The End Is Near...

F1 Personality Fans:

Alonso Hydrates Webber 

I have returned! More importantly, I have returned with having put some intense track-time under my belt - provided by iRacing. As a result, I have a newfound respect for your hero's behind the wheel of an F1 car. I also understand more of how racing ( and F1) reveals character, not necessarily builds it. I have found myself acting on impulses like Schumacher and making overzealous maneuvers due to lack of skill and too much testosterone. All of a sudden, I have seen myself as the iRacing version of Paul Tracy! Not a pretty site.

Canadian GP - Check.
Excitedly, this season I had the chance to see the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, joined by some friends and had an awesome time. Awesome noise. I found myself pulling out my earplugs just to make it more visceral. The unprotected sound of an F1 car screaming is my version of what going to a Metallica concert without ocular prophylaxis is for a metal-head.

Mark Webber: Underexciting World Champion 
Who will be World Champion? Mark Weber. However, I don't want it to be Mark Webber and I don't think most F1 fans want it to be either. At this point, I'm wanting Alonso to win but not sure if he'll pull it off. If  he does, I would be convinced of conspiracy. Funny how confident Alonso was during the Japan post-race press interview; saying all too easily that if he's on the podium for the last 3 races he'll win the title. That casual announcement made my head tilt and say to myself: "He's too confident - there's got to be something else at play behind the scenes."

Why do I want Webber to lose? Because he's un-interesting. I like champions to be eccentric, special, outlandish, express some non wet blanket opinions. When the champion is an "everyman" like Mark Weber (more than Button) it takes the glamor out of my fantasies and I don't like such things. As a culture, we want our winners to be bold, heroic, swashbuckling.  Even Kimi, with his over-expressed droll and a no-nonsense, from the gut honesty, he's still more interesting than Mark. Kimi can even be imitated in type: "...wellthecarwasnotsogoodasweexpected and sothat'sracing."

F

 F1 Prince,  Lewis Hamilton

Prediction Comes True:
Well, as per my post from March, Hamilton has taken himself out of contention and I know exactly why. Lewis, I can help you with this, but you must decide you want to be champion and become self-determined with your destiny - without excuses and giving full permission to yourself for it. Or perhaps you don't feel you deserve it..or you have to give up who you are. All are untrue. F1 can't tell you who you are, it can only express a part of who you are.
 Getting there will be a journey of it's own.
Lewis Hamilton is still the F1 Prince. He needs more self-reliance skills. But since this is the first full season without his dad Anthony by his side - THAT is a reason he's not going for title number 2. I admire Anthony Hamilton. I think he decided that his son needs to be on his own, to make his own choices and mistakes. In my view, that is paternal love as Anthony sees the overall development of his Lewis more important than hand-holding him along the way. It will build a self-reliant life for our Louie. Perhaps multi-world titles and limitless possibilities beyond.

EPIC FAIL for Red Bull & I Can't Predict Shite

Vettel and Weber now in full "pretend it didn't happen mode." But what do we expect, honesty? Really now. My guess at the exchange this week:

Webber: (Silent)
Vettel: (Silent)
Horner: Well, you blokes are a bunch of punks. Thanks for that. No free Red Bull for a week for either of you!
Webber: (silent)
Vettel: (silent)
PR Person: I've got statements manufactured from everybody. I'll release them. Don't worry, the fans will just think that it was all a big laugh. HAHA! Y'a know what they say about any press at all! Look on the bright side! Do I get a bonus for this?
Webber: (winning at silence)
Vettel: (obviously better at silence than Webber)

Well, for all my hypothesizing about who and what for this season, I give up. Well, not for sure. I could have never guessed what would come from the RB camp. I was expecting for more from Schumi, Alonso & Hamilton less from Rosberg, Button and Webber. But my prediction about the followers just behind the leaders I got just about right - Massa & Kubica. But who cares?

