Bleacher Report - Articles by Antony Herbert

Formula 1 In Retrospect: A Tale of Two Seasons

Antony Herbert — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:34:25 -0500

Through eighteen-and-a-half races a title was won by the unexpected Jenson Button, who, after years of fading into the background, produced an opening display worthy of praise which also solidified his position in the lead of the driver’s championship.

However, his opening flourish at the hands of a rookie Brawn GP team became a contradiction to the second half of the season, where the tables were turned and the leaders became the followers.

As teams fought to edge their way around the new regulations and improve their performance, gaps were closed and the status quo was overturned. We truly had a season of two halves, where the lead drivers and teams differed between the two. And some profited more than others.

There is no denying that Brawn GP followed their electric first half to the season with a down turn in domination, doing enough to claim both the drivers' and team’s titles, but allowing us to reflect on a lucky end to the campaign. Damage limitation was at times made too easy for them and, odd events aside, could have left them without either title.

Button also proved that, behind the wheel of a slower car, he is not able to perform at the level he has shown he is capable of in a stronger car. As a result, many have questioned his credentials, although there is no denying that it has been inspirational to see his spark reignited and his passion expressed constantly.

The Winners

Barrichello, on the other hand, appeared in parts to use Button’s fall to his advantage and created a title opportunity seemingly out of nowhere. His powerful triumphs in the European and Italian Grand Prix highlighted his credentials to further sustain a career and become the first driver in the history of the sport to reach a tri-centennial number of Grand Prix.

Such an improvement provided us a second compelling story to the Brawn GP fantasy. Button was not to have it all his own way. In what may have been Barrichello’s last chance at ultimate glory, it came into fruition.

Red Bull took a slight advantage as the Brawn team floundered, but reliability issues—especially for Webber—put an end to any serious title challenges. On more occasions than not, though, their pace allowed them to outclass Brawn. Webber's defining domination of the German Grand Prix and Vettel’s collection of victories highlighted growing aspirations for the Milton Keynes-based team.

The revelatory performances in the second half of the season were fitting for Button’s predecessors and the two former champions, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen.

Even before Massa’s unfortunate injury, Kimi Raikkonen was showing great poise and pace on the track, collecting podiums along the way and providing a high amount of momentum, which carried him into a more credible points tally. A solitary victory for the Flying Finn, although alone in its occurrence, was enough to question Ferrari’s decision to ditch Kimi. He stepped up his game vastly after last season's downfall.

The Ferrari car was inconsistent, however, and Ferrari’s clumsy decisions to name first Luca Badoer and then a greedy Fisichella to the second seat cost them dearly. One point separated them and large rivals Mclaren. Such a small victory for Mclaren could easily have been averted. Next season, therefore, requires improvements.

Mclaren’s season, more than most, was a Jekyll and Hyde one, indeed. Kubica was the star of that season and Lewis seemed to luck himself into glory rather than gain it on merit. Button won more races than Hamilton achieved last year, giving the experienced Brit more of an argument to his title win.

It was therefore massively refreshing to see Lewis rise out of the ashes of Mclaren’s dismal opening half of the season by producing the best display of speed and tenacity seen by any driver in the final stages. If it hadn’t been for his error in the latter stages of Monza, his dominance would have been even more extravagant.

Providing Mclaren continues his upward trend, Lewis will definitely be an early favourite for next year’s title. The determination and raw talent evident in his debut season appears to have returned. Lewis has seemingly matured beyond expectation.

The Losers

One team that sadly drifted from a promising early season pace was Toyota. Timo Glock is a driver with good things in store and over the seasons, Jarno Trulli has shown a level of consistency that warrants him a positive future reputation. The Trulli train rather surprisingly has even not had many runs this year.

Yet the odd occurrences of inconsistency with the car in the second half of the season cost them dearly and they lost sight of Mclaren and Ferrari, which effectively lost an early third place in the constructors’ title.

Their first half showed some remarkable speed and gave hope of a debut victory for the "almost there" team. Then they began turning up to race weekends amid a regressive air of unpredictability.

They either averagely performed or spectacularly failed. Viewers and critiques were perplexed at their evident pace one weekend and lack of substance and speed the next. Both drivers hardly deserved such a random sequence, but were punished with out of sorts results.

A Final Flourish

Paradoxically, BMW Sauber ended their time in Formula 1 with a few credible performances that brought back our attention to the talents of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld. The team deserved and must have had the biggest reality check of their lives midseason.

Robert Kubica became a champion in waiting last year with his solid out performance of the 2008 car. But BMW had other ideas and halted his title challenge last year to make way for the 2009 car.

In hindsight, they really should not have bothered, as both Robert and Nick looked helpless in arguably the worst car of the year. A couple of podium finishes throughout the season brought some light yet, despite their improved results towards the end of the season, it was a great disappointment.

Heidfeld and Kubica will keep the ball rolling and push towards a more prosperous continuation of their careers.

The In-Betweeners

Relative to the rest, three teams barely seemed to move forward at all. All season, Toro Rosso appeared to show the wounds of a post Vettel team, and their ridiculous decision to dump Sebastian Bourdais played a major part in this. Buemi was quick on occasion, but neither driver ever really benefited from a polished car and clambered for the odd point or two at best.

Williams suffered due to the season-long poor performance of one driver. Kazuki Nakajima, although not the worst driver ever to grace a track, is surely kissing a Formula 1 career goodbye with a season where he ended as the only driver to start and finish the season without scoring a single world championship point.

Nico Rosberg, although not able to compete on a regular basis at the front, produced some truly beautiful performances and fine tuned his application to becoming a race winner. His move to Brawn GP will hopefully be a beneficial one. He certainly has the capability of destroying Button’s rebuilt reputation if he partners and demolishes the World Champion.

Renault arguably had the most depressing of seasons. Without Fernando Alonso they would have been nothing this year. This is a somewhat disastrous reality, as it was only three years ago that they had tasted title success.

Alonso took the bull by the horns and wrestled his car into points finishes, but it was never to be anymore than the occasional points finish for a driver who eclipses not only his teammates' potential, but also his car's potential.

Nelson Piquet’s departure was overdue, but his replacement, Grosjean, highlighted the fact that teams in the current climate of no in-season testing should not really be replacing drivers with inexperienced rookies.

Unfortunately for Grosjean, he may now not get another chance, which is a tad unfair for someone so early into his career.

The Back-Markers Revolution

Force India were a back-end team at the beginning of this year. Comparisons to Minardi have been abundant, as the lack of budget and inexperience gave them little hope. They are the sort of team you expect to compete for a few years, without actually ever giving a reason as to why they should really continue.

Then something extraordinary happened, as Fisichella claimed a shock pole position and consequential podium finish in Belgium. Sutil, who some felt deserved the accolade of first podium for the team, also produced a display worthy of his talents in the following Grand Prix and the team had become an enticing prospect.

Although they fell backwards again in the final couple of Grand Prix, spectators were excited about the idea of back-end teams actually competing and stealing points from the big boys.

And so Brawn elevated themselves head-first to the top of the podium, but came undone as the historically lead teams began to take back their throne.

Such events lead us to an exciting 2010 season, with thirteen teams battling to emulate Brawn GP’s success.

With such a vast number of teams, we are left with a mouth-watering prospect as Button and Brawn look set to re-affirm their status at the top, but with twelve other teams now ready to fight for the win.

First-Half Points Tally (First Eight-and-a-Half Races)

1) Jenson Button (Brawn GP) – 68pts

2) Sebastien Vettel (Red Bull Racing) – 47pts

3) Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) – 45.5pts

4) Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP) – 44pts

5) Felipe Massa (Ferrari) – 22pts

6) Jarno Trulli ( Toyota ) – 21.5pts

7) Nico Rosberg (Williams) – 20.5pts

8) Timo Glock ( Toyota ) – 13pts

9) Fernando Alonso (Renault) – 13pts

10) Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) – 10pts

11) Lewis Hamilton – 9pts

12) Nick Heidfeld – 6pts

13) Heikki Kovalinen – 5pts

14) Sebastien Buemi – 3pts

15) Sebastian Bourdais – 2pts

16) Robert Kubica – 2pts

Second-Half Points Tally (Final Eight Races)

1) Lewis Hamilton (Mclaren Mercedes) – 40pts

2) Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) – 38pts

3) Sebastien Vettel (Red Bull Racing) – 37pts

4) Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP) – 33pts

5) Jenson Button (Brawn GP) – 27pts

6) Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) – 24pts

7) Heikki Kovalinen (Mclaren) – 17pts

8) Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) – 14pts

9) Fernando Alonso (Renault) – 13pts

10) Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) – 13pts

11) Timo Glock – 11pts

12) Jarno Trulli – 11pts

13) Nico Rosberg – 10pts

14) Giancarlo Fisichella – 8pts

15) Adrian Sutil – 5pts

16) Sebastien Buemi – 3pts

17) Kobayashi – 3pts

From "Bad"oer to Worse: Is This Where the Story Ends for Luca Badoer?

Antony Herbert — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:47:00 -0400

In one of the initial practice sessions for the European Grand Prix in Valencia last week a watching spectator commented on the unfortunate abbreviation used to represent Luca Badoer. His name was shortened to "Bad," and so it became a running joke that his name somewhat represented his perceived lacklustre display of on track action.

His performance in Spa was so far removed from his teammate Kimi Raikkonen’s shining victory it will be considered an embarrassment, further adding to his record of being statistically the worst Formula One driver of all time.

