Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Wilkins

Edition 1: Valencia: My Thoughts On The European GP

Mike Wilkins — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:50:09 -0400

With the end of the season in sight and with a few drivers still in with a shout, I have decided to put together a series of articles with a bit of info on the track, with a difference, being from a drivers perspective followed by a few words on each team as they head into the race.

A Drivers look at the track

Many people will immediately compare this track with Monaco.

I can see why that would happen on the surface, but the circuit apart from being round a port is not like the Monegasque track at all. It’s much wider and faster more reminiscent of tracks such as Melbourne in places and Singapore in others.

Despite the width, it’s still not an easy place to overtake on, with the first section nicely flowing but very bumpy up towards the bridge, hindering overtaking.

The section after the bridge is very narrow and vital to get a good run through here, because if you’re slow through here, you’ll carry it all the way down the long straight. This straight opens a couple of options. It’s long and you can either go for downforce to help with the corners, or take off some wing to give you a better top speed, which at the end is easily over 300kph.

A bit of a Mickey Mouse section after this, use the kerbs, leading into the last sector, which after a fairly boring lap, opens up into a pretty awesome final sector.

Double right-hander, speeds building up to nearly 300kph again, difficult to get the car flat through here, but if it’s working well, you can make up a load of time. Pick your lines and a nice hairpin back into the pit straight.

So, overall a much faster and open version of Monaco, if you like, with some long straights and big stops meaning you can overtake in a couple of places.

6.5/10.

Teams

McLaren

A team on a high after major updates move the car up the grid, culminating in Hamilton’s victory last time out. The circuit here will suit the car and suit Hamilton’s style. Expect him to fight for pole and for the win. Kovalainen should feature but only for the minor places.

Ferrari

Another team moving forwards but not as far as the Woking lot. Expect Raikkonen to be up near the front in qualifying, but slipping back in the race. Points, not podiums. Badoer? Maybe will get into Q3, but that’s it. Maybe a point or two if lucky.

BMW Sauber

Despite big promises, I fully expect these to be fighting near the back again, although they might go for a silly banzai low fuel lap in qualifying to tempt a buyer. No points for either.

Renault

Home turf for Alonso. I would expect him to go for pole, even at the expense of a light fuel load. He’ll try to hang on in the race. Solid points for Nando, but no podium. Grosjean may surprise and get into Q3 but probably retire form the race.

Toyota

Real disappointment of the year for me. Big words coming from Trulli for this race, but can’t see it myself. Q3 probable, and maybe small points, but no more. Expect Tim O’Glock to fuel up heavy and run to 9th. Again.

Toro Rosso

Difficult race for the Ex-Minardi boys. Buemi will be the quicker of the two, but still not enough to get into Q3. Alguersuari made a good fist of Hungary, fully against my expectations. Don’t see that continuing here. The wall beckons.

Red Bull Racing

Came away from Hungary a little more positively than they expected. No-one expected their car to be as competitive as it was. So expect more of the same here, with both Webber and Vettel fighting for pole and the win.

Force India

Again a team making progress, but so is everyone else, so don’t expect miracles. Q3 should see the end of the days running on Saturday, although Sutil could pull out a blinder. Will be very lucky to score points. Will need others to retire for this to happen.

Brawn GP

Not long ago I would have put Brawn as shoe in for pole and the win. Now, with others getting faster and the car mysteriously getting worse, I don’t know! First two rows and podium likely, but difficult to see more, but then again could turn up and blow the rest away!

My Summary

Difficult to see past Hamilton, Webber, Vettel, Button or Barrichello for the pole, although watch out for Alonso.

Same four drivers are my favourites for victory, so I’m going to predict a top 3 of:

1) Hamilton

2) Webber

3) Vettel

That’s it! My head on the block now!

Why, Oh! Why Is No-One Looking To Anthony Davidson?

Mike Wilkins — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 07:48:55 -0400

On April 18th 1979 a young boy was born in the ever so exciting exciting English town of Hemel Hempstead.

1987 arrives. Said young boy takes up Karting. As time progresses he develops more and more as a driver, growing in stature (stature not height!) and moves into single seaters.

1999 wins Formula Ford Festival.

2000 wins Formula Ford World Festival. Wins McLaren Autosport Award. Signs for BAR F1 as a Test Driver.

2001 Moves into F3. Runner up in UK championship with 6 wins and winner in Euro F3 including the Jewel in the Crown Pau GP.

2002 concentrates solely on F1 as BAR test driver and stands in for Alex Yoong at Minardi when the Malaysian is 'rested' ... solid drives, but spins off and zero points.

2003-2006 Continues with his F1 testing duties and combines this with some sportscar outings including Le Mans and Sebring.

2007 Big Break. Super Aguri F1 Driver.

Now this is where I can't believe it went wrong. During the beginning of the season admittedly Takuma Sato had the upper hand, after all Ant was not used to driving at the weekends!