Long Version of German Anthem Stalls Vettel's Guzzling of Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel, winner of the Malaysian GP nearly passed out during the playing of the little known third verse of the German national anthem. "Ja, I was like, when is this going to end and I can get a drink of Red Bull?...and I didn't know there was a long version - it kind of went on and on like Freebird"
Others were stunned at the length of the compulsory playing. "I mean c'mon already!" one mechanic from the Mercedes garage was overheard complaining. "I appreciate the over-emphasis to please that the Malaysian people have, but this is too much in all this heat. Can't we find a way to shorten it?"  Bernie Ecclestone was not impressed with the complaints however: "We must honor the motherland Germany for putting so many Germans on the grid." Everyone standing within 100 yards of Bernie were seen enthusiastically nodding their heads in agreement after his sage-like proclamation. Michael Schumacher was asked about the incident and said he didn't remember because he was in the garage doing a bong-hit immediately after the race. FOTA is scheduled to vote on shortening the German anthem for all time next week.

Rosberg Shoulder-Checks Schumacher After Besting Him in Q3

Nico Rosberg was seen throwing his shoulder or "shoulder-checking" Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes garage following Nico's dominant Q3 performance in Sepang. "Schumi is my bitch" and  "...how ya' like me now punk?" Rosberg was overhead saying  loudly throughout the entire garage. Schumi was not available for comment after the incident but his chief mechanic described Schumacher as "curled up in a corner (of the garage), holding his favorite teddy-bear and muttering to himself."  This incident is just one more nail in Micheal's coffin at Mercedes as Nico Rosberg has made it his personal mission to "Crush him at any cost...mainly because I can't stand everyone fawning over him. And hey, I've got much better hair than he does." "Before I was paired with MS, everyone fawned over my youth and hair, now since I'm on 'Team Deutschland" no one seems to notice all the attention I put on my blond locks." Rosberg has been beating Michael in qualifying in all races thus far this season. He has also twice as many championship points as Michael. "I'm simply better looking than Michael and my blond hair curls out from under my helmet to make me like super-cute I think..." "Getting more attention on me will surely make my life better and I'm not going to let some retiree' with lame short hair take that away, even if he is a 7-time world champion." Rosberg was quoted.  The whole rivalry has been reported to have started when Schumi and Rosberg showed up for a press event wearing the exact same outfit and similar grey scarves. Rosberg was said to have been "incensed" at "Michael trying to act all young and hot like me." He (Scumacher) was wearing the exact same outfit as me but totally messed it up with a lighter colored scarf. He clearly has no sense of fashion and therefore deserves to be crushed on track."

The Rundown...

Vettel: Well, as predicted on this blog - the only factor in his demise - is the car. But, as I thought further on the matter I realized some other factors woven into the entire story.
To Sebastian Vettel, independence is important to him as well as being in control of his own destiny. It's important for Seb to protect this independence by staying away from the corporate (read: controlling) nature of the larger teams because he fears total loss of his personality. Hence his choices to not play among the larger teams, to not have a manager and to stay with a team such as Red Bull which has the appearance of a team which supports independence. Is this just youthful rebellion or is he trying to blaze a trail to being able to maintain himself and win? But, I find that when you are dealing with an entity with something to hide, that entity then allows for independence in a more covert manner. "I'll let you be your way, without question, as long as you do the same for me." This is how the structure of corruption exists for it's participants. He's being controlled through a darker motivation and he's agreeing to give up a deeper sense of integrity.

Bottom line, Red Bull, as a non-manufacturer and its primary focus is to promote a drink product more than winning races. Red Bull cares less about winning and more in upping the sales of this dangerous beverage. I think the genius for Deitrich Mateschitz is his marketing plan, not his passion for racing. Compare this to a company like Ferrari, who clearly has a pure passion for racing and being the best automobile company on the planet. You see the contrast here...It's all about commitment and intention! This is simply why Red Bull cannot dynamically support racing at the level that Vettel wants to play.  For this reason, I don't see Red Bull taking the world championship this year or any year for that matter. I see Vettel faced with either his independence or becoming world champion. Next year, we may see Vettel at Ferrari or McLaren!