As a result it now means that a decision for Ferrari to keep him in the seat for the Italian Grand Prix would seem rather dumbfounded. His only chance of a points finish based on his two Grand Prix of this season would be the event of him finishing last in a field of eight or less finishers.

But is it entirely his fault that his performance in the vastly improved Ferrari is beyond poor?

This season has seen the ban on almost any in season testing in an attempt to further reduce the costs of running Formula One. The budget cap was placed and teams had to rely on their main two drivers analysing the cars in pre-qualifying practice sessions.

This was an alternative to what we had seen in recent years where the team’s third driver provided most of the required information by running more laps in these sessions.

Luca Badoer may have been stated on paper as a test driver for Ferrari alongside Marc Gene and it is true that he did feature in a lot of preseason testing for the Ferrari team.

However as any Formula One fan will know, the development of each and every team’s cars is so rapid and vigorous throughout the season that only the main drivers now will be given the opportunity to enable these changes to produce better results. The main drivers theoretically take on the role of test driver as well.

Therefore the new rule has failed test drivers in such an event as we saw in Hungary where Felipe Massa suffered such horrific injuries, leaving his team having to fill the void with a replacement driver.

The FIA, in this respect, seem somewhat clumsy in initiating the in season testing ban. In hindsight maybe they may not have been so determined to ban in season testing if they could have foreseen the dramatic accident which some feared had destroyed Massa’s career.

Luca Badoer was immediately slow in his Ferrari. He rarely featured higher than the back row in any sessions and managed somehow to hold off being lapped in Spa. But the gap to the rest of the field is all too evident for us to see.

He suffers from a complete lack of competitive pace and there is no visible aggressiveness to his driving. We are left to question how much he really wants it.

So has the FIA failed him into preparing for his unexpected return? Or should the Ferrari team have taken a more logical route of placing a driver in their second seat that has actually had recent racing experience?

Both Jaime Alguersuari and Romain Grosjean have fared better in the Toro Rosso and Renault teams, respectively, as they aim to stake a claim to future drives. This could be linked to their recent drives in alternative racing championships, resulting in their promotions to the top tier of motor sport.

Yet all three new drivers have not produced anything worthy of note as of yet. It is also worth pointing out that Luca Badoer’s fellow rookies are also under investigation due to the first lap accidents where they took both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton out of the Belgium Grand Prix.

Their inexperienced mistakes will provide a valuable learning experience for both and hopefully provide a stepping stone for better things to come.

But by banning in season testing however the FIA may have left new drivers extremely vulnerable and unlikely to succeed if they have to play catch up as soon as they take to their seats.

After all it’s bad enough being the new kid in the field if the new kid then has to climb mountains just to reach the rest of the pack. Not all rookies are as lucky as Lewis Hamilton in landing a seat in a championship winning team.

Grosjean and Alguersuari will have to fight doggedly throughout the rest of the season to warrant themselves a drive for future years.

Badoer, on the other hand, is unlikely to keep his drive for the next Grand Prix with the rumours abundant that Spa’s hero Fisichella will replace him. And whilst it is true that Luca has produced a below par performance in his return you can’t help feel sorry for him with the lack of support he is getting from all directions.

He has definitely made progress in closing the gap in Spa but Ferrari obviously will not have the patience to wait for results as these seem too far away.

Would he really have been so far behind if he had been allowed some in season testing?

That is a question in the current Formula One climate that we cannot answer, and if the rule persists could just result in repeat showings of drivers struggling to force their way in.

Luca Badoer: The Ressurection

Antony Herbert — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:41:27 -0400

The world of Formula 1 is currently deflated after the anti-climatic and somewhat premature end to the expected Michael Schumacher return. The German’s neck injury sustained in a motor cycling accent earlier in the year sadly proved too much to overcome.

But for one person the German’s misfortunes have become his mixed blessings. Very few will remember the name Luca Badoer; he is not a race winner. However his name is soon to be forged back onto the time sheets some ten years after his last competitive appearance as he has now been named as Felipe Massa’s official replacement.

He holds the crushing title of being statistically the most unsuccessful driver to have graced the sport. This is due to his lack of points in a combined total of races higher than any other non point’s scorer. Fifty six Grand Prix’s without a single scoring finish is considered a disaster.

This can be seen as an unjust and unfair representation of the Italian’s talents however as any driver who competes for two seasons in a Minardi and one season in the doomed Forte team has about as much chance of scoring a podium or points finish as a two legged horse has of finishing anywhere other than last in the Grand National. Simply he relied on a combination of retirements, luck and impossible out-performance of his car to achieve anything worthy of note.

Yet many will remember the one occasion where he came closest to breaking this unwelcome title. His emotional breakdown after his retirement from fourth place in the dramatic European Grand Prix of 1999 highlighted the destruction that such a promising event could cause to such an invested driver. We truly felt for Luca.

Until the unlikely return next month came into fruition it looked as though that his gearbox failure in the aforementioned Grand Prix had halted his last chance of a profitable return in the sport he so vehemently admires.

From a pessimistic point of view, although the Italian has been seated in the vastly improved 2009 Ferrari, his age and inexperience with points scoring finishes may hinder his prospects of finally achieving a celebrated finish.

Yet with such a predicted Tifosi following the thirty eight year old Italian veteran in an Italian team may become capable of producing a standout performance or two before the probable rush release of Felipe Massa back into the Ferrari cockpit.

Luca Badoer is everything that encompasses an underdog, and this will garner him much attention and optimism. He has only ever driven for the weakest teams in the sport and during that time his inability to catapult himself towards the front of the pack credited him with an unremarkable history.

Can you always judge a driver for such a misfortune? It is not necessarily his fault after all that the teams he drove for could produce little in the way of a fast and reliable car.

Nobody expects a point’s finish from the Italian when the street circuit of Valencia hosts his comeback Grand Prix. The hope is there that in some shape or form throughout the remainder of the season he will reap positive benefits from his unexpected return to the sport.

If there was to be a miserable return instead then it would just act as to extend his dire record in the sport so far.

The sight of seeing the aging Italian gaining the odd points or even podium finish, may provide however one of the greatest spectacles within such a ferocious season where the form book has been thrown out of the window. We have seen this season that anything and everything can happen. So is there yet another twist still to behold.

It is unsure as of now how many Grand Prix’s the Italian will be given to prove his critics wrong. Obviously he will be wishing for a drive in his home Grand Prix when the season heads to Monza next month.

Ferrari may be looking for alternatives if Luca’s return provides a vision of embarrassment. It is ultimately all in the hands of the unlucky driver himself. A recreation of his tearful farewell to the European Grand Prix of 1999 is possible. It’s just a question whether it will be tears of joy or extended disappointment.

The Legend Returns - Michael Schumacher Vs. The World Part 2

Antony Herbert — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:28:38 -0400

The Formula 1 world has been given a welcome new lease of life to bring it out of the politics and into the actual racing with the return of arguably the greatest driver of all time, Michael Schumacher. Much has been said about the German’s return to replace the injured Felipe Massa, with impending comparisons to other drivers providing a main focal point for discussion. The competition will undoubtedly be an intense and electrifying spectacle as Schumacher aims to recreate his former glories. It is his reluctance to disassociate himself from a competitive career in switching to the two wheels of a motorbike that gives us an optimistic impression that he will be as up for a battle as ever before. So who are his most important opponents, and what will they have to offer on track for the returning champion?

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Ferrari's Important Decision - The 20th Driver

Antony Herbert — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:31:38 -0400

As Felipe Massa and his increasing following begin the long wait for recovery the formula 1 world now looks ahead to the Grand Prix of Valencia. What surely will be on the minds of many will be the question of Massa’s emergency replacement. Names have been mentioned, old faces and new, but as of yet no-one seems to be firmly in the driving seat for being given a drive for the vastly improved 2009 Ferrari. Whoever it may be will have big shoes to fill, as Massa’s last season and a half has showing the impressive steps forward that the talented Brazilian has made, and why such a drive warrants such an impressive driver. So with a couple of obvious choices and some possible surprises here are the current challengers to take over the hot seat possibly for the remainder of the season.

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The Hungarian Grand Prix Overview

Antony Herbert — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:16:16 -0400

It was a weekend of many different emotions. Tragedy was mixed with renewed optimism and unexpected situations, and all of which took place in the unlikeliest of racing weekends – the Hungarian Grand Prix. A grand prix that usually throws in the odd rainy day event, is rarely shown in dry circumstances to show anything other than a slight dot on the F1 radar as fans are given little to remember it by. Yet this weekend many talking points were to come out of the event, and so I decided to throw them all into one slide show.

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Turkish Grand Prix: The KERS Curse

Antony Herbert — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:08:20 -0400

Growing up watching Formula One was always exciting for me for one main reason—the action. I spent many weekends glued to the screen watching titanic battles between the likes of Schumacher, Hill, Coulthard, Hakkinen, and Villeneuve.

The majority of technical aspects concerned with the sport went straight over my head. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the work behind the scenes—the hours, days, weeks, months, and years that the teams put into producing a car of such tenacity and pace. It is, in a word, inspirational. It is not something I would be capable of.

Yet, in recent years, the technical aspects have been hard to ignore. None more so for me than the KERS system, brought into F1 this year mainly to improve the overtaking opportunities for drivers and therefore enhance the spectacle for us watching fanatics.

However, today’s’ Turkish Grand Prix focused my attention on a frustrating downside to the system itself. As only some teams have partaken in the system, other teams are left vulnerable in certain situations.