Gradually though, as the season progressed Ant started to match Taku, then more often than not he out qualified and outraced the experienced and quick Japanese driver and fully justified his place in the team for 2008, with many observers expecting the team to move forward.

After all, they had a good driver pairing of the volatile and yet quick Satu, with the naturally gifted Anthony, a car that had blown the works team away on occasion, and Honda backing. It all seemed rosy.

Alas that was not to be with the collapse of the team.

Now with all the recent talk about lack of testing, and the use of inexperienced drivers in the heat of a Grand Prix weekend, I simply cannot believe that someone has not stepped forward to claim Ant.

His development skills are immense, he is very experienced, he has driven the latest equipment being Brawns Reserve driver, and above all he is simply bloody quick!

I know that it would be a loss to Radio 5 and the BBC interactive coverage, as he is outstanding as a pundit, but he's young enough and good enough to be doing what he should be doing.

And that's driving an F1 car in Grands Prix.

Will someone, somewhere wake up and smell the coffee and stop this awful was of a big talent, instead of signing up duffers like Nelson bloody Piquet!

Ferrari To Pay Off Kimi. Reports Emerge. Spain Rejoices!

Mike Wilkins — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:32:28 -0400

Funny thing this photo.

Bernie slipping Kimi his big payoff ? Nando in the wings waiting in line for his Ferrari contract? 2010?

Nope. 2009.

Reports are now emerging that Ferrari are now ready to offer Kimi the 'Big Bucks' to go off to rally Fiats permanently.

The reports come via SKY Sports via The Sun (I know I know) but they are saying that sources from within the team that he will be offered the full value of his existing contract as a payoff to vacate his seat at the end of this season, to enable Fernando to get his Ferrari drive a year early.

This does all make sense with Santander becoming the main sponsor for Ferrari next season. 25 million euros not to drive...? To one of the worlds biggest banking groups, it's a drop in the ocean, especially to get their Spanish Matador in their car.

Assuming this is correct, and I know that it's been long mooted, where does that leave Renault F1?

Massa will be back next season in the Scarlet car, so that's a team and a half. And no, I don't think Alonso will demand number 1 status, I don't subscribe to that at all, he's good enough to take on and beat any team-mate.

Renault will take back Kovi and probably have Grosjean as number 2, allowing McLaren to sign Rosberg, and that leaves a nice space for Senna somewhere...... like alongside Toyota ...oops I mean Nakajima at Williams?

Sebastien Loeb: Confirmed for Toro Rosso for Abu Dhabi, 2010 Very Likely

Mike Wilkins — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:31:15 -0400

Autosport is headlining the story that Sebastien Loeb will drive for Toro Rosso at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, with the whole 2010 season being on the cards too.

It would seem that the Abu Dhabi race is set in stone, although he could appear earlier if he manages to wrap up the World Rally Championship.

Citroen Rally boss Olivier Quesnel has confirmed this by saying that they expect him to give the WRC his full attention until the title is secured.

Loeb himself wanted to drive earlier, but has had to back track a little when he lost the lead in the WRC to Mikko Hirvonen.

With this seemingly settled, the question is: Can he hack it?

He has had some recent circuit experience and obviously was tested by Red Bull in Barcelona, where he acquitted himself very well.

I think he can do it, do you?

The German GP Trials and Tribulations Of a Mark Webber Fan

Mike Wilkins — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:05:02 -0400

Friday

Sneakily log onto the BBC website at work and minimize, waiting for the interactive to come on for 1st practice.

1st Practice. Excellent start. Fastest. Admit to self that it means nothing as yet but all in all quite satisfying. Pretend to do work whilst flicking between Germany and an accounts screen on windows. I'm becoming rather proficient at it now :o)

2nd Practice. Still ok. Less time to sneak a look, but ends up 4th fastest. Not too bad but admit to being slightly disappointed. Lol! I love it. Being disappointed with Mark in 4th. How times have changed.

Fed up with all the previews on the net and mags saying this is last chance to prove it before team orders come in. Also fed up with people saying this could be his weekend. I hate tempting providence you see.

Saturday

Work always busy Saturday morning, so miss final pratice. Argh. A few quicker drivers, but who knows what fuel is on board. Hmmm Hammy is up there.

Right. This is it. Qualifying. Make sure that there are no customers about, make sure that my Sales Team have no appointments. NO! Charlie has booked one for 1.30. How inconsiderate can you get?

Qually starts. Q1 nice and easy run, leaves it a bit late but no sweat. Q2. Oh my. Rain. Dry. Both. Mark stays out on dries. What!! Come on Webbo. Don't spin it now! Heart thumping. Phew. Into the pits. inters on. Back out. Purple sectors. Safe. Now relax Mike.

Q3. I can't watch. Customer arrives and leaves. Thank god for that. My cohort David suggests we sneak to watch the TV for the last session. Oh, look he's fastest. Vettel and Button behind him though. From behind a newspaper I sneak a look.. Both slower! YESSSSSSSS POLE !!!!!!!! The desk I'm sitting at barely survives my fist bashing and hollers!!

