Bleacher Report - Articles by mark andrew

Jenson Button: Legend Or Flop, What a Difference a Year Makes!

mark andrew — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:19:44 -0400

Almost a year ago I wrote an article about Formula 1 driver- Jenson Button which got mixed reactions, the article was titled Jenson Button, Formula 1 Legend or Flop a lot of people did not get my reasoning for writing that article and calling him a legend but a lot of people also knew where I was coming from.

A year on and that article has had well in excess of a thousand reads on Bleacher Report, but what made me even more satisfied was the fact it got over 300,000 reads on the official Honda website, RealHondaF1 which is now called RealBrawnGP, the point of debate that arose from it was confidence boosting as a writer.

So you are thinking, what’s my point here with this article then, well my point is that Jenson is starting to prove me right in this fascinating 2009 championship battle, that he is indeed a legend or fast becoming one with his string of stunning drives in his rejuvenated BrawnGP team.

It looked as though M/S. Button and Barrichello wouldn’t even have a drive during close season until Ross Brawn salvaged their careers by creating his own team on the back of Honda’s demise from the sport and the rest is history, BrawnGP are absolutely on fire.

So back to Jenson Buttons extraordinary turn in fortunes, how the doubters and people who called Button a waste of space must now be smarting at being so hasty in striking down the Frome born racer who has achieved something that three world champions Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, and Fernando Alonso cant even claim to have achieved.

That achievement comes in the form of five race victories from the first six races in a season, that coupled with a fourth place finish in China, four pole positions from a possible six and three one – two finishes for the Brawn team makes him world champion material in anyone’s books.

Button is even breaking and equalling records set by greats of Formula 1, the amazing start to the season has only been done by a handful of men that include Michael Schumacher and Nigel Mansell.

He is showing more of that grit and determination I talked about in my first article, the grin has grown wider, his personality has become more bubblier, he seems in a happy place right now, that is coming across in his driving and there seem to be only two people that can burst his bubble, they are himself and team mate Rubinho Barrichello.

You cannot do what Button has done purely by accident, it’s a culmination of his hard work and dedication, previous experience, be it good or bad and belief in his own abilities and belief in his team.

The constant praise from team boss Ross

Ross Brawn, who is considered a legend himself must be phenomenal in terms of confidence boosting, he is being told by the best that he is a world champion to be.

If you are sitting there mumbling to yourself that I’m still wrong and that Button is only good with a good car, then look at Barrichello, he was rubbish in the Honda on the whole too, now he is on fire in the new Brawn car as well as being a solid driver in his Ferrari days so Button cant be as rubbish as most of you make him out to be.

Fair enough the number 22 car is a huge factor in where Button sits right now, it seems perfect and if it was last years car he would still be lagging behind, but Button is the man steering the wheel and stamping on the pedals, in other words you still have to be a great driver to win any race, for me this years car is merely highlighting Jenson’s outstanding talent behind the wheel of a 200mph+ machine.

Lets look at it this way, McLaren and Hamilton had a fantastic car in 2007 and 2008 just like button has in this 2009 season, did they win five from six? No, did Ferrari who also had a great car win five from six? No. Did either of those two teams dominate so much that the title was looking in the bag after six races? No. So it has to be down to the fact that Button is an absolutely first class driver in a first class car.

He is exceeding his own expectations, his father John Button is even astonished at the start to the season his son has had twice in 14 days he lapped last years champion Lewis Hamilton who is enduring the misfortunes of being a midfield to back runner as Button had to the last few years, which proves that driver and car need to work in harmony to achieve great things and that the best of the best sometimes suffer, I believe that is what happened to Button in the past.

A lot of you wont have changed your mind on Button being a legend or not, but I can guarantee one thing, he has made you all sit up and take notice, hasn’t he?

Do you still doubt his abilities or the fact he can be a world champion in the most devastating of fashions?

For me Jenson will always be a legend, no one can change that, maybe it is because I’m English supporting a home grown, who knows, but I am feeling more confident that Button will retire with you all calling him a legend for this F1 campaign alone for he has been fantastic and I don’t think we have seen a tenth of what he can do.

I’m intrigued to hear what you are all thinking about Jenson Button now, a year on.

Formula 1: Hamilton Excluded From OZ GP in Shock Move From the FIA

mark andrew — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:05:04 -0400

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix after a second stewards’ investigation on Thursday decided both he and his team had provided ‘misleading' evidence during a hearing held after the Melbourne race.

Hamilton crossed the finish line in Australia in fourth, but was subsequently promoted to third after Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was handed a 25-second time penalty for passing his McLaren under the safety car during the race’s closing laps.

Stewards, however, decided to re-investigate the incident after fresh evidence came to light and convened a second meeting in Sepang. After the hearing, the stewards issued the following statement:

“The Stewards having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 Australian Formula One Grand Prix, consider that driver No. 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the Stewards at the hearing on Sunday 29th March 2009, a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

"Under Article 158 of the International Sporting Code, the driver No. 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes are excluded from the race classification for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix and the classification is amended accordingly."

In addition to Hamilton’s disqualification, Trulli’s penalty has been withdrawn and the Italian therefore regains his third place and six world championship points.

Looks like we are going to have a political season just like 2008 after all bleachers, brace yourselves !!

source f1.com

Is 2009 Lewis Hamilton's Toughest Test to Date?

mark andrew — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:29:22 -0400

Lewis Hamilton starts the season as Formula One's youngest world champion and aiming to become the first British driver to retain the title.

It promises to be the 24-year-old McLaren driver's greatest challenge yet with new regulations, a car that has been well off the pace in testing, and a host of hungry rivals eager to put him in his place.

Compatriots Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971, 1973), Jim Clark (1963, 1965), and Graham Hill (1962, 1968) were all multiple champions, but none managed to rack up two crowns in a row.

The club of those who did numbers only eight members and is a roll call of some of the sport's greatest names—Italian Alberto Ascari, Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio, Australian Jack Brabham, France's Alain Prost, Brazilian Ayrton Senna, Finland's Mika Hakkinen, Germany's Michael Schumacher, and Spain's Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton might have been among them already, had he not lost out in his sensational debut 2007 season by a single point and against the odds to Ferrari's Finn Kimi Raikkonen.

The 24-year-old Briton came close to blowing it again last year, beating Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa by the same slender margin after the final race but is ready to move onto a new level now.

"If you were a climber and you've climbed Everest, then you don't fear doing it again. It's something that you know you can do," said McLaren chairman Ron Dennis.

"What you have to do is look at different ways of achieving it. The challenges this year, with a new set of regulations, are different to last. And just as a climber varies his route, I think that's how you have to look at Lewis's approach.

"He will be very focused on those areas where he has to raise his game."

FLAT OUT:

While Hamilton may be more relaxed, mentally stronger, and hungrier than ever, a driver can only do so much if his car is not as quick as the rest.

McLaren has recognised that theirs is not yet fast enough to challenge for race wins, and the big question is how soon can they turn it around with testing banned once the season starts.

Even if he is off the pace in Australia next week, all is not lost however.

"McLaren has started 648 grands prix. We have won 162 of them and have recorded 431 podium finishes. We are proud of our record and have faith in our engineers' ability to work hard to get (the) MP4-24 (car) into a position to add to that record," team principal Martin Whitmarsh said last week.

"Many times in Formula One history have successful teams started off with a car that was not working as well as they had hoped it would, and many times have those successful teams engineered their way back to the front of the grid in impressively short order."

Former champions have little doubt that, assuming McLaren gets their act together, Hamilton can do it again. The mere fact of winning the title comes as a liberation, allowing a driver to move up to another level of confidence and maturity.

LESS PRESSURE:

"I think he has less pressure," Alonso, champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, told reporters.

"You win the championship, you will be Formula One world champion forever. Now you can enjoy more the racing, you can enjoy the races and make a mistake in one race and know that the championship is very long and there are still many races to recover.

"When you are waiting for your first championship there is a little bit more stress as well because you don't want to lose the opportunity. Once you have the championship, the rest is less pressure."

Alonso cautioned, however, that it is much easier to win back-to-back championships when the regulations are stable because a team can carry through its advantage.

Hamilton will not have that, with significant changes introduced since he won the title. A team that gets it wrong at the start of the season could be playing catch-up for the rest of the year.

The Briton will also find that, as champion, everyone will want a piece of his time, and it will take a particular focus to keep his mind on the job and his feet on the ground when surrounded by adulation and hype.

The sport can offer plenty of examples of drivers whose first title was followed by a dip, for whatever reason.

Raikkonen is the most recent example, with the Finn suffering some bad luck, but also having his motivation constantly questioned last year when he won just two races and finished up third overall.

As he made clear in his typical deadpan fashion, it was not the end of the world. He had already climbed the mountain.

"If I lose (the title), it's probably not going to be hurting as much as if I weren't to have won it," the Ferrari driver said as his campaign fizzled out.

So Bleachers, is Lewis Hamilton good enough to make it two out of three this season?

As Meatloaf once said, "two out of three ain't bad!!"

The Life of a Mancunian on Derby Day

mark andrew — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:41:53 -0500

I would like to start off by apologising for my sudden disappearance from Bleacher Report. Personal and health issues meant I had to take a little time out from my beloved writing.

However, I'm back now, and I can't see any reason why I won't be here again. I was asked by a good friend to write an article detailing what it is like to be a football fan on Derby day, and this is my first piece since returning so please, be gentle !

Imagine life without pairings: salt without pepper, cannon without ball or how about football without derbies?

Being Mancunian, it is the Manchester derby I'm going to be focusing on in this piece. I would like to point out that in Manchester, every day is derby day for both Reds and Blues all over the city.

From the day the new season fixture list is printed, there is only one event on the calendar that a Mancunian's eye looks for, and that is the home and away ties at Old Trafford and Eastlands.

Forget the big rivalry matches against Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. This is the biggest game of the year for any Mancunian football fan.

The atmosphere of the Manchester derby is created some months before the actual fixture. Workplaces become verbal battlegrounds, with the sounds of blue and red workmates winding each other up and chanting their teams songs, all in good nature of course!

As the big day draws closer, public houses advertise the big game on banners and chalk boards deepen the hunger to see your team stick one to your local rivals and of course your friends.

The shirts and scarves are out ready; you come home from work and touch the badge, hoping it is your derby day the coming weekend.

It is like being a child again, as you cannot sleep the night before the game. A bit like waiting for Christmas is how I would describe the feeling: you know your going to be tired the next day but you can't get it out of your head.

Saturday morning arrives , you see daylight through your curtains and you bounce out of bed as if you have scooped the lottery.

You receive tons of messages from friends on both sides of the city, your blue friends having a bit of banter to set the mood, your fellow red devils asking where you are watching the game.

You're so engrossed in the upcoming game you skip breakfast and head straight for the front door and to the nearest pub or the ground.

Cars pass you in the street, beeping their horns with their teams colours hanging from the windows. It's almost like a carnival without the fancy costumes and carriages. Families are divided into three: Red, Blue, and Neutral.

The city centre, pubs and bars are awash with blue, white, black, and red as kickoff draws nearer, best mates become enemies for the next three hours as bragging rights are up for grabs.

It feels so good to be able to wind family and friends up who are from the opposing side when and if you win.

I will tell you an instance of the highs and lows of Derby Day madness from experience. In 2004, Manchester City beat Man United 4-1 at the City of Manchester stadium.

I was in the pub that day with all my mates, some blue and the rest red devils. I was heartbroken. Robbie Fowler crushed us with a stunner, followed by Wright-Phillips and the rest was history.

All the City fans in the pub were chanting across the pub "You're not singing anymore" as the final whistle sounded. The usual banter followed, so I decided I'd had enough and me and the girlfriend went back to my Nanna and Grandad's house.

Of course my Grandad and Auntie are Blues. and as soon as I walked through the door I heard that laugh echo from the living room. My grandad couldn't wait for me to get home to give me the old "you may be champions but..." speech .

Then on the other side of the coin there is the joys of a Derby Day, like in 2006, where Manchester United beat City 3-1 at Old Trafford. This time it was our turn to do the chanting and the mandatory banter.

I couldn't wait to get home to stick the proverbial two fingers up at the blue half of my family. The form book simply doesn't exist in these games.

They call Manchester the city that never sleeps. That is true. It is also the city where the derby rivalry never sleeps. The passion is always burning even when it is the off-season the banter still floats about.

Sometimes it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's like marrying the most beautiful woman alive being a Mancunian football fan, but I would not change it for anything in the world nor would I pick the other side if I had the choice.

Forget the Merseyside, London, Madrid, or Milan derbies, for the Manchester derby is the best and most passionate derby in the world, and that has only intensified and increased since Sheik Mansour has piled his billions into our bitter rivals. Our hunger to show our rivals that money can't buy trophies is that little bit greater.

You can ask a United fan what they think of City fans, and they will say we hate each other and vice versa but that is not entirely true, because it is friends and family who support the opposition, so hate will never be a factor.

Ask me if I hate a City fan, and I will tell you it's more of a love-hate relationship, a bit like having a girlfriend. You can't live with them, but you can't live without them, either, as they are 50 percent of a magnificent occasion.

It is just pure passion and hunger that it boils down to and it is mainly laughs and jokes. All this is why I consider the Manchester derby to be the greatest derby in the world.

Patrice Evra Gets Four Match Ban

mark andrew — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:06:47 -0500

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has been banned for four matches and fined £15,000 after the Football Association ruled he attacked Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell at Stamford Bridge last season.

Chelsea have also been fined £25,000 because of Bethell's own conduct during the altercation, following the Londoners' controversial 2-1 win.

However, an allegation that Bethell had "engaged in racist conduct or language" was not proven, and Chelsea were cleared of that charge. Chelsea will be grateful Bethell's character has not been dragged through the mud, as appeared likely when the charges were first raised.

It is thought United assistant boss Mike Phelan was the man who claimed Bethell used racist language towards Evra but the FA clearly did not think there was enough evidence to find the Chelsea groundsman guilty.

As Bethell's employer, Chelsea would have been liable on the groundsman's behalf as the FA had already accepted they had no jurisdiction over club employees. However, while the Londoners might be reasonably satisfied with the outcome, United are unlikely to be so content.

By Evra's own admission, he struck Bethell on the head and the fact he went back and continued the row after it had been broken up went against the France full-back as well.

The four-game ban means Evra will miss the Premier League fixtures at Stoke on Boxing Day and Middlesbrough on December 29, the FA Cup third-round tie at Southampton on January 4, plus the first leg of United's Carling Cup semifinal.

United reacted to the news by condemning the ban as "excessive" and hinted they may appeal.

A statement on the club's official website, www.manutd.com, read:

"Manchester United note the announcement from the FA and are disappointed with the decision and in particular consider the sanctions against Patrice Evra excessive.

"Manchester United and Patrice will consider all options once there has been an opportunity to digest the full reasons for the decision. There will be no further comment."

Poor Weather Means No Manchester Derby on Sunday?

mark andrew — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:11:57 -0500

I woke up this morning feeling fine—err, no I didn't actually, I woke up this morning to nothing but a white window , the fog here in Manchester is immense and as I write this (2:00 pm) the fog is still as bad as it was when I rose at 8am this morning.

I live about five minutes away from the City of Manchester Stadium and usually I can see it clearly out of my window. Today however I can't even see my car out of the window.

If it is like this tomorrow, as it has been for three days and it is predicted to be the same tomorrow, I fear there will be no derby match between the Red Devils and the Blues.

It may be just as well for Manchester United actually, as United have not beaten City since 2006—almost three years ago.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news people and fellow Bleachers but I really can't see there being a derby tomorrow, which I am gutted about as I wanted to sock it to my Bluenose friends after we stuff their Arab Empire down their throats.

At least we should have the London derby between bitter rivals Chelsea and Arsenal to look forward to—22 men brawling and sent off if you will please, so the game gets nullified and takes us closer the top .

Living right on top of this situation I will bring you any news as I get it as to if the game will go ahead as scheduled.

Formula 1: Red Bull Racing Says Mark Webber Will Be Fit for OZ

mark andrew — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:36:51 -0500

With not much happening in the Formula 1 world except testing and speculation about driver lineups, the news that Mark Webber broke his leg was all that's happening in the F1 world.

The news isn't all bad though. Red Bull expect him to be on the grid in OZ in March.

Red Bull expect a fighting fit Webber

Mark Webber and Red Bull Racing expect their No. 1 driver to recover from the injuries he sustained in a road accident on Saturday by the start of next season.

Webber broke his right leg after a head-on collision with a 4x4 vehicle while riding a mountain bike in his multi-sport charity event in Tasmania.

The 32-year-old Australian has already had surgery on the broken limb, which was a success and is expected to return to his Buckinghamshire home within the next week.

Red Bull believes the lengthy rehabilitation period will sideline Webber from winter testing. This is a major setback, given the need to adapt to the very different 2009 cars.

However, the team is confident that their man will be fit in time for his home Grand Prix in Melbourne at the end of next March, the opening round of the ’09 season.