Rubens Barrichello, not unexpectedly, got off to a sputtering start today, drifting backwards like a Trulli train from the front of the pack. The fighting spirit within the Brazilian didn’t seem to deter him, though, as he was attacking for positions early on, and despite his eventual catastrophe of a race showed some true grit on track.

The best example of his attempted recovery came at the end of lap seven and start of lap eight, as he aimed to climb ahead of the lacklustre McLaren within the hands of Heikki Kovalinen.

His initial passing manoeuvre was cool, calm and slick. It appeared effortless as he sneaked under the inside of the faltering McLaren into the final corner of the track. Barrichello’s clever work and faster car seemed to prove the better of the two.

Annoyingly then came the frustrating response. One press of a button and Heikki had his KERS system at the ready and comfortably edged back in front as they crossed the start-finish line.

Understandably Rubens then showed his desperation by tapping the Mclaren’s bodywork and spinning his car a few moments later, only to emerge behind Heikki’s heavier fuelled team mate Lewis Hamilton as a result.

This highlighted the defensive abilities of a KERS car but paradoxically also highlighted what could be seen as a lose-lose situation for any car in competition with one.

One of the greatest things a driver can do to show his power and precision is to fight his way up the field, stare adversity in the face, and walk away a celebrated driver.

Yet Rubens seemed denied this opportunity today by what I will describe as simply a button. A button which for approximately seven seconds a lap can give a car a short but sweet dose of improved pace, and give its driver a chance to battle a faster opponent.

The KERS system for me is a beautiful idea in theory, but in current circumstances will surely be detrimental to the sport unless all teams appear to reap equal benefits.

A Parisian Dream Come True: Roger Federer 1 Pete Sampras 0

Antony Herbert — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:00:33 -0400

Every sportsman, sportswomen or team aims to achieve the highest accolade that their sport has to offer. Whether it be an Olympic Gold Medal, a World Cup glory, or victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, it is the pinnacle of their aspirations, it is the reason they chose their way into their sport. It is the alternative life to the banal nine to five that they could have had.

Roger Federer is arguably the best sportsman the world of tennis has ever seen. At times he has showed an absolute invincibility that causes matches to be declared over before a serve or shot is even made.

He has reached many accolades in his career. He has won multiple titles at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US open. He has fought his way through various tournaments without dropping a single set.

Yet there has always been one accolade that has eluded him, one triumph that he seemed destined never to achieve; the French Open title

This accolade is not the most warranted from a player’s perspective. It is not the one they strive to achieve above all else. But what it does allow is the acknowledgement that alongside grand slam victories at the three alternative destinations, they are to be considered as a true sporting hero.

It is only when a player has scored a complete Grand Slam of all four titles that he can truly be considered as the worlds greatest. To be the worlds greatest requires that you show your talents on all surfaces in a variety of circumstances and not just a collection of triumphs in specific areas. The all rounder is the talent who will be more fondly remembered.

The clay courts of Roland Garros had always proved one step too far for the Swiss super star. In recent years his feared and closest rival Rafael Nadal dominated the French Open, and made Roger’s dreams of a fantastic foursome all the more unachievable.

In some ways it is a shame that Roger’s debut victory at last has come against a player no where near the credentials of Nadal himself. Roger was never actually given the chance of defeating his arch nemesis in the tournament, a tournament in which he was comprehensively demolished by such a rival in recent years. Instead he earned his win against Andy Murray’s surprise successor Robin Soderling. And despite Soderling’s efforts in the tightly contested second set he was never really a massive threat

However the tears of joy and elation pouring from the Swiss players eyes at the climax of the match clearly highlighted his extreme satisfaction at finally achieving the title that will act as back up to claims that he is the greatest player to have ever taken to a tennis court.

And in his Parisian glory Federer has now equalled the title tally that his predecessor Pete Sampras set. A tally that most considered as an unmatchable record.

Greater still is the stated fact that Federer in comparison to the American has achieved the accolade four years his junior and approximately ten grand slams earlier. Even more remarkable when you consider that the field of men’s tennis players boasts a more intense field of spectacular talents in the modern day.

If the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Roddick had existed some ten years ago it is arguable that Sampras’s benchmark would have been dramatically lower and would have belonged to someone else instead.

Now it is Roger’s chance to continue his Grand Slam total, and set a greater challenge to the young stars of the future who will replace the Swiss man when he retires.

And for the die hard critics out there, Roger now adds his illustrious career to the likes of Fred Perry, Rod Laver and Andre Agassi who all achieved the same feat of winning all four Grand slam titles.

It is worth noting also that in recording such a victory today Roger not only equalled Pete Sampras’s record but in doing so accomplished the one thing that halted Pete’s name from being included in the aforementioned list of players to win all four Grand Slams – he conquered the clay courts of Roland Garros.

And for that Roger will have earned the respect and admiration that will see his name consistently mentioned in decades and centuries to come. He will be the player that all others seek to emulate.

Button's Heaven and Barrichello's Hell

Antony Herbert — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:20:24 -0400

In the most contradicting of race day circumstances, Brawn GP’s two drivers drifted further apart as one mans inspirational drive was at opposites with another mans exaggerated disasters.

With such an incredible zest for victory, highlighted by his ecstatic post victory conversation with his team, Jenson Button improved his credentials to become Hamilton’s successor, with such a commanding victory in Turkey.

Such a remarkable transformation from last years demoralising scenes at the back of the pack could never have been imagined. Button is truly proving that in a poor car he has little to offer, but with a fiercely competitive monster underneath him he becomes elevated to super status.

Sadly the race day action in Turkey was not as effortless as the Brawn GP would have liked or expected however.

Rubens Barrichello has never been a great starter, and he has never been a consistent race winner. And today’s events did much to maximise this image of the experienced Brazilian and his previous shortcomings.

His anti-stall rescued him from an embarrassing early exit, and this was accompanied with later collisions and a general lack of his team mates electrifying pace. His race was effectively over as he dropped ten places on lap one and he never fully recovered, falling into retirement as the race reached its climax, from a position a country mile away from a points finish and credible recovery.

The emerging distance between Button and Barrichello in terms of title winning credentials and points tally has immediately increased as a result, and despite Barrichello’s aggressive opinions on not becoming a ‘team order’, such an event can only now be seen as an inevitability.

If Barrichello yearns to reverse this inevitability then his obvious way forward is to force himself into race win challenges. Yet more importantly it is to edge himself in front of his British team mate and acclimatise himself once more as his teams number one driver.

This is something that the Brazilian is not incapable of as throughout Honda’s 2008 season Barrichello clearly instated himself as the number one driver, scoring 11 points and a podium finish in comparison to Button’s sole sixth place points finish.

For the time being however, it looks as though the title is already won. Only an equally spectacular run of victories from Barrichello or more likely Vettel can seemingly halt Button’s finest season yet, and this almost certainly has to be accompanied by a collection of unexpected errors from the title leader himself.

Other performances worthy of note were Jarno Trulli, who bounced back to a fourth place finish after the horrendous fall from grace witnessed in Monaco. Fallen hero Robert Kubica finally etched his name onto the point’s standings with a solid seventh place finish ahead of former champions Raikonnen, Alonso and Hamilton who all had sub par performances and more finishes outside of the scoring.

For all those who expected a turnaround from the likes of Renault, Ferrari and especially Mclaren, the sport is still left in a state of complete unpredictability and incredible awe. And rightfully so. Mclaren themselves now must take a good hard look in the mirror and establish where they want and where they need to be before the seasons conclusion.

For the longer Brawn and Button’s demolition continues the more a distant memory Ferrari, Mclaren and Renaults recent successes becomes.

Monaco Grand Prix: People of the World, Spice Up Your Life

Antony Herbert — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:26:44 -0400

The sight of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell arm in arm with the mad hatter that is Bernie Eccleston was the one thing I never expected to see tuning into the glitziest Grand Prix on the F1 calendar.

But it’s what I got! And to be fair to the girl her knowledge of the sport also kindly took me by surprise. It highlighted the reputation of the streets of Monte Carlo and of the sport itself.

With all the fraught talk of a breakaway series due to mainly Ferrari’s immature and childish ramblings the Monaco Grand Prix did much to try and repair the sports bruised ego.

Celebrities and F1 fanatics united in unison to witness the continuation of Jenson Button’s inspired rebirth of his career. Obviously some just turn up for the glamour. You can ask them what the Kers system is and they will probably respond with a silenced state of confusion and perplexed glances.

Yet the street circuit itself envelops within most a sense of fantasy becoming a reality, accompanied with the dramatics of a sporting event. To have such a glorious back drop to an F1 event allows us to appreciate the finer things in life in a time where economic crisis encompasses most of our thoughts. The aesthetics speak for themselves.

Stands were packed; the harbour was electrified into life, and for those whose budget doesn’t reach the five star hotels and yachts that the drivers themselves are use to, steep and muddy whilst at the same time homely hills above the track provided an alternative viewpoint to the weekends events. It has always been a dream of mine to become such a spectator.

They weren’t given the most entertaining of Monaco Grand Prix’s, which when you have an example such as Panis’s 96 glory is to be expected.

But the sight of the drivers actually earning their money, driving to their limits of dehydration and focused concentration, must have made it all worthwhile.

Button himself now has the title fight by the scruff of its neck and only a determined risk taker would bet against further glories. His team mates recent opinions on team orders in retrospect seem completely in need of being disregarded.

