2013 F1 SEASONS ENDS

Well there it goes, another season ends and another one awaits. It has been a long season with ups and downs, many new records set, new controversies achieved, new rules being made and broken in the same season but the defining topic has been Sebastian Vettel's domination...again. In a word..boring. The season was over about halfway when Vettel was just unchallenged from pole to flag. I did not bother to watch the last 2 races as I knew what I would read the following morning.

James Allen put it nicely to recap what this season means with so many "eras" ending:

It was the end of an era in many respects; the last race for V8 engines, the last race for Mark Webber and possibly a few others who don’t know it yet, like Paul di Resta, depending on driver market movements in the coming weeks.

It was the last race, for the moment at least, for Cosworth engines and Felipe Massa’s last race for Ferrari. And maybe Ross Brawn’s last race at the helm of Mercedes. If so, will he return in a different shirt?

These – apart from the change of engine formula – are the normal comings and goings of a sport which is like real life on fast forward, always restless and changing. The real question is, will the 2013 season be looked back on as the end of the Sebastian Vettel/Red Bull era, or just a staging post?

Just a staging post? I hope not, for our sakes. Lets not have Red Bull pull out another trick to dominate next year all over again. I'm praying for Mercedes to come out with a fantastic car that will allow them to win next year's championship for a change.

I never liked Ferrari nor Fernando Alonso but in a way, his words ring true during his BBC interview recently. He said:

"He is 26 years old, so when he will have a car like the others, if he wins, he will have a great recognition and be one of the legends in F1. When one day he has a car like the others and he is fourth, fifth, seventh, these four titles will be bad news for him because people will take these four titles even in a worse manner than they are doing now."

For me, struggling and putting your all into something which then produces results just makes it that much sweeter. When Alonso does win his third title it will be regarded as legendary. Alonso will join the ranks of those lgenedary racers such as Fangio, Clark or Moss. Vettel on the other hand will be regarded as superficial as although he has said it many times that it is not easy even with a superior car and team. For me a legend is someone who can achieve great results with poor resources. That is what Alonso has showed for many years now.

Of course Vettel fans will shout blasphemy or dismiss my thoughts as a non-Vettel fan frustration. But as I said, I do not like Alonso since his McLaren days but I have to admit he is a very good driver, a legendary driver in waiting. Don't get me wrong, Vettel is a good driver too. Most F1 drivers are good, if not they wouldn't be where they are now. But to be truly great you have to win with odds agaisnt you, not riding a superior wave.

So here's looking to 2014 with great trepidation and hope. Hope of a mixed up grid and a serious challenge from all the other teams to Red Bull. It will be a long winter.

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