Bleacher Report - Articles by Paul Murtagh

Monaco GP Track Guide

Paul Murtagh — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:35:40 -0400

For the sixth round of the 2009 F1 world championship, the teams and drivers head to the small principality of Monaco—the jewel in the crown of the F1 calendar. Monaco is arguably the most famous race on the F1 calendar, and until last season was F1's only street circuit.

There has been a race on the streets of Monaco since 1929, and is one of the original races from the first world championship back in 1950.

It is unique amongst the circuits because it is so tight and twisty with no run-off areas and very little overtaking spots—Nelson Piquet once described racing there as 'riding a bike around your living room' which I feel is a pretty good description.

The average lap speed here is around 90mph—pedestrian speeds when compared to the average speed of around 160mph at the likes of Monza.

As for the circuit characteristics, it tests the driver's concentration to the maximum with no resting place at all for the drivers—the straightest piece of the circuit being a small section between the chicane and Tabac corner.

But in order for anyone to understand just how demanding the circuit is, you need to see and what the drivers will face. So heres my track guide to Monaco:

St Devote

The approach to the first corner is quite tricky as the start-finish straight (if you could call it that) curves to the right, making the braking point very difficult. And due to the large apartments blocks lining the outside of the circuit, it can appear to be very dull and dark, making seeing the marker boards even more difficult.

But it is a corner that rewards bravery and commitment. The drivers must clip the apex of the kerb as they go through the corner, and then go as wide as possible on the exit for maximum traction without ending up in the barrier—get it wrong, like many drivers have done in the past, and your race ends in the tyres.

Massinet/Casino

After the run up Beau Rivage, the drivers enter the long, tricky Massinet corner, which always seems to go on forever and frustrating to get the power down.

A well set up car will always gain speed through this section—a poor set-up will see the driver drifting towards the barrier on the outside of the corner in the way that Bourdais and Coulthard did last season.

After getting through the corner the drivers needs to be careful, as the barrier on the inside tends to come towards them on the exit, so the drivers cannot hug the inside barrier too much.

Then from Massinet its straight into Casino Square, a corner which many drivers enjoy. Similar to St Devote, the drivers have to attack the corner and clip the apex, getting the power down as early as possible.

But like so many areas in Monaco things aren't as straight forward as that—the track drops away from the drivers on the exit and the back end of the car gets very light, and you will often see drivers fighting the car on the exit

Mirabeau/ Grand Hotel/ Portier

Out of Casino Square the drivers run into Mirabeau, which is more tricky than it first appears. Although it looks like a straight forward braking zone into the corner, we have seen many drivers over the years lock up the inside wheel and run into the small run-off area of the corner, causing either a loss of time or a race-ending crash.

From Mirabeau it is a short squirt of the throttle into Grand Hotel hairpin—the slowest corner on the calendar. The drivers are on full steering lock in order to get through the corner, and even with that they still struggle to get round.

Grand Hotel is often the scene of some chaos—particularly in 2000 when a clash involving Pedro De La Rosa seen the circuit completely blocked, and 7 drivers stuck at the scene. If a driver gets over-excited going into this corner expect the same this year

And the final corners of this sequence is the Portier corner, which is split into two sections. The first section is a very slow area, and one where the drivers use a lot of kerb in order to gain time. But if it's wet the kerb is to be avoided—something which Eddie Irvine failed to do back in 1996, taking out Haikkinen and Salo in the process.

The second part of Portier is very important as the speed gained on the exit of this corner determines the drivers speed the whole way through the tunnel down to the chicane—get it wrong like Ayrton Senna famously did in 1988 and the race ends here

Chicane

As the drivers exit the tunnel at around 290kmp, they hit the brakes at around 75m for the harbour chicane. The braking area for this section is very difficult as the track has a slight right kink in the braking zone and is very bumpy, giving the drivers a very difficult time scrubbing the speed off.

Drivers will be very brave to try and overtake here, but we have seen successful moves here in the past—Nick Heidfeld on Fernando Alonso springs to mind. Once the drivers get the speed off they turn the car left then immediately right, over the kerb and back on the power for the exit.

Tabac

Quite possibly the most important corner on the circuit as any time gained or lost through here is vital to the lap time. The drivers approach the corner at around 105mph, then dab the brakes, flick down one gear and straight back on the throttle.

It is a very impressive corner which requires a lot of bravery in order to be fast, and the barriers can be very tricky on both the entry and exit—it is easy to clip the barrier on entry and rip the front left wheel off (like Ralf Schumacher in 2005), or else run into the barrier on the exit.

Piscine/ Swimming Pool

The Swimming Pool section is one which is very impressive on entry then frustrating on the exit. Since the circuit organisers removed the walls from the first section it has become extremely fast, allowing the drivers to attack both the inside and outside kerb.

Once the drivers come through the first section it is immediately onto the brakes for the tighter, slower second section of the corner.

The drivers have to be careful on the entry to the second section not to clip the inside barrier—like Raikkonen did in qualifying in 2007. Then on the exit the drivers need to be careful not to run into the outside barrier, and if they manage that then they need a good traction to get them down to the final sequence of corners.

Rasscase/ Noghes

The final sequence of corners are very frustrating for the drivers and one of the corners where the drivers can gain or lose time. They brake as straight as possible going into Rascasse, turn the wheel as right as possible then blend the throttle on the way out of the corner—being careful not to clip the inside barrier on the exit of the corner.

Then it's past the pit lane entry and into the final corner Noghes.

This corner is very tricky as the track drops away from the drivers, making it easy to understeer into the outside barrier. Should the drivers manage to keep it away from the barrier, it is then a matter of getting good traction out of the corner for the run to the end of the lap

As for the pit lane here, it will cost the drivers 17.8 seconds, and being one of the shortest on the calendar it can see the teams doing a variety of strategies.

But usually the favourite here is a one-stopper, despite the fuel consumption of 2.58kgs a lap, because tyre wear here is not an issue due to the slow average speed, meaning the drivers can run longer.

Expect the front runners to do a two stopper with a long middle stint, while those from ninth downards to run as long as possible on a one-stopper

Sepang Track Guide

Paul Murtagh — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:34:55 -0400

After what was an extraordinary weekend last week in Australia, the teams head north-west for the second round of the championship at the Sepang circuit, just outside Kuala Lumpar in Malaysia.

The circuit made it's F1 debut in 1999 after funding by the Malaysian government, and has proved to be a popular addition to F1. It became the benchmark for F1 in terms of facilities for both the F1 personnel and fans—so much so that following the inaugural race there the teams felt the facilities at the following round in Suzuka were cramped despite being classed as one of the biggest in F1!

The pitlane length and profile (i.e. corners in the pitlane entry) contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at Sepang is approximately 22 seconds, the fifth most penalising pitlane in the Championship.

To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Sepang circuit requires 2.38kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, making the circuit the fifth least demanding track of the year in terms of fuel consumption.

As for the track itself, it is mostly a mix of medium and high speed corners. While there are tight corners which require good traction, two fast chicanes and long sweeping corners dominate the circuit's character. It is also very wide, reaching 20 meters at it's widest point, so plenty of room for overtaking.

And, unlike Melbourne, the circuit is used regularly all year round to events like MotoGP (racing and testing), Formula Nippon, GP2 Asia and various national formulae. Let's take a closer look at the circuit now and see where time can be gained and lost

Turns 1 and 2

Like Melbourne, the first two turns can be counted as one. The drivers approach the first corner at 190mph and brake heavy into a long, sweeping but tight first turn. Over the years we have seen some incidents at this turn—most notably the clash between Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya back in 2002. But it's at Turn 2 where most of the dramas have happened. From Turn 1 it's a small swirt of the throttle before braking into Turn 2, which is a tight, second gear left-hander. During the first race here we had two notable events with different outcomes—Pedro Diniz and Damon Hill collided on the first lap, then David Coulthard defied convention and passed Michael Schumacher with an ambitious move. Schumacher was also involved in another incident in 2003, nudging Jarno Trulli into a spin and receiving a penalty for his troubles. Traction coming out of the turn is very important as this will determine the speed right down to Turn 4.