How can Barrichello expect to bring forth his views on such orders into the equation with a team mate that has dominated him to the extent he became use to as Ferrari number two.

Ferrari themselves also showed much improved progress and childish sulks aside gave food for thought as to what they should be doing provided they stay with the sport.

It is still somewhat disheartening to see BMW’s fall from grace continue however, although such an event proved to be a blessing for Force India. The unexpected issues of pace at Toyota also gave spectators a surprise to accompany Force India’s entry into the second phase of qualifying.

It was a solid weekend of sporting action overall, in what is described as the "jewel in the crown" for the F1 calendar.

The season continues to the street circuits of Valencia and Singapore as the season progresses but neither will be able to match the off track and on track events of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Jenson heads into the next race in a highly commanding position as the rest of the field continue to play catch up. As well all know the longer the domination continues the smaller the title fight becomes.

Yet at least the sport itself has benefited from a much needed confidence boost with an enticing sporting event mixed with the glitz and glamour of a Monaco racing weekend.

French Open Expectations: Once, Twice Three Times a Lady

Antony Herbert — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:45:53 -0400

As another Grand Slam begins another giant leap is made for Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association.

Predictably Andy Murray’s direct entry provides the sole representation for British hopes in the men’s draw, but the recent revolution for the involvement of Brits in the women’s game continues. This is because three of the countries vastly improved female players have gained access to a first round position on the clay courts of the French Open.

Sadly Elena Baltacha, arguably the strongest chance of a second round berth based on her previous grand slam form faltered in the final qualifying round losing comprehensively to the top qualifying seed on a surface she finds most tricky.

But with Anne Keothavong, Katie O’Brien, and Melanie South forcing their names into the main draw the British girls continue their qualification success, following on from recent triumphs in the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

One can optimistically hope that Anne Keothavong due to her peak in the rankings accompanied with Britain’s first female appearance in the semifinal of a WTA event for some time can produce spectacular displays of on court action to slide her way into further rounds.

South and O’Brien also can catapult their ranking status with a first-round victory and accompany Keothavong into a top-100 placing.

You would expect that on the clay courts neither of the girls stands a massive chance of progressing through the tournament.

However the defining feature is that they are actually there.

Wimbledon and the Australian Open have proven not to be a one trick pony for the trio. When all three alongside Baltacha reached the first round proper of the Australian Open the British tennis tabloids were inspired and the deserved exposure allowed the girls a greater determination to succeed as well as rare column inches.

Encompassed within them became an increased level of nationalistic pride not seen in the women’s side of the LTA for many years. After years of Henman and then Murray grabbing sole headlines a change was in the air.

All three will of course be preparing themselves for their greatest opportunity in a few weeks time on the SW19 courts of Wimbledon, but maybe just maybe at least one of them can strike a sensational headline for the British media and raise the hopes that once again Great Britain will actually have a female tennis player capable of taking the fight to the big guns.

No longer would we have to suffer inevitable first round whitewashes and the game itself can gain some much needed credibility with the schools and training programmes we count upon to nurture future talents.

If South, O’Brien and Keothavong don’t etch their names into history books with landmark victories at least they can confess as to helping a lost cause regain its focus and bring a side of a game rarely given much attention back to our attention.

UEFA Operating at the Height of Hypocrisy

Antony Herbert — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:15:24 -0400

This week, UEFA director of communications William Gaillard stated that the European governing body would not oppose a move for Scottish old firm giants Rangers and Celtic to join the Premier League.

This is, to be absolutely frank, an encouraging and solidifying statement. Scottish football, whilst not being seen as the butt of all jokes, is seen as something of an unremarkable league.

The reason for this is simple; it features two teams who duly dominate and will continue to dictate the proceedings in the foreseeable future.

Teams such as Hearts and Aberdeen match the class and quality of some English Premiership teams and on occasions can take the fight to the Old Firm in individual matches.

But their inferiority when it comes to funding, exposure, and resources means that they realistically never have any chance in attempting to challenge for the Scottish league title.

Their only occasional hope is the odd UEFA cup run and Scottish cup triumphs when the Old Firm cease to focus on their weaker objectives.

Many have pondered the thought of the inclusion of the Old Firm to the English Premier League. It would provide more of a stimulus for both Rangers and Celtic to produce a high standard of football. It could also force a separation of the "big four" and heat up the Premierships title fight, widening the possibilities of who the triumphant victor will become.

What is it at the moment that they Old Firm actually plays for, besides their definitive Old Firm rivalry? Do their predictable and effortless league and cup glories justify their existence? Such victories for them have become as easy as taking candy from a baby.

They will always enter qualification for the Champions League as a return for these obvious triumphs.

Predictably, however, and despite their greatest efforts they find themselves vying for UEFA cup glory at best, when they are deemed by their European counterparts as not quite the finished product.

Celtic and Rangers as we all know in their current structure will rarely be able to compete on a level playing field with the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona.

William Gaillard’s comments are then seemingly satisfying in producing a step forwards. However it is only in these recent opinions that UEFA appear to back the plan.

On various occasions in the past the UEFA governing body have proclaimed to be vehemently against the idea of Scottish teams joining the English league. And whilst Gaillard does proclaims his apparent approval of the transitional idea he does however state in addition UEFA’s exasperating ignorance of taking a position on the proposal.

The reason for this is clear; UEFA will not allow teams from one country to compete in a sister country's footballing league.

And this is where the height of hypocrisy falls into motion. If this is true, and cross country action is prohibited then how do you explain Cardiff City, Swansea, Wrexham, and Merthyr Tydfil—all Welsh teams competing in the English league’s tier system?

UEFA in proclaiming their stance against the Old Firm proposition have therefore allowed themselves to be portrayed as clumsy and contradictory.

Cardiff and Swansea in a Welsh league would actually portray a similar and if not greater dull domination of their country's league. If they were sent to the Welsh Premiership, other Welsh Premiership teams could not possibly compete with their country's largest populated city teams and would have to face the prospect of constant and demoralising thrashings.

The pattern would then reflect that of the Scottish Premiership. Teams such as Rhyl, Llanelli, and The New Saints would battle for third at best and unlike Hearts and Aberdeen would find no European qualification reward for their failings.

It is obvious where UEFA takes the credibility to ignore the Welsh teams from. The country itself has always been seen by xenophobic followers as a part of England as opposed to a country in its own right. The complete ignorance of Wales being "forgotten" on a recent updated map of Europe highlighted this tendency.

Yet this is the same governing body who recognises a Welsh national team who compete internationally in World Cup qualifying groups. They also recognise a Welsh national anthem, and therefore must also take the responsibility to recognise the Welsh language, Welsh history, and Wales’ interestingly unique geographical features. We all know much of Harry Potter’s charm is down to the beautiful landscapes of the Welsh valleys.

Wales is arguably more of a respected country than the likes of San Marino and Liechtenstein, mainly because a Welsh man is so easily defined by accent and culture.

So what must be questioned is how can UEFA aggressively stand by their comments that it is not their position to action such a transition, whilst not recognising the frustrating hypocrisy that this entails.

I do not expect any change in proceedings in the forthcoming seasons. Rangers and Celtic will continue to dominate their Premier League campaigns, and will continue to effortlessly gain Scottish cup wins and European qualifications.

UEFA in refusing to take a position are ultimately refusing to partake in their job—to govern European football.

Which is a shame, because the idea of competition requires the epitome of just that; a competition of such exciting and fierce nature that it enacts in spectators an empowering adrenaline rush.

This can never be achieved in the current Scottish league’s climate, and will never be achieved until major changes are made.

FA Cup Semifinal: Anything You Can Do, Dimitar Berbatov Can't Do Better

Antony Herbert — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:16:44 -0400

Manchester United’s FA Cup fate was sealed as Everton coolly and calmly held the Red Devils to reach a rare cup final. With a penalty shootout finale going the way of Moyes’ men, Manchester United saw an end to their dream of a domestic treble and a fantastic fivesome.

Everton’s average season will come to life as they head to the final to face Chelsea. For any team just outside of the "big four," it is such an irresistible opportunity to place them in the history books if they emerge victorious.

The epic ending to today’s semifinal was put into motion through one seemingly single disastrous kick of the ball.

Manchester United’s penalty shootout in the Carling Cup final was somewhat inspirational, mainly due to Ben Foster’s spectacular heroics.

However, their follow up penalty shootout seemingly was snatched away from Manchester United, due to a massive miscalculation. Tim Cahill’s first miss became nothing more than a distant memory as soon as Manchester United joined in.

When a footballer has the ability to portray his talents in an evidently overly confident fashion and is able to show true talent then he is worthy of praise. Cristiano Ronaldo for United is generally a shining example. Consistently, he shows off in front of the Old Trafford faithful.

Dimitar Berbatov, however, showed that maybe he should just stick to the conventional methods of displaying his talents.

Even worse than shooting a penalty 50 feet over the bar is the image of a player taking a lengthy stroll up to the ball accompanied by a careless "shot" straight at the goalkeeper.

To say that Berbatov actually took a shot is somewhat of an overstatement and should hopefully teach the critically acclaimed striker a deserving lesson. Precision is often more effective in such a situation as opposed to playing games and trying to trick the keeper.

Berbatov, with his miss, set the tone for the rest of the penalty shootout, allowing Everton to immediately capitalise and thrust themselves into what will surely be a fascinating final.