Sunday

Now this is getting unbearable.

The press are all, 'Webber should win' this and 'Webber should win' that, and it's driving me to distraction. Can they all please SHUT UP! it's driving me crazy. STOP saying he's gonna win!

Ok. Formation lap. GEt it away Webbo, don't stall it.. Phew ok, he's off...

The start .... Oh my. 'Slight bump' into Rubens. 2nd place. That's perfect. More fuel and still faster. Lovely Jubbly.

Noooooooo! What's this? Are they Blind? Penalty? NOOOOOOOO!! This is just soooo typical.

Ok get in, drive through, back out. Settle down. No finger nails left.

Nice. He's back in 1st and pounding out fast laps. In the bag?

What's this now? Clouds. Big and Black and threatening. Surely this can't be happening. I can't take it anymore. Off goes the radio and the TV.

This is just too much. Back on goes the TV. 10 laps to go. Rain rain go away, come back another day... PLEASE!

Pacing round the room now, counting down the laps. Come on come on. Last lap. Easy does it. Last corner. Chequered flag!

BEDLAM. Screams. Runs round room. Rings everybody and anybody ... more screaming down phones... Mark don't jump out of the car like that! You'll hurt your leg! Mark don't jump on the podium like that, you'll hurt your leg!!

And... collapse into the chair. Giggling. Smiling. Ahhhhhhhhh. 10 years of following Mark. All the lows... the relative highs.. the luck... the unlucky breaks... the leg break.. 10 years of supporting Mark Webber. It's all come good.

Mark Webber. Grand Prix Winner.

Tony George Resigns As CEO of IMS: What Now For F1 In the USA?

Mike Wilkins — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:15:57 -0400

Whilst I'm not a fan of the current Indianapolis Motor Speedway's F1 circuit as it's much too Mickey Mouse in the infield, the news that's emerging that Tony George has resigned as CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway does worry me. A lot.

It seems to me that most of the reason that F1 went back to the States was because of George, and despite not racing there currently, he was instrumental in trying to get the race back to the Brickyard and was in talks with Bernie Ecclestone concerning this.

However, a media release in May stated that the circuit was going to concentrate on the IRL, which had insiders criticising the investment that George had put into F1. This seems to have been the catalyst of his move.

So what does this mean for F1 in the States? Is this the end?

Personally, I hope not, as I think there are many many fans of our sport in America, and they have always been shortchanged.

Also, the teams in particular, the manufacturer teams all consider a Grand Prix in America as vital as it's their biggest market, especially Ferrari...and that could spell trouble in these tough times.

I say let's get back to Long Beach, and get F1 back with our American cousins.

P.S Let's get back to Canada too.

Ferrari To Announce Alonso at Monza Claim Reports

Mike Wilkins — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:34:51 -0400

It may be a surprise to anyone but....

The first reports are now saying that Ferrari will announce that Fernando Alonso will be driving for the Scuderia as of 2010.

Italian newspaper Diario AS claims that the worst kept secret in F1 is already scheduled to be announced on September 11th, on the Eve of the Italian GP.

It is also claimed that Fernando will be attending the annual Ferrari end of season event, this year to be held in Valencia, to welcome on board Spanish bank Santander and its Spanish superstar.

He will have to attend in casual clothes until his Renault contract expires on December 31st.

All sounds very logical to me.

Rock on 'Nando!

FOTA: Scrapping Budget Cap Could Stop New Teams

Mike Wilkins — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:10:19 -0400

Well well well...Nick Fry, CEO of Brawn GP has now admitted what most of us were wondering about.

The scrapping of the £40 million budget cap may have a negative effect on the three new teams set to join the grid for next season.

All three of the new teams, US F1, Manor GP, and Campos Meta, all submitted their entries because OF the budget cap, and it now remains to be seen whether they will now join the fray or not.

Fry has been quoted by Reuters as saying:

"If one of those three weren't able to get the funding to enter, there a possibility that others might be invited in."

This sounds very much to me that FOTA are expecting at least one of the new entrants to pull out, and that some of the well funded teams that were not named in the 2010 entry list, such as Prodrive, Lola, Litespeed/Lotus (Mike Gascoigne), and the Alex Wurz Superfund team may well suddenly pop up on the list.

Personally, I was surprised that set-ups such as Prodrive and Lola were rejected and fully expected one the chosen candidates to pull out before the FOTA/FIA agreement was announced. This can only reinforce that view.

Hopefully US F1 (or USGP as it will have to be called as someone already owns the name US F1) will remain, as I think Formula One needs to raise its profile in the States, and this is an ideal opportunity, especially if Danica gets a drive!

The BBC Coverage of F1: What a Revelation!

Mike Wilkins — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:28:04 -0400

So, here we are eight races into the 2009 season, and that means eight races into the BBC's coverage of the sport after several years on ITV, and what a vast improvement it is!