"He was treated immediately at the scene by event medical staff before being transferred to a Tasmanian hospital where a rod was inserted in his right leg," RBR said.

"The surgery was a success.

"Mark will remain in Tasmania for a few days before continuing his recovery in the UK.

"While it looks like he’s out of the winter testing programme, we fully expect Mark to make the starting grid in Melbourne next March fit and well.

"Mark has said he’s relieved to know the driver of the motor vehicle was uninjured and expressed his thanks [for] the many well-wishes from family, friends and supporters.

"Everyone at Red Bull Racing would like to add their best wishes to Mark and hope for his speedy recovery."

Webber will also have to cancel his plans to compete in December’s Race of Champions event at Wembley Stadium, something the Aussie was looking forward to, but fitness is now the main aim for March.

Sir Alex Ferguson Banned

mark andrew — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:50:05 -0500

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager, was given a two-match touchline ban and fined £10,000 last night after angrily confronting Mike Dean, the referee, at the end of a Premier League match this month.

Ferguson admitted an FA charge of improper conduct after rushing on to the pitch to remonstrate with Dean after his side's 4-3 win against Hull City at Old Trafford on November 1.

The fiery Scot will be forced to sit in the stands for the Carling Cup quarterfinal tie at home to Blackburn Rovers two weeks today and the Premier League game against Sunderland at Old Trafford three days later.

The FA Regulatory Commission said that it took Ferguson's guilty plea at the hearing and his disciplinary record into consideration when reaching its verdict at Manchester City's Stadium.

Ferguson stormed on to the pitch immediately after the final whistle and had to be restrained by Gary Neville, the United captain, as he ripped into Dean over what he viewed to be a number of poor decisions from the referee, pointing a finger in the direction of the Wirral official.

Ferguson is thought to have been particularly aggrieved that Dean failed to send off Michael Turner for fouling Michael Carrick, the United midfield player, just outside the penalty area when the Hull defender had already been booked.

United were leading 4-1 at the time and Ferguson's frustration was compounded when Dean awarded Hull a penalty after Rio Ferdinand was judged to have fouled Bernard Mendy, a decision that the United manager later questioned as being soft.

Ferguson claimed 12 days ago that the FA was "dying" to send him a letter after he was charged, although he decided against appealing at a time when the Respect campaign is being openly questioned by numerous managers. His disciplinary record appears to have counted against him on this occasion.

Last season he was involved in three high-profile incidents with referees, most notably in a league game against Portsmouth at Fratton Park in August last year. Ferguson was outraged that Steve Bennett, the referee, sent off Cristiano Ronaldo and after the teams' FA Cup quarterfinal at Old Trafford in March—which Portsmouth won 1-0—the United manager branded Martin Atkinson, the referee on the day, "a disgrace".

An improper conduct charge was not proven.

He did receive a two-match touchline ban and £5,000 fine, however, after being found guilty of "using abusive and/or insulting words" towards Mark Clattenburg, the referee, at half-time in United's 1-0 defeat by Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium 12 months ago.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have insisted that they are happy for both United and Manchester City to play at home on the evening of December 3. After discussions with GMP, the Football League has put United's Carling Cup tie against Blackburn at Old Trafford back 24 hours to the same night that City play Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Cup at the City of Manchester Stadium.

It will be the first time that the teams have played at home on the same day since March 5, 1997, when United beat Porto 4-0 in their Champions League quarterfinal, second leg at Old Trafford, and City were held to a 1-1 draw by Portsmouth in the second tier at Maine Road.

The evening passed without incident.

Local police prefer their leading clubs not to play at the same time, but with United due to play their final Champions League Group E game against Aalborg at Old Trafford the week after, before flying to Japan for the Club World Cup after their league match away to Tottenham Hotspur on December 13, it was accepted that there was little opportunity to reschedule the Carling Cup tie on a later date.

There is a busy festive fixture list and the semifinals of the Carling Cup are due to take place at the beginning of January.

United and City said that they were happy with the decision and GMP plan to deploy additional officers, particularly in the city centre, to guard against the threat of trouble.

2009 F1 Survey: Week One Results

mark andrew — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:52:56 -0500

Everyone remember the 2009 Formula 1 survey ? well here are the results as they stand after one week , the survey did'nt have as many hits as I hoped for after a week but I'll bring you the result every Sunday so we can see how the votes are going , and I will keep this Survey open until January , just for something to look forward to .

21 people voted in week one , here is the result:

1. What do you think of the new look 2009 Formula 1 cars ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Better than the old style !

10.53%

Revolting , throw them away !

10.53%

Looks ugly , but may grow on me in time !

21.05%

Im a huge fan of the new look !

0.00%

The rear wing spoils it for Me !

21.05%

Not Sure !

31.58%

Other (Specify)

5.26%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

2. Which driver do you think will win the WDC in the 2009 season ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Lewis Hamilton !

26.32%

Felipe Massa !

31.58%

Kimi Raikkonen !

10.53%

Robert Kubica !

10.53%

Sebastian Vettel !

0.00%

Fernando Alonso !

10.53%

Heikki Kovalainen !

5.26%

Not sure !

5.26%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

3. Which Team do you think will win the 2009 WCC ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Ferrari will retain it for sure !

68.42%

Mclaren !

21.05%

BMW Sauber ! Renault! Toyota !

10.53%

Red Bull Racing !

0.00%

Renault !

0.00%

Force India !

0.00%

Not sure !

0.00%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

4. Do you think the new KERS system will have an impact , and if so , how ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

It will make a huge negative impact !

0.00%

It will mak a huge positive impact !

31.58%

I dont see what KERS can bring to F1 !

31.58%

I dont really care !

5.26%

It could be a " Shocking " Move !

10.53%

I dont know !

15.79%

Other (Specify)

5.26%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

5. Driver wise , Who do you think will improve most in '09 ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Sebastian Bourdais !

15.79%

Sebastian Vettel !

31.58%

Adrian Sutil !

0.00%

Timo Glock !

15.79%

Nelsinho Jnr !

0.00%

Kazuki Nakajima !

0.00%

Nico Rosberg !

10.53%

Lewis Hamilton !

5.26%

Felipe Massa !

0.00%

Kimi Raikkonen !

10.53%

Robert Kubica !

0.00%

Nick Heidfeld !

0.00%

Not sure !

0.00%

Other (Specify)

10.53%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

6. Which team do you think will improve most in the '09 season ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Force India !

26.32%

Torro Rosso !

5.26%

Red Bull !

15.79%

Williams !

15.79%

Toyota !

0.00%

BMW Sauber !

5.26%

Mclaren !

0.00%

Ferrari !

0.00%

Renault !

15.79%

Honda !

15.79%

Not sure !

0.00%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

7. Which Driver do you think will fall off the pace this year ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Timo Glock !

5.26%

Giancarlo Fisichella !

21.05%

Kimi Raikkonen !

31.58%

Adrian Sutil !

5.26%

Kazuki Nakajima !

10.53%

Nelsinho Jnr !

10.53%

Not sure !

5.26%

Other (Specify)

10.53%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

8. Which team do you think will get worse this year ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Force india !

0.00%

Red Bull !

5.26%

Torro Rosso !

15.79%

Renault !

0.00%

Toyota !

5.26%

Mclaren !

5.26%

Honda !

31.58%

Ferrari !

15.79%

Williams !

5.26%

BMW Sauber !

10.53%

Not Sure !

5.26%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

9. Which new faces do you want to see next year ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Sebastian Buemi !

6.67%

Di Grassi !

6.67%

Bruno Senna !

40.00%

Grosjean !

6.67%

Mike Conway !

10.00%

Pantano !

0.00%

Mattheus Lauda !

6.67%

Dont know !

13.33%

Other (Specify)

10.00%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

10. Which Grand Prix are you most looking forward to in the '09 season ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

British GP !

5.26%

Belgian GP !

36.84%

Australian GP !

15.79%

Abu Dhabi GP !

10.53%

Malaysian GP !

0.00%

Brazillian GP !

5.26%

Not sure !

0.00%

Other (Specify)

26.32%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

11. Which GP are you least looking forward to in the '09 season ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

European GP , Valencia !

36.84%

Chinese GP !

10.53%

Bahrain GP !

15.79%

German GP , Hockenheim !

5.26%

Not sure !

5.26%

Other (Specify)

26.32%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

12. Moving away from the '09 season now , which Grand prix circuit would you like to see return in the future?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Imola !

21.05%

Gilles Villeneuve !

47.37%

A1 Ring !

15.79%

Indianapolis Motor speedway !

10.53%

Portugal !

0.00%

Africa !

0.00%

Nordschleiffe !

5.26%

Not sure !

0.00%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

13. Which Former driver would you like to see make a return ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Michael Schumacher !

25.00%

Takuma Sato !

16.67%

Anthony Davidson !

16.67%

Juan Pablo Montoya !

16.67%

Alex Wurz !

8.33%

Scott Speed !

4.17%

Not sure !

0.00%

Other (Specify)

12.50%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

14. where do you stand on the standardising of engines ?

% of
Respondents

Number of
Respondents

Not Happy !

73.68%

Im pleased !

0.00%

Dont Mind !

10.53%

Dont care !

0.00%

Dont know !

10.53%

Other (Specify)

5.26%

Number of respondents

Number or respondents who skipped this question

So there we have the result from week one , I'm a little surprised that people think Raikkonen will get worse next year but on the whole the results were expected, check back next Sunday to find out where we are at with the votes .

For anyne who didnt take part in the survey first time round , here is the link in case you would still like to vote :

http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=2866bb23-2044-4889-b8c8-873eb70f7825

Formula One 2009 Survey—Man I Must Be Bored!

mark andrew — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:57:43 -0500

With nothing to write about in the Formula 1 section due to the magnificent Formula 1 times keeping us up to date on whats happening in this hardly eventful break, I thought I'd do a short survey. Boredom is kicking in rapidly and I demand a one race a week, 50 race season to keep us bleacher creatures working and entertained .

Nothing to do on Facebook, except play fake poker for fake money, yes that's exciting, honestly! Nothing to do on Bebo, except play fake poker for fake money, jokers aren't they!

So I created a Survey for you to answer if you wish whilst I go out checking the eye candy and getting some shopping, I may write a football article later, but I wont be truly happy without Formula .

Here's the link anyway :

http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=2866bb23-2044-4889-b8c8-873eb70f7825

Timo Glock: I Was Passed By Three Or Four Cars, Not Just Lewis Hamilton!

mark andrew — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:22:50 -0500

As the debate over Timo Glock handing Lewis Hamilton the WDC at Interlagos on Sunday rages on, the German gives us his own take on the situation and say's he never actually knew that Hamilton was directly behind him, perfectly feasible seeing as though he was trying to keep his car in a straight line on slick tyres in the rain!

This should put to bed any conspiracy theories, but knowing Ferrari fans and Hamilton bashers, they wont want to hear it .

Toyota’s decision to keep their drivers on dry tyres when late rain arrived at Interlagos on Sunday helped set up a thrilling finale to the 2008 Formula One season. It also led cynics to question whether Timo Glock had deliberately slowed to assure Lewis Hamilton of the title. "Absolutely not," says the German…

Q: How did the rain at the end of the race affect your strategy?
Timo Glock: In the final laps we saw that we had the opportunity to make up some places due to the rain. It started to rain lightly on parts of the circuit with around six laps to go and at that stage everyone was on dry tyres.

We took the decision to stay out on dry tyres even though the intensity of the rain was increasing we were sure we could make up positions when the other cars pitted for wet weather tyres and because it was only on the last couple of laps that the wet tyre was superior. We stayed out and I was up to fourth but it was not easy in those conditions in the last laps.

Q: What was it like in wet conditions with dry tyres?
TG: It was not so bad until the final lap when the rain really began to come down very heavily and it was just impossible. It was so difficult to just keep the car on the track because it was very wet and the car was basically undriveable in those conditions. I was sliding everywhere, with absolutely no grip at all.

Q: Were you taking it easy on the final lap?
TG: Absolutely not! It was completely the opposite; the final lap was one of the hardest laps I have done in Formula One because there was no grip at all and on dry tyres it was almost impossible to keep the car on track. I was pushing really hard to keep fourth place and if you look at the lap times I was actually faster than Jarno on the final lap and he was the only other car on dry tyres at that stage.

Q: Was it the right decision to stay on dry tyres?
TG: Absolutely no doubt about it. We were running seventh before the rain came and we would have probably finished there if it had been totally dry. Instead we finished sixth so that shows the strategy was the right one.

Q: Did you realise the significance of Lewis Hamilton fighting with you on the final lap?
TG: To be honest I was racing for Toyota and my place which is the correct thing to do. I didn't even know that Lewis was directly behind me. The team told me that Sebastian Vettel was catching me and they kept me updated on his position but I was concentrating so hard on keeping the car on the track.

I didn't even know that Lewis had overtaken me until after the race. I was passed by three or four cars on the final lap and it was not easy to keep track of what was going on.

Q: This is the end of your first season with Toyota, how do you assess the year?
TG: It has been very positive for me. At the start of the season I set myself a target of scoring 20 points and in the end I have finished with 25 and a podium in Budapest, so I am very happy with that.

The first few races were a bit difficult as I was adjusting to a new car and a new team but we all worked really hard to improve and we made good progress. Finishing fourth in Canada was a big boost for me and the team but the turning point was Hockenheim, where I was really competitive in the race until the mechanical problem.

After that I was fighting high up the grid in pretty much every race and we scored a lot of points. But this is only the first step and next year I want to achieve a lot more, so we are already working hard to make another step.

So bleachers, anyone believe him? I do, I still truly believe it was a case of wrong tyre, wrong time.

Interview source : F1.Com

Fernando Alonso Regains My Respect!

mark andrew — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:29:30 -0500

Eyebrow, Nando, Alonso—call him what you like, today, this man went right back up in my estimation, it's happened twice now in recent times, the first time was at the Singapore night race on September 27th, where he won the race, waiting in the winners lounge he embraced Lewis Hamlton's hand with genuine enthusiasm.

After all that went on in 2007 with their bitter break down as team mates and friends, one could of thought these two would never look each other in the eye again, and whilst Alonso's Spanish fans have been childish towards Lewis Hamilton with racist websites and such, Alonso himself has shown himself to be very mature, much more grown up than last year.

Today incident number two happened, after Lewis Hamilton became the 2008 World Drivers Champion in dramatic fashion, Fernando only had praise for his ex team mate, "The man who has the most points at the end of the season deserves the championship and Lewis was that man, he deserves it, so congratulations to Lewis and his team"—Alonso told F1-ITV.

Now isn't this supposed to be a man who was rumoured to want to take Hamilton out to help Felipe win the WDC given a chance? I'm beginning to think it was certain people stirring up frictions again, I knew Fernando would'nt take Lewis out of the race anyway because he would of been severly punished for doing so for starters, secondly it would tarnish his already slightly muddy name and no one after Renault would then touch him.

I never thought I'd hear myself say this—but I am actually starting to like the man who was such a pain in the rectum 12 months ago—so good job Fernando, to win me back round has taken a lot.

I also gained Respect for Felipe Massa today as well, beating his hand on is chest, showing the Brazillian crowd that he is proud of how they supported his title bid this year, and vice versa, he took defeat like a true man—if only his fans and those of Ferrari could do the same.

Formula 1: 2008 Season Recap and Awards

mark andrew — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:25:09 -0400

So the Formula 1 2008 season is almost at an end, in two weeks time at Autodromo Jose carlos pace, Interlagos, Brazil and we will in all likelihood have either a Brazillian WDC or a British WDC—Felipe Massa or Lewis Hamilton.

It has been a fantastic season, thoroughly enjoyable to watch, the only blips on the season have been a few draconian penalties handed out, but overall it hasn't spoilt the season, in which we have had seven different winner's up to China—Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen, Fernando Alonso, Robert Kubica, and the fantastic young German—Sebastian Vettel.

I'm going to replay part's of the 59th FIA Formula One World Championship season and give out my own awards to each driver and teams etc., in different categories.

Melbourne, Australia:

Lewis Hamilton won the season opener from pole position in a blisteringly fast McLaren Mercedes, Heikki Kovalainen had a slight chance of making it a 1-2 for the Woking based outfit but he hit the pit lane limiter button on his exit from the final corner allowing Fernando Alonso to steal his place.

It was a poor weekend for Ferrari as Massa retired due to an engine problem, hydraulic problems hit Kimi too but he was given one pointas he finished eighthin retirement.

Other highlights were Massa running DC off the road and Coulthard's infamous X-rated rant that was broadcast across the world. Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld grabbed the final two podium slots.

Sepang, Malaysia:

A bad start to the weekend for McLaren as both Kovalainen and Hamilton were penalised for impeding Nick Heidfeld's hot lap during Saturday Qualifying, both were dropped five grid slots for the race.