For Manchester United, their season still has yet to be aimed for. The Premiership is within grasp, and if form follows suit they will set up a deserving and likely Champions League final with the Spanish giants Barcelona.

Red Bull Racing: Putting Milton Keynes on the Map

Antony Herbert — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:26:46 -0400

As a young boy growing up in the ever expanding area of Milton Keynes I always yearned for sporting heroes to be born out of England’s newest city.

Up until this point however these sporting talents were few and far between. Certain people have made headlines.

Notable athletes Craig Pickering and Greg Rutherford have made splashes into the world arena, although the formers frustrating failure to take the baton in time in the Olympic relay was a highly cringe worthy moment worthy of forgetting.

The Milton Keynes football team has seen a slight revolution in the last couple of years also, but as I don’t regard them as truly being born out of Milton Keynes I have always somewhat looked towards Formula 1 for the emergence of heroics coming from my home town.

It began with Stewart Racing, who produced the occasional flashes of brilliance, accompanied however with more often than not displays of under achievement. Their definitive moment was though the lucky win achieved by Johnny Herbert in the chaotic European Grand Prix of 1999.

Stewart Racing then became the Jaguar Racing team who were consistently plagued with reliability issues that ultimately restricted them from becoming constant front runners.

Then it began to change. A shift looked to take place. David Coulthard revitalised his career and as a result, Milton Keynes’ Formula One prospects grew when Jaguar Racing became Red Bull Racing in 2004.

A solid start saw promising scenes in the debut season for the new challengers, and the literal super heroic scenes of Coulthard’s infamous cape at Monaco in the following seasons gave food for thought that finally a Milton Keynes outfit was heading to the top.

And with today’s glorious debut victory for Red Bull Racing and Sebastien Vettel the wings have at last opened and the team are preparing to fly to promising dizzy heights never before seen in the place the modern city of its birth.

David Coulthard’s somewhat choked reaction to the victory he had helped the team strive towards perfectly summed up my own emotions. To have watched a team with such spirit and character finally being rewarded was a joy to watch and has given momentous hope for future successes.

There is no doubt that the Milton Keynes papers will be full of the Chinese glory in the days to come.

This weekend’s events highlight the deserving story of a stunning spectacle coming flawlessly into fruition.

I am ultimately proud to behold the Red Bull Racing team as an image of sporting talent for Milton Keynes and hope that it is an image that becomes ever more extravagant in the following seasons.

BMW's Early Birds: Not Quite Getting the Worm

Antony Herbert — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:51:01 -0400

Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld are both amazing racing talents. Kubica was the outstanding star of last season.

Had it not been for his team’s insistence on beginning work on improving the teams’ prospects for the following season the pole could easily have provided an unexpected challenge to the finale of the title fight between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.

But yet the sporting world accepted his teams frustrating lack of pace for the prospect of a future force to be reckoned with.

Sadly however as today’s Chinese Grand Prix showed the extra work insisted upon has come up with absolutely nothing worthy of note.

Kubica obviously has to take some of the responsibility for the failings. His qualifying performance was poor. For a driver who massively outperformed his car last season, he portrayed a sub standard figure of his former self, leaving his race credentials aiming for a point or two at best.

Even worse was the reality that was to fall upon the BMW duo during the race itself. Their race pace was so far removed from the spectacular that neither managed to produce a display that demanded a response from us watching spectators.

And so now we have to witness the demoralising scenes of woe from a team of two optimistic drivers promised so much when their team gave up on their 2008 car. Their expectations of a brighter future to come, at this precise moment are seemingly in tatters.

Alongside the likes of Ferrari and Mclaren they find themselves playing an excruciatingly painful game of catch up as the likes of Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing take charge.

What both Heidfeld and Kubica also find themselves in danger of this season is the gradual decline in praise lavished upon them if their car continues to yield nothing more than midfield results at best.

Even though both drivers can and have produced fine displays of out performance of their cars there is only so much they can do when their chassis beneath them gives them peanuts.

BMW will hopefully see this as an alarming wake up call. The idea of such a team wasting the monstrous talents they have acquired is disheartening to say the least.

Robert Kubica is a definitive championship contender and is not supposed to become a lost memory in the history books of Formula One’s prestigious talents.

The Chinese Grand Prix: Sebastien Vettel and His Girl of Beauty

Antony Herbert — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:25:17 -0400

When Sebastien Vettel seemingly came out of the shadows to take a dominant victory at Monza last year most expected a follow up victory to be imminent.

Obviously a midfield paced car sadly held him back somewhat. But as the Chinese Grand Prix showed today the young superstar is well and truly back to the forefront of the sport.

His follow up victory on the drenched tarmac in Shanghai reflected his success in Monza in similarly spectacular fashion. Vettel was rarely troubled, and displayed great speed and control to gift himself the top step on the podium when the race reached its climax.

In the pre-race festivities the young German confirmed his likeable character in a curious pit walk interview with British commentator Martin Brundle and ex racer David Coulthard.

It was in this interview that he revealed his sweet little habit of naming the car that would hopefully elevate his improving status. He proclaimed that as the car gave him so much to work with he would have felt unjust in not giving the powerhouse beneath him a generous reward.

He declined to comment on the actual name of his car, citing David Coulthard’s infamous womanising ways as a joking reason to shield the named Red Bull from gossip columns.

What he did tell us though was that the car itself was always christened a girls 'name. And this girl was definitely a stunning natural beauty.

With Sebastien at the helm the Red Bull flung itself effortlessly around the three and a half mile circuit in cautious conditions that made it difficult to make the assumption of an easy win.

It did appear that victory for the young German was at one point catastrophically thrown into chaos as Sebastien Buemi caught Vettel by surprise half way through the action, with damage caused to the Toro Rosso’s rear wing as a result.

Somehow however Vettel escaped unscathed and strode away to an emphatic victory that will highlight himself as a title contender to the unlikely lads deemed title challengers thus far—namely Button and Barrichello.

A second heroic victory by the talented youngster is expected to be the second of many to come. And surely his credentials as a future championship winning driver have been dealt a massive boost with such a tasteful glory.

Sympathy must go out to fellow youngster Adrian Sutil however as in a triumphant points scoring position his consistently underachieving Force India threw itself into the barriers just shy of the final laps.

This only adds to the frustrating disappointment of his Monaco disaster when in an even better position Kimi Raikonnen’s stray Ferrari ended an underdog’s dream from coming into fruition. Hopefully karma will prevail and Adrian will eventually become close to reaching the dizzy heights seen by Vettel today.

All in all it was a fantastic drive by Sebastien, and marks the welcoming continuation of a field of drivers headed by unlikely heroes worthy of overdue triumphs.

Antony Herbert's Footballing Week: The Ups & the Downs

Antony Herbert — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:34:26 -0400

When any season comes to a close the stories become vast and expectant. Relegations are confirmed, title winners are crowned, and the future begins to find itself in the history books of the footballing world. Quite a few stories have taken my attention this week, so instead of producing different articles for each, I've decided to produce instead a slideshow of this weeks footballing action. Included is one story of woe that many will have seen me commenting on in recent weeks. This story is accompanied by stories of battles still being fought, injustices hopefully coming to an end, and aspects of football that continue to baffle me.

Begin Slideshow

Champions League Drama; Manchester United Continue to Spring Leaks

Antony Herbert — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:19:23 -0400

Four English teams have again made it to the quarter finals of the Champions’ League. The English four have monopolised the tournament in recent seasons, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United all making the final on at least one occasion.

But with Arsenal not producing consistent football and Chelsea and Liverpool strangely drawn against each other for a fifth consecutive season, the pressure was firmly on Manchester United tonight to push into the semis

In reality, they had been handed a great opportunity. With Arsenal’s current performance being under intense scrutiny and one English team guaranteed to be sent packing, Manchester United had a clear chance to reach the final without fear of facing any English opponents.

Yet the recent shortcoming by their defense have seemingly continued tonight as Portuguese giants Porto produced a fine display of football. This ultimately has given Porto the upper hand. With two beautiful away goals to take to the second leg of the tie and an unbeaten home record against English clubs in Europe, Porto go in as clear favorites to reach the next stage of the tournament.

Of course, Porto really should have gotten more out of the game. A first half display that yielded little in the way of United pressure could have allowed them to capitalize with a first half lead. But alas, Rooney’s powerful equalizer proved this not to be the case.

Predictably, United then looked to do what they do best, punishing Porto’s lack of goals with what was suspected to be a late winner from substitute Carlos Tevez.

But an even later equaliser from Porto now means United can afford no liberties when they head off to Porto in an attempt to successfully defend last year's inspirational Title win.

Arsenal themselves did garner a joyous win against Villarreal, but few would rate them as an effective challenge to the crown. And with either Chelsea or Liverpool heading out next week, there is a slight worry that this year's final could feature no English sides if results do not go the way of previous seasons.

Tomorrow's action, coupled with next week's return legs, will give us a greater perspective of who will reach the final.

At this moment, the prize for Europe’s biggest club tournament does look more likely to be heading to a club on the other side of the English Channel.

Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone Has Another Potentially Harmful Idea

Antony Herbert — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:53:45 -0400

First there was Calamity Jane. Now we have Calamity Bernie.

As awful as my introduction there was, it highlights a point. Formula One expects a leader of integrity, iconic status and most importantly a leader with common sense.

Yet instead we are stuck with a foolish, incoherent and partially insane C.E.O who causes his own sport to succeed in spite of him as opposed to with him.

