F1 Melbourne Race

After the boring if not tiresome race in Bahrain expectations were high for Melbourne and we weren't to be disappointed. From the flag it was exciting all the way to the chequered flag and those who questioned the format for 2010 were certainly silenced for now anyway.

A rain shower before the start brought out the intermediate Bridgestones which caused some very early incidents. So, with a Red Bull front row, Ferrari-Mclaren second row, Ferrari-Mercedes third row, Mercedes-Williams fourth row and Renault-Force India fifth row it looked like being a thriller. Lewis sat back in eleventh and that was never going to stay like that.

Down went the flag and some 20,000 thousand horse power launched from the grid. Sebastian held his position but was ultimately followed by Robert, Felipe Nico as into turn 1 Michael, Jenson and Fernando came together and Lewis pounced through the mayhem.

There was also a coming together between Kamui, Sebastian (Buemi) and Nico (Hulkenberg) which took out all 3 and resulting in our thankfully only safety car of the day and first of the season. Jarno also didn't complete 1 lap and retired his Lotus with hydraulic problems which was a shame as both Lotus cars finished in Bahrain.

In the melee between Fernando, Jenson and Michael, Michael had to come in for a new front spoiler which really spoiled his race. Lewis on the other hand had a great start launching himself through the mayhem into sixth.

Upon resuming after the safety car on lap 5 Sebastian was out out in front from his pole position and the big question was who was to make the first pit stop onto slicks. That decision was taken by Jenson in a very brave move which was to win him the race albeit he went off almost straight away after changing his tyres.

In the mayhem Fernando had spun out at the first corner and was recovering through the field with a rapid rate of knots. By lap 8 there was a rush to the pits as the teams knew the pace Jenson had set once his tyres came up to temperature. After the pit stops with tyres up to temperature it was Sebastian with a 1 second lead over Jenson followed by Robert ahead of a very tight battle.

Nico, Felipe, Mark, Lewis were locked in combat as further back Fernando was recovering from his earlier revolution. Sebastian appeared to have things under control at the front as he and Jenson extended their lead over Robert in 3rd who had his mirrors full of Lewis on the rampage after passing Mark & Felipe.

In the meanwhile we lost Bruno with hydraulic problems on lap 4, Vitaly on lap 9 after a spin into the gravel trap which fortunately didn't bring out the safety car and Adrian with engine problems. Further on in the race we also lost Lucas with hydraulic problems and Timo with suspension failure.

Then out of the Blue Sebastian appeared to drive straight into the gravel trap which turned out to be an extension of the braking problems he had for a couple of laps. So Jenson was now in a lead he was never to relinquish.

Now deep into the race and the order was Jenson, Robert, Lewis, Mark, Felipe, Fernando and Nico. Then came a call from the pits asking Lewis to pit for tyres and he was not a happy man. No-one is sure why Mclaren called him in and he was the only one of the front runners who pitted.

This dropped him down the order but his fresh rubber meant he was lapping faster than all the others but out of track position. He was locked into battle with Mark but both were closing very quickly in the latter stages on Fernando, Felipe and Robert. All of the teams had graining on the rear tyres but Jenson's smoother driving style meant he fully in control up front.

On his new tyres Lewis had passed Mark and quickly came up to the rear spoiler of Fernando with a slippy slidey Ferrari. He tried everything in the book to get past and in doing so this let Felipe and Robert off the hook. Obviously Lewis had a problem on his hands with his front full of Ferrari and his mirrors full of Red Bull. Mark then overshot turn 13 and punted Lewis and himself off which let Nico through to fifth behind the Ferrari's.

Mark had to return to the pits for a new nose cone which put him back to ninth and was subsequently told off by the stewards for the collision. Lewis managed to go on and finished sixth and for the second time in the race not a happy bunny.

Throughout the race there had been some great scraps and none more so than Jamie and Michael and I am sure Jamie never thought he would be scrapping with the 7 times world champion. Liuzzi again had another great drive to bring home the Force India in seventh after passing Pedro's BMW in the process.