Felipe Massa took the pole but Retired yet again to score zero points from a possible 20, his Scuderia team mate Kimi Raikkonen went on to become the race winner ahead of BMW's Robert Kubica and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. Championship hopeful Hamilton only managed fifth place in the sister McLaren.

Sakhir, Bahrain:

Again life started extremely difficult for Lewis and McLaren in the Persian Gulf as a smash into the barriers in free practise put Hamilton on the back foot all weekend.

It was looking rosy for Felipe Massa during Qualifying taking P1 in all three sessions, but then out of nowhere came Pole Robert Kubica to snatch P1 away.

During the race there was the incident involving Alonso and Hamilton exiting turn three in which the Spaniard's Renault seemed to slow down considerably and Hamilton flew into the back of the French Marque car.

There was uproar from McLaren and their fans claiming foul play from Alonso, but did he really brake test Hamilton? I think it's possible but more likely that the Renault was too slow at the start of the year. Later, investigation proved the Renault was just a pile of whack.

Massa went on to win the Grand Prix with Raikkonen second for Ferrari's first 1-2 of the season, with Kubica eventually coming home third.

Catalunya, Spain:

This was the weekend of the Iceman, undoubtedly he was the fastest and best man all weekend, Pole Position, Fastest lap, and the win—a perfect weekend, unfortunately for Kimi, it was to be his last great weekend as his season nosedived from the next GP. It was another Ferrari 1-2, their second of the season and second in a row.

Lewis Hamilton picked himself back up and ran home third, whilst team mate Heikki Kovalainen was laid up in hospital after burying his McLaren into a tyre barrier at over 100 mph knocking the Finn out cold. Heikki later made a full recovery and even started to look faster, if only momentarily.

Istanbul Park, Turkey:

The weekend started off sour with Super Aguri being refused access at the gates after being kicked out of the Championship due to Honda refusing to pick up their bill and supply them with engines anymore.

The Qualifying set-up was quickly re-shuffled to accommodate two cars less, Q1 five cars went out instead of six, the same for Q2 with Q3 remaining the same.

McLaren took a gamble by putting Hamilton on a three stopper due to fear of him destroying his tyres as he did here in 2007, Massa took the pole with comfort.

McLaren's decision was a great job as Lewis was awesomely quick all race, catching the Ferrari at three tenths per lap, but unfortunatly there were not enough laps to gain P1. Raikkonen ran home third in a pretty uneventful Grand Prix.

Monte Carlo, Monaco:

The usual season highlighter was a wet affair, the first rain soaked GP of the season saw Felipe Massa take a surprising pole position on a track he claimed he hated only days before. However come race day, Ferrari were penalised for not having the correct tyres on Kimi Raikkonen's F2008 within the three minute window given, he got a drive through penalty which put paid to his weekend.

Heikki Kovalainen had a mechanical fault in his gears on the start of the parade lap which meant he had to start from the pit lane ruining his race strategy. Hamilton however got a storming start to the Grand Prix and jumped Kimi Raikkonen for second place at St. Devote.

Adrian Sutil had the drive of his life and found himself in a Ferrari sandwich in P4, disaster was to strike however, when Raikkonen lost control of his F2008 exiting the tunnel and smashed into the back of the Force India, ruining the rear diffuser and ending Force India's only hope of points all year.

Hamilton later took the lead of the race and pulled out a 45 second lead over Kubica, however he gave himself a scare as he hit the barrier on the exit of tabat corner puncturing his rear right, luckily the McLaren strategist was like lightning and they moved Lewis onto a new strategy and he drove a masterclass from there on. Kubica ran home second with Massa third.

Gilles Villeneuve, Canada:

A perfect start to the weekend saw Lewis Hamilton take his most mesmerising pole of his two year career, throwing his Mp4-23 across the last two kerbs at the wall of champions which gained him a huge one tenth of a second.

However perfection was to turn to dejection on Sunday, Adrian Sutil's Force India set on fire causing a safety car deployment. In 2007, Hamilton kept his head to win here under two safety car's, however this year turned into a complete nightmare.

He pitted along with Kubica and Raikkonen, Kubica got to the red light first in the correct position, Raikkonen pulled up next to him in an alleged illegal position, Hamilton had some form of lapse and took out himself and Raikkonen, we all have our own opinion, it wont change the outcome however!

It was the day of BMW Sauber to shine as they took their first ever win with Robert Kubica taking full advantage, they also took their first ever 1-2 with Heidfeld coming home second, even McLaren would not manage a 1-2 finish in '08, up until Brazil at least. David Coulthard takes third.

Magny-Cours, France:

Another bad start for McLaren Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton is demoted 10 places for the incident in Canada, Kovalainen was also given a five-place grid drop for blocking Mark Webber in Qualifying, it was the harshest penalty of the season at this point, even Webber said he was'nt impeded by the Finn.

Raikkonen qualified on pole and was looking good for the win all race until his exhaust started falling to bits causing his Ferrari to slow down considerably, he should have been made to retire the car under those conditions but no action was taken.

Hamilton got a great start from 12th on the grid, but down at the Nurburgring chicane he got position on Sebastian Vettel and took the place only to have to back out to avoid an incident, he used the run off apron but a few laps later was handed a drive through penalty, this started mind's thinking as to if we were witnessing a witch hunt against Lewis or McLaren.

Massa came first, Kimi ran his damaged Ferrari home second with Jarno Trulli taking a fantastic third.

Silverstone, Britain:

Another wet weekend saw a perfect start for McLarenand a complete nightmare for Ferrari, with Heikki Kovalainen grabbing Pole position with half a second in his pocket over anyone, Hamilton started in fourth position and Mark Webber stuck his Red Bull on P2, Lewis got a fantastic start jumping from fourth to second by copse corner.

He later went on to dominate the race on intermediates where others needed the extreme wet tyre, Massa and Kimi spun their Ferrari's countless times, Lewis finished the GP first one minute plus ahead of second placed Nick Heidfeld, Rubens Barrichello had a dream weekend grabbing third after switching to the full wet tyres.

Hockenheimring, Germany:

Lewis Hamilton started the weekend on a high after winning his home grand prix by taking a stunning pole in Germany to give McLaren their first 1-2 on the grid, however Kovalainen could not take advantage of his P2 position, Timo Glock had a nasty shuntinto the wall of the pit straight forcing a safety car deployment, McLaren almost got it so wrong by leaving Lewis out under the safety car.

However thanks to a brilliant car Hamilton was able to push hard after his pit stop, taking team mate Kovalainen, having an audacious battle with Felipe Massa and then catching and passing young Nelsinho Piquet who eventually hung on to claim P2 ahead of Massa.

Uproar ensued as the whole world accused McLaren of using illegal team order's to get Heikki to yield to Lewis, there was no way McLaren would risk anything like that after the spygate scandal of 2007.

Hungaroring, Hungary:

Yet another perfect start to the weekend for Hamilton who grabbed pole position with relative ease, however his harshness on the tyres were to cost him dearly, Massa got a storming start off the line and passed Lewis into turn one.

The rest of the race was boring and predictable until Lewis received a frontleft puncture on his Mp4-23 which senthim back to fifthand with Felipe Massa pulling out at the front the Briton was set to lose his championship lead, but three laps from the end disaster struck in the Ferrari camp as Felipe's engine let go on the pit straight which inherited Heikki Kovalainen with his maiden win.

Timo Glock ran home second with Kimi Raikkonen third after the Finnish Champ struggled with Fernando Alonso all afternoon.

European Grand Prix, Valencia Street Circuit:

New on the Calender for 2008 and a race that most deemed boring and predictable, it wasn't that bad to be honest, not the most exciting race of the season until Felipe Massa almost hit Adrian Sutil's Force India whilst exiting the pit's, the Brazillian received a 10,000 euro fine after the race.

Kimi Raikkonen also had a hard time of Ferrari's new traffic light system, the light went green and he pulled away, taking a Ferrari mechanic with him who was badly injured from the Iceman's F2008.

Massa was the eventual winner with no one able to catch the Ferrari title challenger. Hamilton ran home second with Robert Kubica taking third place.

Spa Francorchamps, Belgium:

A weekend of controversy was on the horizons for the famous Spa circuit, Lewis Hamilton took a stunning pole position away from the supremely quick Ferrari's in Saturday qualifying, however rain on Sunday morning made the track greasy and on the start of the second lap Hamilton dropped his McLaren at la Source hairpin, giving Iceman Kimi Raikkonen the lead of the Grand Prix.

Lewis settled and started to catch the Ferrari very quickly when the heavens opened, Hamilton was closing in on Kimi at a rate of about two tenth's per lap, Lewis saw his chance into the bus stop chicane, he was forced wide by Raikkonen and Lewis cut the corner to take the lead.

Knowing a penalty was inevitable Lewis handed Kimi the place back and then attacked into La Source, taking P1 back and receiving a tap up the backside from the Finn. The following lap was absolute madness, Hamilton almost faltered at Eau Rouge, barely keeping hold of the car, then Kimi came back at the Brit, they both almost hit Nico Rosberg's Williams entering the Blanchimont corner.

Raikkonen sent his Ferrari Nose first into the wall ending all hopes of a second title, Hamilton strolled his McLaren home in first place, sprayed the champers and received the trophy, only to be stripped of his win hours later for his chicane incident with Raikkonen, handing Felipe Massa a very undeserved 10 point's and causing a huge rift between Tifosi and Silver arrow fan's across the globe.

Hamilton later had his appeal dismissed and ended up with third place behind Nick Heidfeld.

Monza, Italy:

The weekend a true star was born as "Baby Schumacher" Sebastian Vettel completed his meteoric rise to F1 stardom in style.

A bad qualifying session for Ferrari and McLaren saw Hamilton start p 15 , Kimi p 14 and Massa p 10 on the grid due to wrong tyre choices at the wrong time. This left Sebastian Vettel to grab an audacious pole position in a Scuderia Torro Rosso, supposedly the second lowest team on the grid.

Gerhard Berger was asked if the win was a dream or realistic on Sunday morning and he stated it was unrealistic to wish for a win, points were the target, my how Mr. Berger was wrong as his young star dominated proceedings from start to finish, only giving up p1 to take a pit stop.

Kovalainen was the young Germans nearest contender in the race and he was 14 seconds behind at one point, Hamilton managed to worm his way to p2 briefly but wound up p7 in the end.

Vettel finally came across the chequered flag to make history by becoming the youngest ever GP winner, Kovalainen ran home second with Kubica taking third.

Marina Bay, Singapore:

The first ever Formula 1 night race was quite a hit, something different and very enjoyable to watch, Hamilton was looking strong all through practise and qualifying and set a stunning lap time, however Felipe Massa was in no mood to hand the Brit a sniff of being champion and produced one of the most stunning qualifying laps in recent times to take pole.

It was quite a formality until Nelson Piquet spun his Renault into the wall bringing out the safety car which started off a strange run of events, Massa came into the pit's for what should of been a straight forward stop, however the pressure kicked in and the traffic light system once again failed.

The light went green and Massa took off, unfortunately he still had the fuel rig attached to his F2008, meaning he had to wait until the mechanic's run down and removed the fuel hose, this mishap sent Massa to the back of the field and put paid to any chance of scoring point's let alone a podium.

Kimi Raikkonen was going strong until the safety car too, but after he pitted he ended up in the wall in one of the most bemusing shunt's I have ever seen. Ferrari failed to score and Fernando Alonso was able to take his first win in exactly 12 month's in an underachieving Renault. Nico Rosberg grabbed his second p2 finish of the Season with Hamilton finishing third.

Fuji Motor-speedway, Japan:

The scene of Hamilton's most stunning win last yearbecame his pit fall this year, he claimed pole position as many anticipated but off the start Kimi Raikkonen got a lightning start to jump the young Briton, Hamilton tried an audacious pass into turn 1, locking his brakes heavily and running himself and the Iceman wide.

David Coulthard had rear suspension failure to pile on the misery even more on his final season in the sport. A child to his girlfriend will surely take away the pain of his worst season ever.

Felipe Massa got a bit hot under the collar and placed his Ferrari directly into the side of Hamilton's McLaren, spinning the Brit who then had to watch the whole field filter past him. Massa was later given a drive through penalty as was Hamilton for his move on Raikkonen at the start.

Fernando Alonso must of been in dreamland as he took his second GP win in a row to show Renault aren't far off being a force to be reckoned with again. Robert Kubica took second with Kimi Raikkonen finishing third.

It was a terrible weekend for McLaren as Hamilton finished p 12 and Heikki Kovalainen suffered McLaren's first engine failure in a long time.

Shanghai, China:

There seemed to be only one man turn up at the Sinopec Chinese GP 2008 and that was to be Hamilton, he dominated proceedings from Thursday practise to Sunday's chequered flag to once again prove he is top dog in F1, fastest lap, pole, and the win, a ten out of ten weekend for the Hert's born star.

Kimi took second place on the grid and the start was perfection by Hamilton, keeping out of the clutches of Kimi. He took off into the distance and was not seen again by the two Ferrari men until they were in the press conference.

It became obvious that Kimi would give Massa p2 to help his title challenge, Massa was so slow it took him seven laps to take advantage of Kimi's good will gesture.

Hamilton came p1, Massa p2 and Kimi p3, which meant that Lewis Hamilton heads to Brazil with a seven point lead in the season finale and only needing a fifth place or better finish to grab the WDC crown , leaving Massa to his own devices.

Interlagos, Brazil:

Awaiting Result.

Awards Ceremony:

Driver of the season—Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes

Surprise Package of the season—Timo Glock, Toyota

Drive of the season—Sebastian Vettel, STR, Monza

Let down of the season( Driver ) —Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari .

Crash of the season—Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren Mercedes, Catalunya

Funniest moment of the season—David Coulthard's X-rated rant about Felipe Massa in Australia

Finest Qualy lap of the seaon—Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Singapore

Team of the season— Scuderia Torro Rosso .

Rookie of the season—Nelsinho Piquet Jnr., Renault.

Comeback of the season -- Renault F1 Team .

Biggest " Oh No " moment of the season --Lewis Hamilton hitting Kimi Raikkonen in the pits , Canada .

Best Performance in the wet --Lewis Hamilton , Silverstone .

Car of the season -- Mclaren Mercedes .

Crazy Moment of the year -- Kimi Raikkonen pushing a photographer at Silverstone .

Team Principle of the season -- Mario Thiessen , BMW Sauber .

Race of the season --Italian GP , Monza .

So there we have it, my season re-cap and personal awards to the driver's and team's . It's been a fantastic season with all manner of twist's and turn's to the story, I hope you have all enjoyed this highly charged season and bring on the new 2009 season where slick tyres make their comeback and the introduction of the new KERS systems should bring the field closer together.

I just want to wish David Coulthard all the best and say thanks for many entertaining year's of the wily Scotsman.

So Bleacher's have I given out the wrong awards?

I expect to be challenged over me awarding Lewis Hamilton, the driver of the season but the truth is he really has been the best over 18 rounds of racing—Monaco, Silverstone, Germany, and China were all stunning wins that deservedly hand him the award, let's just hope he can add Interlagos to that list in a fortnight.

Formula 1, Round 16: Will History Repeat Itself In Fuji?

mark andrew — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:04:05 -0400

After the highly surprising and successful Singapore Night race, we move to the Fuji Motorspeedway in Japan, where there is a possibility of history repeating itself. That's certainly what Mclaren fans will be hoping for anyway as, last year, Lewis Hamilton dominated and his current teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, came home second in his Renault.

The Japanese Grand Prix was highly entertaining last year.

The weather was bad, the conditions were tricky, Fernando Alonso crashed out heavily whilst trying to catch teammate and fierce rival Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel was on for a podium and crashed into the back of an incredibly ill Mark Webber who was suffering from Food poisoning and was sick in his helmet all whilst running second.

The Images of Vettel with head in hands crying against a set of tyres in the Torro Rosso garage sticks in the mind. Since then, he has gotten stronger and stronger, winning his first Grand Prix in Monza, well ahead of schedule in.

I feel he is much better equipped this time around to deal with wet conditions and safety cars, if any either should be present occur.

Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica had a fantastic battle in the last few laps, almost resulting in two more DNF's as they slid into each other's paths and went off the track.

The race was nearly cancelled due to heavy rain and fog limiting visibility. If the emergency helicopter can't take off, the race doesn't happen.

Thankfully, the fog cleared up and the race went ahead; good job really as a few million brits who woke at four in the morning so as not to miss it would of been not best pleased had it been cancelled.

It was one of the more memorable races of a highly bitter 2007 season I'm sure you will all agree.

The Circuit:

The Fuji Motor Speedway is situated in the foothills of Mount Fuji, Oyama, Sunto District, and Shizuoka.

It was recently added back to the calendar in 2007 after a 30 year absence from the F1 World Championship due to safety concerns.

The Japanese Grand Prix now alternates two seasons at a time between the legendary Suzuka circuit and the Toyota owned Fuji speedway.

