change.

STR too did a fair work today when Buemi pushed himself into the top ten.

Force India has been all rhetoric and no pace. Would at least like to see them little higher. (Indian Pride you see!)

As for Alonso, could this be a revival of fortunes for Renault? What will be the Brawn supremacy like for tomorrow's races? You are in for a great race tomorrow unless rain Gods decide to make it different.

The Ferrari Tyre Faux Pas

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:40:42 -0400

At the end of Australian GP, one very clear subject that Ferrari was harping on was the tyres. Given that Bridgestone had in its season preview clearly demarcated soft, hard, medium, and super soft, compounds accordingly, they had also made it known that it will be with two different types of tyres one with getting faster lap times and other getting long range.

They also brought to fact that the aerodynamics and down-force capabilities along with tyres will clearly change the equation.

Ferrari in its review after Melbourne had felt that the tyre choices could make a lot of difference and more importantly it was getting to basics first. Getting into the top ten mattered the most during qualifying. They seemed to be getting on when Kimi posted some blistering laps. Looked like Ferrari was getting back to old ways.

But the qualifying was a grave error which cost them a lot, before they could rectify the error it was too late as Massa was knocked out in Q1. But Kimi could get back and garner some respect in the top ten.

The idea to save tyres had backfired. It was very surprising, after much afterthought that they could make such a strategic error, which cost them the qualifying.

Again during the race, everybody were in for a surprise though they had expected rain but not thunder storms making it the craziest of the race, as Jenson Button put it.

Ferrari was caught on the wrong foot as many other teams. But it was Ferrari, which chose Kimi on extreme wets thinking that it was gonna pour not rain. It was the same with Massa when on intermediates, he could not match the pace and it started to rain heavily and he had to make another pit stop, thus losing time.

Though there were talks of Schumacher making the choices, the whole saga was Ferrari's own making. The reason being that they were very clear about the tyre issue during the start of the race, but somehow couldn't make pretty clear decisions. I think the Chinese GP would serve to see Ferrari bounce back hopefully.

So where is the problem, is there some lack of communication internally. It seems there's some communication issue, it would be hard for Ferrari to work without sorting that out.

Source: Ferrari Press Release, Bridgestone Motorsports Press Release

Where Is Williams Headed To?

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:57:48 -0400

Let me admit first hand, I have this soft corner for Williams and a big heart respect for Sir Frank, simply because they were the only truly independent Formula One team for the past few years without a manufacturer backing them. Now that seems under threat with Brawn GP making headlines after headlines.

When the Brawn GP within days of its formation made everyone sit-up topping the time sheets with Jenson Button and Barichello making it, people thought that it might be a bit accidental or just that race conditions will definitely be very different. And when the Australian GP started Nico Rosberg had the time of his life, posting faster time in every practice he went out. This was a revealing of sorts for all the teams that mattered most.

Not withstanding Nico's thoughts of looking for greener pastures, Australia might have done a world of feeling good for Nico and also made Sir Frank's job of cajoling him easier to sticking to Williams.

Add to this, the diffuser row you have a pot boiler, though both the times the Stewards have dismissed the contention of the competitors, this season is going to be truly an exceptional one given the fact that the independent teams are in the contention for the big prize.

My thought on Williams was inspired by the first corner at Malaysia where Nico was on full throttle and was leading the race for most of the time, when the rain played spoil sport and the tyre change made it impossible to regain lead. It might be that we have a season full of great surprises in store.

Nico Rosberg, is a good talent and his aspirations are genuine and justified to be on top, it matters most when one of your mates from GP2 is making headlines and has won the World Championship, there is of course bound to be this sheer peer pressure.

With the RBS the main sponsor in trouble and we need to look how the things will pan out in the days to come.

As for Brawn GP they have made the right noises with sheer performance and have made the big wigs really worry about the situation, and if they continue the performance which I believe they will, it will be a shot in arm for Williams too.

Hopefully Williams will be able to make head-ways with the more than equal racing happening this year. At Williams, their attitude is pretty optimistic.

I end with these lines from Sam Micheal who said this at the end of Australian GP. "Congratulations to Ross Brawn, Jenson and their team for an impressive result, we will try our best not to let them make a habit of it!"

Why Should Local Fans Be Any Less Significant in F1?

Senthilkumar Rajappan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:25:55 -0400

Over the past two weeks, I have been left pondering on the question why the local fans have to be less significant than those in the European Continent.

I for one sure know that missing a live race is a big problem, I can very well relate even during the F1 times when Narain was with Jordan, I had to travel to near by town to watch F1 on ESPN Star Sports, (there was a litigation between ESS and the cable operator) it was really a tough choice.

But the twilight race had taken the charm of the after the race events which are quite an event for the drivers as well as for the fans. Look at the podium ceremony at Sepang you will know what I am trying to drive home. It was dark and of course the event at Sepang was not totally expected given the Meteorological report it was evident that it will rain, with a storm.

The local fans deserve much better and this event at Sepang should be more than enough to make a decision to start as earlier or as 2.00 local time, even going by that count I believe there are only two races which will have the timing issue, one is Australia and the other is the Malysian.

Singapore GP being a branded night race will not a worry, otherwise the calendar can accommodate the Sunday schedule a little earlier at the European Countries.

I know that F1 or for that matter many sports are run on TV commercial interests, at home we have Indian Premier League which has promised that it will host matches to Indian Standard Time.

But give them the due, without local fans its going to be an entertainment sans life and soul. We can construct grand stands and tracks and run a simulated game.

The people come to watch and listen to see the roar of the engine and the speed of the machines, and they need to see them in all glory and hopefully the organisers should realise this and make amends.

As when the F1 looks to reach out to the Formula 1 fans across the world let there be an initiative to see that the fans who pay also get their due entertainment value.