Turns 3 and 4

Turn 3 isn't considered by many of the drivers as a corner, as it is a flat-out blast towards Turn 4. It is similar in ways to the sweep down to the hairpin at Hockenheim, and the advantage of this is that turbulent air shouldn't be as much an issue and this should create a possibility for a chance to overtake—although this shouldn't be an issue with the new regulations. Turn 4 is a second gear, 90-degree right hander which seems simple at first but can be tricky to take. The cars tend to understeer as the drivers initially turn in, making clipping the apex hard, but in order to get a good lap they have to clip the apex, so with the new regulations permitting the driver to change the front wing angle twice a lap expect it to be used a lot here, especially during qualifying.

Turns 5 and 6

The first of the two fast chicanes on the circuit and the two corners that the drivers enjoy the most. Despite the short run from Turn 4, the drivers are already hitting 150mph as they turn left into Turn 5 and they sweep into the corner, dealing with g-forces of 2.5 in the middle of the corner. Then it is immediately right into Turn 6 - something which some drivers over the years have failed to achieve as it is easy to understeer wide and across the grass. It is important for the drivers to keep up a high minimum speed here in order to achieve a good lap time, and on a good lap the drivers will be hitting around 165 MPH as they exit Turn 6.

Turns 7 and 8

Yet another set of corners that can be counted together, and a very impressive set of corners. The drivers approach Turn 7 at around 170 MPH and touch the brakes and flick down 3 gears, turning right as hard as they can to clip the apex of the corner. Then Turn 8 follows immediately, not even allowing the drivers time to straighten the steering wheel as they must continue turning right and clip the apex once again. If a car is set up good then they will be able to take Turn 8 full throttle, whereas a car with problems will need to take a small confidence lift. However not every driver who takes it full throttle can make it through here unscathed - Robert Kubica spun here in 2007, and Felipe Massa spun into retirement at the same corner a year later

Turn 9

The slowest corner on the circuit can be more tricky than it first seems. The cars brake heavily on the right hand side before turning in, once again clipping the apex, before trying to get as much as traction as possible exiting the corner. Bizarrely, this is the most popular spot on the circuit for the leaders to lap slower cars, and over the years has seen some overtaking moves - some successful (notably Schumacher and Barrichello in 2001 in drying conditions) but mostly unsuccessful (Irvine on local hero Alex Yoong back in 2002).

Turns 10 and 11

As the drivers exit Turn 9 they enter what seems to be a never-ending Turn 10, constantly sweeping right and building up speed, while dealing with g-forces of up to 3g. Then they enter Turn 11, which has a tricky entry as the drivers are braking, turning and downshifting into the corner. Once again, it is important yet difficult to clip the apex of the corner, letting fans and rivals know who has a good setup on their car and who will struggle. It is important to run wide onto the kerb at the exit of the corner as this will allow the driver to build up as much speed to carry into the next corner.

Turns 12 and 13

The second of the fast chicanes may not be as fast as the first, but is more tricky to drive. As the drivers turn left into Turn 12, the track dips away slightly from them, causing the back end to get light and sometimes a bit loose. Then it is straight into Turn 13, which is very similar to Turn 10 as it is a long sweeping right hander, and also the braking point into Turn 13. It is quite easy to make a mistake on the exit of the corner - as Takuma Sato and Fernando Alonso can testify as going off there in qualifying in recent years.

Turn 14

The penultimate corner on the track is quite possibly the most important as it leads into the best overtaking spot on the circuit. As I said before, the braking area for this corner is in the heart of Turn 13, and it is diffcult for the driver to get turned in. However, the drivers must get the car turned in as quickly as possible in order to build up as much speed as possible for the back straight—a good exit from this corner could mean a gain in position going into the next.

Turn 15

The final corner, and the widest part of the circuit at 20 M. The drivers brake heavily into the final corner from 195 MPH and shift down from seventh to second gear, hitting a minimum speed of 54 MPH. It is also the scene of many overtaking moves over the years—the most memorable being Haikkinen on Herbert in 1999, Schumacher on Button in 2002 and 2003, and the three-way battle between Nick Heidfeld, Mark Webber and Ralf Schumacher in 2005. But not all overtaking moves here are successful—Giancarlo Fisichella and Mark Webber had a very messy conclusion to their battle in 2005 with both retiring on the spot. The exit of the corner is vital for two reasons—the first being that the entry to the pit lane is just before the exit and therefore any time gained here will be gained in the pits, and secondly the speed out of the corner determines the speed down the pit straight.

So there it is—your guide to Sepang. It is celebrating it's 11th F1 race this weekend, and with only three previous winners in the field it is unlikely that past form could be a factor here. But after the domination of the Brawn team in Australia, who wants to bet against them again this weekend?

Which Formula One Drivers Have To Prove Themselves in 2009?

Paul Murtagh — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:14:26 -0400

With the 2009 season only hours away, all the drivers on the grid will start with optimism, in the hope that 2009 can be their year. But for several drivers on the grid, 2009 will dictate which way their future in F1 will go.

It will either make or break their F1 careers—some will go on to bigger and better things, and some could find themselves on the F1 scrapheap like so many before.

Here I look at the drivers for whom 2009 is vitally important to their F1 future.

Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren Mercedes

Although most people will be surprised to see Heikki amongst this list, they will not be surprised at the reason why he is on it.

The Finn showed super speed on his way up to F1, winning the Formula Renault crown in 2004, defeating Michael Schumacher of all people in the Race of Champions that year and finishing second to Nico Rosberg in the inaugural GP2 season, he has failed to hit these heights during his time in F1.

Although he took his first win last year in Hungary, it was inherited rather than hard-earned, and Heikki finished a disappointing 7th in the championship, with just over half the points of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The hierarchy at McLaren will not accept another average season by their high standards, and Heikki will have to raise his game in order to keep his seat for 2010

Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari

After dramatically taking the title at the final race in 2007, Kimi had an appalling season in 2008, littered with driver errors and poor qualifying performances.

Although his race pace couldn’t be questioned, with a record 10 fastest laps throughout the season, he just never seemed to be interested in fighting for the title. He had some stunning drives—dominating at both Malaysia and Spain, and having a strong drive until the final rain-affected laps at Spa—but apart from that he never looked like a world champion.

There was rumours floating about the paddock that the Ferrari engineers were not happy with Kimi’s technical input, which is a key element in modern F1, and having not won a race since round four in Spain last season, Kimi will need to up his game back to his brilliant best if he is to continue to be a top-level driver in F1

Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the list, ‘Quick Nick’ hasn’t exactly been underperforming in recent years.

He had a very strong 2007, and followed that up with some excellent drives throughout 2008, especially in mixed conditions at the likes of Silverstone and Spa.

But his biggest downfall was his qualifying—too often Nick started well down the field compared to team-mate Kubica, and had to fight his way through the field in order to score some decent points.

With BMW wanting to challenge for the drivers title in the next few years, the pressure will be on Nick to produce top drives in order to keep his BMW drive and have his best shot at finally taking his first career win

Nelson Piquet - Renault

Having arrived in F1 with an impressive CV, 2008 was a major disappointment for young Nelsinho.

Many people, including several of our own members here on Wheelnuts, expected Piquet to push Alonso very hard from the start at Renault, considering he had a full season testing with the team.

But it wasn’t until the 8th round of the season at France that Piquet finally began to match Alonso, and even scored a podium before the Spaniard with a fine second place in Germany (although this was more down to circumstances than pace).

But throughout the season there was rumours that he could be replaced with Renault tester Lucas Di Grassi, and must have been mightily relieved to have been confirmed for 2009.

Having been out-qualified 18-0 by Alonso last season, Nelson must begin to improve his form and at minimum match his team-mate, otherwise his F1 career will end at the final race in Abu Dhabi.

Jarno Trulli- Toyota

The Italian vertern is moving into his autumn years of his F1 career, and needs to perform well in 2009 in order to make sure he can make it last longer.

Jarno joined the team back in 2005 and for the first half of that year looked like he could finally take the team’s first win. But fast forward 4 years and there is still no win. For most of the time in between Jarno has seemed to resemble a mobile chicane, holding drivers up instead of pulling away from them.

And despite a strong mid-season last year, with a podium in France, it has to be said that he was matched by team-mate Timo Glock.

There was rumours of him being replaced for 2009 by Toyota protégé Kumai Kobayashi, and Jarno will need to show just how good he is in 2009 so that he doesn’t suffer the same fate as compatriot Giancarlo Fisichella and settle for a lower-ranked team in order to stay in the sport

Mark Webber - Red Bull Renault

Out of all the drivers I have listed, Webber looks to be under the most pressure for 2009.

The Australian is moving into his 8th season of F1 having raced for Minardi, Jaguar and Williams before moving to Red Bull, yet only has two podiums to his name.