The circuit is used for Formula 1, JLMC, and Japan GT races.

It is 4.563 Kilometres, or 2.835 miles, in distance per lap.

There are 16 corners in all, with the famous 300 R, The Dunlop Curve, The Coca Cola section and turn 16 The Panasonic.

Lap Record: Lewis Hamilton, Mclaren in 2007 in 1: 28.193

Last Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton, Mclaren 2007.

Last Winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mclaren 2007.

My Thoughts on the title run-in:

Ferrari will be looking to bounce back here after a disaster in Singapore, where both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa failed to score. Massa was on fire in Singapore, until the traffic light system let him and the team down again. Kimi was doing great until Nelson Piquet's Renault obliterated itself against the wall, bringing out the safety car .

That was where the problems started for the defending champion, who could not find the pace to get back on top afterwards. It all ended with a quite bemusing crash into the wall after the chicane which used those silly little humps, although Kimi should not have been in that wall at all, you could see the disbelief in his face as he stood and watched.

However, you can't keep Ferrari down. As much as you may hate or love them, only a fool would write off the prancing horses. As a Mclaren fan, I'm taking nothing for granted until that trophy is in Lewis' hands come Brazil; Massa will be back in the hunt without question .

Can Lewis refrain from the errors last season that ended in that "so close but no cigar" conclusion? I think he has matured nicely this season and will take the Japanese GP this year too.

As hated as he is, no one can deny he has been more consistent this season in terms of getting the points rather than losing them after going all out; Singapore proved this as he eased the car home third.

I think it will go to the wire, but I'm certain this is Hamilton's year.

Most have written off Kimi "The Iceman" too. But, he was 17 points behind with two races remaining last year and won the title. This year, he is more or less in the same position. It will all make for an interesting finale to this great season.

If Robert Kubica can Grab the win in Fuji, it will put him within a distant chance of the title or second place; not bad to say since BMW Sauber's car has had a somewhat mixed season. I think fourth in the title will be pleasing enough for the young Pole, who has stamped his mark firmly on F1.

My Prediction for Japan :

1. L Hamilton, Mclaren

2. H Kovalainen, Mclaren

3. F Massa, Ferrari

4 . F Alonso, Renault

5 .K Raikkonen, Ferrari

6. S Vettel, STR Ferrari

7. R Kubica, BMW Sauber

8. T Glock, Toyota

So there you have it. I'm betting on Lewis extending his lead here, especially if the conditions are the same as last year.

I've predicted a Mclaren one-two, as I think history could repeat itself. Plus, it will be nice to see a one-two for the boys in silver before the season ends. If Mclaren do qualify first and second, then Heikki can be Lewis' rear gunner and steer home the 18 points, and possibly one hand on the title .

Watch out for the recently Rejuvenated Fernando Alonso, who may spoil the party. He is back on a high after taking his first win in exactly 12 months.

The Spaniard immediatly won back my respect with his performance in Singapore and his showing of mutual respect with Lewis after the race had finished; his season in the doldrums has matured him greatly.

What do you think Bleachers? Who will win, who will take a huge stride closer to the title, and who's dreams are about to be shattered? Are my predictions off the mark ?**

I'm sorry I've not been around recently to bore you all with my excruciating articles. I was taking a break. But, love me or hate me, I am back. **

My Two Fingered Salute to the Doubters

mark andrew — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:06:48 -0400

Well where do I start, a good place would be my prediction article before the Premier League kicked off, in which I made some quite bold predictions. I was told I knew nothing about football by a few people, mainly Newcastle United fans, in fact some of the language thrown at me was disgusting.

Well guess what boys? Here is my two fingered salute back at you!

Anyway before I start here is the link to my other article.

I said that Dimitar Berbatov would be top goalscorer for Manchester United, to which I was told Man United would not spend £28-30 million on the Bulgarian and I knew nothing!

So where exactly is he now? That's right, he is at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player bought for £30.75 million.

Prediction one justified, and correct.

Next, I said Manchester City were in for a fantastic season over at Eastlands under Mark Hughes. I predicted them to be UEFA Cup winner's and also qualify for Europe in the league this season, which was greeted by the old saying of again I know nothing about football.

Since then they have had a multi-million pound takeover and signed talented Brazilian forward Robinho from under Chelsea's noses!

Prediction Two almost correct and almost justified—we must see what the season brings.

I said Cristiano Ronaldo would be player of the year for the second year running, people told me he wouldn't even be a United player to get that accolade again. However, he is still at Old Trafford, and although he is injured, it's still highly possible!

Prediction three still on the cards, and highly attainable.

The one that got me the most though was the abuse I got from Newcastle United fans—I admit a couple of them were pleasant enough to say I just voted their manager to be first sacked and the club to be relegated—but there were a few passionate Newcastle fans who used extreme language towards me for having an opinion.

I do admit these were the bold and harsh predictions, but they weren't far off the truth were they?! Only a few games into the football season and Kevin Keegan announces his resignation from St James' Park, I'm sure we all know the details by now so I wont rub salt into the wounds too much by going into detail—but the top and bottom of it is Keegan has gone, and I was right in saying so.

The ship is nowhere near steady at Newcastle, and the fans calling for Mike Ashley and Dennis Wise' heads just go to prove this statement is not by any means a wild one. It will be a testing time for all involved at the club and if they want to avoid my relegation prediction coming true as well, then they need to concentrate and sort this mess out!

Prediction four not too far off correct and justified.

Are you still thinking I know absolutely nothing about football?

I know the fans up on Tyneside are as passionate as every fan out there, but this article is basically to say don't throw out disgusting abuse at someone who makes a prediction and has an opinion—everyone is entitled to one— and you may find it will come back to haunt you, a bit like this one!

That just about wraps up my two fingered salute at the people who told me I know nothing of football, a sport I've watched since 1986—as long as I can remember. But I think you will find I know my football.

P.S. This is not meant in an offensive way with the two fingered salute, it's just to make a point.

European Super Cup: Manchester United or Zenit St. Petersburg?

mark andrew — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:08:27 -0400

Manchester United will look to wrap up their second trophy in less than a month. The reigning Champions League holders take on Russian UEFA Cup holders Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Super Cup on Friday, at the Stade Louis II stadium in Monaco.

Manchester United could end this 2008/2009 season with a whopping seven trophies altogether—highly unlikely perhaps, but right now it is still on.

Last year, European champions AC Milan took home their fifth Super Cup crown—and a permanent trophy—by defeating UEFA Cup holders Sevilla 3-1. Manchester United are making their third appearance in the UEFA Super Cup, with their previous two appearances coming in 1991 and 1999.

In the 1991 edition, they defeated European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade 1-0, with only the first leg of what was then a two-legged competition being played due to the political issues going on in Yugoslavia at the time.

Eight years later, and fresh from their treble success, they were on the opposite end of the same scoreline against UEFA Cup winners Lazio thanks to a 35th minute strike by Marcelo Salas.

Meanwhile, this is the first appearance for Zenit St. Petersburg. They are still relative newcomers to the European stage, as the beginning of their first Champions League campaign will take place in the coming weeks.

This is the second time in four years that English and Russian sides have faced off in the Super Cup, as Liverpool defeated CSKA Moscow 3-1 in extra time in the 2005 edition.

United haven’t exactly gotten off to a flying start this season, but all the same, they don’t have a negative result on their ledger as of yet.

They opened their competitive campaign with a penalty shootout triumph over Pompey in the Community Shield, and after beginning their Premier League campaign with a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Newcastle, the Red Devils head to Monaco on the heels of a 1-0 away win over Portsmouth on Monday.

Of course, Sir Alex Ferguson is still without the services of the force behind United’s double success last season, Cristiano Ronaldo. He is still sidelined thanks to offseason knee surgery and won’t be available until...well, no one really knows right now.

However, his return to light training is an encouraging sign that he could be back sooner rather than later.

His absence does leave a big hole on the attacking front, and he is not the only injury concern for Fergie right now. Michael Carrick is currently unavailable due to an ankle injury picked up in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle. Owen Hargreaves will be facing a race against time to be fit for Friday’s match.

However, the skipper can take heart in the fact that the Wayne Rooney/Carlos Tevez partnership is intact again after Tevez suffered a family bereavement. He should be able to count on both Nani (who was suspended vs. Pompey) and Ryan Giggs (who had hamstring troubles).

While United are just getting into their new domestic league campaign, Dick Advocaat’s Zenit side are more than halfway through theirs. They face an uphill battle if they want to retain their league crown.

After 19 of 30 rounds, sixth placed Zenit sit on 28 points, 11 behind leaders Rubin Kazan and four points behind third place Amkar. Amkar currently hold the Champions League qualifying round slot.

Just as United spent much of the summer dealing with a transfer saga involving their star man, the same has been the case for Zenit.

Andrei Arshavin was one of the key parts of their run through the UEFA Cup. They just snuck out of the group stage as a third place team and squeaked by Villarreal (round of 32) and Marseille (round of 16) to reach the quarterfinals.

It was at this stage that they really turned it on, routing Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich before dominating Glasgow Rangers in a 2-0 final victory.

Arshavin showcased his play-making skills throughout the competition, and parlayed that into an impressive performance at Euro 2008 for the Russians.

As a result, the last couple of months have seen Arshavin in the transfer pages almost daily. Good for me and having something to write about regularly in the transfer roundup. Not so good for Zenit or for Arshavin's form.

Even in the midst of all of the hoopla surrounding his future, Arshavin has been in Zenit’s lineup for most of the season, but has contributed only three goals and four assists in the league thus far. Of course, a busy schedule can’t help much, but it certainly doesn’t help to have such distractions surrounding you.

But, contrary to how it may seem, Arshavin isn’t the only top-class talent in Zenit’s side, or for that matter, Russia’s. It’s a testament to the quality of the side that they still have the most goals of any side in the Russian Premier League (32), even with Arshavin off last season’s pace and striker Pavel Pogrebnyak limited.

Pogrebnyak was the joint-leading scorer in last year's UEFA Cup with Bayern Munich‘s Luca Toni (10 goals). He was limited this season due to a knee injury suffered in a pre-Euro 2008 friendly (an injury that also kept him from participating in the tournament).

Pogrebnyak is fit now, however, and he’ll be a major worry for United’s defense, along with versatile midfielder Konstantin Zyryanov. Zyryanov leads the team in league goals with six and is the reigning Russian Footballer of the Year.

The Super Cup should also see the debut of Zenit’s own new Portuguese star—who actually happens to be a former teammate of Ronaldo’s from their days at Sporting—attacking midfielder Danny Alves. The club just signed him from Dinamo Moscow for a Russian-record $30 million.

So, whether or not Arshavin is in the lineup on Friday, Zenit will have a team ready to give United’s defense a stiff test.

With that in mind, Sir Alex will not only be hoping that his backline stands tall, but also that United can create plenty of chances of their own.

A new striker is expected to join the ranks at some point between now and next Monday. But regardless of whether a signing happens quickly enough for the new man to be in the lineup for Friday (which might be a bit of a stretch), making Zenit’s backline work shouldn’t be an issue.

And if there is a weakness for the UEFA Cup holders, it’s the backline, which has allowed 24 goals in 19 league matches. Not shocking, but it is one of the poorer numbers in the league.

You do have to wonder how cautious Sir Alex will be when it comes to his squad selections, given that he certainly doesn’t want to rush anyone back from injury or risk getting more key players hurt. Nevertheless, expect a strong side to take the pitch against Zenit.

Both sides will definitely be taking this one seriously, and you can expect both sides to put their best foot forward. For United, it’ll be another opportunity to add to their trophy haul and provide a stern test against a quality opponent and a test against a potential future Champions League opponent.

For Zenit, with their Champions League debut just a few weeks away, it’ll be just the kind of opponent they need to face with some of the best of the best looming.

Sticking my neck on the line, I am going to predict a 2-1 win for Manchester United.

Who do you think will win then, Bleachers? Can United make it two for two this season and keep Sir Alex’s target of seven trophies on track, or will Zenit take their biggest victory to date?

Answers below, and rate, comment, and debate as usual.

Who Will Win at the New Monaco, Kimi Raikkonen or Lewis Hamilton?

mark andrew — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:59:06 -0400

So F1 community, I bet you're all quite bored with this three-week summer holiday, sitting at home waiting in anticipation for the European Grand Prix from the Valencia street circuit in the south of Spain.

It's okay for those of us who like football, too, because it all kicked off again this week, but for those who don't like football, I feel for you.

Anyway moving on to Aug. 24 and the European Grand Prix from the Circuit Urbano Valencia, what can I tell you about this place? Not much really, as there has never been a Grand Prix held at this circuit. There has been a Formula 3 race there this year, but that's it.

I've seen some onboard footage of a Ferrari GT car going round and it looks awesome. It actually reminds me of Monaco without the houses, apartments and casinos casting a shadow over the track.

This is why I'm both nervous and excited. No team has an advantage over another beyond their car's capabilities. No tyre data, no telemetry, no idea of the perfect racing line and braking points. It's safe to say that Ferrari, McLaren and BMW will be the favourites to get good results here.

I'm going to say Kimi Raikkonen has a big shout of this one (Fellow McLaren-ers, bear with me) and may take the win if fate is with him. If the car is poor, then it's going to be difficult.

Why do I feel Kimi might have his day? This Number 17 that's hanging over his head, the "Unlucky" number for Italy and Ferrari may disappear.

When Kimi won at Spain earlier this year, it put him onto that unlucky No. 17, which many drivers got to and then never won again in their careers. Can he get away fom that number on the Spanish mainland again?

It's a long shot, but fate works in crazy ways. I'll lay testiment to that, as I have seen fate play a part in my football team's past triumphs, but that's my theory on Raikkonen's side of the fence.

On Lewis Hamilton's side of the fence, though, we all know how destructive he can be on a circuit he has never raced before. He took four wins in the 2007 season at circuits he had never visited before: Canada, Indianapolis, Hungaroring, and Fuji Speedway, so I won't discount Lewis from being in with a shout just as big as Raikkonen's.

Felipe Massa? Now I don't want to upset anyone here because I rate Felipe as a big talent, but when I said Felipe will falter this season as he has in past seasons, this is where I feel it will happen.

Felipe has never been the quickest adapting to new race circuits , It's always taken him more than one attempt to win at any circuit.

I'm not saying he will have a disastrous weekend by any means. He will still score points, but I think this maybe where he loses ground to Lewis and Kimi, both of whom are exceptionally good at getting to grips with a new circuit. Kimi proved this in Turkey 2005 in a "not the best at that time" McLaren.

Others to watch out for are the usual suspects: Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, Fernando Alonso, and the two Toyotas who have started bringing themselves into play. Both Trulli and Glock grabbed a podium at Magny-Cours and Hungary, respectively.

Red Bull seem to have slipped back in recent weeks, but I'm putting my money on Mark Webber to stop the rot with an eighth place finish, Coulthard will be somewhere not too far off the points I feel, It would be nice to see them back in a bit of rich form.

Torro Rosso, I can't see making a song and dance too much. Vettel is a quick guy, but I'm imagining you have to have a front end qualifying result here just like Monte Carlo, which their car just isn't capable of right now. Bourdais is having a bit of a hard time right now too.

I'm hoping Honda can start making headway towards a better car, but I don't feel they will be shining too much just yet. They have two more than capable drivers in Barrichello and Button; they just dont have the goods needed.

Williams seem to be taking backward steps, too, which is unusual as they usually have a decent run. Rosberg has had some miserable results of late, Nakajima is handling himself a bit better than his German teammate. I think Kazuki is doing quite a decent job with limited resources.

And I expect the Force India's to be at the back end of the field too , I feel sorry for Sutil , he is much better than his car is permitting , So is Fisichella , but he has had his day to shine in the past at Renault .

Valencia Street Circuit:

5.440 Kilometres or 3.380 Miles in Distance,

The surface is smooth Asphalt,

25 corners, 11 right handers and 14 left handers.

Top speed for an F1 car estimated at 323 KMH or 201 MPH.

A good lap will be around 1 minute, 37 seconds.

My Top 8 Prediction :

1. L Hamilton, Mclaren.

2. K Raikkonen, Ferrari.

3. N Heidfeld, BMW Sauber.

4. H Kovalainen, McLaren.

5 . F Massa, Ferrari.

6. R Kubica, BMW Sauber.

7. F Alonso, Renault.

8 . M Webber, Red Bull.

I think we are in for a fantastic Grand Prix weekend, and it's going to be Lewis Or Kimi who take the spoils for me.

I hope all you bleachers enjoy the race, and as Martin Brundle says, "Formula 1 is back," well almost anyway.

Anyone think my predictions are off the mark? Or are they sound?

Is this the week Kimi gets the upper hand in the title chase? Or will Lewis hammer home his advantage?

Comment and Rate as usual.