Hamilton: Will have to change his racing style to suit tire degradation - which includes less burnouts...LOL.
Lewis is busting out of the control his father has had over him. He's now more on his own and I think we can expect more things like this in the future..

Webber: So worried about losing races that he creates what he fears. As a result, constantly runs into other drivers. "If I can't win, you wont either." is his modus operandi. This is also why he's one of the hardest drivers to pass.  He doesn't know what motivates him on a deeper level.  He'll be out of a top-running car within 2 years... Maybe even next year.

Okay. Who Else Feels Slighted?

- Teams waiting until the very end of the qualifying session to jump out on the track?
- One pit stop? ONE? I felt like I was watching the new Formula 1 parade today.

Granted yes it's oh so exciting that Michael is back and Alonso is in a Ferrari... But c'mon!
It appears as well that Martin Witmarsh of McLaren and I are in agreement: See article

And as per Coulthard: "
"I hope Max Mosley, watching from his ivory tower after relinquishing his post as president of Formula 1's governing body last autumn, enjoyed the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday," wrote Coulthard in his column for the Daily Telegraph. "Revs limited to 18,000rpm, the ban on in-race refuelling, standardised gearboxes and engines, a single tyre supplier; all initiatives introduced during his tenure at the FIA, all of which appear to have done little for the show if Bahrain is anything to go on." - Thanks David...
I know this blog is about personalities but RED FLAG here. Note to Bernie & Company: When you manipulate and control too much, you end up creating the very thing you are trying to avoid -  unexciting races.

They undertook multitudes of changes last year which the teams broke the rules on - namely the diffuser. The same with the whole KERS crap-ola. Same thing this year all over again. The thing that gets me is that everyone at the top of F1 want's their cake and eat it too. Either you reduce the rules enough where you get genuine competition  ignited or you allow teams to create their own winning formulas so they can eclipse the field at will... I was hoping that with the coming to a close of the Max Mosley era, this kind of stuff would come to see it's end. Perhaps it's not long enough and we are still healing - seriously. The FIA and FOTA need to get back to basics again. Scrap all this over management. Stick to the rules you have that work. Make everyone comply to the diffuser ban. Stop already.

Rosberg Takes Vitamins- Tops Practice Times

Little Nico Rosberg has jumped up to the top of the time sheet at Bahrain practice session. Well, now that's something, ain't it?

After thinking about it, here's what I came up with:

As the stage is set, there are less spots at the top to be shared among the top drivers. Each of the World Champions have a claim of their piece of the pie. And that list is longer than usual. So then, what does that mean for those drivers who are just below that? It means they could get relegated to permanently ignored and the climb to "just being noticed" would be even farther. Am I making sense?

I think this has possibly fueled Rosberg to demand his place. I think the pressure of his father as well as the fact that Schumacher's presence has made him feel like he's playing junior varsity. So, Nico has said to himself: "I'm tired of my dad chewing me a new one all the time...and who is this old F1 lion? I can take him out." So awakens the youthful hurricane. We'll see if it's actually awakened a champion inside of him or if he's just wanting his father's voice to stop nattering in his ear (aka - running towards his father's approval).

On a side note, after watching some of practice (6:00am - here on the East coast) I can't help but wonder if some teams are sand-bagging until tomorrow or even as far off as Sunday. Some teams/drivers looked all too happy with their slower times. I'm just sayin'. 

I'm So Excited I Can't Contain Myself...

F1 Congregation, 
The overall excitement has gotten to me as I sense the potential for the most exciting season in decades has got most everyone near breathless.

I must toot my own horn as I recently read an article by Nigel Roebuck of AutoWeek and, most of the points  made were characteristically familiar to my earlier post from December 24, 2009 and most of what was said mirrored potentials that I laid out. The only difference is that AW's Roebuck has chosen Alonso as champion outright. I'm not so bold, nor do I need to be as I like to interpret potential rather than be ballsy by making startling predictions. So much changes throughout a season so I will be making adjustments as well; not to just follow trend, but to express how the potentials shift and change.