I myself gave up early on with Ecclestone as I was often left completely confused during his interviews with Martin Brundle and the rest of the British broadcasting team. He simply rarely made any sense.

And the newest decision from Bernie to offend the sport became the idea to move the Malaysian Grand Prix to a later time slot. In doing so it risked the elements and dying light in the hope of gaining a greater world wide audience.

As fate would have it, the first Malaysian Grand Prix under these circumstances was dramatically cut short after scenes that portrayed nothing short of a monsoon. To save cars from aquaplaning across the track and walking on water the race was halted a mere thirty one laps in—a little over fifty percent.

Now I’m all for safety in Formula 1. One of my earliest memories of the sport was of my hero Ayrton Senna’s tragic death due to the lack of cockpit safety. So I was all for the race being red flagged in order to keep the drivers in a secure position.

Forgive me for stating the obvious however, but a reasonably timed start would have meant a full race conclusion as opposed to the fiasco that ensued.

Oddly it is not the early halt to proceedings that made me scream in anger. It was instead the slight injustice caused to certain drivers as a result of the premature finish.

Jenson Button has been handed a silver platter. He has an almighty car beneath him. His demeanour and credentials have shot through the roof. No-one other than Jenson Button could be smiling for such an extended period of time at this moment. He is literally on top of the world.

But as we are all aware, what goes up, almost certainly will at one point come down. It may not necessarily come crashing down, but the likelihood is that there will be some misfortunes ahead, or a turning of the tables that would see him fighting a losing battle.

I can only predict what the rest of the season will behold. But the expectation for the likes of Mclaren, Ferrari and Renault to improve is overwhelming. They will at some point come into their own again and return to the top steps of the podium.

Obviously I would love them not to, but in the inevitability that they do, I see the Malaysian Grand Prix as doing more harm than good to Jenson’s early advantage.

If at any point you are lucky enough to seize an advantage over an opponent, you want that advantage to be as exaggerated as possible.

But instead of Jenson having an eighteen point gap over his countryman and defending champion Lewis Hamilton, instead only has fourteen. A full race finish would have left Hamilton effectively two race wins behind, the half finish meaning a win and a fourth place behind.

For a driver who has stuttered in his career thus far, an early advantage for Jenson of the magnitude that his car has seemingly given him definitely warranted more of a point’s advantage.

And it is for that reason that I shudder at the thought of Bernie Ecclestone agreeing to moving the timeslots of races to the more unpredictable points of wind, rain and impending darkness. He could argue that it increases the chances of excitability on the track, but it also compromises the durational outcome of a racing weekend.

As seen in the Malaysian Grand Prix this can cause drivers in excellent positions to literally gain only half of what they richly deserve.

Imagine if the season concluded and Hamilton, Massa, Raikonnen or Alonso pipped Jenson to the post by the smallest of margins. The uproar would be alarming. Jenson has been disadvantaged; there is no doubt about it. Even the sight of seeing other drivers with half points to their name is somewhat disheartening. It is as if you are saying they are only worth half a point!

So I for one hope that Bernie rethinks his clumsy idea, and allows the sport the time and validity it deserves, and gifts the expecting drivers and teams their hard earned rewards.

The Re-Invention of Liverpool Football Club

Antony Herbert — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:17:12 -0400

Liverpool Football Club share a natural affinity with sports stars such as Tim Henman and David Coulthard.

Henman and Coulthard were both capable and talented professionals in their sport. They spent many years among the top 10, and on certain occasions showed that they could outclass every single one of their opponents.

However, both begrudgingly shared one nasty habit.

Both Tim and David could never muster up the consistency and power to edge their way to a grand slam or a driver’s title. They were never the epitome of a finished product.

Henman of course reached various semifinals on court but never a final, and Coulthard finished in the top five of the driver’s title on many occasions, with one runner-up position behind the mighty Michael Schumacher.

Although Liverpool FC are historically England's most successful club, when it comes to the Premier League, this is not the case.

Since the Premier League’s conception, Liverpool have yet to add a single league title to their previous triumphs.

Instead, Manchester United seized the opportunity to successfully play catch up in a combination of title glories, which were occasionally, but briefly, halted by the likes of Blackburn, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

Many regarded Liverpool as title challengers or title favourites, but in recent years the team was tarred with the same brush that tainted both Henman and Coulthard.

Essentially spectators and fans just gave up on glory. The ideal was that they would win titles, but the expected reality was that they would remain as also rans.

Only a miracle seemed the way out.

Therefore so many were surprised and excited at Liverpool’s engaging title prospects for the 2008/09 season.

They controlled match days, gained a valuable collection of points, and strung together an amazing run of form that put them firmly in the driving seat for title glory.

Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal were dumbfounded, and immediately sought to repair the gap that Liverpool had created.

Predictably, Liverpool did suffer a dip in form, and Manchester United capitalised. It seemed Manchester United had begun to run away with the title.

But a spectacular couple of weeks for Liverpool, accompanied by two lacklustre Manchester United performances, put the title challenge back on.

United are still, of course, firm favourites. With one game in hand and a one point advantage, it will require a slip up in the remaining few games to halt the red devils from another Premier League title.

Whatever the outcome, this season has successfully renewed the interest and optimism about a future Liverpool title.

Cup wins and Champions League wins will come and go, it is Liverpool’s strong heritage that seems to bind them to these glories, but it’s the title that all fans have their eye on.

It’s a never say never situation for this season; Liverpool still have a strong claim on this years title.

If Torres and Gerrard can sustain an injury free end to the season, this claim will be strengthened.

And next season, Rafa Benitez’s promising new team can attempt to delve even deeper into a title challenge, and confirm themselves as a respected and feared opponent on the pitch.

Being the only team of the "big four" not to win the Premier League has held them back, but an improved follow-up season can see Liverpool reinstate their claim to be the top English team.

Luton Town's Shining Moment

Antony Herbert — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:52:57 -0400

In recent weeks I have beamed in optimism at the mathematical possibility of Luton Town avoiding the drop.

Their chances of survival had challenging, but promising, prospects of coming into fruition.

With Grimsby and Chester both winning games, however, that dream is catastrophically coming to a close. Luton Town, having been unfairly docked 30 points, will be a non-league team next year.

This inevitability made this past weekend's events all the more poignant.

The Johnstone's Paint trophy may be in some peoples eyes be a throwaway trophy. The teams that participate would rather excel as underdogs in the FA Cup or League Cup.

However, Luton Town’s inspirational heroics in the JP Trophy final against Scunthorpe, gave their army of loyal fans a shining and defining moment to remember their beloved team by.

Their Wembley triumph has also made clear to the rest of the league that the pathetic injustice handed to them for financial irregularities has stripped a capable team of their league status.

Luton Town’s fans, nicknamed the Hatters, have always been a part of the team's eclectic history.

The second highest average attendance of all League Two teams, and a 40,000 supporter turnout at Wembley for the final, have shown the dedication that the Hatters emit.

And they were duly rewarded with a 3-2 victory which some hailed as the best football match to have been played thus far at the newly improved national stadium.

A display of heart-warming solidarity was shown before the match had even started, as the Hatter’s controversially booed league chairman Brian Mawhinney’s appearance in the pre-game events.

Such a passionate display of emotion highlighted the desperate situation that had befallen the club. Their disgust at pre-season events was there for all to see.

Although League One promotion hopefuls Scunthorpe dominated initially, taking an early lead, it was Luton Town who ultimately came out on top.

With an extra time stunner from substitute Claude Gnakpa, who drilled in a 95^th minute breathtaker of a winner, Luton Town etched their names into the history books.

This rounded off a game of five goals which BBC correspondent Paul Fletcher described as "worthy of a Wembley final."

And so Luton Town, whose next two weeks of action will surely see them relegated from the league, have given their deserving fans a lasting impression of what can be done without any outside interference and off-pitch antics.

Hopefully such a glorious success will inspire a quick promotion back to the league. In turn this will also precede future years of improved triumph and on-pitch action worthy of a Wembley pitch.

Ade Adepitan: A True Sporting Icon

Antony Herbert — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:33:28 -0400

Some sportsmen are fortunate enough to excel in one sport, and carve their names into their sports history books as celebrated talents to be remembered.

Then once in a while along comes a star making an incredible transition into a second sport, equaling their victorious feats from the first.

Ade Adepitan surprisingly garnered credible attention not on any track or turf; rather as a seemingly gifted television presenter! Not to be unpredictable, he was of course a presenter mainly for programmes that always drifted towards leading an active lifestyle.

His energetic and enthusiastic reports for BBC programme Sportsround elevated his image into our minds and resulted in a constantly increasing cult status. His beaming smile and iconic dreadlocks became as much a defining symbol of his image as the wheelchair beneath him.

2004 saw him emerge onto the world sporting scene, as he featured in Great Britain’s Bronze medal winning basketball team at the Athens Paralympics.

His exposure expanded further as a result with promotional adverts for the BBC allowing him to show off his flawless dance skills within his chair.

And now Ade has successfully increased the capacity of his already bulging CV. In 2007 he made the transition from basketball to tennis, a sport focusing more on technical aspects and his own individual credentials.

It was only this week however that in stunning fashion he demolished his South African opponent in the Limpopo Open Wheelchair Tennis Championship to cause the tennis world to take note.

Such a demolition allowed his opponent to gain just the single game as Ade destroyed Daniel Mogorosi 6-0 6-1 to gift the Brit his first international singles title his new sport.