World Football: Jamie Tandy To Sue Joey Barton Over Cigar Attack .

mark andrew — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:31:36 -0400

Football bad boy Joey Barton is now to be sued, by former Manchester City team mate Jamie Tandy over the nightclub attack in which Barton put out a cigar in Tandy's eye, which sent the youngster's career into a nosedive.

The pair were in Manchester nightclub Lucid with City team mate's for their Christmas bash in 2004 where an earlier argument turned nasty and ended in Barton's terrible actions. Barton now at Newcastle United was fined three weeks wages and barely avoided the sack over the incident.

Tandy, 23 of Whitefield Manchester was left permanently scarred in the attack and couldn't open his eye for three month's following, and was later sent out to a Danish club on loan once he had partly recovered his vision .

Tandy said " I don't see why he should get off scot free while I'm left with nothing, my eye was full of burning red ash, drink was the only thing that numbed the pain." He also said "When I returned from Denmark I broke both my feet whilst training, I split from the Mother of my children, it had all gone wrong, I just wanted to end it."

Jamie Tandy's professional career is now over and he is mulling over a contract with semi-professional team Hyde United, a major step down from the highs of almost cracking into the Premier League.

No legal proceedings have begun yet, although Barton's Lawyer's, Ralli solicitors have been informed of Mr Tandy's intentions to sue thug Barton, which should be in motion very shortly.

Barton is no stranger to controversy, he savagely beat another former City team-mate, Ousmane Dabo, showed his backside to Everton fans and recently was jailed for assaulting a man outside a Mcdonald's restaraunt in Liverpool city centre.

He has just recently been released from notorious Manchester prison, Strangeways, and upon his release held crisis talks with Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan, who decided to give Barton his fourth chance, although some people say it's a second chance, I think he has been in trouble too many times now.

Are these the kind of actions people want their children growing up seeing from their idol?

Let me know your thoughts on this latest revelation Bleacher's.

Does Jamie Tandy deserve compensation off Joey Barton for the incident which effectively sent him into oblivion on drink?

Is he just looking to hammer the final nail in Barton's footballing coffin?

Comment and rate as usual.

World Football : Solskjaer and Fowler, Head to Head, who is a bigger legend ?

mark andrew — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:52:17 -0400

I've been prompted to write this article by someone stating that Robbie Fowler is a bigger legend than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

I could not believe what I was seeing, I argued black and blue that there is not one single thing that puts Robbie ahead of Ole, the person was obviously a Liverpool fan and he is sticking up for his player but its a bad call to say that RF is better than OGS across the footballing world.

Don't get me wrong Robbie Fowler was a talented striker, I'm not denying that, but a legend above Solskjaer is the worst statement ever .

Anyway , seeing as though I couldn't get my point through in comments I decided to do a little head to head article to see who comes out on top. No prizes for guessing who wins in every sense.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Clausenegen FC 109 apps 115 goals.

Molde FC 42 apps 31 goals.

Manchester Utd 235 apps 92 goals.

Norway 67 apps 23 goals.

Total At club level: 386 apps 238 Goals.

Robbie Fowler

Liverpool FC 236 apps 120 goals.

Leeds United FC 30 apps 14 goals.

Man City FC 80 apps 20 goals.

Liverpool FC 30 apps eight goals.

Cardiff City 13 apps four goals.

England 26 apps seven goals.

Total At club level: 389 apps 166 goals.

Ok so Robbie wins the club appearances by three matches, you would expect him to, he has played at two more clubs than Ole (inclusive of his return to Liverpool).

Ole wins the appearances for country by 41 games over Fowler, and has 16 more international goals than Robbie too.

Ole wins the goal's total at club level by a pretty hefty 72 goals.

Verdict

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer clearly wins the appearances and goals section by a long chalk, so no sign of this legend Robbie Fowler.

Let's move on to the honours section, maybe Robbie will be better there .

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Premier League winner, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007. (Six)

FA Cup winner, 1999 and 2004.

League Cup winner, 2006.

UEFA CL winner, 1999.

Intercontinental Cup winner, 1999.

Community Shield winner, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007.

Robbie Fowler

League Cup winner, 1995 and 2001.

FA Cup winner 2001.

UEFA Cup winner 2001.

UEFA Super Cup winner 2001.

Verdict

Oh dear, still this "Legend" Fowler is miles behind with only five Winners medal's compared to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 15 medal's, yes that's right 10 more medal's in the cabinet.

Solskjaer wins hands down.

Please also note that Robbie Fowlers playing career began two years before Solskjaers professional career, Robbie in 1993, Ole in 1995, Ole was a sub for most of his career too, by choice, not because he wasn't good enough, which makes his achievements even more impressive.

He watched a game unfold, watched opposition defences to find out their weakness, then he would come on and exploit those weaknesses to devastating effect.

Ole Gunnar scored that goal in the UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich in 1999 in the last 60 seconds of the additional three minutes of stoppage time, that was enough to give him legendary status within the football world alone.

I walked along a beach in Australia two years after the game wearing my United shirt, an Australian was fishing and said to me , "why haven't you got number 20 on your shirt mate?" "Why?" I said, "Because that kid is a legend for what he did." That is how well known Ole is worldwide.

All this is before mentioning the rest of the success he had in his 12 years at Old Trafford. Six Premier league medal's, two FA Cup medal's, one League Cup medal, one Champions League medal, one Intercontinental medal and four Charity Shield medal's.

In light of this head to head I see no reason whatsoever to claim that Robbie Fowler is a bigger legend in the football world than Ole. Robbie Fowler even once famously dropped to his knees after scoring and pretended to "snort" the white line, referring to snorting cocaine, does your average legend use these actions?

I think not.

A legend in Liverpool and Anfield History, yes, but with not even a league medal to his name how on earth can he be classed as a legend? The sentence that he never had the right squad of player's around him was mentioned, this is just crazy talk, and to be honest it's a tad disrespectful to the other Liverpool team mates of Fowler.

I can understand how he is a legend inside Anfield, that's fair enough but outside of Liverpool? Well for me, no. And a bigger legend than Ole? Again for me, no.

But with the evidence brought before you, I would like to know what the bleachers out there think, its' your time to be judge and jury is Ole a bigger legend?

Or is it Fowler?

I know before we start that the Liverpool fans will say Robbie Fowler , but if every one who read's this article could say "Robbie" or "Ole" in the comment box, along with your comment, I'll count up all the votes soon and let you all know who wins' the battle for legendary status out of RF and OGS.

Rate too as usual, and thanks for reading.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Thank you for the Memories. A Tribute to a Legend

mark andrew — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:02:29 -0400

I know there have been many tributes to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, now known as 20LEGEND, but I thought I'd have my own say on this subject with being a Man Utd fan and a big fan of the Norwegian throughout his career.

Life and times of a Legend

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, born on 26th February 1973 in Kristiansund, Norway.

Ole completed one year's national service in the Norwegian Army in 1993, he played for Clausenegen FC youth team at 16 years old and then part time for the first team before finally turning professional in 1995 when he joined Molde FC.

Then in 1996 came his big move to Old Trafford, a defining moment in his career, one that will go down in history as an absolute bargain buy for Sir Alex Ferguson at £1.5m, and of course for Ole's worldwide recognition as an outstanding striker .

Ole made 109 appearances for Clausenengen and scored 115 goals.

He made 42 appearances for Molde and scored 31 goals.

At Man Utd he made 386 appearances, hitting the Onion bag 92 times.

He was also capped by Norway 67 times and scored 23 goals.

Honours List

Premier League winner 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2007.

FA Cup winner 1999 and 2004.

League Cup winner 2006.

UEFA Champions League winner 1999.

Intercontinental Cup Winner 1999.

Community Shield winner 1996, 1997, 2003 and 2007.

The Success Story

Solskjaer arrived at the Cliff training ground in 1996 on the back of a move from Norwegian club Molde, Ryan Giggs and other United team mates thought it was a joke, or maybe even a kid training with them for a few sessions, little did they know how big a superstar Ole was to end up.

Giggs said he went home that night and told his friends that Man United have signed the new Alan Shearer after seeing Solskjaer's first training session, where his finishing was top class. Left foot, right foot, he could score goals any which way, and he was still only a youngster at the age of 23, not as young as modern day players, but still relatively young.

His nickname The Baby Faced Assasin has stuck throughout his career, the name was given to him by media and team mates for his youthful looks and his deadly finishing technique.

Giggs's thought's proved to be somewhat right as Solskjaer scored six minutes into his United debut against Blackburn Rovers, he was a substitute in that game too. Solskjaer also impressed majorly when he came off the bench 12 minutes from time against Nottingham Forest and scored four goals in an 8-1 mauling.

Many clubs were in the hunt for the man also dubbed as "super-sub" in the 1998 season but Ole stayed at Old Trafford claiming he wanted to end his career with Man Utd, it turned out to be the wisest decision of his life as Ole was involved in the highlight of his career one season later.

He was part of the team that won the lot in 1999, Champions of England, FA Cup winners and a place in the UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou, Barcelona, on the 26/5/99.

Surely not? The dream seemed quite impossible, but close enough to smell.

After six minutes the dream started to fall apart at the seams when Bayern Munich were awarded a free kick just outside the box, Mario Basler curled the free kick round the wall and rooted Peter Schmeichel to the spot...

Disaster.

But in the 91st minute Man Utd equalised with sub Teddy Sheringham steering into the bottom corner, dream back alive , surely penalties now and all down to fate to decide if Manchester United would take a clean sweep...

Disaster almost averted.

Another Beckham corner in the 93rd minute, there is no way we can do it again, oh yes we can, Solskjaer pops up to flick the ball past Oliver Kahn and sheer euphoria descended into the stadium, Solskjaer had written himself into the history books and etched himself into every United fans heart forever...

What disaster?

The famous line "And Solskjaer has won it !!!!" is regularly seen on banners at Old Trafford, and the fans sing his song "You are My Solskjaer" with pride.

In recent times Ole has been plagued by knee injuries and had not been in first team action regularly, and on the 27th August 2007 Ole announced his retirement from football, but stated he still wanted to remain involved with Manchester United on some level, he has taken over from fellow United Legend Brian "Choccy" McClair as full time reserve manager.

On 2nd of August 2008 Manchester United held a testimonial match in Solskjaer's honour against Espanyol which was an emotional affair in which he made a very emotional thank you to Sir Alex Ferguson for his belief in him and his help in the success story. He also thanked fellow players for being the best in the world.

He came on as substitute for Carlos Tevez and nearly scored three goals before setting up Frazier Campbell for the winner. It was a fun day out for all with a carnival atmosphere.

The most amazing part was when he thanked the Man United fans claiming us to be "the best fans in the world" and for keeping him interested in football and keeping him motivated. It was pretty raw emotional stuff for any Red Devil and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

So to wrap it up all I have to say is:

"No Ole Gunnar, don't thank us, we should thank you for being a true legend, a true great, for many, many happy memories, thank you for the best night and season of our lives in 1999, life wont be the same without you and that number 20 shirt."

So Bleachers, does Ole deserve to go down in history as a legend? Has he done enough?

Lets hear some stories of where you were on the night of 26th May 1999, lets reminisce, I was in the pub steaming drunk at just over 16 years old, every time I hear or see anything to do with that night I get goose bumps.

Comment and rate as usual.

Jenson Button—Formula One Legend Or Flop ?

mark andrew — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:36:38 -0400

I want to look at why only Champions and winners are considered to be legends—do you really have to win everything available in your respective sport to be classed as a legend? In fact, do you have to win anything at all?

For me, legends come in many different forms. I don't believe that you have to be a champion to become a legend.

The word legend has been used all too often to describe champions and winners. There are examples of people who I think are legends in their own right who have'nt won a thing. Then there are people who have won things that I consider a legend but person x wouldn't.

Jenson Button—the Legend Who Never Won a Title

I look upon Button as a legend. I may get some stick for this one, but here goes.

When Jenson entered the Formula One circus in the year 2000, everyone was prepared to see the best British F1 driver since Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. That, however, never materialised, and Button still only has that one career win at the rain-soaked hungarian GP 2006 under his belt after eight years of racing

He has 1 career win.

15 podium finishes.

Three pole positions.

No fastest laps.

And a not-all-that-impressive 232 career points all from 148 F1 races.

That surely is enough to deem him not a legend, right? Wrong!

Button, for me, is a legend because if it would have been me, I'd probably have retired by now and hung my head in shame. But he still turns up, week-in and week-out in a happy, optimistic frame of mind, and is dedicated to taking the Honda F1 team back to the top end of the field where they were two years ago .

We regularly see him in an upbeat mood talking to Louise Goodman after some failure or another thats occured to his car—he is never in a negative frame of mind.

He had offers to drive for other teams that may have given him a chance of a title fight. Rumour had it that it was Mclaren-Mercedes who wanted him before signing Heikki Kovalainen, but he stayed put and is hell-bent on making Honda a force to be reckoned with again .

He could have jumped ship and gone straight to a better performing car and team. Some will wonder why he is so dedicated to his team, because Honda seem to be underachieving massivley. By the time they are back up the top end again, it will be not far off retirement time for Button and his dream of being Formula 1 WDC could all be over.

Some thought that when Traction Control was removed from the cars for the 2008 season that we would see Button shine, that he may have an advantage over other drivers as his right foot is like traction control in itself—he is so smooth on the throttle when exiting corners. That has'nt realy happened either, so it's just a poor car that he has to contend with.

Many people would say that his playboy lifestyle has affected his on-track performances. That cant be true because the "playboy" lifestyle would surely make a human more confident and more eager to impress—I think the case is more a mixture of rotten luck and poor performing cars .

So for his grit , determination, and will to fight even when he knows he probably won't win another race again—let alone a title—is why I consider Jenson Button to be a legend. It can't be easy to accept the position he is in.

The same goes for the rest of the guys at the back of the field. They are legendary the way they turn up and plug away at it, but drivers like Sutil are still young—they have a chance of a move to a bigger team in the future. Button, however, unfortunatly doesn't have a lot of time left.

Maybe I'm crazy and the only one who considers Button to be legendary. In terms of winning, he is NOT legendary, but as I have said already, I don't think you have to be a champion to go down as a living legend. The man has a big heart and he wears it on the bonnet of his Honda all the time.

It would be such a shame to see such a talent disappear into the mire of forgotten drivers, the nearly-but-not-quite-there club, and believe me he is talented—he just never had the cars or opportunities to show us what he is really made of.

Britain's only hope of a WDC now lie solely on the shoulders of Lewis Hamilton. Now don't get me wrong, I like Heikki Kovalainen, but it would have been nice if Button and Hamilton were fighting for the title, both in a Mclaren, two British drivers in the team I support would have been a dream. It's a shame that move didn't happen.

So, Bleacher Creatures, I pose this question to you all: Do you think one has to be a winner and champion to be seen in this light?

What do you all think of Jenson Button's will, grit, and determination? Is he a legend for that? Or is he a Formula 1 flop?

World Football: My All-Time Dream Team

mark andrew — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:35:40 -0400

I know this topic is a hot bed for debate, some will agree with the choices made, others won't, but I am going to pick my dream team, these choices are not made on trophies, medal's or success, just my ultimate team.

I will mention each players success and clubs played for as it wouldn't be much of an article with just names of players.

If I was a football club owner and I could pick 11 players and a manager, this would be my team:

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

People are going to start jumping on the wagon calling me biased to Manchester United, but this isn't the case, he is the best manager of all time in my eyes. His story with United is one hell of a roller coaster. He was almost on the verge of being sacked early in his career at Old Trafford, and now look, he is one of the most successful and likeable gaffers the world over.

He is responsible for some of the best purchases the premier league has seen, he brought Eric Cantona to OT for the measly sum of £1.2 million, and it paid off massively, as well as signings like Ruud van Nistelrooy.

He has 10 Premier league titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, one European Super Cup, six Charity Shields, and those two memorable UEFA Champions League triumphs.

Sir Alex fully deserves to be the manager of this squad.

Goalkeeper: Taffarel, Brazil

There were lots of keepers in mind for this. I was going to put Peter Schmeichel, but then I may as well write down my favourite Manchester United squad, so I give the keepers job to Claudio Andre Mergen Taffarel.

He is one of the big stars of USA 1994 where he only let one goal in throughout the first round and only five goals went past him for the duration of the tournament, two of which were penalties against Italy in the final. A feat still not beaten in World Cup football to this day.

He was capped 106 times as Brazil's goalkeeper. In club football Taffarel played for SC Internacional, Parma, Reggiana, Atletico Miniero, and Galatasaray before going back to Parma to see out his career.

Honours:

FIFA World Cup winner 1994.

UEFA Cup winner 2000.

UEFA Super Sup winner 2000.

Turkish Super League winner 1999 and 2000.

Turkish Cup winner 1999 and 2000.

Minas Gerais State Championship winner 1995

CONMEBOL Cup winner 1997.

Left Back: Paolo Maldini, Italy

Well there is only two men for me who can fill this spot, Roberto Carlos or Paolo Maldini. I've chosen Paolo. A shining example to the sport of football, he has a glittering career that started back in 1978 for AC Milan—still his one-and-only club.