Although he out-performed a fading David Coulthard last season, he faces a far bigger challenge this year in the shape of recent winner Sebastien Vettel, possibly the hottest talent in F1 right now.

And with Red Bull continuing to run their driver programme, they constantly have new drivers pushing to get into F1. Webber will need to match Vettel in 2009 otherwise he could be ousted by the likes of Sebastien Buemi or Brandon Hartley.

Nico Rosberg - Williams Toyota

Having been touted 12 months as a possible placement for Fernando Alonso at McLaren, how Rosberg must be regretting staying with Williams.

He had a poor season in 2008, despite two podiums, and was often matched by his rookie team-mate Kazuki Nakajima, with the Japanese driver scoring more point-scoring races than Rosberg.

With Williams continuing to slip back down the field, Rosberg will have to re-consider his future at the end of the season, otherwise he could do down in history as yet another wasted talent

So there it is—my list of drivers who could have career-defining seasons in 2009 - but do you agree with what I have said?

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Drivers Face Off at Albert Park Track

Paul Murtagh — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:56:54 -0400

For the first round of the 2009 F1 season, the teams head Down Under for the traditional season-opener in Australia. The season opening race has been held in Australia every year since 1996 (except 2006 due to the Commonwealth Games), and has been held at the picturesque Albert Park circuit in Melbourne each time.

The circuit, despite its look, is a temporary street circuit which is only used for racing once a year.

For most of the year it is simply a network of ordinary public roads which transport the residents of Australia around. At the end of January it begins to be transformed into a Grand Prix circuit with grandstands and advertising boards erected, barriers and walls placed, and run-off areas prepared.

In a matter of six weeks the park is transformed into a top-class motor racing facility, and one which the drivers all seem to enjoy.

The circuit itself is a mix of slow, medium, and high-speed corners. The circuit length is 3.2 miles with 16 corners (10 right, six left) and a high average speed for a temporary circuit.

The highest speed on the circuit is at the end of the start/finish straight with speeds expected near 185mph, and the slowest speed is the tight turn 15, with a minimum speed of 50mph.

Let's take a look at the circuit in more detail and find out where the time can be gained or lost.

Turn One and Two

The first couple of corners flow into each other, making them as one. The approach to turn one is very fast, causing some heavy braking, yet the cars don't slow much as the average speed through the corner is very high. The drivers flick down four gears to third and turn right into the corner, before immediately turning left for turn two and heading back up through the gears.

This area isn't a traditional overtaking zone due to the high average speed through the corners, but has seen its fair share of incidents at the start of a race, such as the incident between Johnny Herbert, Jacques Villeneueve, and Eddie Irvine, and the multi-car pile-up of 2002.

Turn Three and Four

Turn three is the hardest braking point on the circuit as the drivers brake from around 180mph down to 65mph for the turn. There is a slight right kink approaching the corner, but this is no trouble for the drivers who are able to brake in a straight line into the corner.

Turn three is also the most likely overtaking spot on the circuit and over the years we have seen many successful passes here, as well as some unsuccessful ones (Mika Salo on Mark Webber in 2002, Giancarlo Fisichella on Rubens Barrichello in 1997, Villeneuve on Ralf Yildiz in 2001).

Turn four seems to be a nothing corner at first glance, but is important in order to get a good lap as the traction you get from here carries speed all the way to turn six. It is also a tricky corner to get right as the curb on the left (inside curb) is high and slippy, and the exit is a lot tighter than it appears. The key to getting this corner right is riding the curb, which is unusual for this type of circuit

Turn Five

An extremely fast corner, turn five could prove to be a lot trickier this year with less downforce on the cars. Back in 1996, when F1 first came to Albert Park, a lot of drivers were going off on this fast right-hander, but since then only a handful of drivers (Pedro Diniz in 1997, Alessandro Zinardi in 1999, Barrichello and Ralph Firman in 2003) have crashed at this corner.

It can be tricky as the track appears to be falling away from you as you turn in, and due to the trees hanging over the exit of the corner it appears tighter than it actually is. It is usually full throttle through here in qualifying, but expect some drivers to lift off slightly while on race fuel.

Turns Six, Seven, and Eight

Turn six is a very tricky right-hander, followed by a small left flick and long right-hander. This small sequence of corners is key to a very good lap here.

Turn six is made difficult not by the track itself, but by the trees hanging over the circuit which makes finding your braking point very difficult. In the dry the shadows from the trees make it diffcult to see, and in the rain the water holds in the trees, meaning that the conditions at the corner can change from one lap to the next.

Once the drivers exit turn six they are immediately into the heart of turn seven, which can unsettle the back end of the car and means the drivers have the feed the power in gently now with the absence of traction control.

This then leads into the long, right-handed turn eight which is easily flat when dry, but due to the highly glossed road markings can be very tricky in the wet.

Turns Nine and 10

This small sequence of corners in more tricky than it looks. You approach turn nine at a high speed causing some heavy braking into the corner, but as we have seen in the past it is easy for the drivers to put a wheel on the grass under braking and spin.

The key to getting these corners right is hitting the apex of the corner, getting right up on the inside curb, and getting the power on as early as possible through turn 10.

As the drivers exit turn 10 there is no room for error as the outside of the track is lined with a concrete barrier—get it wrong here and you have a big accident!

Turns 11 and 12

These are the fastest corners on the circuit and the two that the drivers enjoy the most. The cars approach turn 11 at roughly 175mph before touching the brakes, flicking down one gear and turning left, and straight away flick down another gear and turn right into turn 12.

The drivers can experience g-forces of up to 4.5g which gives you an indication of just how fast this fast chicane is. It isn't a surprise to see drivers running wide on the exit of turn 12 during qualifying and in the race, and expect one or two drivers to kick up the dust this year.

Turn 13

Turn 13 is the second best overtaking spot on the circuit, yet isn't as straightforward to overtake as first thought.

The approach speed is 180mph, giving a good chance for a slipstream, but the average speed of the corner means that the drivers don't spend that much time on the brakes, making it difficult to make an overtaking attempt successful.

Hitting the apex of the corner is vitally important here—miss it and you could be a sitting duck for the car behind.

Turn 14

A tricky corner this one, but not one where a lot of time can be gained. The drivers dab on the brakes to scrub very little speed off, while balancing the throttle through the corner.

Although clipping the apex of this corner isn't vital, a well set-up car will be able to ride the curb on the inside without having to clip the curb on the outside of the corner, so keep an eye out for this through qualifying to see who has set up their car well

Turns 15 and 16

The slowest corner on the circuit is also the most vital, as this is where the most time can be gained or lost on a lap.

Although braking into this corner is straight forward, the drivers need to make sure they get the apex of this corner right in order to get good traction out of it.

Turn 16 follows straight away and, like turn four, it is vital that you keep a high minimum speed through the corner as this will be the speed that you carry down the pit straight towards turn one.

So there it is, your track guide to Albert Park, Melbourne. The key to a good qualifying lap here is turns one, six, 10, 11, and 15, and as the tires wear away throughout the race, the traction areas become more important.

Although the circuit isn't difficult to drive, it is difficult to set up for and it will be interesting to see who has done the best during the winter as the teams turn up in Melbourne.

F1: Just Who Is the Title Favorite?

Paul Murtagh — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:56:06 -0400

Just who is this season's favourite to take the F1 crown? Hamilton? Alonso? Raikkonen? Kubica? Massa?

It seems as though the odds with the bookies are changing every day. I have even seen Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello installed as favourites at one bookie, after their sensational testing pace at Barcelona!

The first driver that seems to come to people's minds is Lewis Hamilton. As the reigning champion, the British driver is on a wave of high confidence and goes into this season desperate to become Britain's first-ever back-to-back champion.

But it hasn't looked good in preseason testing, with McLaren having come out and said that their new car isn't as fast as they expected, and the team has been working hard to make it fast.

We won't know until Melbourne whether they have done enough to get Hamilton's title defence off to a winning start.

The Ferrari drivers naturally come as the next favourites for the crown. Felipe Massa was world champion for 20 seconds last season, until Hamilton passed Glock for that crucial fifth place at Interlagos, and the Brazilian will be wanting to bounce back from that disappointment in the best way possible by taking the title.

His teammate Raikkonen had a disappointing season in 2008, only taking two wins and appearing to be accident-prone when he was under pressure, most notably at Monaco and Singapore.

