Alvin's Formula One Blog

If there's one thing that we've learned through the turmoil of the 17 widely differing GPs of 2008 it's... expect the unexpected. Just when you thought you could anticipate what would happen next in F1 - something else happened. It was going to be a Ferrari vs McLaren fight...and then BMW joined in. Lewis Hamilton was making too many mistakes... and then drove the race of his life at Silverstone, Felipe Massa looked a spent force in Germany...and then he drove his heart out in Hungary. Kimi Raikkonen looked on for a shed-load of points after his win in Spain...and then didn't win at all, the Renault team were going to struggle to get on the podium this season...and then won two races, and most exciting of all, Toro Rosso's position looked under threat...and then they won a race...from the front. It's been a season of extraordinary upsets, extraordinary decisions and right now, playing off camera, an extraordinary row between the manufacturers and the FIA over th...

The weather could have a big say on where the World Championship ends up this season as wet conditions are expected in Sao Paulo over the weekend. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa will go head-to-head for the Drivers' Title on Sunday. Hamilton has the edge over local hero Massa as he takes a seven-point lead into the season finale. Massa's task could be even tougher this weekend if the weather gods fail to play along. The Ferraris have struggled to make much of an impact during wet races while Hamilton relishes driving in the rain. Showers are expected during qualifying on Saturday afternoon as well as during the race on Sunday and there are fears the demanding track could break down. The FIA have already given Interlagos the green light, but tests have revealed that heavy rain could cause problems. Race organisers therefore decided to make last-minute adjustments to the track and added grooves to parts of the surface to improve drainage.

It's interesting looking at the upcoming race which happens to be the last of the season and the title decider. A lot is riding on Lewis' and Massa' shoulders this weekend. Perhaps more on Lewis' shoulders for many reasons but it would seem that the heaviest burden he is carrying would be to become the first black world champion. Sometimes I feel that the whole F1 world is against a black driver winning and being so good. It's like they are shocked that a black guy could be so good. Maybe they are willing to go the extra mile to make sure it doesn't happen. Eddie Jordan is making a point about it. Makes sense. And what is all this talk about Lewis' arrogance? Yes, I admit he does sound arrogant nowadays and personally, I'd like him to tone it down a bit but if you're looking for arrogance, look no further than Maranello and Mr Montezemollo. That is arrogance at it's finest. Anyway, looking at this weekend's race, a lot is at stake. Lewis has ...

Wow, it's been a while since I've written anything here on my own. It was due to my busy schedule as we've had the Malaysian round of the MotoGP recently and I was working at the paddock for 5 days straight. That was tiring. At least I got s Stoner signed cap for it. Then I started work on my new job at Johnson Controls Malaysia and it has been non stop. Now I'm on the night shift starting at 2am. And finally my home internet connection has fizzled out, which is why I've been missing for so long. So, for those who do visit my site, so sorry for the delay. My thoughts on the season and the sason ender coming up? Not much at the moment as my brain is sleeping at 3.30am now. But I do hope that Lewis is keeping low and focusing his mind on winning but without unnecessary risk at Interlagos next week. As Martin Whitmarsh said it, a lot of noise coming out from a lot of people nowadays is just "noise" and we need to filter them out at this stage. I will be worki...

Lewis Hamilton is praying for "a straightforward weekend" in Brazil next week as he aims to become the youngest Champion in F1 history. A year ago when Hamilton had the title in his sights at Interlagos his race weekend was anything but simple and clear cut. McLaren had an FIA observer stationed in their pit garage to ensure fair play was administered to Hamilton and then team-mate Fernando Alonso following the Spaniard's dramatic fall-out. On race day, an understandably tense-looking Hamilton endured a miserable opening lap, running wide at one point to drop to eighth after starting second on the grid. More agony followed on lap eight when he suffered a gearbox issue that relegated him to 18th, and despite a brave charge through the field, he could only finish seventh. Hamilton missed out on the title by a point that day, so you can appreciate his sentiment that he would like to avoid such drama a year on. With Hamilton seven points clear of his only title rival in Felip...

Monday 20th October 2008 The World Championship is now Lewis Hamilton's to lose. Problem is, it was last year as well... Felipe Massa Is Delusional "I was strong enough to catch and pass [Raikkonen] and that was the best part of the race for me." Next he'll be accusing Lewis Hamilton of bumping him off the track on the first lap in Japan when the reality was that he out-braked himself. Oh. Hang on... Hamilton Has Set Himself Up For The Title. Or A Horrible Fall For a driver who apparently can't cope with pressure, Lewis Hamilton didn't do badly in Shanghai. His performance was a study in motor-racing perfection. After a statement of intent on Friday, when he finished both sessions in first place, the McLaren driver made good on his promise by taking P1 in all three qualifying sessions and then registering a lights-to-flags victory that included, for only the second time this season, the fastest lap of the race to complete the sweep. Look up 'comprehensive...

There was more incident in one corner at Mount Fuji than the whole of the Chinese Grand Prix, and absolutely no moving under braking. Everyone happy now...? STAR OF THE RACE Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1st An excellent pole, the fastest lap of the race and a race win. It doesn't come much more emphatic than that. Hamilton was a model of control from the moment he got a clean getaway. One more good start at Interlagos and he's home and hosed. In fact with a seven-point lead going into the final race the McLaren team could probably buy the front row in Brazil. By going light they could take the first two places and avoid any opening lap trouble. Even though the strategy would probably work against them finishing 1-2, they could slot back into a steady 4th and 5th, which is all they need. Because they need a major Ferrari failure to win the Constructors' title now. WINNERS Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 2nd Though commentators are citing Massa's blown engine and comedy pit stop in Si...

