Why I stopped watching F1

When it was announced that Formula 1 coverage would be shared between BBC and Sky (this corporation will be referred to as S*y in the rest of the article) many fans were outraged to lose part of the previously free-to-air coverage, and even more so when details of the price of S*y Package would cost them. F1 fans would have to pay £45/month for the S*y Sports package or they can get the HD package, which costs an additional £15 a month on top of a basic subscription.

I too am annoyed about this “deal” for two main reasons. Firstly, several Formula 1 fans in the UK already enduring a tough economic crisis, will miss out the coverage from next year due to the relatively high cost of a subscription. Secondly, others who can afford the subscription fee but have a strong dislike of the Murdoch empire, now have no choice on whom to receive the service from.

F1 on TV
I started watching F1 regularly in 2007 on ITV, a terrestrial UK channel. Advertisement-breaks in the middle of exciting races were annoying but one got used to it. Besides, there was no alternative medium and unfortunately no Twitter updates. When BBC took over in 2009, I was pleasantly surprised how much better the coverage was and how the lack of adverts made it a more enjoyable experience.

Pit Lane

After just two years on the BBC, it was announced on 29th of July 2011 that the coverage would be split between the BBC and S*y from 2012 to 2018. I don’t profess to have in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of corporate finance, but I have always disliked Rupert Murdoch and his media empire. This feeling was further compounded by the recent phone hacking enquiry and the resulting closure of News of the World Newspaper.

For those who may not be aware of the link, Murdoch is the founder, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation – the parent company of Fox News, News of the World and it owns 39.1% of BSkyB (which trades as S*y).

Don’t get me wrong, I admire business people and entrepreneurs but I believe that one can thrive in business without resorting to dubious tactics. For instance, I would much rather Richard Branson’s Virgin Media got the rights to broadcast the sport. I like Branson’s enthusiastic and engaging style of business and Virgin Media would be a much better fit to F1 especially since one of its “sister companies” sponsor(ed) a F1 Team (Marussia Virgin – soon to be renamed Marussia).

No doubt S*y will have more resources to keep the sport exciting; with extended coverage, analysis, in-depth discussions and commentary from BBC presenters who have defected. But those are not enough to persuade me to “increase the empire’s revenue”.

So, hard as it may be, I will not be taking out a S*y subscription to watch F1. Nor will I be looking for a pub which has a subscription. Perhaps the experience will be too different without live coverage for entire race calendar and I lose interest in the sport gradually. Or maybe I’ll fall off my “ethical wagon” after a few races and look for S*y footage...... but I would have at least TRIED to stick to my convictions.
Besides the BBC is planning to show highlights of all the races shown on S*y and I’ve got Twitter to keep me updated on the race or better yet, this would be a good reason to get tickets and watch the races live!

Belgian GP, Spa 2009

Hole punch
Those who might miss out on F1 due to affordability of the subscription fee can easily find pubs/sport bars willing to cater to their needs. In fact, @f1inpubs has just been set up to help fans find places showing F1 races, and should encourage fans to meet up regularly to watch and discuss races.

You could punch holes in my decision or stance – you could argue: “why boycott S*y, why not boycott F1 as a whole?” We know it isn’t the fairest or the most ethical sport or business to be engaged in. To that, I’d argue (albeit weakly) that “that ship has sailed” in terms of my love for the sport. Besides, I don’t see anyone else turning their backs on cricket after several “No Balls” allegations or on football for “Diving for Penalties”.

But corruption and phone-hacking is in another league. It is unethical and incredibly voracious of Murdoch’s newspaper journalists to go to such lengths for “exclusive” stories.

This is not meant to be a piece on ethics in F1; but in the near future, it might just explain why I stopped watching F1. I do wonder how many people who were outraged by the News of the World tactics, would happily take out a S*y subscription?

Monza Rally

It is the season-finale of the 2011 Formula 1 season in Brazil and this coincides with Monza Rally in Italy. This event features recently crowned 8-time WRC Champion Sebastian Loeb and MotoGP star Valentino Rossi. I personally have been impressed with Rossi's skills in a 4-wheel vehicle, given that his "true calling" is on 2-wheels.