So, after an absolutely thrilling race Jenson (25 pts) drove supremely and finished some 12 seconds ahead of Robert 2 (18), Felipe 3 (15), Fernando 4 (12), Nico 5 (10), Lewis 6 (8), Vitantonio 7 (6), Rubens 8 (4), Mark 9 (2) and the last of the points went to Michael 10 (1) after overhauling Jamie.

Leaving Melbourne the drivers championship is still headed by Fernando with 37 points followed by Felipe (33), Jenson (31), Lewis (23), Nico (20), Robert (18), Sebastian who must be the unluckiest driver to date (12), Michael (9), Vinantionio (8) and Mark (6) rounding out the top 10.

The constructors championship is still headed by Ferrari (70) followed by Mclaren (54), Mercedes (29) with Red Bull and Renault tied on 18 points. They are followed by Force India (8) and bringing up the rear of the points scorers are Williams with 5.

I have to say Jenson drove a brilliant race having taking the very brave decision to change tyres so early in the race. I have to give him full credit for this race but we missed an opportunity of seeing a dog fight between himself and Lewis which did seem on the cards. I think if it came to that Lewis would either win all or lose everything.

So after much talk in the press about the boring start to the season in Bahrain and with only a week to go before Malaysia, I am sure none of we armchair F1 fans can wait and we will be riveted to our screens no matter where we are in the world.

F1 Quali Melbourne

Well, the first bit of news came on Friday off the track as Lewis had an altercation with Australian police in his road car. Whilst the worlds press made a big thing about it I think it is rather amusing and I am sure the police loved every minute of it.

It also appears Lewis has parted his managaer and father Anthony Hamilton and according to the press it was Lewis who initiated it. I am certain we will hear more about this in the near future.

Back to quali and with cloudy skies it was all go for hopefully a better weekend showing than last time out in Bahrain. All the prospects were good for a better race weekend on a shorter track than Bahrain and on practice form it seems tighter as well.

Q1: None of the teams complained about traffic in Q1 but it looked, to say the least hairy at times. One can only say the Red Bull's are on fire and Sebastian was electric throughout quali. He was closely followed by Nico, Jenson, Lewis, Fernando, Mark, Michael, a struggling Felipe, Adrian again up there and closing out the top 10 came Robert in his Renault.

It is an awful thing to have to say but we lost the 3 new teams again and the only real surprise was the loss of Vitaly Petrov in the Renault but he was 2 seconds up the road from the new teams in a 26.5. So out went Lotus with Heikki and Jarno but both their cars at least finished in Bahrain, Virgin with Timo and di Grassi and both the HRT cars where both Senna and Karun are struggling big time.

Into Q2 where again we were to lose 7 cars and a couple of surprises in store. Sebastian & Mark were still out front followed by Fernando, Jenson, Nico (still in front of Michael), Michael, Felipe, Adrian still up there in the Force India doing a sterling job, Robert keeping the Renault up there and Rubens consistent again.

Then came a surprise and the first major scalp was Lewis himself who evidently hadn't enough fuel to complete the lap which would have taken him into the top 10. He seemed to struggle throughout Q2 and he was out, finishing in 11th. This is not as good a position as 2009 as there is no fuel strategy advantage anymore only choice of tyres.

After Lewis we lost Sebastian (Buemi), Nico (Hulkenberg), Vitantonio, Pedro, Kamui and finally Jamie. So only 1 of the Cosworth engined cars made Q1 and again it was in the hands of Rubens in his 1oth placed Williams.

Q1: So out came the big guns for Q1 with the teams looking ever upward wondering whether rain would spoil the party. The heli had some rain spots on the lens but that didn't affect quali. From the off it was Vettel setting the pace and the first to register a lap under 1.24. His stunning 1.23.9 was never to be headed even accepting Mark had the local, home turf advantage with the Aussie crown egging him on. His 24 dead kept him in second place giving us a Red Bull front row.

Fernando was there or thereabouts again following his success in Bahrain and made up row 2 in front of Jenson who obviously out performed Lewis in his lowly 11th.

Row 3 saw Felipe finally getting his act together albeit .8 secs off Fernando's pace and he was joined by Nico again out gunning Michael. Row 4 saw Michael in front of his old Ferrari partner Rubens who was showing Williams are on the pace.

Row 5 and making the top 10 was Robert who is still getting to grips with the Renault and once he does I think he will move up further and rounding out the top 10 was Adrian again showing the Force India is a top class team.