But his record-matching 10 fastest laps showed that he still has the speed to deliver and needs to match his 2007 form to take the title.

However, despite Ferrari stating that they have a fast car, they are worried about their reliability, and you can't win titles if you can't finish races.

Next in the firing line seems to be Robert Kubica. The Pole took his first career win last season, and he had a chance at the title right up to the penultimate race in China, but the lack of development at BMW ultimately cost him any realistic title chance.

However, the lack of development was due to the team shifting their focus to their 2009 car early, and Robert should reap the reward of their efforts this season.

But the team refused to shift to a one-car team last season when Heidfeld was struggling with his qualifying, and with the team splitting their resources evenly between both drivers, it could frustrate Robert as the season goes on.

The team will want the constructor's title and will make sure they are in with a chance to take it. Will this affect Kubica's driving ambitions? Only time will tell.

And finally, we move onto Alonso. The field's only double champion showed, at the end of last season, that his bad season at McLaren is behind him, and he is ready to challenge for the title once again.

But is the team ready for the title?

They seemed to struggle to understand their new car after its initial launch but seemed to be moving in the right direction as testing went on. But have they done enough to get them to the front of the grid?

The whole of Spain will be praying that they have and so will Renault's hierarchy if they are to have any chance to keep their superstar in the long-term.

So who will take the title? As you can see all the drivers have their plus and minus points, and we won't know until the first practice sessions in Australia who has taken the first steps in the right direction, and who has got the right ingredients to make a realistic title charge.

Chinese GP Preview

Paul Murtagh — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:55:15 -0400

Circuit: Shanghai International Circuit

Laps: 56

Length: 3.387 miles/ 5.451 kms

2007 Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1 min 35.908

2007 Winner: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

2007 Fastest Lap: Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1 min 37.454

After a hectic last few races, there is no respite for the F1 circus as, only a week after Japan, the teams and drivers head to China for the penultimate race of the 2008 F1 season.

The championship is now mathematically down to three drivers, and by the end of this weekend we will either be down to two, have a three-way fight going to Brazil or possibly the first British world champion in 12 years.

But before we get into the business of who will win what, let’s look at the history of the Chinese GP. Like Bahrain, Turkey, Valencia and Singapore, the Chinese round is a recent addition to the calendar, first holding a race back in 2004. Although it wasn’t the first time there had been a Chinese GP scheduled on the F1 calendar.

Back in 1999 there was a Chinese GP scheduled on the draft calendar for that season, to be held at the Zhulai circuit before political and safety issues meant this race never happened. The Chinese government then went back to the drawing board and built a brand new circuit just outside Shanghai, designed by Herman Tilke, and they were given a place on the 2004 calendar.

The inaugural winner of the Chinese GP was Rubens Barrichello in the Ferrari, while recently-crowned world champion Michael Schumacher had a nightmare weekend, spinning in qualifying then colliding with Christian Klien during the race. In 2005 the race became the final race of the season, and seen the constructors crown settled in Renault’s favour after Fernando Alonso led home a Renault one-three.

Their closest challengers, McLaren, lost out when Juan Pablo Montoya became a victim of a loose drain cover, smashing his suspension and retiring from the race.

But for 2006 the weather was poor, and this let Michael Schumacher show his wet weather skills to take what was to become his final F1 victory, ahead of championship rival Fernando Alonso.

Last year seen F1’s new superstar, Lewis Hamilton, have the chance to take the title at his first attempt, but he threw the chance away in a gravel trap on the entrance to the pit lane due to heavily worn tyres. His rivals, Kimi Raikkonen and then team-mate Fernando Alonso, went on to finish first and second and set up a three-way showdown at the final race in Brazil which eventually went the way of the Ferrari driver.

We could end up with the same scenario again this season. After what has been an eventful season to say the least, we have three drivers in with a mathematical chance of taking the championship.

The current leader Lewis Hamilton had yet another scrappy race and finished a distant 12th after receiving a drive-through penalty for causing mayhem at the first corner and being tipped into a spin by Felipe Massa.

Massa then received a drive-through penalty himself for his actions but managed to salvage something from the afternoon, scoring two points after benefiting from a time penalty handed to Sebastien Bourdais, with whom he collided during the race. Contender number three is Robert Kubica, who has been the most consistent of the three this season and scored a strong second place in Japan.

However, with the Pole being 12 points behind Hamilton with only 20 remaining his task seems impossible. But he will take heart from the fact that at the same time last season Raikkonen was 17 points behind Hamilton, yet beat him to the title.

As for the Finn, his third place at Fuji meant that his title defence was officially over, and he has been cast into a supporting role for the final two races of the season.

So what about the circuit? As I have already stated it held its first race back in 2004, and everybody was impressed with what they saw. It is essentially a typical Tilke circuit, having a long back straight leading into a hairpin for better overtaking opportunities.

But unlike other Tilke circuits it has other challenging corners as well. With the circuit being designed in the shape of the Chinese symbol "Shang," it allowed the designers to put in some challenging corners, such as the very long first corner, the fast chicane at Turns five and six, and the long banked Turn 10 which leads onto the back straight.

The circuit facilities are also top of the range, with a huge two-tiered grandstand facing the pits and the teams having excellent paddock facilities, with huts suspended on stilts in a small lake to replace the usual motorhomes that the teams take to European races.

So who do I tip to take the spoils at China this weekend? On recent form I wouldn’t dare make a prediction for any position. So far this season we have seen seven different winners from five different teams, and with unpredictable weather expected at Shanghai it could be anyone’s race.

Fernando Alonso will be looking to become the first multiple winner of the Chinese GP and make it a hat-trick of wins after winning the last two races following a dismal season, while Robert Kubica will be wanting to take his second F1 win to have a chance of the title going to Brazil.

But more than likely it will be a driver from one of the Big Two teams, with the two Finns of Kovalainen and Raikkonen looking to help their team-mates in any way they can. Only one thing is guaranteed now this season, and that is that we will have a new world champion on the list. Will Hamilton clinch it this weekend? We will have to wait and see

PREVIOUS WINNERS:

2007 – Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari

2006 – Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari

2005 – Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault

2004 – Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari

Classic Belgian GP

Paul Murtagh — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:19:01 -0400

When it came down to sitting down to write about a classic Belgian Grand Prix, there was quite a large selection to choose from. Schumi's first win back in 1992? The 1966 race where Jackie Stewart so nearly lost his life? 1995 where Schumi came from 16th on the grid and won after a fantastic battle with Damon Hill?

These were all great contenders, but in the end I went for probably the most obvious one, and which sticks in the memory of many.

The 1998 Fosters Grand Prix Del Belgique, to give it its full title, is remembered for so many reasons.

Going into the race, Michael Schumacher was on a real high, having won the previous race in Hungary after a masterstroke three-stop strategy from Ross Brawn, while his title rival Mika Haikkinen could only manage to score one point following engine problems.

But qualifying turned into a McLaren battle—Haikkinen taking pole in the last seconds from team-mate David Coulthard. You would expect Michael Schumacher to line up third, but he was pipped at the post by Damon Hill in the ever-improving Jordan.

The practice sessions before qualifying had also seen two massive accidents at Eau Rouge, with Jacques Villeneuve going into the tires on the exit of the corner on Friday afternoon, before Mika Salo went off midway through the corner and hit a tire barrier head on, luckily escaping serious injury.

At the start Damon Hill made a terrible start and was back down to ninth by the time the cars reached La Source. But as the cars exited La Cource, David Coulthard lost the back end of his car and spun right across the track, colliding head-first with the support-race pit wall before sliding back across track and onto the grass.

This then triggered a chain-reaction back through the field, with a further 12 cars being caught up and crashing into each other. These included Eddie Irvine (Ferrari), Alex Wurz (Benetton), Rubens Barrichello (Stewart), and Johnny Herbert (Sauber). With the circuit completely blocked, the race was red-flagged straight away, with only Jordan and Williams not having a car involved or damaged.

After an hour, the race was finally re-started, minus Barrichello, Riccardo Rosset, Olivier Panis and Mika Salo. The second start was much cleaner, and Hill caused a major surprise by getting ahead of everyone to lead into La Source.

On the exit, Haikkinen and Schumacher were side by side when Haikkinen spun his McLaren in front of the whole field, causing cars to move everywhere. He managed to get away with no contact until Johnny Herbet, with nowhere to go, went over his front wheel and eliminated both of them from the race.