I posted a comment on Twitter after seeing footage from Monza Rally - saying Rossi should quit MotoGP and do rally full time. To my surprise, Valentino retweeted it to his 265,000 followers. The reaction I got was mostly friendly but some MotoGP fans were very reluctant to entertain the idea of him quitting the 2-wheeler sport. It was not my intention to cause controversy, but Rossi must be happy to know he has passionate fans and supporters whether he chooses to race in 2- or 4-wheel vehicles.

Retweeted by Rossi and 90+ others

Abu Dhabi Experience

Both WDC & WCC Titles are already won and some people have lost interest in the 2011 F1 season so I'm taking a different tack from usual this week.
Instead of writing a regular race review, I have "interviewed" three people that went to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from different countries. #1 is a "local" from Dubai, #2 is from France and #3 is from the UK. Here are their Abu Dhabi experiences...

Pre-Race

Booking Flights and Accomodation
DU: Thankfully I live in Dubai so it was down to driving to the location for each of the days which takes approximately 45 minutes. The one thing that I needed to make sure about was tickets, we went for the full 3-day pass which gave access to the pit walk on the Friday. I have a feeling that the tickets to the Abu Dhabi GP must be the most expensive of the season, we paid just shy of AED2000 ($545) for the Marina Grandstand. 
FR: 480€ for return flights. I had booked 15 days before the event + 680€ with taxes for 6 nights in appart-hotel at AD center, I booked 1 month ago
UK: I didn't have a budget and I booked everything in August

On arrival in Abu Dhabi...
DU: Temperature was wonderful this time around, better than 2009 which I had also attended and was a lot warmer. The best way to describe the weather is as a western summer with temps around the 30 degrees celsius during the day and the 20s in the evening.
The food quality was good but the menu was very limited, you had the option of hotdog, shwarma, burger, falafel, pies and that’s about it really in terms of hot food. There are food stands all over the race venue but they all carried the same menu, you did have additional stands for frozen yogurt,
crepes and ice cream.
FR: I landed in the rain! But it was hot and I was very welcomed by the locals. Plenty of food choices too: Italian, local, Asian, Mexican...and more. 
UK: Locals were friendly and very organised (both at airport and hotel). Temperature was fab (nice and waaarrrmm. Plenty of fast food / snack food stalls around. But variety was very poor - just fatty fast food. You could go out to the nearby hotels for food but that was a little inconvenient.

Race Day
Track Atmosphere
DU: I sat with a few friends from South Africa, had some other friends all scattered across the various stands. The atmosphere was great, you can see when there are new people to F1 around and how they react when they see the cars for the first time. Most of the grand stands seemed rather busy.
The commentary was a mix of both English and Arabic, a good combination to suit the UAE. As with F1 it is hard to hear the commentators when the race is going, but for the race day I was listening to the radio frequency 102.2FM with headphones so I could keep more informed.
FR: There was a mix, the Brits, Locals, Italians, Indians...I was in a hospitality suite above the stands, then to the Paddock Club. The atmosphere was special, really beautiful by differents light around the track, but it remains superficial...lot of people were not there for F1, just for to show their "argent"! Not really exciting...it was a "Paddock Club mood" :( 
UK: I was with a mixture of all sorts (friends I was with / Brits / Germans / other nationalities / some locals). Great mood and atmosphere

Impressive Cars at 'Twilight' 
DU: Have to say the look of McLaren once the sun had set and the lights were on that awesome paint work, is by far the best-looking car there. 

The race was better than last year as there was some overtaking, but many attempts were reverted in the 2nd DRS zone as drivers were too eager to pass at the first opportunity without considering that there was a 2nd zone where the driver just been overtaken would be passed again. It seems like they did not consider that and possibly the main reason for the negative comments from some of the drivers about overtaking at Yas. 

I found it amazing how Vettel had such bad luck, but my orange McLaren Shirt came to use as they took 1st and 3rd on the day, well done boys!!!!