Rightfully so as a result Ade is now targeting the London Olympics in three years time to conquer a challenging ambition of becoming one of only a handful of sporting stars to achieve Olympic medals in more than one discipline.

Further tennis titles beforehand would of course seal his status as British sporting icon, along side the likes of other paralympians such Tammy Gray Thomson.

Britain has always been capable of producing unforgettable paralympians and Ade hopefully prove be no exception. For here is a man, determined and brimming with self belief, and someone whose future looks absolutely and positively promising.

F1's History Books: The Rest is Still Unwritten

Antony Herbert — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:09:43 -0400

In the world of Formula One we have so many undoubtedly fantastic talents. These are the talents which drive our favourite sport into exceptional realms of intense competition and stunning spectacles.

The opening to the current season has also given us a re-introduction to the dramatically unexpected events that can occur in the sport. This is something that has eluded the sport a lot in the last few years, throughout the years of Schumacher dominance and team advantages which played a major role in the results of race weekends and title battles.

We now have an eclectic mix of drivers thundering towards the front of the pack. And it is these surprising sporting heroes that are forcing those who we previously respected as the best drivers to be portrayed in a negative light.

Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, and Alonso have been completely dumbfounded at their dominance coming to a crashing holt. Their cars are letting them down in an embarrassing fashion.

They can do their jobs to the best of their ability and be presented with a mid field grid slot at best, leaving them to make up ground with a hopefully improved race pace.

This has obviously been a revolutionary chain of events for the sport. From the outset the season has become enticing and intriguing for its spectators. We cannot predict the outcome as of yet, and although we expect Ferrari and Mclaren to turn the tables, we relish this level of unpredictability.

What it has brought to our attention however is the lack of a dominating driver or collection of drivers. When Michael Schumacher dominated, he out performed his car with such natural ease that we became accustomed to the title race ending before the final couple of rounds of the season.

There has been a lot of talk recently about drivers such as Hamilton and Massa winning races due to their cars as opposed to their driving skills. For surely a faltering Mclaren in the hands of Lewis Hamilton would not be a faltering race car when he flourishes on a race track.

And that begs me to ask the question—do we have a driver in the field at the moment that is ever going to come close to matching the style and quality of driving that Michael Schumacher portrayed? Do we have a driver capable of outperforming a car to such a capacity that they become relatively un-defeatable?

A lack of a defining driver is not a bad thing of course. When Schumacher dominated the sport it became somewhat lifeless. It began to become obligatory for some to watch the highlights of a racing weekend.

This would of course have saved them from spending two hours trying to stay concentrated on a race where nothing happened except for a red Ferrari leading from the front. Events on track all seemed to blur into one.

History is made in Formula One however through drivers who showcase such incredible consistency and talent throughout their whole career. Fangio, Prost, Senna and Schumacher are forged into the memories of all who follow the sport; for these are the drivers who were capable of producing results season after season.

So can the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikonnen and Fernando Alonso enact in us a similar response to the mention of their names? If they cannot force their cars back to the forefront of the sport will they become known as flash in the pan drivers?

Will they become known as drivers who shone with a good car, but became average nobody’s when the heat was on, and they were presented with an actual fight on their hands?

Of the three Fernando seems the most equipped to tackle this early season struggle which has took hold of the "top teams." His second half of the 2008 season showed us what glorious qualities he has when he is behind a wheel. And this was even in a car which was number three at best of the ten teams.

For former champions Lewis and Kimi however, the pressure is most definitely on. They will need to produce great displays of determination and competitiveness to focus our attentions back on their previously acknowledged talents.

If not then they will become known for being one hit wonders, with their defining moments featuring when they were just about good enough and their car was flawless.

We have a blank page for the Formula One history books, so what will become written, in the years to come, if anything at all?

Fantasy Formula One: F1 on an Over-Active Imagination

Antony Herbert — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:42:29 -0400

My dad has constantly said if all drivers drove the same car it would split the men from the boys. So in honour of this idea, I have constructed an imaginary driver order if such an idea came into fruition. There are some obvious choices. There are some optimistic choices. There are also slightly harsh choices, mainly in response to a talented driver seemingly losing their way in recent times.

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Ben Foster: My Foster's a Large One, but It's Always Second Best

Antony Herbert — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:58:05 -0400

With England firmly in the driving seat for their qualification to next year's World Cup, many are beginning to speculate which players will and will not be chosen to represent their country and aim to remove from our memory the embarrassment of the failure to make the European finals of last year.

Many prominent players, such as Gerrard, Rooney, and Ferdinand are of course certainties for places, but more so than most, the position of goalkeeper is one that has been highly discussed and speculated.

David James has somewhat monopolised the position at times, occasionally being replaced by Paul Robinson and Chris Kirkland. Inevitably, he finds himself as first choice goalie, despite various hiccups along the way.

Yet many are championing a new promising talent in the form of Manchester United second choice keeper, Ben Foster. The clue, however, is in the title. Here is a player hailed as being capable of pushing to the forefront of the English team, but ultimately one who is being held back by a manager unwilling to give him enough defining moments that would warrant him a stake to the claim of English No. 1.

Foster found himself at United in 2005, but with only one appearance to his name was shipped off to Watford on loan for two seasons. A greater amount of exposure followed and two years later he did then return to Manchester United. This was amid an increased spotlight and improved potential.

Of course those who managed to witness his sensational performance in the Carling Cup final will have seen his lack of premier league action as a terrible injustice waiting to be resolved.

His dominant display in the face of goal against Tottenham was revolutionary in highlighting his superb credentials, and gave food for thought for both Alex Ferguson and also England manager Fabio Capello in their future team choices.

Edwin Van Der Sar, currently Foster’s main competition for the United shirt ,is coming to the end of his career, but still heads the team's starting line up match after match. From an optimistic mindset, Foster's aspirations are obviously increased at the knowledge that the Dutchman must surely be reaching a climax to his career, which could hand Foster a greater amount of match starts.

However, this possible promotion for Foster, at the moment, is just that—a possibility, rather than an inevitability.

Many have been quick to persuade Foster into staying at United, citing the benefits that the "if" becoming a certainty would give. An increase in his English first team prospects would give Foster a mouth wateringly relishing reason to stay.

Alternatively, however, one must wonder what would happen if this "if" becomes a risk too much? What would happen if the patience that Foster has portrayed so far results in career aspirations being placed permanently on hold, if events don’t go his way?

Foster himself has concluded currently that he will fight for a place as first choice keeper at his club, before focusing greater attention on the prospect of representing his country on a global stage.

Others, though, have been quick to warn Foster of the obvious shortcomings that a waiting battle could force upon him.

Former English keeper Peter Shilton sounded a stark warning to Foster, remarking that the short-term prospects are not necessarily fantastic, and aspirations to represent his country in the future would dramatically suffer as a result.

After all, who would expect an English team manager to select a player whose first team action consists of the occasional cup appearance? Chris Kirkland suffered a similar fate whilst at Liverpool before wisely choosing to emigrate away from the Kop and thus increase his national prospects.

Ben Foster will ultimately decide in which direction his career will eventually take.

Personally, I worry that if first team action was to become more elusive at United, then a switch to another premier league team may come excruciatingly too late. Would this sort of future leave Foster contemplating in hindsight why he chose to stay at a club where the manager gave little to credit him? Or stay at a club that fair enough will win him trophies, but essentially never allowed him to showcase his enhanced talents.

There is a national hero in the making in the form of Leamington Spa-born Foster, but one that will become nothing more than a rumour of promise if change fails to take place.

Jenson Button: The Return Of The Also Ran

Antony Herbert — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:59:08 -0400

Jenson Button is not a natural championship winning driver. He has spent much of his career as an also ran, hardly showing any remarkable out-performance of the armour beneath him.

Teammates have appeared relatively equal to the youthful driver, and rarely has the Englishman shown a style of team dominance that could elevate him to iconic status.

Yet Jenson’s second victory and first triumph minus offerings of weatherly help was something of a truly inspirational spectacle.

Here was a driver, so down and out after years of mid field finishes, miserably evolving into a back of the pack hell, reversing his fortunes, with a surprise new package, dominating one of the most intriguing openings to any recent championship.

Last season must surely have been an all time low for the Englishman. He suffered a second season being eclipsed by countryman and instant success Lewis Hamilton, and was demolished in parts by his surprisingly superior team mate Rubens Barrichello. He finished the season with his career seemingly in tatters, stuck in a team that just did not seem to care about his or their own future.

His career seemed to mirror in a lot of respects that of his great friend David Coulthard – a driver who many expected so much from, but despite occurrences and flashes of brilliance failed to consistently live up to the optimistic promise.

Amazingly so then, Jenson appears to have become electrified into action with his maiden victory of the 2009 season, relishing the masses of unexpected praise and glorious celebrations that have come his way as a result.

His stature reflects that of a boy in his first sweet shop, so overcome with elation and excitement that he can do nothing but produce a constant display of happiness, a beaming smile and a confident hope for the sensational season that could become.

The pessimist inside does believe that as soon as the other nine teams get their act together and overthrow the slight embarrassment of losing to a rookie team, that Jenson, Rubens and Brawn GP will gradually yet painfully slide back towards the foot of the pack.

However, something about the revitalised demeanour of the passionate Brit gives us a fantastic sense of greater things to follow and a season that in many ways could reflect the ultimate story of a flailing underdog, returning from the pit of oblivion and coming back a thousand times stronger.