At the Chinese Grand prix Lewis Hamilton could become World Champion... or end up 12th again. It could go either way. After his moment of madness at the Japanese GP and all the criticism that has got him, he could easily produce an immaculate drive in Shanghai . He had to weather a lot of criticism before the British GP at Silverstone and we know what happened then, he produced the race win of the season. Sadly for Lewis fans I can't see that happening in China , for the very reason that the World Championship is at stake. Equally Felipe Massa will be on edge too. Whereas Lewis can afford one more slip-up before the end of the season Felipe cannot afford a single error. He knows that Lewis has still got his get-out-of-jail-free engine change before the last race so he'll have maximum revs on the Mercedes for both events. He also knows that he screwed up in qualifying for Japan by driving too fast on his outlap and setting the fastest sector time of anyone in Sector 3... ...

And here is the final proof of the FIA stewards bias for Ferrari..er sorry..FIArrari. For all of you blind FIArarri supporters out there, can it get any more stupid than this? It's so obvious it makes me wanna puke. STEWARDS QUESTIONED WEBBER OVER MASSA MOVE Thursday 16th October 2008 Fresh controversy over the stewarding of the Japanese GP has been sparked by the revelation that Felipe Massa's move past Mark Webber on the penultimate lap was investigated - but only to determine if the Red Bull driver ought to be punished for allegedly forcing the World Championship contender wide. In the process of overtaking Webber for the final points-paying position, Massa crossed the white lines along the pit-straight deemed to indicate the limits of the race track. As Massa passed the Australian, all four wheels of his Ferrari were placed in the pit-lane exit, prompting some observers, especially during these litigious times, to question whether his move illegal. By the letter of the rule...

HEIDFELD RENEWS CALLS FOR PERMANENT STEWARDS Thursday 16th October 2008 Nick Heidfeld has called on F1 to bring back permanent race stewards after two controversial penalties were handed out last Sunday in Japan. At present Formula One uses one permanent steward, Max Mosley's friend Allan Donnelly, and three others who are appointed on a race-by-race basis. However, some of the stewards' decisions have been rather controversial of late with two alone coming in Japan last Sunday. Firstly Lewis Hamilton was penalised for pushing Kimi Raikkonen wide at the start of the race, a move that almost the entire field does at the start of a grand prix. The decision cost Hamilton any chance of scoring points. Not content with stopping there, the stewards retrospectively penalised Sebastien Bourdais for coming together with Championship contender Felipe Massa, even though it appeared to be the Ferrari driver's mistake. As a result Massa was boosted up order, scoring two World Championsh...

HAMILTON REFUSES TO TAKE THE BAIT Thursday 16th October 2008 Rather than engage in a war-of-words with Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton has told his old nemesis that he really doesn't care about what he has to say - right before being the bigger man and complimenting Renault. The relationship between Hamilton and Alonso has been anything but pleasant since the two teamed up at McLaren last season. The rivalry caused a huge rift at Woking and ultimately resulted in Alonso leaving the team after just one season. But despite not being team-mates the situation is still volatile with Alonso admitting in Thursday's press conference in China that he will do everything he can to help Felipe Massa beat Hamilton to this year's World title. Hamilton, though, doesn't really care what Alonso has to say. "I don't particularly have an opinion on it," Hamilton replied when asked about the comments. "I focus on my job, if we can be competitive this weekend we will try ...

Well, there goes Alonso again, being the best that he can be. Being an asshole, that is. ALONSO REITERATES HIS DESIRE TO HELP MASSA BEAT LEWIS Thursday 16th October 2008 Fernando Alonso has reiterated his desire to help Felipe Massa beat Lewis Hamilton to the World title - but not by any means fair or foul. Following the Japanese GP, which Alonso won, the Spaniard told the press that he do would do whatever he can to help Massa beat his former McLaren nemesis to the title. And given Alonso's apparent animosity for Hamilton, this sparked some concerns that he would soon be bumping the Brit off the track should the two find themselves side-by-side. Alonso, though, has clarified his comments, clearly stating that while he wants to see Massa beat Hamilton he will help only be taking points off the McLaren man and not by shunting him into retirement. "Obviously I was waiting for this question," he told the media in Thursday's press conference in Shanghai. "When I said...

ALONSO PROVES HE'S A RELIABLE WITNESS AND JUDGE Fernando Alonso has inadvertently confirmed that he judged Lewis Hamilton's penalty in the Japanese GP fully deserved without even knowing what the Englishman was punished for. In the post-race press conference conducted immediately after Sunday's event, the three podium finishers were asked if they thought Hamilton's drive-through penalty was fair. While Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica both replied that they "didn't know" because they "didn't see the whole thing", Alonso, without hesitation, declared he "agreed" with the decision. However, speaking later to a Spanish newspaper, the former McLaren driver, who endured a fractious relationship with Hamilton during his season at Woking, admitted he didn't know what had happened or even what the stewards had found him guilty of. "I don't know what he did," said the Spaniard, "but it's good he's punished anyw...