As the cars headed up to Les Combes, Hill led from Schumacher, Irvine, Alesi, Ralf Schumacher and Frentzen. Meanwhile Coulthard, who had a terrible start, went off after a collision with Wurz. DC managed to continue, but the Austrian was out. The safety car was then deployed for two laps to allow the marshals to clear the sdebris from the Haikkinen-Herbet crash, with racing resuming on lap three.

The order remained until lap eight, when Schumacher got a run on Hill coming out of Blachimount and took the lead under braking into the Bus Stop chicane. He then pulled out a massive lead and was ahead by 40 seconds when he came up to lap the recovering Coulthard.

Then the controversial incident happened. As the both of them headed towards Pouhon, DC lifted to let Schumacher through. Michael, unaware that DC had lifted, tried to pull out from behind the McLaren, but wasn't able to pull out in time and went into the back of him, ripping off his front wheel and suspension and damaging the back of Coulthard's car. Both cars then toured back to the pits to retire, but it wasn't the end of the matter.

Once Schumacher parked his car, he jumped out of his car and headed towards the McLaren garage, accusing Coulthard of trying to kill him in no uncertain terms. Schumacher was then led away by his mechanics, looking very emotional as he knew a chance of leading the title race was gone.

This left Damon Hill in the lead with teammate Ralf Schumacher second, Jean Alesi third and Heinz-Harald Frentzen fourth. But the safety car was to close the field up once again, after Giancarlo Fisichella slammed into the back of Shinji Nakano's Minardi trying to enter the pits, causing debris to go everywhere. Jordan reacted to this, pulling Hill in for a pit stop followed by Ralf, ensuring that they would remain first and second when the safety car pitted.

When the safety car came in, the two Jordans pulled away, with Alesi in third and Frentzen still fourth. But one more controversial incident was to occur, only this one didn't emerge until after the race.

It later emerged that the Jordan team had placed team orders on their drivers in order for them to guarantee a one-two finish. But when Ralf was ordered to stay behind Damon to achieve a one-two finish, it took several attempts before Ralf responded to confirm the order.

There was even a rumour that Michael Schumacher went to see Eddie Jordan and asked for him to let his brother win, only for Eddie Jordan to turn it down! This rumour has never been denied or confirmed, but certainly added to the drama of the day.

Damon Hill emerged to take his 22nd and final win, his first since leaving Williams and Jordan's first-ever F1 win after seven years of trying. Ralf Schumacher finished second, making Jordan the first-ever team to take a one-two finish on their debut win.

Jean Alesi took the final podium finish in third, with Frentzen fourth, Jarno Trulli fifth and Pedro Diniz taking the final point in sixth. Coulthard and Nakano both rejoined the race, but finished six laps down.

Final Result:

1. Hill

2. R.Schumacher

3. Alesi

4. Frentzen

5. Trulli

6. Diniz

F1 Street Circuits

Paul Murtagh — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:24:03 -0400

Daniel says:

So in the last round F1 visited Valencia for the first time. Overall what did you make of the circuit?

Paul says:

I had mixed feelings about it to be honest. On the plus side it was great to see a new circuit on the calendar - especially in Europe. And even better to see a new street circuit being raced on. But I felt that it lacked the atmosphere of the other street circuits such as Monaco and Montreal. That disappointed me a bit. But it was a good first effort

Daniel says:

I liked the circuit layout, I thought it was fast and exciting, particularly that final section. However like you say it lacked atmosphere and for me there was a lack of character, it all looked a bit bare. It was the same fencing and wall around the entire circuit. Also I thought there was too much tarmac run-off zones.

Paul says:

Yeah the run-off areas took away from the street-circuit feel. On a proper street circuit the smallest mistake should be punished, but as we seen throughout the weekend drivers were spinning everywhere and only Coulthard managed to contact the wall. But like you say the final section was good to watch from the on board cameras - it reminded me a bit of the Esses at Suzuka

Daniel says:

Overall it was more a permanent track as opposed to a street track in an urban setting. I think overall I prefer Melbourne and Montreal which are the equivalents to the track. Hopefully they will do more work over the next year and it will look a better circuit in 2009

Paul says:

I think there was a lot of people saying it will take 4 or 5 years for the race to come to it's full potential - which is long in my eyes. But without a doubt there is potential there and room for improvement. Will their experience help them for the Singapore race at the end of September?

Daniel says:

I don't think it will. Singapore looks like a completely different kettle of fish with the race taking place at night, more actual streets used on the circuit layout and I think the track alot slower than Valencia and thats what you would expect of a typical street circuit

Paul says:

What are your expectations for Singapore? Will it be a better spectacle than Valencia, or even Monaco?

Daniel says:

I think it will be a much better spectacle, whether that is in terms of the racing or the scenery is two different questions altogether though. Singapore will look spectacular at night, the cars will look shiny, the skyline will be immense, at night grip levels will be lower so that could contribute towards a different challenge and maybe surprises

Paul says:

Do you think it will be the different climate atmosphere that will make it a better spectacle, or the circuit itself? I think the circuit layout will be very challenging for the drivers to learn

Daniel says:

I think one of the main facts will be that the track temperature will alot lower due it being night time and no sun beating down on the track. That will require a different setup to get the tyres to work in those conditions. I can imagine some teams getting it wrong so we could see unusual results, it completely different conditions that nobody is used to

Paul says:

Will Bourdais have an advantage coming here, having raced at night races during his time in ChampCar?

Daniel says:

I think its possible, his champcar knowledge helped in Valencia and he will know the differences between racing at day and in the night so maybe Torro Rosso will prepare themselves better for the event, although Vettel will still probably finish ahead of him

Paul says:

Do you think we will see many engine failures at Singapore? With the air at night being slightly different to the air during the day the engines could suffer

Daniel says:

I don't think so, cool air will be better for the cars and Singapore looks a relatively slow track so I don't think its an engine breaking track

Paul says:

Are you looking forward to Abu Dhabi entering the calendar next year? The organisers have now said the circuit won't be a pure street circuit like Monaco - it will now be more of a permanent street circuit like Valencia

Daniel says:

I think it's a case of wait and see with that one, the area around where the track will built looks quite spectacularly but I am concerned that it turns out to be another Bahrain

Paul says:

Do you want to see more street circuits on the calendar, or have we got the right mix at the minute?

Daniel says:

I think about 3 street tracks is about the maximum, I think Monaco and Singapore will be very different whereas Valencia is more urban than street. I think if you start putting too many street tracks on the calendar then the novelty wears off. Going back to Singapore, do you think there are major safety concerns?

Paul says:

I don't think there is in normal circumstances because the lighting system is a tried and tested system. However, I don't think it has been tested under wet circumstances, and the problem won't be the rain itself it will be spray and the reflections of the lights on the circuit. But it shouldn't be much more of a problem than at the likes of Fuji last season

Daniel says:

I think the rain is a problem but talking about the lighting first, do you think there is a possibility that the lighting could be too bright for the drivers and a sudden change will need to be made before the competitive action starts?

Paul says:

I don't think so as long as they keep the lighting consistent. For example, if it is moderately bright when the sessions starts then the lighting has to be as strong as it will be in fully dark conditions to allow the drivers' eyes to get used to it.

Daniel says:

Going back to the rain you mentioned, I do see that as the biggest obstacle, if no rain is predicted then there is no problem but it does often rain in the evening in Singapore and heavily too. Apparently the drainage systems in Singapore are extremely efficient so standing water can be removed easily but the spray during the shower would be a huge issue. How do the organisers get around that?

Paul says:

There's not really much they can do I think. As long as they can guarantee that there will be no standing water on the track they could make it a bit easier - similar to Monaco. The painted lines will make it a nightmare if it does rain, but luckily the pits area is a permanent race area meaning there won't be any road markings there, hopefully reducing the risk of a major first-corner incident.