It has taken a little time for the team to gel together and begin to develop an identity; some new presenters had to find their feet and show us that they had the personality, professionalism, and most importantly, the knowledge and enthusiasm for our sport.

Luckily in the beginning, a couple of the ITV crew came across, kept things rolling and feeling familiar. Now it's all settling into a show that's miles ahead of the previous broadcasters efforts.

The general "BBCishness" is a great foundation, with fabulous production, and excellent music, montages, and uninterrupted coverage all being enjoyable and informative.

Jake Humphrey is a revelation, both on the show and with his fascinating Blog. He's improving every show.

Martin Brundle is Martin Brundle. The man that keeps the whole thing together with his wit and insight and those amazing Grid-Walks.

Luckily we still have Ted Kravitz in the pits, and Lee McKenzie is developing nicely. I do like her getting in with the fans, and she is also rather lovely!

Jonathan Legard is gradually improving. As is DC, as he gets used to talking rather than driving!

Negatives?

Well, EJ is well, Eddie Jordan! I kind of like some of his comments and probing questions, but my verdict is still out on him.

I as wish that Anthony Davidson and David Croft could be incorporated into the main programme somehow. Their commentary on Five Live and BBC's interactive Red Button is a joy.

A quick mention of the interactive stuff. Live practice sessions too! Fabulous!

All in all, I'd give it a big nine out of 10 at the moment, and if we could get Ant and Crofty in there too, it would be a resounding 10 out of 10!

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel: A Great Combo Making Each Other Drive Better

Mike Wilkins — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:42:52 -0400

Red Bull Racing 2009.

At the beginning of this season, many observers viewed the forthcoming RBR driver lineup with delicious anticipation: Mark Webber, the veteran Aussie who never quite had the car to match his talents, and Sebastian Vettel, the new German Wunder-Kid who was looking like he might be the new Schumi.

Mark Webber has a history of beating his teammates, and just needed that final piece of the jigsaw to fall into place to become a race winner.

Sebastian Vettel, already the youngest winner in F1, moved into the team to race against one of the quickest men over a single lap in the business.

The season began badly for Mark before the first race with his accident.

Some of the observers began to put the first nails in the coffin for him there and then. Despite this his spirits remained up, as I can testify that at a fabulous New Years Eve bash at Il Maschio, Mark spent most of the night with us, despite being on crutches.

Basically, the general opinion was, whichever of the two drivers had the worst season would be finished, or at the very least have their status within F1 very much reduced.

All this though is preamble to my main point.

Somehow, and mainly through great performances by both drivers, the stock of both Mark and Sebastian has gone up.

Sebastian has more than proven that the predictions about his abilities were on the money. He really is a supreme talent and a young guy that will win Championships. Definitely.

Mark has also proven that he can race, and has pushed Sebastian all the way, in fact, has now pushed Sebastian so hard, that Vettel has had to raise his own game further just to try and beat him.

So, RBR are in the pound seats. They have two drivers who are pushing each other every step of the way, whether it has been in practice, qualifying or the race. The rivalry between the two drivers has made them both drive better and faster at every race.

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, a dream team.

Mark Webber and The Prima Donna

Mike Wilkins — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:38:12 -0400

Well Hello to one and all!

I’m Back!

Work commitments have just been so huge, that I have not been able to spare any time to this lovely site, so I’m forcing myself!

You may all know that I’m just a huge fan of Mark Webber and feel enough is enough after reading all the press in regard to young Mr Vettel.

Much has been made over the past few days after Turkey, and that ‘infamous’ radio transmission.

I have a few observations of my own on the situation.

1) Mark WAS faster. In the middle stint Mark pumped in lap after lap of quick times. This is what got him ahead of Vettel. Just as it did in Spain. At the end of the race, of course Vettel was quicker. He had new tyres on! Mark was just stoking it along.

2) The two-stop/three-stop scenario. Christian Horner has repeated many times that Vettel was kept on the three-stopper hoping that he could get past JB. If he had, he would have finished second. He couldn’t and finished third.

3) Is it I or is young Mr Vettel starting to become a Prima Donna? He’s an enormous talent but to expect the team to tell Mark to move over? To sulk like a little kid when beaten in a straight fight? I think that he’s starting to believe his own press.

I’m not knocking Vetter’s talent here. He’s going to be awesome. It’s just about time he looked at the bigger picture, and realised that the world does not revolve around him and him alone. He is not the all-conquering Hero that he thinks he is. Yet.

He has a highly skilled and highly motivated teammate who is showing enough pure speed to rattle him and it’s showing.

Two final thoughts. One to Christian Horner. Please give Mark the lighter fuel load in Q3. Let’s see what Mark can do with that! I know. POLE!

The other is a quick follow on from one of my previous posts. Next week the Mark Webber Supporters Club is having a Pre-Grand Prix dinner on the Thursday. And yes, Mark will be there.

Mark Webber. Top driver. Top bloke.