So the race looks like being a different prospect to Bahrain and has the prospect of being closer with hopefully a little more overtaking particularly with Lewis in 11th who must surely have to stamp his mark from the off.

We still have 6 seconds between pole and the 24th HRT car which could spell problems in the race due to the arrival speed of the cars behind the slowest. So we have 24 cars thundering around Albert Park's 5.3 kms circuit for 58 laps in what will hopefully be a dry race.

The lap record is held by Michael in 1.24.1 and surely that must be under threat from Vettel in particular with others not far away. We have certainly 8 cars capable of winning the race and they were all covered by less than 1 second in quali even accepting Lewis down in 11th.

Lets hope for a great grand prix tomorrow.

F1 Bahrain Race

Here we go for the first race of the 2010 season and anticipation is very high for the first race as well as all the excitement to come. The new Mercedes SLS course car looks a mean machine and I have no doubt we shall hear the roar of this beast many times during the season.

It is great to have Ayrton's nephew, Bruno Senna on the grid and what an evocative name back in the sport along with Lotus and didn't it look spooky as he opened his visa when he broke down, I am sure we all wish them well. It was also nice to see the line up of F1 previous world champions and Martin spoke to Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Mario Andretti on the grid and Damon was seen many times over the weekend. Names like Nicki Lauda, John Surtees, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher are evocative names in the world of F1.

At the second longest circuit of the season at 3.94 miles, the full tanks will mean the cars go faster as the race develops over the 49 laps. The lap record of 1.33.43 from 2009 will stand after this race due to the changes to the circuit and with a track temperature of 39 and air temperature of 36 it is going to be a hot race for all concerned.

The flag dropped and Sebastian shot into the lead from pole but Fernando passed Felipe at turn 2 in a classic overtaking move, Nico passed Lewis as he made a mistake running wide and mayhem happened behind at the back of the grid. It appears to me the plumes of smoke that, for some reason appeared from the back of Mark's Red Bull put off the followers and apart from dropping him back it also lost Robert many places.

Unfortunately then it became somewhat of a procession and it appears to me the drivers appeared to be driving very conservatively to protect their tyres and fuel loads. I sincerely hope this is not the case or this season could become a Fernando benefit.

So Sebastian held his lead followed by Fernando, Felipe, Nico, Lewis, Michael, Jenson and Mark but not particularly close and not really competing with each other. At the first tyre stop Lewis nipped in front of Nico and that was that done for Lewis but he never really got on terms with Felipe.

At the back we lost the unfortunate Karun Chandruk (HRT Cosworth) after only 1 lap with an accident across the bump, then Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Cosworth) went next. Then came a rash of failures including Kamui 11 Laps (Sauber Ferrari), Vitaly Petrov 13 Laps (Renault), Timo 16 Laps (Virgin Cosworth), Bruno Senna 17 Laps and finally Pedro de la Rosa 28 Laps (Sauber Ferrari).

However, Lotus did a fantastic job in their first GP for many years with both cars there at the finish so well done Heikki and Jarno. Williams also did a great job with Rubens in 10th and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th. It is fair to suggest there was more swapping and changing amongst the last 10 on the grid and at times, although we didn't see that much of it, it was quite exciting.

So back to the front and all seemed well but all of a sudden Sebastian started to slow slightly dropping a couple of seconds and it became apparent he had a broken exhaust. So, Fernando pounced into the lead that he was never to lose. Felipe kept in contention as he also passed Sebastian who forlornly pressed on.

I must pay tribute to Felipe as it is fantastic for us all to see him back and to come 2nd in his first race since his tragic accident can only be called fantastic for him, his fans, for us and Ferrari. Well done Felipe and we wish you all the best for the future and in your fight with Fernando.

Then Lewis passed the lonely Sebastian and that was basically the end of the race really albeit Nico was closing fast on Sebastian but all in vain as he failed by a short margin.

All the talk prior to the start was obviously about the comeback king Michael Schumacher and I suppose by his standards he didn't have a good weekend. In this sport the first thing you must do is beat your team mate and he was .5 secs behind Nico Rosberg all weekend.