Daniel says:

certainly the drivers were happy with Valencia safety wise as everything possible (plus more) was done, do you think the drivers may bitch about safety when the time comes, there have already been a few words

Paul says:

I hope not. There was no yapping by the likes of Senna, Mansell, Prost, etc in the 80s when we had numerous American circuits and Adelaide on the calendar as street circuits, so hopefully the current lot follow suit. I understand their concerns, but to be honest at the end of the day it's the same conditions for everyone so they will have to make the best of them. A lot of drivers said Monaco in the wet this year would be dangerous without TC, but there was no major incidents

Daniel says:

you are quite right there, so overall looking back at what we have discussed do you think night racing will work and end up being more than just a money spinner for Bernie as some are perceiving it? I have to say that I think it could end it being a leveler, it's a new technical challenge

Paul says:

It will be a leveller at the beginning like Valencia was but as the weekend goes on the cream will rise to the top. But the night element will make it spectacular and will add an extra dimension to the race. There are concerns but I think every driver can't wait to take on the challenge

Daniel says:

it's still a month to go but who do you back to win? I think Mclaren and Ferrari will be very even as Ferrari's trump card of looking after the tyres in hot conditions won't apply to this race. I am sure one of the other teams can throw a surprise our way. I think we will all end up more impressed with Singapore than we were with Valencia which looking back didn't really match our expectations

Paul says:

I think it will be a Ferrari McLaren battle but I think we could see a spoiler in the mix, and it could very well be Vettel again. He seems mighty around street circuits and could well mix it in qualifying. And I think you are 100% right about Singapore - it will be more impressive than Valencia in many ways - not least the backdrop and unique atmosphere

2008 German Grand Prix Preview

Paul Murtagh — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:35:24 -0400

Circuit: Hockenheimring

Length: 2.84 miles/4.57 kms

Laps: 67 2006 Pole: Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 1min 14.070secs

2006 Winner: Michael Schumacher (GER)

2006 Fastest Lap: Michael Schumacher (GER) 1min 16.367secs

First held in 1951, the German GP is one of the most established races on the F1 calendar. For the 2008 race it will be returning to Hockenheim having been held at the Nurburgring last season. But both are pale imitations of the previous circuits that wrote the German GP into racing folklore.

Although the German GP pre-dated the F1 world championship, it didn't hold its first world championship race until 1951 at the notorious Nurburgring. The circuit was to prove to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, circuits ever used in F1.

With over 150 turns and over 14 miles in length it was the ultimate test for both driver and car, with only the greats winning there. Juan Manuel Fangio took what many say is his greatest ever victory at the circuit in 1957 when he came from 45secs down to win over the Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins.

However, the withdrawal of Mercedes from Grand Prix racing hit the circuit hard with dwindling attendances, causing the race to move to the dangerous AVUS for 1959 before returning to the 'Ring in 1961.

The Nurburgring continued to host the race until 1970, when it moved for one year to the very fast Hockenheimring—a Mercedes-owned circuit requiring horsepower over driver skill due to its long straights joined by the Ostkurve at one end and stadium section at the other.

It moved back to the 'Ring in 1971, but after Niki Lauda's near-fatal accident there in 1976, it returned to Hockenheim. It then briefly moved back to a new circuit at Nurburg in 1985. Due to the unpopularity of that venue, it was back at Hockenheim for 1986. (The new circuit later held the European Grand Prix and Luxembourg Grand Prix from 1995 onwards).

Hockenheim was heavily modified in 2002 for safety reasons, ending the long straights and making it more like modern circuits. In 2006 it was announced that the race was to be alternated between Hockenheim and Nurburgring's new circuit for financial reasons.

As for the new Hockenheim, it received a warm response when the teams first raced there in 2002. Gone were the long runs into the forest before the return leg took the drivers back into the stadium. Now it had a tighter layout with a long back straight leading into a hairpin for overtaking opportunities.

Despite the new layout the circuit has given us a few memorable moments. In 2004 Kimi Raikkonen was chasing down Michael Schumacher when he had a rear wing failure on lap 13.

Later in the same race Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso had a great battle for second place, with Button taking the spoils having started in 13th place due to an engine penalty.

And in 2005 Kimi Raikkonen suffered an engine failure while leading, giving 10 points to his rival Alonso in their battle for the title.

Coming into this year's German GP, we have a closer title race than last season, with three drivers tied at the top with 48 points. But all come into the race with very different performances than last time in Britain.

Hamilton blew the field away and took a dominant win, while Ferrari teammates Raikkonen and Massa had a trying race. Raikkonen struggled in the lower end of the points for much of the race and Massa spun six times. Robert Kubica, the other title challenger, ended in the Abbey chicane gravel trap and it will be hard to see him claw his way back into it.

Further down the field, both Nick Heidfeld and Rubens Barrichello come to Hockenheim full of confidence after great performances at Silverstone. Nick especially will be wanting to capitalise on this at his home race, and a good points finish is a possibility.

Red Bull will be wanting to leap back ahead of Toyota in this race for fourth after a poor race performance in Britain, and Williams will be wanting to score more points having dropped off from their early season pace.

So everything is set. F1's first race at Hockenheim in two years will prove to be pivitol for the championship. And with Raikkonen and Massa having had bad luck at the circuit before, the gods could favour Hamilton, although he needs to do better than the 13th place he scored on his last visit to the circuit in GP2

Previous Winners

2007*—Fernando Alonso (ESP) McLaren Mercedes

2006—Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari

2005—Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault

2004—Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari

2003—Juan Pablo Montoya (COL) BMW Williams

2002—Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari

2001—Ralf Schumacher (GER) BMW Williams

2000—Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari

1999—Eddie Irvine (GBR) Ferrari

1998—Mika Haikkinen (FIN) McLaren Mercedes

1997—Gerhard Berger (AUT) Benetton Renault

1996—Damon Hill (GBR) Williams Renault

1995—Michael Schumacher (GER) Benetton Renault

1994—Gerhard Berger (AUT) Ferrari

1993—Alain Prost (FRA) Williams Renault

1992—Nigel Mansell (GBR) Williams Renault

1991—Nigel Mansell (GBR) Williams Renault

1990—Ayrton Senna (BRA) McLaren Honda

1989—Ayrton Senna (BRA) McLaren Honda

1988—Ayrton Senna (BRA) McLaren Honda

* Run as the European Grand Prix

How Will The Top Four Do?

Paul Murtagh — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:14:28 -0400

With the new Premier League season just under five weeks away, I will take a look at the contenders and make a few bold predictions for this coming season:

Manchester United

Last Season: First

It has been an unsettling summer for once at Old Trafford, with most of the news surrounding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. It now looks like the Portugese winger will be staying at United for this season.

But surely the uncertainty will unsettle his relationship with the club. Perhaps the biggest loss at Old Trafford however has been Carlos Quieroz leaving the number two position to become Portugal manager. But it shouldn't upset the balance too much.

Prediction: Champions again

Chelsea

Last season: Second

Last season Chelsea finished trophy-less for the first time since 2004 and they won't want a repeat. Out has gone Avram Grant, who many say never got a proper crack at the whip, and in has come former Brazil and Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The World Cup winning coach arrives with a proven pedigree, but hasn't managed at club level in seven years, and never managed at club level in Europe. But he faces a huge battle before the season starts as he tries to hold on to Lampard and Drogba.

Prediction: Third

Liverpool

Last season: Third

It has been a quiet summer at Anfield, and the club looks to have a more steady future now their club co-owners have finally settled their long-running dispute.

Benitez has added to the squad and they have managed to keep hold of club captain Steven Gerrard. The big name to leave the club this summer has been Peter Crouch, but this shouldn't affect the team morale. A title challenge is expected otherwise Benitez's job will be on the line

Prediction: Second

Arsenal

Last season: Fourth

Things don't look good at the Emirates. After collapsing in the second half of last season the Gunners will be wanting to turn things around and quick. Both Matthew Flamini and Jens Lehmann have already left the club, and both Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexander Hleb look like following them.

Cesc Fabregas will once again be the key, but the absence of a big-name defender and striker will cost them. A lot will depend on how well Eduardo Da Silva comes back from his injury

Prediction: Fifth

Formula One Rookie Mid-Season Review

Paul Murtagh — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:38:56 -0400

In the 2008 Formula One season there are five drivers on the grid facing their first full season at the top flight of motorsport. Here is a quick review of how they've done so far:

Nelson Piquet (BRA) Renault

Average Qual. Pos: 13
Starts: 9
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Points: 2

It has been a disappointing and frustrating season thus far for young Nelsinho Piquet. Thrust into the limelight this season by Flavio Briatore, many tipped the young Brazilian to rattle the cage of Fernando Alonso, having finished as runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the 2006 GP2 season and having had a full season of testing last year.

But he has struggled from the start of '08, struggling at most races to get out of Q1 and, on some occasions, struggling to see the chequered flag at the end of the race.

To be fair, young Nelson hasn't been shouting his head off blaming others. He kept his head down and got on with it, and it does seem to have done the trick.

In France he made Q3 for the first time, and followed this with a good run during the race where he scored his first F1 points, ahead of teammate Alonso. He will be hoping this will be the turnaround he needs to keep his seat in F1 next season.