Sebastien Bourdais Claims that Money Can Buy His Ride

Mike Wilkins — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:59:07 -0500

Sebastien Bourdais has today come up with some interesting little gems, that somehow to me smack slightly of sour grapes, although I can't really read the situation.

After the recent test, labelled as a 'shoot-out' for the STR drive for next year, Seb has claimed that the drive will go to the person who brings the most money to the team rather than the most talented driver.

"As long as they don't have the money to run the team in a proper way they won't be able to say (who will drive in 2009), because it doesn't matter whether you have talented drivers at the wheel of the car if you can't run the car," Said Seb

Takuma Sato, a veteran of 93 grands prix with Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri, who was involved in the 'shoot-out' is believed to be offering a substantial purse of personal sponsorship should he be appointed for 2009, a move that would help the STR team move forward.

The French driver said anybody "who has got talent and money today is a potential candidate."

"If nobody is able to assemble enough solid funding I guess—from what Franz (Tost) is saying—I am No. 1 on the list because to change two drivers in a team is always a tough thing to do, and that is not their preferred solution, for sure."

I personally find this an intriguing claim, especially as STR were on the up and up at the end of last season. Surely going down the 'Rent-a-Driver' route is a thoroughly retrograde step, and although the team was up for sale during the year, Mateshitz will supply enough funding to get the best drivers available?

However, perhaps Sato, who I personally rate as a driver, will take the team forward, especially if he does bring some cash as well as his experience to the team.

Top Driver 2008 Poll Results Published: Very Interesting Reading!

Mike Wilkins — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:13:01 -0500

I know it's a hard time with everyone with some 130 days until first practice...and the news is a little slow, but I will continue to plough my contacts for news! So, the annual Yahoo! and Crash.net Top driver of the year poll has just been published with some interesting results.

Now bearing in mind that this is a UK based poll the winner is surprising although it is very close, with only 10 votes between first and second.

So, here we go:

1) Fernando Alonso. In my view, thoroughly deserved!

2) Lewis Hamilton. Surprising in view of his nationality, but was very close. These two drivers are the only two with over 1000 points in the poll. The next three were also very close, and I was surprised that Massa was not higher...

3) Felipe Massa. Great season, nice bloke. Fantastic in defeat.

4) Robert Kubica. Shame BMW stopped developing the car.

5) Sebastien Vettel. King of the lot in a couple of years? Next up, and perhaps he should have been lower...

6) Kimi Räikkönen. The less said the better...

7) Nick Heidfeld.Don't really see why Nick is so high up. Overshadowed by Kubica all season.

8) Timo Glock. Massive improvement all season. Not mentioning Brazil...

9) Jarno Trulli. Interestingly behind Tim O'Glock. Should have been higher than Nick...

10) Mark Webber.Thank heavens people see that the car got worse, not Webbo!

So that's the top 10.

Some interesting placings there, I think that "not so quick Nick" should have been lower, and Kimi certainly should have been. I may be biased but Webber drove the wheels off the RB4 and deserved to be higher than NH!

Other than those few, can't really argue that much. The minor placings don't show many surprises, although perhaps Bourdais should have been higher? I still can't make up my mind about him.

Some of the drivers don't even feature in the poll, so I can only list the drivers that are shown, so here goes with 11-17th places:

11) Nico Rosberg. Perhaps a bit low, although a big talent hampered by poor car.

12) Heikki Kovalainen. Definitely should have done more with that car. Deservedly low.

13) Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Bourdais. Bye bye Rubens. It's time.

15) Jenson Button. His stock dropped a lot this year. Still has it in him I think.

16) David Coulthard. End of the road. Body repair shops will go out of business!

17) Kazuki Nakajima. Seemed to reach a plateau of talent. Toyota keeping him in F1.

It seems that the others didn't get any votes at all!

So, an interesting poll, showing that the Brits can be objective, and I have added some of my own very brief thoughts. Now, bring on testing, especially with Loeb and Rossi having tests. Now wouldn't that be tasty? The greatest rally driver and the greatest Bike rider in F1?

Toro Rosso: We Wanted Juan Pablo Montoya For 2009!

Mike Wilkins — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:43:43 -0500

Franz Tost, Team Principal of Scuderia Toro Rosso, has just revealed the driver that he wanted to replace Sebastien Vettel for the 2009 Season—It was none other than the feisty Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya.

Auto Motor und Sport have quoted that the Austrian approached Juan Pablo about racing for the team in the forthcoming season, and actually offered the drive, but the ex-Williams and McLaren man has turned him down.

"Unfortunately, he no longer wants to be in Formula One," Tost said.

Whilst this is not ground-breaking information, I do think that having a character such as JPM would have been good for the sport, and also shows that STR are more than happy to look outside the box!

From my perspective, I truly hope that Takuma Sato will get the drive, especially as he has now been offered another test with the team. Good old Taku always made F1 "interesting!"

Revealed: The Ingredient To Renaults' "Magic Dust"—Hot Tyres!

Mike Wilkins — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:53:18 -0500

At the beginning of this season, Renault F1 had a problem.