So the final grid was Fernando (25), Felipe (18), Lewis (15), Sebastian (12), Nico (10), Michael (8), Jenson (6), Mark (4), Vitantonio (2) and last in the top 10 and points scorer Rubens (1).

So what have we learnt from today:

In the top team mate war: Fernando and Felipe very close, Lewis well in front of Jenson, Nico well in front of Michael, Sebastian far in front Mark.

Concern must be expressed about the new tyre and refuelling regulations as it could bring boring racing as the drivers have no alternative but to protect the cars. Engines now have to last 3 races, tyres are more restricted through race day and fuel has obviously to be conserved or the cars wouldn't reach the flag.

So congratulations to Fernando and Felipe and the Ferrari team but let us hope this is not the start of a procession as has happened in the past with Ferrari in Michael's hands!

F1 Quali Bahrain

Well, the first quali of 2010 has been and gone and what an interesting start to the new season. Firstly a new team appeared on the grid in the shape of HRT Cosworth with drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandrock. The late entries didn't have much running but at least they qualified.

To clear something up is the question of fuel for quali and now we know the teams run their own fuel levels for quali which don't affect race fuel as all cars now start on full tanks as no refuelling throughout the race. The new front tyres are also 20mm narrower than last season and on the Green walled tyres they were causing problems during quali as they were going off quickly.

As all the talk will be about Michael Schumacher's return it does put pressure on him knowing the worlds press is watching and Nico Rosberg has a lot to prove albeit he has been 0.05 secs quicker than Michael all weekend.

So the new 24 car grid launched itself at 1100 Saturday full of anticipation of who was to be the leading light for the start of the season. Alonso was forecast to be that light but things always have a habit of changing in this sport.

Quali 1 was a bit of a procession really as the top teams didn't have to try very hard to beat the new teams who are not on the case yet. There was criticism of HRT as they haven't had any pre season testing and it was thought they shouldn't be on the grid at all.

So with 7 to lose in quali 1 and as projected we lost both Lotus's, both Virgin's, both HRT's and Jamie Alguersauri in the STR Ferrari. The first leading light so show his hand was Sebastian Vettel with a stunning 1.55.00 but was eclipsed by Fernando on a 54.6 who held that to the flag.

He was followed by Sebastian, Adrian Sutil, Felipe, Lewis, and Mark tied on 55.3 and then Nico and Robert Kubica tied on 55.5. Michael came in with a 55.6 and Jenson on 55.7. It was so close.

So into quali 2 and the ante went up as the remainder targeted quali 3 and with only a second between them. So we were to lose another 5 but no predictions as the remainder fought hammer and tongue.

At the sharp end Sebastian, Felipe, Fernando & Nico swapped places regularly. The times came tumbling down again but Sebastian put in a stunner at 1.53.9 which wasn't headed. He was followed by Fernando on 54.2, Felipe & Mark on 54.3, Lewis & Nico on 54.7 and last on a 55.00 was Adrian again in the Force India.

So the 10 going forward were Sebastian, Fernando, Felipe, Mark, Lewis, Nico, Michael, Jenson, Robert and finally Adrian. Out came the gladiators and with a long lap care had to be taken as to when they went out, came in and when or if tyres were changed. Accepting the tyres used in quali 3 had to go forward to the first part of the race.

Into quali 3 and the times were so close with only 2 secs covering the whole 10. Sebastian put in a 54.1 and that was good enough to give him pole albeit it wasn't as quick as his 53.9 in quali 2. Only a 10th behind on a 54.2 was Felipe, Fernando in the other Ferrari was third on a 54.6 and then Lewis on a 55.2 struggling for pace it seems.

5th was Nico in the leading Mercedes on a 55.2 the same as Lewis and Mark on a 55.3. So the top 6 were covered by only 1.2 secs. It is unusual for us to say that Michael was in the bottom half of the top 10 but he was only 7th on a 55.5 which by his standards will be a blow as Nico, his team mate was up in 5th, interesting.

Jenson was lucky to have got into quali 3 but he improved to 8th from 10th with a 55.7 so on the fourth row but 1.3 secs off the pace. Robert followed Jenson on a 55.9 and 10th was the incredible Adrian on a 56.3. So the gladiators fought and the first leading light is Sebastian following on from winning the last 3 races of the 2009 season.