Obviously it is too early to begin talks of a championship fight, for Jenson. The media and Formula 1 fanatics can not expect too much from an opening race of such ravishing events.

At least we know that a driver who once portrayed the hopes of a nation on his shoulders, is back where he truly wants to be, and back to a point in his career where even a slight downturn in his fortunes would still keep him in the sport for a good few years to come.

Jenson Button, although decidedly average in his credentials, is well and truly back in the eyes of supporters and competitors alike.

A New Beginning: The Midfield Revolution

Antony Herbert — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:39:38 -0400

As the gap has been narrowed to allow smaller teams on smaller budgets a more competitive edge, we find ourselves in the superbly fantastic position of having a top half of the grid for the Australian Grand Prix made up of mid-field runners.

And it is these also rans who rarely get the chance to showcase undiscovered talents and are, for the most part left to languish behind the big spenders such as Mclaren and Ferrari and scrap meticulously for the occasional point here and there.

For those who always felt a field of identical cars, with effectively no team advantage would be a good thing, we now find ourselves in the position of being presented with something in most ways similar, but ultimately just as satisfying.

Mclaren struggled majorly in qualifying for the debut race of the season, and Ferrari took no major advantage in their rivals lacklustre performance, resulting in a top five consisting of three single race winners, a multiple but faded winner in Rubens Barrichello and also a shining future promise in the form of Nico Rosberg.

And so Button, Barrichello, Vettel, Kubica and Nico have set the scene for arguably the most intriguing season opener in the last ten or so years.

For here we have a batch of drivers not lacking in speed and dedication, and depending on their actions of keeping the Ferrari duo at bay, a five some who can ultimately set the tone for what stunning scenes could follow:

A season of such awesome unpredictability and remarkable events that could put an end to the constant harsh critique of those who deem the sport dreary, dull and consistently predictable.

We could if we are extremely lucky begin a season of multiple winners, of celebrated heroes emerging from the shadows and more importantly a season where previous form goes out of the window, leaving clean slates to be etched into the history books.

Hamilton, Massa, Kimi and Alonso are all shining examples of the post Schumacher world of Formula One, a collection of examples that brought Formula One an army of new supporters and brought those who had begun to doubt the sports merits back to the forefront of spectatorship.

Now the likes of Vettel, Kubica and Rosberg can also provide a similarly tasteful spectacle, and portray to the world a sense of dramatic competition, intense rivalry and legendary performance on track.

Such a creditable start to the season would also encourage the previous seasons fore runners the inspiration to force their cars back to the front of the pack and give us the most open season of quality racing that the sport of F1 has seen in a long time.

And hopefully this could lead us away from the expected dominance we could see later on in the season, where an elite few who rely more on the armour beneath them as opposed to the armour within them taking race wins that come as easily as taking candy from a baby.

The 10 Questions of the 2009 Formula One Season

Antony Herbert — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:46:26 -0400

The 2009 season is bound to be an intriguing and largely unpredictable one if pre-season events are anything to go by. With the pre-season debates of rule changes and the idea of wins alone equalling greater title prospects have kept us up to date with what to expect from the current season when it kicks off in Melbourne. Many are anticipating a dramatic and enticing follow up to a 2008 season which gave us so much. From a British perspective we now have a new hero to follow, a new celebrated talent who brought home title glory to our shores in the dying seconds of the Brazilian Grand Prix of last year. At one point it even seemed to be that we would be left with only him as a British talent to keep our eyes on as fellow Englishman Jenson Button looked down and indeed out of an F1 career. But last season more than anything showed that the sport of F1 is as open and exciting as it ever has been, with many great talents portraying masses of speed, consistency and quality racing that will keep the sport firmly in its deserving spotlight. There are many questions that I could have posed, as simply so much is being anticipated that you could write a whole book detailing the pre-season excitement that runs through the veins of an F1 fanatic. Who will emerge victorious, who will see their career in tatters (well there’s one obvious choice) and more importantly what new scandals will emerge attempting to destroy the reputation of a sport so widely acknowledged as being a stunning spectacle. In saying that I have tried to avoid obvious questions, questions that have been debated to death, but don’t expect any miracles, some just had to appear!

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Luton Town-Grimsby Town: The Impossible Dream

Antony Herbert — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:09:39 -0400

There are now nine games left and Luton Town are still 12 points from safety, but the dream is still alive thanks to a last-gasp winner against one of Hatters' relegation rivals on Tuesday, 2-1.

Grimsby are one of the teams that could go down at Luton’s expense if the unthinkable becomes reality, and they string together a succession of results that could ultimately reverse the survival threatening 30-point punishment handed out to them preseason.

Twelve points, of course, equates to four victories, providing both Chester City and Grimsby lose their four games. But with nine games remaining it still offers a slim hope of escape from relegation to the dreaded non-league.

As simple as stating this fact is, it really is what I will be going on about, football-wise, for the rest of the season. An injustice to the club was made, and in a dream world this injustice would be revoked at the hands of the players who have fought so desperately to keep their team in the English football league.

Luton Town’s remaining games bring with them high expectations.

Obviously, at least four games need to be won to mathematically stand any chance of survival, but as a team who would be comfortably mid-table without the penalty, every match is as winnable as if it were Tottenham beating Liverpool or Man City dethroning their city counterparts United.

The first few games of the remaining nine are all winnable matches against teams below the playoff and automatic promotion positions. If results go Luton’s way, this could relieve the intense pressure that could follow in the last three games of the season.

Fate has been cruel to Luton, matching them up with three of the top four teams in the league for their final games. Only time will tell if they can achieve the unthinkable.

The remaining matches are as follows, with their opponent's current table position in brackets:

March 21: At home to Macclesfield (17th)

March 28: Away to Morecambe (11th)

March 31: At home to Rotherham (15th)

April 11: Away to Lincoln City (12th)

April 13: At home to Chesterfield (10th)

April 18: Away to Barnet (21st)

April 21: At home to Wycombe (third)

April 25: At home to Rochdale (fourth)

May 2: Away to Brentford (first)

The New Rule: It's Okay For Some in Formula 1

Antony Herbert — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:43:45 -0400

There has been a lot of discussion about the newly instated rule of most wins equals’ title winner.

There is not a huge opposition to it, although the news that Felipe Massa would have been rightful champion last season obviously has not gone down too well with Hamilton fanatics.

Indeed, had this rule have come into place two years ago, the rightful champion and driver of 2007, Kimi Raikonnen, would have won the title by two wins instead of by just the one point he edged out in bizarre fashion at the season's climax.

His car's reliability issues had nearly cost him the title in the first place, but karma in the end appeared to prevail.

Yes, the new rule will definitely encourage overtaking. Hamilton, Massa, Alonso and Raikonnen will look to fight like they have never fought before for precious wins, which could ultimately tally up to title glory.

In this respect, straight away the defence of this rule coming into place has a great deal of validity.

A driver who shows his dogged determination to win races will be aptly rewarded, as opposed to the driver who consistently but deliberately edges onto the second or third steps of the podium in a race they could have won, but instead settled for the reward of points that would keep the title race open.

There is however, one downside that I see to this rule, and the 2008 season shows a brilliant case in point. Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, points wise, were the statistical top two drivers of the season last year, memorably culminating in the last-corner dramatics that were Hamilton’s title glory and Massa’s heartbreak.

But were their seasons the top two performances of the season as a whole? The simple answer is no. Lewis Hamilton was solid at points, but arguably a weaker version of his debut season self.

Felipe Massa also was stronger than he had ever been, much to the shock and amazement of his harsh critics, but still on occasions showed a lack of maturity and consistency in his driving.

On the other hand, two drivers shone throughout the season, outperforming their cars and showing immense speed and great tenacity as if there was no tomorrow.

Sebastien Vettel became the youngest winner in Formula 1 history, demolishing Kovalainen in Italy and elevating himself into superstar status.

Race after race, he tore up the form book for this Toro Rosso team and showed what an average car could do in the hands of professional talent.

Yet it was Robert Kubica’s performance which was by any stretch of the imagination, outstanding. Here was a driver who had survived a spectacular crash in the previous season, a crash which ten years previous would have left him six feet under, and left a driver who as a result appeared to come back ten times stronger with improved pace and driver quality.

The BMW was not a championship winning car; it could not compete with Ferrari and McLaren.

Still, it showed a great level of consistency. Kubica himself outshone teammate Nick Heidfeld throughout to earn multiple podiums, which oddly left him at one point leading the drivers’ standings without a win to his name.

That win, albeit in extremely lucky circumstances, came to him midway through the season and gifted him the reward that he so truly deserved,.

If not for his team's insistence on producing an improved 2009 car, could have encouraged him to fight for more victories in the penultimate rounds of the season which would force him to become a surprise third candidate for title glory.

But if the same thing happened in the 2009 season, this new rule suggests that Robert Kubica would become irrelevant as a title contender, unless his team can produce a car worthy of greater pace.

So therefore it has to be said that this rule, which is good for some, is brutally punishing for the likes of Kubica and Vettel.

Both are among the best drivers in a field of celebrated talents, but if previous form continues into the new season, it would lose them any hope of a title challenge for the "drivers’" title.

Ultimately, it would be the teams' lack of pace which would cost him the individual title as opposed to their own talents.

The ultimate question here really is, should the drivers’ title come down to which car performs head and shoulders above the rest, or should it come down to who can actually get the most out of their car and outperform it to the greatest extent...and ultimately who would actually be the most deserving champion?