The R28 was a dog. Even someone as great as Fernando Alonso could not get the awful thing into Q3 very often and if he did, the poor thing expired with the effort of it all.

Then things started to change. The car got faster, Fernando started to put it near the front of the grid, even Piquet got into Q3...sometimes. Finally, towards the end of the season Fernando won a couple and we were all wondering: What caused this resurgence in form? What was the magic dust that was sprinkled on the car?

I can now explain that change. It was a subtle yet highly effective tweak to the exhaust system that blew the hot exhaust onto the rear tyres to heat them throughout the race. This heating effectively meant that the car used it's tyres much more consistently and they worked throughout a stint, particularly if the conditions were cooler or if say behind a safety car when the tyre temperatures dropped.

This is why I love F1 so much. With all the millions spent gaining that last tenth of a second, something as simple as directing part of the exhaust gases onto a tyre can change a car from a back of the midfield pack runner, to a real challenger in one easy and inexpensive swoop.

Necessity really is the mother of invention. Nice one Renault.

Driving In The Wet On Slicks. A Driver's Viewpoint. Reality

Mike Wilkins — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:36:12 -0500

OK. Now with some people throwing mud and making wild and positively stupid accusations about Timo Glock and that incident, I just wanted to put some perspective on this with some REAL feedback about driving a racing car in the rain.

Out you go on your slicks (and I know that FBMW have full slicks) and push like crazy. The grip is so strong that there is too much for the power that my car puts out and you can go round corners on rails and brake so late it's stupid.

Then the heavens open.

The amount of grip that a slick tyre puts out in the wet is ZERO. I can confirm that it's gone. ZIP NADA ZILCH. You can't accelerate. You can't brake. You can hardly steer the bloody thing. Ice? No, it's like driving on oil.

Then you manage to get back to the pits and slap on some wets. You simply will NOT believe the difference. It's like the track dry again. Those rain tyres are as awesome in the wet as the slicks are in the dry. Push through the corners, it grips. Accelerate hard, it grips. Brake, it grips.

Now all this from a driver (me) who enjoys the wet (lunatic I know) and has all of 140bhp to play with. Put this into an 800 horsepower Formula 1 car without traction control and OH MY GOD. How Timo kept the car on the track, let alone pointing in the right direction and sort of moving is quite beyond me.

Unless you have experienced the difference in speed, control and grip that you get in a car with the wrong tyres on, please do not judge. You cannot begin to understand what Timo was going through. Defend his place? He was bloody amazing just to keep it on the track!

Also, don't forget, Timo's last lap was a 1.44 ... Trulli's was a 1.45 ... So the whole team were in on it? PAH!

Felipe Massa: Showing True Honour In Defeat

Mike Wilkins — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:56:24 -0500

Firstly let me apologise for the brevity of this article. It's just something that struck a chord within me having just watched that amazing race, and I just had to say it.

I have not been particularly supportive of Felipe over the year, and have never really warmed to him. I have never really rated him as anything more than a fast journeyman.

Until now that is.

The attitude and strength that he showed after missing out on the sport's greatest prize was nothing short of amazing.

This guy has just lost the WDC on the last corner of the last race, and he's out in front of his fans, thanking them, applauding them and his team, banging his heart and Ferrari badge whilst pointing to the crowd, and again on the rostrum, walking to the front for his fans.

At this moment he must have be heartbroken, and yet he wiped away the tears and showed what a decent and honourable bloke he is.

It was uplifting and heartwarming for me. Felipe Massa has a new fan. What a big heart this little guy has.

Canadian Grand Prix: Light at The End Of The Tunnel?

Mike Wilkins — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:30:28 -0400

After a meeting on Thursday with Bernie Ecclestone, it seems that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and a delegation from the Quebec government met with Bernie for over two hours, and discussed the possibility of having the race re-instated for 2009 and beyond.

There was some rumours that the race had been pulled because the organisers had defaulted on payments to Ecclestone over the last three years, although these rumours are being denied and the reasons mooted are due to current economic conditions, not to do with any outstanding monies.

This is at an early stage, but with the GP bringing in some $37m to the local economy every year, all avenues are being explored.

This along with the Manufacturers complaining bitterly that they need a North American race on the calendar, as this is their biggest market, hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel is an opening, not just the lights of an oncoming train!

Personally, I always enjoyed the Canadian Grand Prix, and I think we all need the more traditional and long serving races to remain on the F1 Calendar.

Come on Bernie, sort this out!

BBC Reports Agreement Reached On Engine Costs and Supplies To Other F1 Teams

Mike Wilkins — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:22:15 -0400

According to the BBC, it has just been announced that an agreement has been reached between the FIA and certain teams, who wish to remain anonymous, to make it cheaper for independent teams to buy engines.

The supposed agreement is that the cost of engine supply will be capped at $13.2 million a year and that the engines will be run for three race weekends instead of the current two weekends.

Max Mosley and Luca Di Montezemolo have said that the agreement would produce, "Significant cost savings for 2009 and 2010."