Be prepared for some startling revelations of personality during this season. I think the circumstances will push the top drivers to their absolute limit in both driving and character. In the sense of the latter, my job will be easier as I will keep you abreast of what I perceive the drivers are experiencing on emotional-motivational-personality-character levels.  As for the first race, get ready for some face-palm schamozzles by front runners pushing too hard; there's a lot of tension out there!

Throughout the season be ready for some of these as possibilities:

- Schumacher dealing dirty and getting penalized for it.
 - Hamilton pushing too hard and taking himself out...
 - Alonso losing his cool about the performance/reliability of the Ferrari as he gets a whiff of     victory.
 - Slower cars knocking out front runners
 - Massa going after Michael but having it work against him. 
 - Button becoming despondent at his seeming lack of pace and blaming car setup
 - Richard Branson putting his foot in his mouth
 - Force India moving forward or falling into the rear. 
 - Vettel possibly taking it away from everyone!
 - Peter Windsor returning to TV Journalism 
 - Photos of Flavio Briatore in the stands at some races - and then photos of him being escorted out...
- Ross Brawn smiling during a race.  

Flavio Briatore - Gambling Gangsta'

This blogger says Flavio Briatore was Gambling

Are you going to tell me people don't bet on F1?
My intuition has been pinging about this since the exposure of the conspiracy to fix the '08 Singapore GP - I've clearly felt that this is a case of Flavio gambling and getting caught, though not directly...

What other circumstances would compel a team manager to make these choices and take such a risk? What kind of pressure? I say flatly that he was gambling and was paying himself and perhaps a select few of his friends. Perhaps even Ecclestone. Briatore may have also incurred gambling debts, owing somebody and needed to cough up money or odds to win major money. One thing is for sure, when it comes to the deeper truth, we are only getting the surface of the story! Big players do this sort of thing all the time but we never hear about it because the conspiracy can run so deep that at some point, peoples' lives are threatened. That's when movies have to be made - so everyday people can see the truth safely.

"Flavio Briatore got caught and was not exposed for all he was doing.
However, there has been some justice served: he was thrown out of F1, which needed to happen."

Ask a physicist,  all things in nature work toward balance
My overall theory is this: no matter what the situation details are, somehow there are balanced elements struck in the outcomes. Take for example O.J. Simpson. Yes he was acquitted of murder, but that did not end his troubles by far. OJ's money was taken from him as he lost the civil suit and so on.  In the end, he's in jail too. In the balance of the outcome, he was not "free" and because of general consensus feeling that he lied and got away with it, people turned against him en mass. Let's face it, millions of people hating you is a pretty heavy day-to-day burden to walk around with - which can be worse than confessing. 
I know that to most people reading this it may sound weird, but all you have to do is remove yourself enough from the circumstance to see the situation more and more simply, essentially.

"Flavio has the type of personality in that if he (thinks he) gets away with something, his balls grow bigger."   

And on it Goes...
As of yesterday's announcement of Flavio's sentence being overturned by a French court, (read: payoff) and in the face of a perceived win, Briatore is full of hubris to attack those who exposed him to his shame - in this case, Nelson Piquet Jr. and his father. Opinion: this will not hold up. Briatore's evil stubborness want's his pound of flesh. I think the public is becoming wise to this level of BS and is losing tolerance for it.
 
"As a world culture, we are growing tired of these kinds of people - as evidenced by their exposure.  Briatore stands to lose much more than he knows."

My challenge to Flavio Briatore
Think of this whole case against the Nelsons as a bad investment, a bad gamble. Cut your losses and get out now before it takes more out of your life. Mr. Briatore, you have the courage to let it go. I challenge you. As a result, your life will become easier not the train wreck that you are building.