He also took part in four World Cup campaigns for Italy, unfortunately missing out on the 2006 victory.

He is the most selected man in the history of Serie A and AC Milan, making 618 appearances for the Rossoneri. Paolo has also played in a staggering eight UEFA Champions League finals, where he has been on the victorious side five times.

With seven Serie A titles to go with it, Paolo has had a majorly fruitful career in football at both club level and International level.

Honours:

Serie A winner 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004.

Coppa Italia winner 2003.

Supercoppa Italiana winner 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2004.

UEFA Champions League winner 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007.

UEFA Super Cup winner 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007.

Intercontinental Cup winner 1989, 1990.

FIFA Club World Cup winner 2007.

Left Centre Back: Franz Beckenbauer, Germany

Ok, I know Franz was a sweeper but I'm using a traditional 4-4-2 System, surely a man of his calibre would fit in the LCB role. He is one of the greatest football players we was ever been graced with. His records do speak for themselves, he was voted third best player in the world, finishing behind Pele and Johan Cruyff.

Franz played club football a massive 560 times and scored 81 times for Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos (2), and Hamburger SV were. He also played 103 games for West Germany scoring 14 times in the process.

He is also the only player to captain three European Cup winning sides at club level, he played in three World Cups and has since gone on to have a decent managerial career with the German national team, Olympique Marseille, and Bayern Munich.

Honours (as a player):

German Bundesliga winner 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1982.

DFB Cup winner 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1971.

European Cup winner 1974, 1975 and 1976.

UEFA Cup Winners Cup winner 1967.

Intercontinental Cup winner 1976.

NASL Championship winner 1977, 1978 and 1980.

Trans-atlantic Cup winner 1980 and 1983.

FIFA World Cup winner 1974.

European Championship winner 1972.

Honours (as a manager):

FIFA World Cup winner 1990.

French Ligue 1 winner 1990.

Bundesliga winner 1994.

UEFA Cup winner 1996.

Right Centre Back: Jaap Stam, Netherlands

One of the best centre backs in the world as far as I'm concerned. There are lots of great defenders that could have gone here but Jaap Stam is the man I've chosen.

Back in 1998 Stam became the most expensive Dutch player costing Manchester United £10.6 million in a move from PSV.

Stam made 416 appearances at club level scoring 23 times with 8 different clubs: FC Zwolle, Cambuur Leeuwarden, Willem II, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, AC Milan, and Ajax. He has also been capped 67 times for his national side, scoring three times in the process.

The Bald Gladiator was a pivotal part of the Manchester united squad that won the treble in 1999. He was voted best defender in the Champions League in '99 and 2000.

Honours:

Premier League winner 1999, 2000 and 2001.

UEFA Champions League winner 1999.

FA Cup winner 1999.

Intercontinental Cup winner 1999.

Supercoppa Italiana winner 2004.

Right Back: Cafu, Brazil

No dream team is complete if you don't have Marcos Evangelista de Moraes at right back. His overlapping runs are priceless to any team, and just like Paolo Maldini, Cafu has had a great career both at club and international levels.

Cafu played 522 games at club level and scored 24 goals for six clubs: Sao Paulo, Juventude, Real Zaragoza, Palmeiras, AS Roma, and AC Milan. He was capped 156 times by Brazil, scoring five goals in 16 years.

He played major parts in Brazil's 1994 and 2002 World Cup wins and narrowly missed out on making it a third when they were beaten by France in 1998.

Honours:

FIFA World Cup winner 1994 and 2002.

Copa America winner 1997 and 1999.

FIFA Confederations Cup winner 1997.

Copa Libertadores winner 1992 and 1993.

Intercontinental Cup winner 1992 and 1993.

Recopa Sudamericana winner 1993.

UEFA Cup Winners Cup winner 1995.

UEFA Super Cup winner 2003 and 2007.

UEFA Champions League winner 2007.

FIFA Club World Cup winner 2007.

Campeonato Brasiliero Serie A winner 1991.

Scudetto winner 2001 and 2004.

Supercoppa Italiana winner 2004.

Left Midfield: Ronaldinho, Brazil

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira is one player I'll never tire of watching, although he dumped my country out of the 2002 World Cup QF, he is just mesmeric. Never will we see another Ronaldinho again.

There are players who can be just as good as him, but he is the complete footballing package with skill, pace to burn, flair, and he tries outrageous things that seem to work.

Ronaldinho has played for three clubs but is about to make that four when he pulls on an AC Milan shirt for 2008. He has made 297 appearances at club level scoring 125 goals with Gremio, Paris St Germain, FC Barcelona, and now AC Milan. He has been capped 83 times by Brazil, scoring 33 goals too.

Honours:

Rio Grande do Sul State Championship winner 1999.

Rio Grande do sul State Cup winner 1999.

Intertoto Cup winner 2001.

Spanish La Liga winner 2005 and 2006.

Supercopa de Espana winner 2005 and 2006.

UEFA Champions League winner 2006.

FIFA under-17 World Cup winner 1997.

Copa America winner 1999.

FIFA World Cup winner 2002.

Confederations Cup winner 2005.

Left Centre Midfield: Rivaldo, Brazil

Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira has one of the best records in history. His honours list is enormous and he has been a great ambassador for football worldwide. When I was growing up nearly every child I knew wanted to be like Rivaldo. He is among the 125 greatest living footballers awarded by Pele in 2004.

Rivaldo has played 519 times at club level, scoring 248 times for 11 clubs: Paulista, Santa Cruz, Mogi Mirim, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Deportivo La Coruna, Barcelona, AC Milan, Cruzeiro, Olympiakos, and AEK Athens. He has also been capped 95 times by Brazil, scoring 37 times.

Honours:

Brazillian Serie A winner 1994.

Sao Paulo State championship winner 1994 and 1996.

Euro American Cup winner 1996.

Spanish La Liga winner 1998 and 1999.

Copa Del Ray winner 1998.

European Super cup winner 1997 and 2003.

UEFA Champions League winner 2003.

Supercoppa Italiana winner 2003.

Greek Superleague winner 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Greek Cup winner 2005 and 2006.

FIFA World Cup winner 2002.

Copa America winner 1999.

Confederations Cup winner 1997.

Right Centre Midfield: Ryan Giggs, Wales

Ryan Giggs became Manchester United's most decorated player in the final of the Champions League in 2008, beating Sir Bobby Charlton's record of appearances.

Now I know that Giggs is a left midfielder, but, as with Beckenbauer, I think Giggs has the talent to play anywhere on a football pitch, plus I can't remove Ronaldinho.

Ryan has made a total of 535 appearances at club level, scoring 101 goals for his only senior club, Manchester United. He is the only player to have scored in every single season of the Premier League since it began in 1992-93.

Giggsy was also capped by Wales 64 times, scoring on 13 occasions, but like George Best, Giggs' national squad never seemed to have that edge to make it, leaving his international career out in the cold. He was Wales' captain until he retired last year to focus on club duties.

Ryan Giggs has also won every trophy except two that Alex Ferguson has won (1990 FA Cup and 1991 Cup Winners Cup).

Honours:

Premier League winner 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2008.

FA Cup winner 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.

FA Youth Cup winner 1992.

League Cup winner 1992 and 2006.

Community Shield Winner 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 and 2007.

UEFA Champions League winner 1999 and 2008.

UEFA Super Cup winner 1991.

Intercontinental Cup winner 1999.

Right Midfield: George Best, Northern Ireland

I could talk all night of Georgie Best, it's in his name. He is a true genius. A one-off footballing great. Well known for his love of booze, women, and, of course, most of all, his awe-inspiring end-to-end runs that usually guaranteed a goal.

He passed away on the November 25, 2005 and the nation came to a stand-still to mourn one of the greatest players to grace us with his talent. Old Trafford was a sea of red shirts bearing the number seven and countless tributes and flowers, showing how much he is in the heart of Manchester United to this very day.

George appeared a massive 626 times at club level scoring 240 goals. The majority of his goals and appearances came for Man Utd. His clubs were Manchester United, Dunstable Town, Stockport County, Cork Celtic, LA Aztecs (2), Fulham, Fort Lauderdale, Hibernian, San Jose Earthquakes, Bournemouth, Brisbane Lions, and Tobermore United.

George Best was also capped 37 times by Northern Ireland with whom he scored nine goals. He never won anything at international level due to him being the only real talent N. Ireland had at that time.

Best doesn't have a massive honours list, but was still one of the best. It is quite astonishing that he didn't win more throughout his career.

Honours:

Football League winner 1965 and 1967.

European Cup winner 1968.

Left Striker : Eusebio, Portugal

On my original article I had Eric Cantona here, but I got negative comments which in turn ruined the article, so although its not the article I want, I've changed Cantona For Eusebio da Silva Ferreira.

People have told me I should have Maradona on with Pele, but I'm not putting a man who literally punched England out of the World Cup, no matter how good he is.

Eusebio scored a whopping 727 Goals in 715 games just for Benfica—317 of those coming in 301 Portuguese League games. His clubs were Sporting Lourenco Marques, Benfica, Rhode Island Oceaneers, Boston Minutemen, Monterrey, Beira-Mar, Toronto Metros-Croatia, Las Vegas Quicksilver, New Jersey Americans, and Unao Tomar .

He was capped by Portugal 64 times, scoring on 41 occasions .

Honours:

League Mocambique Winner 1960 .

Portuguese first division Winner 1961 , 1963 , 1964 , 1965 , 1967 , 1968 , 1969 , 1971 , 1972 , 1973 and 1975 .

Portuguese cup Winner 1962 , 1964 , 1969 , 1970 and 1972 .

Portuguese honours cup Winner 1963 , 1965 , 1968 , 1973 and 1975 .

European cup Winner 1961 and 1962 .

North American League Winner 1976 .

Right Striker: Pele, Brazil

Pele was a true legend in every sense and he is a fantastic inspiration to all aspiring young footballers—a true professional.

Like I said about Cafu before, no Dream Team is complete without Edison Arantes do Nascimento. He has an astonishing array of records in both club and international football, making 669 appearances at club level scoring 626 goals for two clubs: Santos and New York Cosmos.

He was capped 92 times by Brazil, scoring 77 times. His honours and achievements are colossal. He played in four World Cups, being on the victorious side three times.Honours:

Campeonato Paulista winner 1958, 1960, 1961, '62, '64, '65, '67, '68, '69 and '73.

Torneio Rio-sao Paulo winner 1959, 1963 and 1964.

Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa winner 1968.

Taca Brasil winner 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965.

Copa Libertadores winner 1962 and 1963.

Intercontinental Cup winner 1962 and 1963.

South American Recopa winner 1968.

NASL Championship winner 1977.

FIFA World Cup winner 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Roca Cup winner 1957 and 1963.

So Bleachers What do you think of my dream team?

Who would be in your dream team?

Let us know in the comment boxes below what you think of my decisions, rate as usual too please.

I wanted to keep Eric Cantona as he is a personal favourite, but I got negativity over it, so I chose Eusebio instead. Just as it seems a crime to put who you want in your own dream team just because others don't like that choice.

But that just means that one day you will have to put up with a full article on Eric Cantona.

Lewis Hamilton: Night Race in Singapore Will Be Tricky

mark andrew — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:29:44 -0400

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton predicts that the Singapore night race on Sept. 28 will be tricky, technical, and very testing for each driver on the grid.

It may be the toughest test since his first race in 2007 in Melbourne, where he burst onto our TV screens emphatically.

Not only do the drivers have to contend with learning the new track, they must do it under the humid night sky of the lion district of Singapore.

"It is difficult to imagine what a night race will be like, then with brick walls everywhere too, I think it will be very technical and very tricky for overtaking, with the shadows off the lights," said the 23-year-old Herts-born racer.

The circuit runs along the Central Business district of the city, and Hamilton plans to get there early to understand the track.

"I'll get there early and walk the track with my engineers and size up the circuit in preparation," he said. "For me, I see this as a distinct advantage, as I learn circuits so quickly."

We all know how Lewis coped when he visited Montreal and Indianapolis for his very first time in the 2007 season.

Singapore Street Circuit, Marina Bay

Okay, so let us take a look at what we are in for when the Singapore Grand Prix makes its first appearance.

5.067 Kilometres or 3.148 Miles in length.

23 corners in total:

Republic Boulevard, Raffles Boulevard, Nicoll Highway, Stamford Road, St. Andrews Road, Anderson Bridge, Esplanade Drive, and Raffles Avenue are the named corners/sections of the circuit.

A temporary track will be used as the pit lane exit, which will travel under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge to Republic Boulevard. The cars will rejoin the circuit at Raffles Boulevard.

The qualifying and second practise sessions are to be held at night, too. The testing and first practise sessions will be performed during the day to allow the drivers to get a feel for the circuit layout.

The drivers will have to change their sleeping patterns slightly, too. They are so used to being early birds, usually. They will have to time it just right to make sure of maximum alertness and awareness when it's time to race.

There have been safety concerns raised; however, it will still go ahead as scheduled. As long as they keep the fans and seating arrangements at a safe distance from the cars, there should be no problems.

The biggest problem could be tyre temperatures. If it's a cooler night than Singapore is used to, then it will be difficult to get sufficient heat in the tyres. If it's one of Singapore's warmer nights, then we could be seeing tyres reaching the graining phase a lot quicker.

Crashes could pose a problem, too, with no run off areas, if a car crashes or retires for some reason, then it could prove more difficult than Monaco to remove the cars, so we could see a safety car at some point of the race.

All in all, it's an exciting prospect for every Formula 1 fan across the globe and another huge step in the regeneration of the sport as we move forward in this modern era.

I can't wait for Sept. 28, can you?

Tell me your thoughts on this night race, Bleachers. Is a night race too dangerous? Should we have more than one night race on the calendar?

Who do you think will win the first-ever night race? As always, rate and comment please.

Sebastian Vettel Leads Formula One Testing in Spain

mark andrew — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:14:28 -0400

The first half of a four-day Testing session at the Circuito De Jerez in the south of Spain raised a few eyebrows. Young German hotshot Sebastian Vettel continued his fine run of form.

He was fastest on Tuesday, when eight of the 10 teams ran. He was also fastest on Wednesday, where nine of the 10 teams tested.

Only two of the seated F1 drivers participated on Tuesday, Vettel and Jarno Trulli, but let's not take away the stellar job that the young German is doing right now.

To beat a McLaren, Ferrari, Toyota, and Red Bull takes some doing, even if it is the test drivers, as opposed to the first team drivers, carrying out duties.

Then on Wednesday, some of the regular F1 drivers were on the circuit. Vettel again topped the time sheets with another outstanding drive.

Test Times for July 22

Sebastian Vettel - STR - 94 Laps - 1:19.844

Gary Paffett - McLaren - 80 Laps - 1:20.179

Luca Badoer - Ferrari - 69 Laps - 1:20.679

Nico Hulkenberg - Williams - 58 Laps - 1:20.953

Sebastien Buemi - RBR - 110 Laps - 1:20.977

Romain Grosjean - Renault - 71 Laps - 1:21.223

Jarno Trulli - Toyota - 96 Laps - 1:21.459

Alexander Wurz - Honda - 84 Laps - 1:21.596

Test Times for July 23

Testing in this session was done under 2009 racing regulations, where the drivers used slick tyres and reduced aero packages. It was a good indication that we may be watching quite quicker cars next season, judging by the time differences between session one and session two.

Sebastian Vettel - STR - 100 Laps - 1:18.843

Pedro De La Rosa - McLaren - 122 Laps - 1:19.081

Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 76 Laps - 1:19.446

Nico Rosberg - Williams - 112 Laps - 1:19.861

Mark Webber - RBR - 105 Laps - 1:20.021

Alexander Wurz - Honda - 77 Laps - 1:20.416

Jarno Trulli - Toyota - 81 Laps - 1:20.534

Vitzantonio Liuzzi - Force India - 102 Laps - 1:20.577

Nelson Piquet - Renault - 99 Laps - 1:20.827

Christian Klien - BMW Sauber - 89 Laps - 1:20.866

Not much to go off, as there is no race at Jerez, but Sebastian is showing he is worth every penny of that Red Bull Racing contract for next season.

Jarno Trulli didn't make much of a showing by finishing seventh out of eight on Tuesday and seventh out of 10 on Wednesday, but we all know what the Italian's capabilities.

Sebastian Grosjean of France had a decent outing, to say he never drove at Jerez before Tuesday. Flavio Briatore has decided to give him another outing in Friday's test session.

"It was my first time here in Jerez, and so I had to learn the track this morning and worked gradually with the team, improving the car throughout the day. It feels amazing to drive this car, and I was glad I had the chance to work with the team again," said Grosjean.

Ferrari had a decent outing, taking third place in both tests. Luca Badoer was testing Slick tyre setup on Tuesday, then World champion Kimi Raikkonen took over on Wednesday running on the new grooved 2009 tyres.