So, I guess we can read that Ferrari will be one of the "anonymous" teams involved, and I would think that Mercedes and possibly Honda (?) would be the others.

There is also talk of changes to testing for 2009 and a further look into car design going forward.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of F1 looking to the future in trying to keep the sport safe and thriving despite the so called "Credit-Crunch" in the world economy, and will herald the return of the privateer teams to the Formula One fold.

Engine Standardization: Remember The Cosworth DFV

Mike Wilkins — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:05:59 -0400

Grand Prix career: 1967-1983

Grands Prix wins: 155

Which driver is this?

Well, almost!

During the years 1967 to 1983 the Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 (and it's derivatives) was raced by almost all the grid, with exception of mainly the Italians (Ferrari and Alfa Romeo), and was sold almost off the peg by Keith Duckworth and Mike Costin.

It enabled many private teams to enter F1 as the costs were at a reasonable level, provided years of fantastic racing and a fabulous sound, and no-one ever said that it was dumbing down of the sport. In fact that engine is legendary.

I know that all the talk of "engine standarisation" and lowering costs is making many people wary, but the "Cossie" never ever had that effect on anyone, and probably made F1 what it is today. Just ask the teams that used that engine that are still about today, including McLaren, Williams and many others.

I'm a firm believer in F1 being the absolute pinnacle of automotive engineering, but I can see that, if it does happen, this standardizing of various things can only promote better racing and get more teams onto the grid as costs and any difference of performance will be lower. We could have grids of 24/26 cars again and what a sight that would be.

Just remember the DFV.

Mark Webber Supporters' Club: This is how to run a Fan Club!

Mike Wilkins — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:18:16 -0400

Supporters' clubs: You know what they are. They're those mysterious organizations that we all dutifully send our checks into to show our allegiance to our favorite driver or team.

Then after a while, an envelope will arrive with a little team magazine and a photo, but usually not much else! That is, unless you join the Mark Webber Supporters' Club.

This is my way of saying a massive thanks the club; I think many others should take notes from them on how to run a club!

Now I don't have first hand experience with many of the current clubs, so I may stand to be corrected. But, I cannot believe any club is as good as Webbo's!

Having spoken to the man who runs the club on the phone, the fabulous Dave Aldridge, I sent off my check. Lo and behold, a great big package arrives on my doorstep with a baseball cap, signed photos (yes plural), a magazine and loads more!

During the past year, we have had pens, calendars, countless signed photos, beautiful full sized print signed by Webbo and the artist, magazines galore, and several chances to meet Mark, either at karting events run by the club for the members. Yes, Webbo does come along and drive with us.

We have numerous meetings at a restaurant he co-owns, usually having dinner with the man himself, who is so obliging and friendly that it's difficult to believe the guy is an F1 driver!

So, thanks very much indeed to Dave and his family (who have all known and helped Mark since the beginning of his career in Europe). Also, thanks to Mark and Ann, his other half, who is also related to Dave and his wife, who helps with the club and to many others, whom I apologize to for not mentioning.

So, to the crux of this thread. If you are an F1 driver or Team who has a 'Fan Club' ... please go and talk to Mark Webber and make sure that your club is as fabulous as this one is, and don't short change your members!

Mark Webber: A fabulous driver and a fabulous and genuinely nice bloke.

David Coulthard and Martin Brundle confirmed for the BBC.

Mike Wilkins — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:43:51 -0400

Today, The Times newspaper has claimed that the BBC has announced that David Coulthard has signed to be a pundit when the coverage for the UK switches back to the Beeb next year.

They also claim that Martin Brundle has also agreed to terms (Hurrah!) and that James Allen will be replaced (Hurrah! again) by BBC Radio 5's pundit Jonathan Legard.

This all seems to be fantastic news; all we need now is for the programme to adopt the theme tune it used to have: Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain.' We are making our way towards a great new Formula One program in the UK!

Hurrah!

Nick Heidfeld to Partner Robert Kubica in 2009

Mike Wilkins — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:53:08 -0400

BMW have just announced that they are keeping an unchanged driver lineup for 2009.

Despite three podiums this season, many observers believe that Nick Heidfeld has been out-driven by the team's rising star, Poland's Robert Kubica, and that his seat was under threat, possibly from Fernando Alonso.

This puts paid to another avenue for Fernando, whose only real options now seem to be either staying at Renault or risking a very lucrative move to Honda, notwithstanding the Ferrari/Santander rumours.

It seems that Renault will keep their double world champion Spaniard, at least for another season.

RBR and the Tram Excuse! Any Other Classics You Can Think Of?

Mike Wilkins — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:07:15 -0400

Red Bull racing have just come up with one of the all time great F1 excuses.

When discussing the failure of Mark Webbers gearbox in Singapore, they came up with the following reason for the problem:

'The static from a passing Tram caused the gearbox to attempt to select two gears at the same time' thereby causing his instant retirement!