FR: [Same here] McLaren

Post Race Entertainment
DU: One of the greatest added benefits to the Abu Dhabi F1 weekend is that you get free access to all the concerts that are been held, this time around it was Britney Spears on Friday, Incubus and The Cult on Saturday and Sir Paul McCartney on Sunday. The concert venue is wonderful and within a few hundred meters of the North Grand Stand. I must say the number of staff that they have on hand for crowd control and transportation truly is impressive and allows for a smooth running event. 

Would you recommend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

DU: Definitely, there is a lot of talk of it being one of the best organized events on the calendar, sadly I won't be able to confirm that as it is the only event that I have been too. I must say though that it is very well organized, with traffic control and crowd control been great. You hardly feel like you are waiting anywhere for a long time. Also with the added benefits of the concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you can make a great weekend of it.

FR: Yes, I would recommend it because it is a beautiful experience. The place is beautiful but you have to go to the center of Abu Dhabi for more fun and visit, or while Dubai is 1 hour drive from Yas.
UK: Yes, definitely!!!!

Any negatives?
DU: Unfortunately, lack of FanVision was a problem, we had a bad angle to a screen and could only pick it up with binoculars to see what the positions where. Definitely need to get those Kangaroo TV/Fanvision for next time. That’s one way to be completely informed the whole time.
UK: Sadly there was no "track invasion" after the race (unlike at Spa, where fans can pour onto the track)

So there you have it. Abu Dhabi GP is well worth visiting; track facilities are good and well organised and the racing is... well, ....improving. Thanks to the contributors for sharing their experiences and photos. If you would like more information about this event, please leave a comment or tweet @duskyblogF1, @VGSears or @sonia_maalem.

SPECIAL MESSAGE: If in Abu Dhabi next year, some team wants to show my dad and myself in for his 60th birthday, then please tweet @VGSears. 

Photos are by @VGSears.

1st Poll Results

Following an article about Hamilton's performance against his team-mates, I conducted a poll on how Hamilton would perform this season, and these are the results.

Will Hamilton finish with more points than his team-mate in 2011?

Total Votes: 50
Yes, he has always out-performed his team-mates   12 (24%) No, he has made too many mistakes this year   23 (46%) Maybe but it'll be close   15 (30%)

Korean GP: Race Summary

Lewis Hamilton started from pole position but he lost the lead to recently crowned Double World Drivers Champion, Sebastian Vettel by the fourth corner of the first lap. A collision between Vitaly Petrov and Michael Schumacher on lap 18 caused the deployment of the Safety car and the cars 'bunched' up behind Vettel.

However at the restart, Vettel retained the lead and Lewis Hamilton spent the second half of the race fighting to fend off Webber and stay in 2nd place. A final-lap overtake by Alguersuari on Rosberg (who seemed to be running out of fuel) bagged the young Spaniard 7th place and the accolade of "Driver of the Day". Paul di Resta was the only rookie to score points in this race.

Winner's Trophy (photo by @leeStevo1)

The top three drivers were Vettel, Hamilton and Webber. RedBull's 1st and 3rd clinched them their 2nd World Constructor's Championship and two weekends of partying. Hamilton seemed content (he only managed a wry smile) to have finished 2nd and ahead of his team-mate, and even managed a quip at the start of his interview with BBC's Lee McKenzie.

Petrov got a 5-place grid drop and a reprimand for his collision with Schumacher. See Stewards' press release here.

Alternative Definitions in F1

In preparation for the lull in the F1 season, I have decided to create ‘An Alternative F1 Dictionary’ inspired by a game on my favourite BBC Radio comedy show ‘I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue' (ISIHAC). The game is often called the 'Uxbridge English Dictionary', Twitter hashtag #ued.

"Yes, I said 'Destroy' but I meant it in a nice way"

Just a bit of information for those who don’t know about this game; you take an English word and find a different humorous definition for it, based on its pronounciation. Examples can be found on this ISIHAC fan site and this one, and a small sample is provided here:

GHOULISH (n): A little bit Goulash

CIRCUMSPECT (n): Point of view of a Rabbi

FLATULENCE (n): An emergency vehicle that picks you up after you’ve been run over by a steam-roller

CELIBATE (n): A Virgin fish

WALLABY (n): Someone aspiring to be a kangaroo

DENTIST (n): Guy who fixes your car

So this got me thinking about an "Alternative F1 Dictionary" and if you would like to submit words used in F1 (or Driving in general), which can be defined in a different way.