McLaren were second on both days with Gary Paffett and Pedro De La Rosa giving polished performances in the Mp4-23.

Timo Glock will return to his Toyota tomorrow after his horror smash at Hockenheim on Sunday.

"I am looking forward to getting back in the car; It is an important test, and I'm pleased I can contribute" declared the 26-year-old German rookie.

So what do you think of Sebastian Vettel's continuing improvements? Are we looking at another future german WDC? Comments and ratings, please, fellow Bleachers.

I will bring you Thursday's and Friday's results as soon as they come in.

Lewis Hamilton Shoots for the Triple at Hungarian Grand Prix

mark andrew — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:20:31 -0400

So on we move in the Formula 1 world championship battle to the scene of much controversy in the 2007: the Hungaroring in Budapestfor the Hungarian Grand Prix.

I predicted that Lewis would win Silverstone and Hockenheim, and I must ask: is it really possible that we can see a triple from Hamiltonafter watching him win at the last two Grand Prix?

This feat has not seen in F1 since Schumacher took the U.S., Magny Cours, and Hockenheim in a row in 2006.

Drivers Standings After 10 Rounds

Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes - 58 points.

Felipe Massa - Scuderia Ferrari - 54 points.

Kimi Raikkonen - Scuderia Ferrari - 51 points.

Robert Kubica - BMW Sauber - 48 points.

Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 41 points.

Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren Mercedes - 28 points.

Jarno Trulli - Toyota - 21 points.

Mark Webber - Red Bull Racing - 18 points.

Fernando Alonso - Renault - 13 points.

Rubens Barrichello - Honda - 11 points.

Nelson Piquet - Renault - 10 points.

Nico Rosberg - Williams - 8 points.

Kazuki Nakajima - Williams - 8 points.

David Coulthard - Red Bull Racing - 6 points.

Sebastian Vettel - STR - 6 points.

Timo Glock - Toyota - 5 points.

Jenson Button - Honda - 3 points.

Sebastian Bourdais - STR - 2 points.

McLaren seem to be on top of things right now. They have a brilliant car with huge pace, great team morale, two fantastic drivers working as a unit, and Ferrari are falling back to help the cause.

It's still a fantastic season. Every driver (excluding Fisichella and Sutil) has scored points, although it would have been different had Super Aguri not been kicked out; they had no points before their demise.

It was here last season that Fernando Alonso blocked Lewis Hamilton in the pit lane during Q3 and prevented the young Briton from completing another flying lap.

Alonso was demoted five grid places from pole to sixth, and Hamilton promoted to pole position, from where he dominated the race throughout to win.

The Hungaroring is quite a special place for Britain. We saw Jenson Button take his first and only Grand Prix win here in 2006 after a wet race threw proceedings into disarray. It was the Hungaroring’s only wet Formula 1 race in history. Then, there was that special win last year for Lewis.

The Hungaroring is situated in Mogyorod, a place not far from the capital of Budapest. It was voted ahead of Budapest itself as the third nicest place in Hungary to visit.

The circuit is referred to as Magyjar Nagydij. It became the first GP to be held behind the Iron Curtain in 1986, and Brazilian Nelson Piquet won. after an enormous battle with Ayrton Senna . The track also holds the record for the quickest race circuit built, as construction only took eight months.

It underwent changes in 1989, removing the chicane after turn three, the pit straight was lengthened by 200 metres, and the hairpin of turn one was tightened to aid overtaking manouvres.

The Hungaroring has a virtually flat surface with only one area of the circuit having elevation change just after turn three.

The Circuit

4.381 Kilometres, 2.722 Miles in length.

There are 16 corners in total.

70 racing laps with the drivers traveling 306.880 km during a race.

It is used for GP2 races and F1 races only. It was previously used for DTM and FIA GT Races, too. There is also a drag race each month in which members of the public participate.

Lap record: Michael Schumacher, Scuderia Ferrari, 2004 with a 1:19.071.

Last Pole Position - Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes, 2007.

Last Winner - Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes, 2007.

Last 10 Winners

Lewis Hamilton, 2007.

Jenson Button, 2006.

Kimi Raikkonen, 2005.

Michael Schumacher, 2004.

Fernando Alonso, 2003.

Rubens Barrichello, 2002

Michael Schumacher, 2001.

Mika Hakkinen, 2000.

Mika Hakkinen, 1999.

Michael Schumacher, 1998.

My Race Prediction for 2008

1. L Hamilton, McLaren

2. K Raikkonen, Ferrari

3. N Heidfeld, BMW Sauber

4. H Kovalainen, McLaren

5. F Massa, Ferrari

6. S Vettel, STR

7. R Kubica, BMW Sauber

8. F Alonso, Renault

9. M Webber, RBR

10. D Coulthard, RBR

I have had two winners predictions in a row correct now. Could it be my triple in predictions too? I hope so. If I am right, Lewis will start building a comfortable lead.

I truly believe Hamiltoncan take another 10 points at the Hungaroring. He is on fire, and it's going to take some special driving from the rest of the field to peg him back.

I think Kimi will find his way back again, too, but the Ferrari's will still not be on McLaren's level, as they have found the MP4-23's sweet spot. Plus, with the new package that's waiting for them at Hungary, they will be super quick .

Sebastian Vettel also seems to have a spring in his step. After signing for Red Bull Racing from 2009 onwards, we should watch out for him again here. He is out to prove himself further. He is punching well and truly above his weight, and long may it continue.

So Bleachers, I've laid my cards on the table early, are my predictions realistic? Can Lewis take the treble? Who do you think will win? Comment on and rate the article too, please, Bleachers.

Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen: Formula One's Most Comparable Drivers

mark andrew — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:38:25 -0400

Lately on Bleacher Report, many people (me included) have been comparing F1 drivers, most notably Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

That got me thinking about how we have all have failed to compare the two most comparable Formula One drivers of all time: Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.

Both were born in Finland, both know only one speed and that is completely flat out, both are world champions, both have a remarkably similar record in F1, and both like to keep a low-key personal life away from the media attention, although that seems a trait all Finnish drivers have.

I know Kimi is still racing, so people might ask why am I comparing these two. If Kimi wins the 2008 WDC, it will make him virtually even in every sense with his fellow legendary countryman.

Mika Pauli Hakkinen

Born: Sept. 28, 1968

Hometown: Vantaa, Helsinki metropolian area, Finland.

Born to Harri Häkkinen, a part-time taxi driver and radio operator, and Aila Häkkinen who was a secretary. Mika also has a sister named Nina.

Marital Status: Rumours floated around that Mika and wife Erja were to divorce early this year, but nothing more has been said. They have two children, Hugo and Aina-julia.

Kimi Matias Raikkonen

Born: Oct. 17, 1979.

Hometown:Espoo, Finland.

Born to Matti Raikkonen, a road builder, and Paula Raikkonen, an office clerk. Kimi has a brother called Rami who is also involved with motorsports as a rally driver .

Marital Status : Married to Jenni (Dalhman) Raikkonen, they as of yet have no children but rumours are they are planning a family away from the spotlight after Kimi retires.

The Comparisons

A * sign denotes as of British GP 2008, as Kimi Raikkonen still races.

World Drivers Championships:

Mika Hakkinen - two (1998 and 1999)
Kimi Raikkonen - one (2007) *

Mika is ahead here but kimi could be even with his fellow countryman should he win the season that is in progress now , quite comparative in the titles department although you could argue kimi is more on course as hakkinen won 2 titles in 10 years , kimi has 1 in 7 years .

Teams Driven For :

Mika Hakkinen - 2 Lotus + Mclaren Mercedes.
Kimi Raikkonen - 3 Sauber Petronas , Mclaren Mercedes + Scuderia Ferrari *

Active Years As Formula 1 Drivers:

Mika Hakkinen - 10 1991 - 2001 .
Kimi Raikkonen - 7 2001 - Present .*

If rumours are true, then Mika will have raced for a year longer than kimi should Mr Raikkonen call it a day after 2009 .

Races Driven

Mika Hakkinen - 165 ( 161 starts )
Kimi Raikkonen - 131 ( 130 starts ) *

Again if those rumours are true of Kimi's departure, then they will have roughly the same race experience under their belts.

Race Wins

Mika Hakkinen - 20
Kimi Raikkonen - 17 *

Kimi looks well on course to surpass Mika in this category. With over a year left in F1, I see Kimi winning more than the three races needed to equal Mika's race victories.

Podium Finishes

Mika Hakkinen - 51
Kimi Raikkonen - 53*

Kimi already has the upper hand with podium finishes over The Flying Finn, and looks well set to dwarf this record.

Career Points Earned

Mika Hakkinen - 420
Kimi Raikkonen - 504 *

Another category the Iceman has covered already by a hefty 84 points, surely set to get even bigger. although Mika has a slight disadvantage in this category due to the old points scoring system which was harder to earn points with only the top 6 being awarded points as opposed to the new system which rewards the top 8 drivers .

Pole Positions

Mika Hakkinen - 26
Kimi Raikkonen - 16 *

This one is going to be very close by the end of Kimi's career. He has 11 to go to take this category, but as we all know, grabbing pole ain't easy.

Fastest Laps

Mika Hakkinen - 25
Kimi Raikkonen - 31 *

Kimppa takes this one too. Kimi is very fast on flying laps and has proved so time and time again. His most impressive lap record has to be the Hockenheimring in 2004 in his v10 McLaren Mercedes where he recorded a time of 1:13.7 s

Both have similar stories too. One starts out quite sad and ends in a dream; the other started happy and ended sad.

It is known that Kimi Raikkonen's parents had little money when he and his brother were young, they had to get by on what resources they had. They couldn't even afford an indoor toilet in their house and had to use an outdoor toilet instead—in cold Finland!

All this to support their two son's dreams and ambitions. My, how it paid off. They never need to worry about a thing again, thanks to their son making it to the dizzy heights of the Formula 1 world.

He is now the second highest paid F1 driver; he was the highest until Alonso returned to Renault in 2008 and demanded more than the Finn for his services.

My thoughts on Kimi completely changed after reading the story of his childhood. After the incident with the photographer, I did not much like him and I was guilty of being very hard on Kimi. Then I thought, we all make mistakes. It was still wrong to do what he did but it was a blip, and everyone has them.

Mika's childhood was not an unhappy one; his father had to work two jobs to support his son, but many Formula 1 drivers' fathers have taken on extra work so as to not feel the pinch of this highly expensive sport, but Hakkinen was a happy child.

However, Mika suffered a cruel stroke of bad luck after his career, when his French home burst into flames due to a light in his trophy cabinet short circuiting, destroying his entire F1 trophy collection in the process. Money can't replace that kind of loss. He cannot go out and win them all back again.

They are still two of the very best to grace this sport. If Kimi had of got that pinch of luck needed over the years, then this article would not have been relevant , written or thought of, because he has been so close to a couple of WDC's but never managed to pull it off.

I was astonished when I looked into it how close these two are in terms of stats and more or less everything else, too. I thought I had to share this with all the fellow Bleachers.

So what do you think, fellow Bleachers ? Are my findings and comparisons more realistic than any of the others we have spoke about? Let me know your thoughts !!

PLEASE DONT FORGET TO STAR THIS ARTICLE APPROPRIATELY, AND IF IT DESERVES ONE, PICK OF THE DAY TOO, BY USING THE ORANGE BOX NEAR THE PICTURE OF THE ARTICLE . THANK YOU.

Top 10 Formula One Drivers Of All Time

mark andrew — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:03:55 -0400

Here Is my latest installment of "My Favourite Top 10." Last time out, it was my Favourite 10 Grand Prix Circuits. This time, it's my Top 10 Favourite Formula One Drivers of All Time.

Before I start however, I would like to reiterate this is my personal opinion. There is no right or wrong when people make a list of their favourite drivers. I've seen a couple of people criticised over their choices on this site, and I can't understand why .

Some people just dont grasp the fact that this type of article is a way of letting other people know what you think of drivers past and present. It's not a statement saying these are factually the best ever, but merely a personal tribute to person x's Favourites.

Also note, my choices are not based on WDC's or any other achievements. Each is based on my thought and on personal merits.

Here we go:

10. Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil)

Emerson Fittipaldi doesn't have the most glittering Formula 1 CV, but he is still a two-time world champion and a master at his trade, so he gets my No. 10 spot. Amusingly enough, he also had a 10-year F1 career to go with his No. 10 slot.

He drove for three teams over his career: Lotus, McLaren and Fittipaldi Automotive.

149 races with 144 starts.

He is a two-time WDC (1972 and 1974).

14 wins, 35 podium finishes, 281 career points, six pole positions, six fastest laps.

First GP was the 1970 British GP, First win was the 1970 United States GP, last win was the 1975 British GP, and his last race was the 1980 United States GP.

9. Sir Jackie Stewart (Great Britain)

Sir John Young Stewart, the Flying Scot, is one of Britain's best-loved former F1 drivers. He makes number 9 and still remains a figure in the sport to this very day as a safety advocate.

His F1 career spanned 12 years. He was also the principal of The Stewart F1 Team in partnership with his son, Paul, from 1997-99 .

He drove for two teams over his career: BRM and Tyrell.

100 Races with 99 Starts.

3 WDCs in 1969, 1971, and 1973 .

27 wins, 43 podium finishes, 360 career points, 17 pole positions, 15 fastest laps.

First GP was South Africa 1965, his first win was the Italian GP in 1965, last win was Germany 1973, and his last race was The United States GP 1973.

8. Niki Lauda (Austria)

Still probably the best Austrian driver ever seen in many people's eyes, Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda makes it to No. 8 on my list and had a remarkable points haul in his 11-year F1 career. He even had a two-year break from racing between 1979 and 1982. Niki also has an astonishing pole to win conversion rate.

He drove for five teams in his career: March, BRM, Ferrari, Brabham, and McLaren.

177 races with 171 starts.

Also has 3 WDCs (1975 , 1977 and 1984).

25 wins, 54 podium finishes, 420.5 career points, 24 pole positions, 24 fastest laps .

First GP was the 1971 Austrian GP, his first win was the 1974 Spanish GP, last win was the 1985 Dutch GP, and his last race was the 1985 Australian GP.

7. Sir Jack Brabham ( AUSTRALIA ) .

Brabham was one of the most successful Australian Formula One drivers along with Bruce McLaren. Brabham's career spanned 15 years, and he makes it in at No. 7 on my list.

He drove for three teams over his career: Cooper, Rob Walker, and, of course, his own Brabham racing teams.

128 Races with 126 Starts.

Another three-time WDC (1959, 1960 and 1966).

14 wins, 31 podium finishes, 261 career points, 13 pole positions, and 12 fastest laps.

First GP was The 1955 British GP, first win was the 1959 Monaco GP, Last win was the 1970 South African GP, and his last race was the 1970 Mexican GP.

6. Mika Hakkinen (Finland)

Michael Schumacher's biggest rival and main threat between 1998 and 2001, Mika Pauli Hakkinen makes No. 6 on my list.

I wish I could have placed Mika higher up the list, but sixth is where he goes. Schumacher even said Mika was the rival he respected most. Mika had a 10-year career in F1, and he is still the most successful Finnish F1 driver, unless Kimi Raikkonen wins the 2008 WDC.

He drove for two teams over his career: Lotus and McLaren.

165 races with 161 starts.

2 time WDC in a row (1998 and 1999) .

20 wins, 51 podium finishes, 420 career points, 26 pole positions, 25 fastest laps.

First GP was the United States GP in 1991, first win was the 1997 European GP , last win was the 2001 United States GP and last race was the 2001 Japanese GP .

5. Alain Prost (France) .

Alain Marie Pascal Prost makes it to No. 5 on my list. Many people will argue that he should be much higher than this. On a statistically based top 10 list, then yes; but this isn't a stats-based list, it's a personal favourite list, so five is where he sits. He had a glittering 13-year career.

He drove for four teams in his career, all of them the top teams in F1: McLaren, Renault, Ferrari, and Williams.

202 races with 199 starts.

4-time WDC (1985 , 1986 , 1989, and 1993).

51 wins, 106 podium finishes, 798.5 career points, 33 pole positions, 41 fastest laps.

First GP was the 1980 Argentine GP, First win was the 1981 French GP, Last win was the 1993 German GP, and last race was the 1993 Australian GP.

4. Nelsinho Piquet Sr. (Brazil)

Nelson Piquet Souto Maior takes No. 4 on my list. He had a 13-year career in F1 and still remains one of the most popular Brazillian F1 drivers the sport has seen. Let's hope his son can reach the heights of his legendary father.

He drove for six teams during his career: Ensign, McLaren, Brabham, Williams, Lotus, and Benetton.

207 races with 204 starts.

3 time WDC (1981, 1983, and 1987) .

23 wins, 60 podium finishes, 485.5 career points, 24 pole positions, 23 fastest laps.

First GP was the 1978 German GP, first win was the 1980 United States GP West, last win was the 1991 Canadian GP, and last race was the 1991 Australian GP.

3. Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina)

"El Chueco" or "El Maestro" takes No. 3 on my list. He dominated the first decade of Formula 1 racing, and he was a staggering 39 years old when he raced his first F1 WC race in 1950. He took an astonishing four titles in a row, yet was only racing for eight years in F1.

He drove for four teams during his career: Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, and Ferrari.

52 races with 51 starts.

5 time WDC (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957).

24 wins, 35 podium finishes, 277.64 career points, 29 pole positions, 23 fastest laps.

First GP was the 1950 British GP, First win was the 1950 Monaco GP, last win was the 1957 German GP, and his last race was the 1958 French GP .

2 . Michael Schumacher (Germany)

Definately Formula 1's most successful driver in terms of WDC's and records, but Michael is not my No. 1 of all time; he is second. ,

This is mainly due to the fact that Michael had a tendency to let himself down. Without doubt, he was an awesome driver, a master behind the wheel of an F1 car, but he cheated a few times (Purpose collision with Hill, and Villeneuve and his tricks at Monaco, plus the way he was bigger than the Ferrari Team) .

This is one of the two things that have kept him off the very top spot of my list. The other is the fact that the winner is my absolute hero. Michael had a glittering 15-year career in F1.

He drove for three teams over his career: Jordan, Benetton, and Scuderia Ferrari.

250 races with 248 starts.

7 Time WDC (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004).

91 wins, 154 podium finishes, 1,369 career points, 68 pole positions, 76 fastest laps.

First GP was the 1991 Belgian GP, first win was the 1992 Belgian GP, last win was the 2006 Chinese GP, and last race was the 2006 Brazillian GP.

1. Ayrton Senna (Brazil)

We are here. Ayrton Senna Da Silva is my No. 1 favourite F1 driver of all time. I've said many times that I couldn't really split Ayrton and Schumi, but when push comes to shove, I've chosen Senna over Michael.

The thing that actually ended up being the deciding factor in splitting these two was when Ayrton stopped his car in the middle of the blanchimont corner at Spa Francorchamps to tend to Frenchman Eric Komacs after he had crashed horrifically.

Why would a F1 driver, who could of been on for a fantastic result stop his car to tend to someone else, knowing another driver was going to take the win? Because he was a true professional, a true sportsman, and a nice man all-around. He was a real legend.

Would we see Michael Schumacher doing this No, Michael had many opportunities over the years to tend to stricken F1 drivers. He could have stopped to tend to Ayrton himself as he lay dying on the Imola Circuit, but he drove on and was eventually given the win by default.

Ayrton won The Monaco Grand Prix a staggering six times. No man has done that before. Only two men have come close with 5 each (Hill and Schumacher).

Ayrton drove for four teams over his career: Toleman, Lotus, McLaren and Williams.

162 races with 161 starts .

3 time WDC winner (1988 , 1990, and 1991) .

41 wins, 80 podium finishes, 614 career points, 65 pole positions, 19 fastest laps.

First race was the 1984 Brazillian GP, first win was the 1985 Portuguese GP, last win was the 1993 Australian GP, and his last race was the tragic 1994 San Marino GP.

Note

There were a few other drivers who I had in mind for this list, including Jim Clark, Graham Hill , John Surtees, Albert Ascari, Bruce McLaren and even Damon Hill. Unfortunately, they didn't make it, but are all still true legends in their own rights .

Finally...

We can debate as much as we like about is Michael the best? Is Ayrton the best? We must remember that Michael drove a completely different car for most of his career.

Ayrton never had the luxury of these seven-speed sequential gearboxes that Michael was so used to; instead he had to use manual gearboxes like you would find in a road car.

So to win three WDCs, all in a car where his thoughts weren't entirely on the track in front of him but he had to change those heavy gears as well, is quite an achievement.

Michael also had the luxury of clearly being the best by a huge margin during his Ferrari domination era where he won four titles in a row.

No one could match him or his machine, so his majority of WDCs were easy compared with champions who went before.

Also Michael got to pick his teammates, which I think is wrong. That surely made him bigger than the team.

He was also gifted a fair few wins because his teammates were told to slow down to allow Schumi past. Could you see such a thing happening between Prost And Senna? I feel not!

Some feel this damaged the sport of Formula One, because it was just like an advert for Ferrari and Schumacher. I wouldnt be so harsh as to say it was Michael who damaged the sport, rather a combination of Michael being great behind the wheel and the rest of the field not so great.

Senna, on the other hand, was plying his trade in an extremely competitive field with the likes of ex-teammate Alain Prost, who was highly successful during this period. At this time, Schumacher was merely a boy learning.

Some also think that the reason we think upon Senna as the greatest was because we watched him tragically lose his life, live on our TV screens. I can't speak for every Senna fan out there, but that is as far from the truth for me as you can get. In fact, I would call that an insult to Ayrton's memory that people think this.

I do believe that the record books would be completely different had Senna not been killed at Imola in 1994. Indeed Schumacher, would not have had it all his own way.

Some say Senna was at the end of his career when he died, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I beg to differ.

At 34 years old, he easily had another one or two seasons left in him and ultimately one or two more WDCs. This would have taken him to four to five titles, which in turn would have meant Schumacher may not have had seven altogether .

Ayrton Senna is my No. 1 for his natural ability against the very best in the sport. His charisma, his sportsmanship, his raw pace in the most dangerous cars, but most of all his ability to switch between race driver and real person in the blink of an eye are traits money cannot buy.

So we can stop all these comparisons between two completely different drivers in different cars. In no way will we ever find out who was the absolute best unless they were to both drive a modern day F1 Car against each other.

Perish the thought! I know who would win that battle; he wouldn't be German!

A lot of people aren't going to agree with my views or choices, but if you do happen to agree with me or even just like the article, then use the star box just below to rate the article, and even the Pick Of The Day box up the top.

New 2008 / 2009 Football Season: Predictions For the Top Flight .

mark andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:57:26 -0400

So the new 2008/2009 football season is almost upon us, that summer of pain almost to an end after the disappointment of the national team failing to make it to Euro 2008.

So I'll make a few pre-season predictions on who will finish where and who will achieve what this season.

Barclays Premier League

Top six:

Winners = Manchester United

Runners up = Arsenal

Third = Chelsea

Fourth = Tottenham

Uefa Cup = Man city and Liverpool

Relegated:

Stoke city

Bolton Wanderers

Newcastle United

Player Of The Season:

Cristiano Ronaldo / Manchester United

Top Scorer:

Dimitar Berbatov / Manchester United * / Tottenham

Manager Of The Season:

Sir Alex Ferguson / Manchester United

FA Cup Winners:

Arsenal

League Cup Winners:

Chelsea

First Manager To Be Sacked:

Kevin Keegan

Champions League Winners:

Inter Milan

Uefa Cup Winners:

Manchester City

So there are my predictions for the new football season. These are exactly what they say on the tin ...Predictions, my personal opinion, I know I'd be more special than Jose Mourinho If all these predictions end up to be right, I just thought I would let you know my initial thoughts on who will finish where, who will win what and who will shine.

Newcastle—I'm sorry but after last season, I can only see this one getting worse, KK will get the chop and Newcastle United will be playing Championship football next season .

Manchester united look strong enough to take three premier league titles in a row and have a new potential top scorer in Dimitar Berbatov after offering £28 million to Tottenham .The fee looks set to be agreed on the same terms that saw Michael Carrick switch from spurs to united , 18 million pounds up front with a further 10 million based on success and apperances .

I'm not sure about two Champions League titles in a row for my beloved reds, I truly hope we can win back to back European Cups but somehow i see that honour going to Inter Milan And special one Jose Mourinho in his first season in charge at the San Siro.

Yes im Mad, I have Manchester City to win the Uefa Cup, and why not, they have a fantastic new manager in Mark Hughes, look at what he did at Blackburn in so little time, I feel better times ahead for the Blues.

I really do think Arsenal will be strong this season, yes they had a poor season last season but I think after Eduardo's horror injury the whole team seemed to be affected by it. I see them winning the FA Cup and reaching the last eight of the Champions League, as well as being Premier League runners up.

I see another quiet season for Chelsea in terms of impact on tournaments, I think they will avenge last seasons Carling Cup defeat by winning it back again and they will also reach the last eight in Europe.

I've got Spurs to upset the top four by moving Liverpool out of there, this may seem somewhat optimistic given that Spurs have almost sold prized asset Berbatov, however I feel Juande Ramos may feel success in terms of league position this year.

I have Liverpool down for a miserable season, no trophies I feel and out of Europe before the last eight. And I think they will have to settle for a Uefa Cup spot in 2009/2010 season due to Spurs finally breaking the top four.

I think Stoke City's stay in the Premier League will be a bit like Derby County's last year, only I don't think they will suffer as badly as Derby did. But still I see them relegated as well as Bolton Wanderers, their biggest mistake was not doing everything to keep Sam Allardyce, it was a big mistake, I have respect for Gary Megson but I don't think he can get the most out of Bolton like Allardyce could.

Full 20 teams Final standings

1. Manchester United (C)

2. Arsenal

3. Chelsea

4. Tottenham

5. Liverpool

6. Manchester City

7. Aston Villa

8. Everton

9. Portsmouth

10. Blackburn Rovers

11. Sunderland

12. West Brom

13. Middlesbrough

14. Wigan Athletic

15. Fulham

16. Hull City

17. West Ham United

18. Newcastle united (R)

19. Bolton (R)

20. Stoke city (R)

I can't wait for the new football season to start as I'm sure every fan in the country can't either, its going to be another nail biting end to end season. So am I right? Am I wrong? Or have I lost the plot entirely with my predictions? Do let me know.

Please don't forget to star this article as you see fit just below, and POTD if you feel like it up near the picture.

And do keep an eye out as I'll be doing a similar article to predict how I think the lower league teams will fair this season.

* Still a Tottenham player with deal on its way through .

Formula One: Definition of a True Fan

mark andrew — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:36:19 -0400

How Can We Define A True Fan?

A True Fan For Me is Someone Who Sticks By a Person, Team Or Association Through Thick And Thin And Never Jumps Ship When the Going Gets Tough.

I Will Use Myself As The First Example. I'm A McLaren Fan Through And Through. I'm a Fan Of The Sport In General too, Absolutely. I've Supported Every Driver That Has Passed Through The McLaren Doors, But I've Never Been The driver's Fan After He Has Left McLaren, Except For Two Men I Will Mention In a Moment.

I'm Also A Manchester United Fan. If We Got Relegated Tomorrow, I Would Be Devastated But Still a Manchester United Fan.

I'm a Fan Of Cristiano Ronaldo, But Should He Leave Manchester United For Real Madrid, Does That Mean I'll Change My Team From Man U To Real Madrid? Absolutely Not. So I'm a Fan Of The Team, Not a person.

I Supported Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen,David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ayrton Senna And Fernando Alonso During Their Time At McLaren, But After They Had Gone I Wasn't a Fan I Was More an Admirer Of Their Work.

Ayrton Senna And David Coulthard Are My Only Exceptions, Because Ayrton Was My Hero I Followed Him After his McLaren career And Because DC Is British.

Right Now Im a Fan Of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. I'll Always Be a Fan Of Lewis, As He Is British. Let's Face It; He Looks Glued To McLaren for a hefty chunk of his Career, so I Need Not Worry Right Now, But If He Moved To BMW Sauber, For Instance, Then I Wouldn't Be a BMW Fan. I Would Be a Lewis Fan And Still a McLaren fan.

But If Heikki Kovalainen For Instance Was To Leave McLaren For Ferrari as much as I love the guy, I Would no Longer Be His Fan But An Admirer Of His Work, because he doesn't drive for my team any longer.

Lets Flip The Coin Over. As I've Seen a Few People Say "I'm a loyal Ferrari Fan, But Before Kimi Moved There I Was a loyal McLaren Fan." Eh!

Don't You Mean Your a Loyal Kimi Raikkonen Fan Then? Yes, That's What You Mean, Because Should Kimi Move Again You Wont Be a Fan Of Ferrari Any Longer But a Fan Of His next Team. This Is What I Call a Fan Of a Person, Not a Team!

A Real Ferrari Fan, a Real TIFOSI Is Someone Who Has Supported Ferrari Since They Could Understand The Word "Support" And " Ferrari," Not Someone Who Follows a Driver From Team To Team.

A Real Tifosi Will Support Felipe Massa Until His Career At Scuderia Expires, Then They Will Become An Admirer Of His Work Should He Move Elsewhere, Unless Of Course You Are Brazillian And a Fan Of Ferrari Too. Then You Will Still Be a Fan Of Both.

Ferrari Fans Might Not Like Fernando Alonso But The real Ferrari Fans Will Put Up With Him Because He Would Be Driving For Their team. That's What i Call a Team Fan.

It Just Gets to Me When people Say They Are loyal Fans Of Ferrari, When Actually They Are Fans Of The Driver, Not The Team. I Would Put Them In The Glory Hunter/Driver fan Bracket .

In Fact, Fernando Alonso's Loyal Army Are Perfect Examples Of Fans Really. He Was at McLaren; They Followed Him. He's Now Back At Renault; They Are Still Following Him.

They Never Said I'm a Renault Fan Because Fernando's There. In Fact, If He Drove For Torro Rosso, They Would Be Fans of him still. They Don't Jump Ship From Team To Team; They simply Follow Their Man.

Although They treated Hamilton Appalingly At Catalunya, I Must Say Hats off To them for being true fans and not jumping ship all the time.

Of Course, There Are People Who Are Fans Of The Sport In General, People Who Don't Have One Team Or Driver As their Favourite. Then There are People Who Do Support One Team But Are Also General Fans.

I'm One Of Them, Too, I Like Everything To Do With F1, But First And Foremost I'm a McLaren Fan, And that Will Never Change, Even If We Do Lose Lewis in the future.

This Article Is Not Meant To Cause Offence To Anyone, It's just Something I Needed To Get off My Chest. But If You Do Get Offended, Then Tough S**t. I'm Making A Point.

Not Many Will Agree, But The Real Fans Of A Team Will Understand My Meaning. Hell, Who Knows, I May Even Get A Big Backlash On This one, But I'm Not Too Worried about that. It Was The Point I Wanted To make I Was More Bothered About.

Anyone Agree With Me?

Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton Tops Time Sheets in Test at Hockenheimring

mark andrew — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:43:19 -0400

Lewis Hamilton was fastest in day one of the three-day test at the Hockenheimring Circuit yesterday, which was wet—ring any bells? The 10 teams started their preperation for the German Grand Prix in 11 days time. The young Herts-born star was comfortable showing that he has a massive point to prove after his heroic win on Sunday at Silverstone.

The current reigning world champion, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, was second fastest, 0.3s adrift of the Brit. The Ferrari was showing signs of being considerably better than it was at the British GP.

Native German driver Nico Rosberg was third, which is a sign of encouragment after his Williams had a really bad weekend that he couldn't recover from. I wonder if Nico has that added fire in his gut with being at home.

Massive shock here was fourth fastest Adrian Sutil in his Force India, showing that his spellbinding drive in Monaco might not be the last great drive we see from him. They are improving the new aerodynamic and mechanical package that was used at Silverstone.

"We worked on the set up this morning and I was happy with the car" said Adrian Sutil. Also a German with a point to prove, he needs to show he is worthy of his seat.

Sebastian Bourdais did a long test session. He was testing tyre comparisons to see which would better suit the Torro Rosso here. He completed 113 laps and posted the fifth best time in the process.

Toyota gave Kamui Kobayashi another go in the car. They were looking at variables on the TF108. "Data collection was our main target" said Gerd Pfeffier. Kobayashi impressed with his sixth best time finish.

Another German looking to continue his recent mismatched performances is Nick Heidfeld, who took second on Sunday. He was testing different set ups and suspension solutions and posted the seventh fastest time of the day.

Nelson Piquet, Jr. completed 111 laps of the circuit and took the eighth fastest time. He then passed the reigns onto two-time World Champion teammate Fernando Alonso. He did say he would have liked more time out there today, but was happy with his result and performance.

Veteran and soon-to-retire Scotsman David Coulthard was testing suspension geometry in his Red Bull and was ninth fastest.

Alex Wurz filled the final place of the 10 runners and caused the session to be red flagged when he spun off at the Mercedes Grandstand.

Testing Times from Hockenheim (7/8)

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1m15.438s
2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m15.803s
3. Nico Rosberg Williams 1m16.099s
4. Adrian Sutil Force India 1m16.516s
5. Sebastian Bourdais Torro Rosso 1m16.533s
6. Kamui Kobayashi Toyota 1m16.570s
7. Nick Heidfeld Bmw 1m16.593s
8. Nelson Piquet Renault 1m16.856s
9. David Coulthard Red Bull 1m17.361s
10. Alex Wurz Honda 1m17.825s

So at the start of the test week at Hockenheim, Hamilton has started where he left off at Silverstone on Sunday.