Now, there have been some fabulous excuses—sorry—reasons for failing to finish a grand prix over the years, some true, some probably not so true and some just plain bonkers, and it just made me start thinking...

I remember Jenson Button "being caught out by the wind" a couple of years ago and of Valentino Rossi having an accident that was caused by the grease of a burger...Can anyone else think of any equally whacky and zany excuses—sorry—reasons over the past few years?

Bet you can't beat the latest "Tram" one by RBR!

Nico Rosberg, Kaz Nakajima Stay with Williams: Loyalty Making Them Miss Out?

Mike Wilkins — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:37:23 -0400

Loyalty is a fabulous thing. In all walks of life.

For a Formula One team trying to regain its status within the F1 pecking order, having two loyal drivers is a major boost. One of them is a rising star of a famous father and the other is one of the best to have come out of his country for many years, Sato aside.

Having your star driver showing loyalty and having a decent Japanese driver when you run Toyota engines doing the same thing can only help the team develop and hopefully move further up the grid. Continuity is a major stabilising factor.

However, when you are in this cut-throat world that we call Formula One, does showing this loyalty mean that Nico may well miss his big break?

Perhaps he should have been more aggressive when sorting out his next contract. I think that he would have been a better choice for the second McLaren or even BMW Sauber. However, I can't help but get the feeling that he's missing his chance. And that would be a crying shame.

Carlos 'Lole' Reutemann: The Reason F1 Hooked Me

Mike Wilkins — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:43:53 -0400

The year was 1978. It was a season of Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson, the Lotus 78 and 79, and the beginning of true Ground Effects in F1. Most of the grid turned into "also rans" in one fell swoop.

Then came Brands Hatch, which hosted the British Grand Prix.

This one was not to be their race. Mechanical maladies allowed a rare thing to happen: Ferrari had a race on!

Now, as an 11 year old hungry for anything to do with F1, being taken to this race was like being in heaven... and what happened? This fantastic driver in a fabulous sounding car overtook Niki Lauda in front of me! And he had two of his wheels on the grass! That was that. I was hooked.

Formula one took over my life thanks to that drive by the Greatest man not to win the World Championship: Carlos 'Lole' Reutemann.

What did it for you? Was it a race? A driver? A team? I Would love to know.

Lewis Hamilton: The Final word. Need I say more?

Mike Wilkins — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:15:30 -0400

I have just one final word on my last post...

This is a quote direct from the appeal in Paris...

"I have been a racing driver since I was eight years old and I know pretty much every single manoeuvre in the book, and that's why I'm the best at my job."

"We are talking about a skilled driver under intense pressure making a split-second decision which no one, not unless they are in Formula One, can comprehend."

Tozzi told Hamilton to "stop personalising" the issue as he was under instruction from Ferrari, who "know as much about Formula One as you do".

Hamilton responded: "With respect, I doubt it."

This is Lewis responding to the cross-examination with regards to Spa.

Lewis Hamilton: Not All Of Britain Supports Him

Mike Wilkins — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:11:04 -0400

First, I have no doubt at all about Lewis Hamilton's ability. I have no qualms in agreeing with the millions who say he's good. He can drive a racing car. Boy can he drive a racing car. He is one of the rare ones who has a God given talent behind a wheel. Head and shoulders above many of his peers. This is a given.

However, to be considered one of the greatest, he must learn to keep his mouth shut and remember that, so far, he has so far achieved very little.

A number of new F1 drivers would have been where he is now if they had been given the breaks that he has. He is the only real rookie (and I don't count Jacques Villeneuve as a real rookie when he stepped into a Williams) to have stepped into a front running F1 car on his debut season.

Humility: Someone please send him the definition please!

Some of his recent quotes say it all.

"I don't get overtaken, I do the overtaking," (Tell that to Fernando Alonso).

"I don't get overtaken on the outside," (Tell that to Felipe Massa).

"I just moved to cover my line and keep off the wet," (after almost taking Mark Webber off at Monza).

"If the rain would have come, I would have won,'" (Tell that to Sebastian Vettel).

Not to mention, he has made various comments about Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna and his proximity to them.

Lewis has such a profound belief in himself as the greatest alive that he has no compunction about driving others off the road and seeing nothing wrong in it (ask Adrian Sutil, Timo Glock, and Mark Webber).

Luck. How many times has he had a puncture (Hungary), hit the wall (Monaco), or lost gears only for the car to be able to get back to the pits, allowing him to get away with it? I've lost count!

So, in essence, this is not a long article, but one that I just had to start with.

The British press have to bear some of the blame for this, with their almost jingoistic reporting of Saint Lewis. As for ITV F1, well it should be re-named the Lewis Hamilton Love Show. I think Steve Rider wants Lewis's babies! Do they not realize that there are 19 other drivers on the grid?

I think Lewis now believes all of his own hype.

Ok. Enough of this. I hope you get my feelings.

I'm British and bloody proud of it. But, that doesn't mean I have to support Lewis Hamilton!