Marks out of 10: 4

Kazuki Nakajima (JAP) Williams Toyota

Average Qual. Pos: 14
Starts: 9
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Points: 8

Kazuki has surprised many during his maiden season in F1. He made his F1 debut at the final race last year, finishing 10th. Like fellow rookie Piquet, he has his father's reputation to live up to, but he has done a solid if not spectacular job so far, scoring points in four different races and matching teammate Rosberg for both pace and points.

Still, he has had the odd erratic moment, as to be expected of a rookie. They have been few and far between, and Kazuki will be looking to establish himself over the next few races to prove he has earned his seat on talent alone and not on his nationality at the insistence of engine supplier Toyota.

Marks out of 10: 6

Timo Glock (GER) Toyota

Average Qual. Pos: 12
Starts: 9
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Points: 5

One of the three "rookies" to have raced in F1 before this season, Glock came into 2008 possibly facing more expectations than any other rookie except Bourdais. As the reigning GP2 champion, he has had a lot to live up to after the performances of the past GP2 champions in F1—Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

And to be fair Glock hasn't been too bad. Five points at this stage of his first season isn't a bad return, it's just that in comparison to teammate Trulli he has had a bad season. He has been out-performed and Timo knows that he will have to raise his game to prove that he is better than his predecessor at Toyota, Ralf Schumacher.

Marks out of 10: 5

Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) Toro Rosso

Average Qual. Pos: 16
Starts: 9
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Points: 2

The reigning ChampCar champion came into F1 with a lot of expectations on his shoulders. France's first full-time F1 driver in four years knew how hard it would be, having tested for STR on several occasions before. And in comparison to his teammate he has struggled.

Despite a promising first race in which he joined an elite group to score points on his F1 debut, he has never looked to be troubling the point scorers. Four retirements from nine races could be expected from a rookie, but with his experience some have been saying he should do better. Seb has the talent to prove his doubters wrong.

Marks out of 10: 4

Sebastian Vettel (GER) Toro Rosso

Average Qual. Pos: 14
Starts: 9
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Points: 5

After a sensational finish to last season, Vettel and the team had high hopes going into '08. But at the start of the year it didn't look too good, with Seb recording four successive retirements at the first four races.

Lately, however, he has come around, scoring points in two successive races and qualifying strongly. He has probably been the most impressive of the rookies so far, and with tracks coming up that he has raced before, expect a strong showing from young Vettel towards the end of the season.

Marks out of 10: 7

Michael Schumacher: F1's Greatest Driver?

Paul Murtagh — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:08:17 -0400

For many Germans and other nationalities, the words "Formula One" can only be associated with one man—Michael Schumacher.

He has broken many F1 records during his 16 years in the sport, with seven world titles, 91 wins, 68 poles, 154 podiums, and 1,369 points. He is known as the man who took a modest team (Benetton) to glory, and then set about resurrecting the grand Ferrari team that had not won a title in over 20 years.

He managed to achieve both and is regarded by many as the greatest F1 driver of all-time—but not without controversy.

Schumi, as he is affectionately known, made his F1 debut at Spa in 1991 for the new Jordan Grand Prix team, after their regular driver, Bertranct Gachot, was jailed for two months for spraying a taxi driver with CS gas.

Michael immediately made the F1 family sit up and take notice after qualifying a sensational seventh on the grid—despite only having minimal testing in the car the week before the race and having never seen the track before.

Although his clutch burnt out as he came out of Eau Rouge on the first lap, an F1 star was born.

But his first act of controversy came straight away, as he moved over to the Benetton team despite having a contract with Jordan (this led to the set-up of the Contract Recognition Board).

After finishing the season with Benetton he remained with them in 1992, being paired with Martin Brundle. At Spa that season he scored his maiden F1 win in changeable conditions and finished third in the championship. In 1993 he took his second career victory at Estoril on his way to fourth in the title race.

For 1994 he was pitched head-to-head with Ayrton Senna in the Williams, and was hot on the heels of the Brazilian when he fatally crashed at Tamburello during the San Marino GP.

This affected Schumi badly, and he stayed away from the funeral, fearing a backlash from the Brazilian public. He even contemplated retirement before being persuaded by the Benetton team to stay on.

He went on to win three of the next four races, and was controlling the championship when he was disqualified from second at the British GP for overtaking pole man Damon Hill on the formation lap.

He was later also disqualified from the Belgian GP for a technical infringement, meaning that there was only one point separating him from Hill going into the final round in Adelaide.

On lap 36 he ran wide and when he rejoined the track Hill tried to dive down the inside to take the position. Schumi turned in as usual as the two collided, with Schumi going into the tyre wall and Hill retiring with suspension damage.

Schumi had won his first world title, and regained it the following year after another battle with Hill for the championship. This was more clear-cut, as Schumi won it with two rounds to spare. But the two drivers still had their moments, both retiring after colliding at the British and Italian Grand Prix.

In 1996 Michael wanted a new challenge and moved to the famous Ferrari team, which had only won two races in six seasons and hadn't won the championship since 1979.

In his first season with the Scuderia, Schumi helped redress the balance, winning three races despite appalling reliability on the Ferrari. In 1997 things improved once again, with the German taking five wins and going into the final round one point ahead of Jacques Villeneuve.

But once again he was involved in a controversial collision, this time losing out and being stripped of his second place in the championship.

In 1998 he took a further six wins and went into the final race with another shot at the title, but a stalled engine at the start and right rear tyre failure handed the title to Mika Haikkinen.

It looked like he would finally clinch the title in 1999. But a crash in Silverstone where he broke his leg ended his challenge, leaving his teammate Eddie Irvine to try, but fail, to overhaul Haikkinen for the title.

In 2000 things started off well, with three wins in the first three races. But a midseason slump, which saw him retire from three out of four races, meant that once again he had a title showdown with Mika Haikkinen at Suzuka.

However, this time it all came out right, and Schumi became the first driver since Jody Schekter in 1979 to win the title in a Ferrari. The floodgates had now opened and he won a second title with the team in 2001. Then he earned his fifth title, equaling Fangio's record, in 2002 at the French GP with six rounds left.

However, in a situation we might characterize as Schumi-esque, there was a hugely controversial moment. In Austria he was dominated by teammate Barrichello who looked set to take victory, but then moved over just before the line to give Schumi the win.

A chorus of booing, followed by an embarrassing moment on the podium, meant that the team was under the spotlight. This led to the banning of team orders in F1.

He struggled throughout 2003 with the Bridgestone tyres, but took his record-breaking sixth title at the final race at Suzuka, fighting off the challenge of young chargers Kimi Raikkonen (who would later replace him at Ferrari) and Juan Pablo Montoya.

In 2004 he was once again dominant, taking 13 wins and clinching the title with four races left, breaking the points record on the way.

Alas, his domination was not to last.

Despite having a fast car, Ferrari struggled with tyres in 2005, and Schumi could do no better than third in the title race, taking his only win of the season at the six-car USGP fiasco.

Rumours of retirement began to surface, but Schumi went into the 2006 season full of optimism. He equaled Ayrton Senna's pole-position record at the opening race in Bahrain, and claimed the record outright three rounds later at the San Marino GP—the same race in which Senna met his death.

As the season went on he began a championship challenge, despite being 25 points behind reigning champion Fernando Alonso after the Canadian GP.

After Alonso retired at Monza and Schumi took an emotional win, pulling himself level with the Spaniard, he announced that he was to retire from the sport at the end of the season.

This gave him the chance to end his career as a world champion, but an engine failure at the next race in Japan left his dream in tatters. Despite a spirited drive in the final race of the season in Brazil, where he climbed up to fourth despite starting 10th and receiving a puncture during the race, he lost the title to Fernando Alonso.

So how has Schumi's career been reflected upon since his retirement?

Without doubt it has been tainted in many people's eyes due to his incidents. But then again, Senna, Prost, Mansell, and Piquet all had their moments yet are still regarded as greats.

He is statistically the most successful driver ever to have taken part in F1, and when you are watching the German GP this weekend you will still see Michael Schumacher flags flying in the grandstands—proof that the great man made a massive impression on Formula 1.

An All-Ireland Football League?

Paul Murtagh — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:19:49 -0400

For years now there has been intense debate on the Island of Ireland about whether there should be an All-Ireland soccer league.