My disappointment was Kamui Kobayashi didn't progress past quali 2 but we will see what he can do in the race. I am not sure what is meant by BMW Sauber Ferrari as I was under the impression BMW had gone so would this suggest they still have a financial investment. Strange though that BMW would allow their name to be on the team with Ferrari or even vice versa.

It appears some of the teams have an issue with Mclaren and and a duct on the top of the front body panel which as it can be opened or closed by the driver is deemed by some to be a mechanical device barred by the FIA. However, the fitment has been passed by the FIA but is it being suggested complaints may come. Not again boys, lets have a season without controversy for a change.

So, the new season has got off to a flying start in the desert of Bahrain and the new rules don't appear at this stage to be causing any problems. The cars look great which to some was a worry, the new teams are very enthusiastic with better to come hopefully and we can only wait to see how the drivers deal with the new fuel regs.

The new points allocation is also interesting giving a higher boost for the winner of each race. So the points allocation is 25 points for 1st, followed by 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1. So, for the first time we have points down to 10th place which gives more drivers to earn points which gives monies from FIA fund management.

So, a good start and let us hope the season gives us as much pleasure as 2009.

F1 Driver Line up 2010

Well here we go and only 5 days before the weekends are again full of our favourite sport. The circus starts in Bahrain for a change this season with Australia coming second. Below is the final line-up of drivers teams as of Monday 8 March 2010.

This looks a very interesting line up with new cars, new teams and new stars which should be a very interesting season. Competition will run rife amongst team mates with the likes of partnerships such as Lewis/Jenson, Michael/Nico, Felipe/Fernando, Mark/Sebastian and the other top starts such as Rubens & Robert there to prove points make prizes.

Great also to see Peter Sauber back where he belongs on the pit wall with a strong driver line up including the star of the last 2 races in 2009, Kamui Kobayashi. Let us hope they have a great yet safe season and we wll wish them well.

The F1 Drivers and Teams:

Jenson Button

Lewis Hamilton

Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes

Nico Rosberg

Michael Schumacher

Brawn GP F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel

Mark Webber

Red Bull Racing Renault

Felipe Massa

Fernando Alonso

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

Rubens Barrichello

Nico Hulkenberg

AT & T Williams Cosworth

Robert Kubica

Vitaly Petrov

Renault F1 Team

Adrian Sutil

Vitantonio Liuzzi

Force Indai F1 Team Mercedes

Sebastian Buemi

Jamie Alguersuari

Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari - TBA

Jarno Trulli

Heikki Kovalainen

TBA Lotus F1 Racing Cosworth

Pedro De La Rosa

Kamui Kobayashi

Sauber

Karun Chandhok

Bruno Senna

Campos Meta

Timo Glock

Lucas Di Grassi

Virgin Racing - Manor Grand Prix Cosworth

Sir Stirling Moss

Sir Stirling Moss, our very own F1 legend has broken his ankles falling down a lift shaft.

Sir Stirling has broken both ankles when falling three floors down a lift shaft in his home Saturday, 6 March. It appears that his special lift doors opened in error and as he reached in to turn on the light the lift cage wasn't there but on the floor above.

When Paramedics arrived at his home in Mayfair they whisked him to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.He also broke four bones in a foot, chipped four vertebrae and suffered skin damage, the website said. His family said he was recovering well.

  "Very unfortunate"

The website said: "He remained conscious throughout. With the assistance of Professor Sid Watkins he was moved on Sunday to a hospital closer to his home where he underwent surgery on both his ankles, which were plated and pinned.

"The door to the lift, that should have remained locked if the lift was not on the floor that it was called from, opened in error.

"He stepped into the narrow open shaft in the expectation that the lift would be present for him to walk into, as it should have been."

Lady Moss, Sir Stirling's wife, said: "This was a very unfortunate accident, it could have just as easily been another member of the family stepping into where the lift should have been."

His family said he was comfortable after a good night's rest and they expected the recovery to take up to six weeks.

Sir Stirling is known in the racing community as the greatest driver never to have won the Formula One championship.

He won 16 Grand Prix races between 1951 and 1961 and retired after crashing at Goodwood in 1962.