General rules:

• It must be an English word related to F1 or Driving
• Its definition may or may not be related to F1 or Driving
• The new definition must be humorous and non-offensive
• Where possible, include links or videos to quotes or a possible use of the word in a sentence 

We have about 5 months before the start of next season, so please send in as many words as you wish. The best will be selected and will appear on my blog and reTweeted if the author is on Twitter. Post them as comments on this page or use hashtag #aF1D so I can find your entries on Twitter.

Example of F1/Driving Alternative Definitions are:

TARMAC (n): Scottish Gratitude

HYDRAULICS (n): To conceal the things that you rest your oars in
PISTON (n): Humiliated
INTERCONTINENTAL (n): One who has wet themselves all over the world

First entry is from @andrewdobbUK: DESTROY (v) - to like and get close to
A good one from @angryshopMan: RACIST- someone who hates racing
One from me @duskyblogF1: MANOEUVRE (v) 
Another from @elenaF1: WHEELNUT (n)
Smelly one from @duskyblogF1: PITSTOP (n)
Drag Reduction System: removing dresses and make-up from drivers' luggage
Pole Position - wherever Robert Kubica is 

CROFTY - a cunning attempt to imitate 'Tomb Raider'

Alguersuari - what Sean Connery would call a party for algae
Qualifying - what F1 bosses do when they think they've said something they shouldn't.
Q1/Q2/Q3 - where you wait at airports for check-in, baggage checking and the airport gate respectively.
Overtaking (1) - when out of a whole group, one person ate all the pies.
Overtaking (2) - default state of powerful money-orientated people.
Rev Limiter: A bouncer at the local church (by @duskyBlogF1) 
Drive Through - what Massa does to Hamilton and vice-versa (by @duskyBlogF1)
Traction - "Repulsion" (i.e. Not At-traction) (by @duskyBlogF1)
Supervisor (n) - On front of super crash helmet (by @TomFoxTom)


Wings - What RedBull claims to give you, but RedBullracing never will (to their competitors!)

A bit odd - Rubbish e.g. Karun Chandhok: "The pit exit (Korean GP) is a bit odd"
Chassis and Spare Chassis: Wife and Mistress e.g. "The chassis was looking a bit tired so I took the spare chassis out for a spin"
I give up - as said by Fernando Alonso at penultimate lap of 2011 Korean GP means "Don't you f***ing dare leave me behind Felipe again" by @F1Zone
Headwind (n): The breaking point of a relationship

Waiting for a Spa treatment

After the Hungarian Grand Prix, all Formula 1 teams take a compulsory break and reconvene for Friday Practice at the Belgian Grand Prix on 26th of August. This break, although required by the teams to recharge 'their batteries' (not KERS though - that's not allowed!), leaves F1 fans devoid of any entertainment. 

So we fanatics come up with different ways to pass the time: from blog swap shops, Twitter Chats ..... or even going on holiday to distract ourselves from not watching F1! I've decided to host a Twitter quiz an hour before the famous #F1Chat hosted by Formula 1 Blog every Monday at 4pm Eastern US, 9pm UK.

Hope you can join us for this quiz on Monday 8th August. It'll be fairly easy to follow and answer so whether you're a veteran or novice F1 fan, I'm sure you can answer most of the questions - even without a search-engine!  

German GP: Qualifying

After drab and rainy practice sessions on Friday, Qualifying on Saturday was practically dry. Drivers who dropped out after Q1 were the usual suspects of: Kovalainen, Chandhok (who takes Trulli's place this weekend), Glock, D'Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Ricciardo. Kobayashi was the surprise exit in Q1 as he was edged out by other drivers on soft tyres. HRT driver, Liuzzi incurs a 5-place grid penalty for changing his gear box and so, starts behind rookie team-mate Ricciardo.

Second Qualifying session was dominated by Hamilton who finished with a time of 1min30.998. And these 7 drivers didn't progress to Q3: Heidfeld, Di Resta, Maldonado, Barichello, Perez, Buemi, Alguersuari

The last shoot-out saw an epic effort from McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, swapping second place with Alonso early in the session. Red Bull's Mark Webber eventually took pole with 1min30.079, and Hamilton pushed Vettel into 3rd with a 1min30.134 lap time. The rest of the top ten were Alonso, Massa, Rosberg, Button, Sutil, Petrov and Schumacher.