Many have waded in giving their views, both for and against the idea. Most of the opposition has come from North of the border, with the former IFA president Jim Boyce saying that it could never work, and current IFA president Raymond Kennedy planning ahead for the future of the current IFA Premiership.

But many have also voiced for the proposition to be considered—perhaps the highest profile voice is the now-deceased George Best, who claimed it would be a no-lose situation.

Personally I am all for an All-Ireland league.

For years now, local football fans have been flocking across the Irish sea every weekend to watch teams like Celtic, Rangers, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, etc..

That leaves the local clubs to salvage any fans they can from the local area to watch their team in action.

It is a far throw from the 1940s, when regular crowds of 50,000 would watch teams like Shelbourne and St. Patrick's Athletic in the South, and Belfast Celtic and Linfield in the North.

Surely it's time that the local clubs claimed their crowds back and made Irish football once again an attractive proposition.

As it stands at the minute there is no chance of this happening. The leagues aren't competitive enough as it is always the same teams in the leading positions come the final weekend of the season.

There is also very little money going into the local game, meaning clubs cannot afford to make their players professional, and therefore the skill level doesn't improve.

With a lower skill level than counterparts in mainland Britain and continental Europe, it is also a struggle for any sort of Irish team to make an impact on the European game, and also forces the top players from both countries to plough their trade in England and Scotland.

Therefore it is time for an All-Ireland league. The benefits are endless—with an All-Ireland league will come more interest from fans. Currently the only way they can watch a team from the North playing a team from the South is either a friendly or in the Setanta Cup.

An all-island league would allow this to happen every week and would attract major interest from fans.

This in return would appeal to sponsors, who would be happy to pour big money into the game in return for a higher interest from spectators. More money equals more players having the chance to become professional without having to leave home, and in turn increasing the skill level of the players.

It wouldn't just be players who would benefit from increased income. The clubs could improve facilities, which are currently of a poor standard, for players, fans, and media.

Bigger, more modern stadiums could be built to accommodate more fans and entertain both media and sponsors, raising the profile of the game.

And it wouldn't just be beneficial at home—it would give the clubs a better chance of competing in European competitions. An Irish team has never reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, and only once in recent times has an Irish team reached the first round proper of the UEFA Cup.

This could all change under a new structure, and it wouldn't just be the major teams that would profit from the new structure.

With the IFA having 29 teams scattered across two lower leagues and the FAI having 10 teams in their second-tier division, a larger lower-league format could be devised to allow teams to compete on a greater basis.

This would give similar results to the top tier, where better stadiums could be built and more players could become professional. And of course both national teams would benefit from having a greater pool of players to choose from—or even merge to create a single national team?

After all there is an All-Ireland team in rugby and the Olympics, so why not football?

So in my opinion an All-Ireland league is the best way to go. It benefits clubs, players, fans, sponsors, media, and the game as a whole. In the new multi-cultural and peaceful Ireland, surely it is now time for the island's most popular game to lead the way into the future.

Formula One: The Last French Hope

Paul Murtagh — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:40:05 -0400

When it came down to writing an article on which driver's potential hadn't been filled, I had a lot of drivers to choose from.

The list includes Jean Alesi, Gilles Villeneuve, Stirling Moss, Chris Amon, John Watson, Ronnie Petersen, Giancarlo Fisichella, Riccardo Patrese, Juan Pablo Montoya, Peter Collins and Francois Cevert.

After much thinking, I decided to go for a driver who had his time in the limelight cruelly taken away from him.

Olivier Panis was a driver who stood out for many during his time racing in the lower formulae in France. After winning several kart championships, he graduated into Formula Renault in 1987 and took the title there in 1989.

He moved up to French F3 in 1990 with a best championship finish of second in 1991. For 1992, he graduated in the F1 feeder series of Formula 3000, and continuing the trend of two seasons in a series, he claimed the championship after a great season-long battle in 1993. After taking the title, it was a natural step to move up to the world of Formula 1, and he signed with the Ligier Renault team for 1994.

For many, he was the new French hope, with Alain Prost retiring at the end of 1993. Prost had claimed a fourth world title, and the other French drivers in the field were on lower-ranked teams.

Olivier had a solid if not spectacular start to his F1 career, finishing his first six races with a best finish of seventh in Spain before recording his first F1 DNF at his home race in France.

But in Germany a spate of retirements, where 11 cars failed to finish the first lap, gave Olivier the chance to score his first F1 points—a chance he wasn't going to miss.

A number of other retirements for the leading drivers left Olivier in second place at the finish behind Gerhard Berger. Despite only scoring another three points all season, France had a new hero to watch out for, one who drove a French car with a French engine. It was a possible match made in heaven for Les Bleus. But for 1995, it was all changed. Out had gone the Renault engine to Benetton, and in had come Mugen-Honda engines.

It was a much stronger year for Olivier, as he began scoring regular points and out-scoring the second Ligier, which was shared between Aguri Suzuki and Martin Brundle.

He scored fourth at both Canada and Britain, and at the season-ending race in Australia it once again came good. Despite finishing two laps behind race-winner Damon Hill, Olivier managed to score another second place ahead of Gianni Morbadelli in the Arrows, despite his engine failing over the last few laps.

It left Olivier going into 1996 full of optimism, and a sixth place in Brazil got him one point over the first five rounds. But everything was to change for him at Monaco. Having qualified 14th, the best Olivier could probably hope for on the narrow streets was for retirements in front of him to claim a point or two.

But on race day, the heavens opened and left the track soaked for the race, giving Olivier reason for optimism. On the first lap, both Verstappen and Schumacher crashed into the carrier promoting Olivier two places, and further retirements from Katayma, Barrichello and Diniz elevated Panis further.

After 10 laps, following a string of retirements and some good manoevres from Olivier, he found himself in fourth behind Eddie Irvine in the Ferrari. After several laps of frustration behind Irvine, he forced his way past at Lowes Hairpin and into fourth place.

Then Damon Hill retired with an engine failure and Jean Alesi with a gearbox problem, leaving Oliver leading the race with David Coulthard in second and Johnny Herbert third.

With the race hitting the two-hour limit, only 75 laps were run and Olivier had claimed a popular win—his first in F1 and Ligier's first since 1981. He only scored two more points for the rest of the season, but the breakthrough had been made. For 1997, Alain Prost had bought over the team, and Olivier started the season with fourth place at the season opener in Melbourne. Then he finished third at the next race in Brazil, before challenging Jacques Villeneuve for victory in Argentina before a throttle problem caused his retirement.

An impressive fourth in the wet at Monaco, followed by an equally impressive second place at the following race in Spain, left Olivier sitting in third in the championship behind the big two of Schumacher and Villeneuve. But then his season, and his career, took a turn for the very worst in Montreal. Having qualified 10th, he was involved in a first-corner altercation with McLaren's Mika Haikkinen, resulting in a lost front wing and a trip to the pits.

After exiting the pits, Olivier once again showed just how good he and the car was that year by coming through the field and managing to climb from 20th to 11th before having to pit with a vibration problem.

Following this stop he was once again at the back, but once again Olivier came storming through the field and had got up to seventh by lap 51 when it all went wrong.

Coming out of Turn 4, Olivier was entering the fast sweeping Turn 5 when he lost the back end of the car—strange given that this section was easily flat out.

He clipped the inside wall before sliding across the track into the tyres on the outside of the sweep, destroying the front of his car and bringing out the red flags.

It was later revealed that he had suffered suspension failure having clipped a wall a few laps earlier, and the result was two broken legs and three months of healing and rehabilitation. It was a bitter blow to both team and driver, who had been making huge progress over the season. Olivier missed seven races due to injury, being replaced by future team-mate Jarno Trulli, and returned at the Nurburgring to score a point on his return.

But it was obvious that he wasn't the driver he was before the crash. He had a 12-inch pin inserted into each leg after the breaks and didn't get these removed until the 1998-99 off-season, by which time he had completed the 1998 season without a point.

1999 proved to be not much better, and he was replaced by Jean Alesi for the 2000 season. After spending 2000 testing for McLaren, a year in which he revived his reputation, Olivier drove for two seasons with BAR before finishing his F1 career with Toyota, finally retiring in 2004. He was never the same after his crash in Montreal. Before that he had shown real promise, and had, in the minds of the French, became a natural replacement for Alain Prost.

He still remains the last French driver to win an F1 Grand Prix, but when Olivier's career is looked back on, many will say that his competitive F1 career ended in that tyre barrier at Turn 5 in Montreal.