Top 3 Drivers after Qualifying for German Grand Prix

Rain is expected tomorrow so Nurburgring's swansong is set to be an exciting one.

Amendment: Buemi's qualifying time was later disallowed due to fuel irregularities, and will start at the back of the track. Story courtesy of Autosport.com 

Ferrari: La Rinascita?

Prima di tutto, devo dichiarare che io non sono italiano e non sono un tifoso di Ferrari (ma mi piace la machina, il Fiat Cinquecento e ho scritto quest'articolo per migliorare il mio italiano). Comunque, io rispetto cosa la questa squadra ha fatto nello sporto di Formula Uno. Tra 1961, i giorno di Phil Hill dai quei giorni di Schumacher, la squadra ha vinci 14 trofei costruttori di Formula 1. Ma tra 2004 ed oggi, solamente vinca 2 trofei. E perche non va bene per loro? Ci sono molti possibilita di spiegare.

Tuffo di Ferrari? 

Una possibile spiegazione era il problema con la mancanza di prestazioni per le sue machine al inizio di 2005. Un altro è stato il prestazione di gomme/pneumatici Bridgestone in contro di Michelin che altre squadre utilizzati. Molti cambiamenti di personale inoltre non era utile; la partenza di Barrichello nel 2005, ed il Schumacher nel 2006 (un piloto che hanno relazione forte con i ingenieri e il capo di squadra), Jean Todt  nel 2008 e finalmente il polemica con Nigel Stepney.

Alonso a Gran Premio di Monaco

Ferrari: La Rinascita?

Anche se Ferrari riesco vinci trofei costruttori di Formula 1 nel 2007 e 2008, Ferrari ha competizione nuove e diversa (insomma Red Bull) e ha doveva fare qualcosa grande per ritorna di vincere ancora. La nomina del piloti spagnolo Fernando Alonso è parte del piano per la rinascita; un piloto che gia vinci due campionati e commandi molti rispetta dal paddock e con Stefano Domenicalli e parla la lingua italiano come la sua madre lingua.

La squadra ho avuto un risorgimento nella seconda parti della stagione nel 2010: Alonso ha avuto un'opportunita di vincere all'ultima gara di Brasilia ma finita nel posizione 7° e finita la stagione con 252 punti e purtroppo per lui, Vettel ha vinto quest'anno con solo 4 punti di piu.

Adesso nel 2011, al inizio della stagione non ho fatto niente spettacolare ma Alonso continua di finisca tutti le gare di fronte a Massa (il suo compagno della squadra) ed ecceto un incidente con Button a Canada, ha finito tutti le gare. Ultima gara a Silverstone, Inghilterra era la sua posizione migliore (1°).

Alonso a Silverstone

E per i tifosi, era un segno che Ferrari è all'inizia un risorgimento lentamente....e forse durante il divario tra le Gran Premi dall'Ungheria e Belgio, ci sono alcuni possibilita di contestare a Vettel e la dominanza di Red Bull. E probabilmente, comincia di ritornare ai giorni di Schumacher.

Informazione dal:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuderia_Ferrari
http://www.formula1.com/results/driver/2010/30.html

The Highs and the Lows

Just two months ago, the current World Champion of the most demanding and prestigious motorsport of F1, Sebastian Vettel was forbidden to drink the traditional celebratory champagne because he was not old enough to consume alcohol in the host country of Turkey. A few weeks ago Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy (22 years old) became the youngest US Open winner since Bobby Jones in 1923 and the current World Number 1 in Tennis, Novak Djokovic is only 24 years old. 

Too young for bubbly?

Most of these people started in their respective sports at a very young age, through 'active encouragement' by their parents so it is not surprising that they peak early. And as it is being reported that 20% of us will live up to 100, if you reach the pinnacle of your profession - in these cases, sport - at such a young age, what is your next challenge, and how do you stay motivated for the remaining (potentially) 75% of your life?