Alvin's Formula One Blog

Friday 28th November 2008 Lewis Hamilton may be intent on winning F1 World titles but the reigning Champ insists his goal is not to beat Michael Schumacher's record. Schumacher reigned supremo for much of his F1 career, winning a unprecidented seven World titles, including a string of five consecutive trophies. It is an impressive record that some are already predicting that Hamilton, who won his first title in 2008, could one day break. However, the 23-year-old insists that's not his focus. "There's always more to achieve," he told the Woking News & Mail newspaper. "I do want to win more races and Championships in Formula One. But I'm not sure I want to do what Michael Schumacher did and win all those tiles. "I would be happy to win more - but I've not really focused on that yet." Instead Hamilton is just taking the time to enjoy his first World title, which he achi...

Thursday 27th November 2008 Schumi hands Rubens the winner's trophy Rubens Barrichello has finally spoken out about the controversial team-orders incident during the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. Ferrari came under fire after the race after Barrichello, leading at the time, allowed Michael Schumacher to pass him on the final lap so that the German could take maximum points for the Drivers' Championship. The Brazilian has revealed that the team "reminded" him several laps before the chequered flag about his "duties". Barrichello told TV show Fantastico : "At the Austrian Grand Prix (2002) I was told over the radio 'Do you know that Michael is behind you? It is important for the Championship'. "The intensity of my conversation with the team increased with every lap while there were just a few laps to go and then I was told that they would take a closer look at my contr...

Another award for F1's youngest F1 champ 26/11/08 11:00 Zoom Hubert Burda Media to award Hamilton L ewis Hamilton this week will receive a top German media prize for becoming the youngest ever F1 world champion. On Thursday, the 23-year-old McLaren driver will be named as the recipient of a 'Bambi' trophy at a gala ceremony, organisers the Hubert Burda Media group said. Also honoured with a Bambi, for her comeback following a series of highly-publicised personal problems, will be pop star Britney Spears, who will sing at the ceremony. The American singer Pink will also perform at the event in the northern German city Offenburg, and other winners include Meg Ryan, Keanu Reeves, fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld and Tommy Hilfiger and tenor Placido Domingo. Source: GMM © CAPSIS International

Another crappy idea from Bernie , as some have suggested it is a knee jerk reaction and Eddie Jordan has said it right when he said it was nonsense . Although on the surface it looks to make sense but there are problems with this scheme as some readers of other websites have suggested and I'm repeating it here. A guy who won 2 races still wins the WDC even though another guy has won once and finishes all other races second. A guy can win 8 races then just sit at home waiting to collect his WDC. There'll be so much overtaking and moves to try to overtake that it will be dangerous because there'll be so much more accidents. Qualifying again will decide the race as it is suddenly life or death to qualify in front. F1 will become boring. Sometimes I wished the people running F1 would just drop dead and be replaced by others with brains.

Is it a trend started by Kimi last year? Winning the world championship gets your face on stamps. Looks like Lewis might get his face on the stamps if the Royal Mail has their way. That would be cool though. I'll have to ask Anthony to mail me some postcards then. A spokesman for Royal Mail insisted that no decision had yet been taken on Hamilton. But he admitted: “It is certainly an idea which is under consideration.” Source : Times Online

The formula 1 website has put Lewis in it's hall of fame and the article can be found here containing Lewis' bio and his rise to fame. A snippet from the article to whet your appetitte: In 1995, a 10-year-old kart champion, wearing a borrowed suit and shoes, picked up two trophies at a motorsport awards ceremony in London. Brandishing an autograph book prepared by his father, he approached Ron Dennis, boss of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. "I said 'Hello Mr. Dennis, I'm Lewis Hamilton and one day I'd like to race for your team.' I asked him for his autograph and his phone number. He put them in my book and also wrote 'Call me in nine years. The call was made just three years later and it was the Hamilton household's telephone that rang. It was Ron Dennis who presented Anthony with an offer to financially support his son's career for the foreseeable future, with the proviso that Lewis should keep working hard at school. Lewis: "I ju...

Tuesday 18th November 2008 Lewis Hamilton will take on Britain's triple Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy at next month's Race of Champions at Wembley. Hamilton, at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz, will face-off against Hoy, on a bike, in a race run on a parallel track which will form part of the build-up to the annual event, which pits some of the world's leading motorsport stars against each other in equal machinery. Hamilton, who will also perform a demonstration run in his title-winning McLaren, said: "This is going to be something very special. "I've done F1 demonstration runs away from race tracks before, but Wembley Stadium is completely different, the atmosphere is going to be crazy. "It's going to be a great way to end a fantastic year, and I'm really looking forward to putting on a show to thank the fans from all over the world and my fantastic British fans for all their support." Hoy, who won gold in the keirin, sprint and ...

Well, the winter testing has started and what a surprise, a pleasant one I must say to see Sato top the timesheets. Sebastien Loeb is there too. What is more interesting is the new look for 2009 on the BMW, have a look here . The rear wing is funny, too small and the front wing is too big. Sheesh, I can't get used to that look.

Hmm..this is an issue that has gone on for some time now. Everybody has heard of this and people are talking that Lewis is over confident and to a certain extent arrogant. I have met him and spent some time with him and his dad Anthony and I can safely say that Lewis is not arrogant. People confuse self confidence with arrogance quite easily here because either they don't know the person or they are biased. It's so easy to hate. Anyway, I've met and been around a few F1 drivers and I can say for sure that they are all extremely competitive people. They have to be in order to survive in F1 and to chase after success. In fact, this attribute is necessary in all fields of life. The same goes for Lewis. It's just that he talks more about it as say compared to Kimi. According to Lewis, he's bubbly . Just because Kimi talks less doesn't mean he's not ultra competitive. So, once and for all, please understand that these F1 drivers are like that. They have to be. It...

Monday 10th November 2008 Force India have agreed a long-term deal with McLaren Mercedes for the supply of technical support from the start of next season. The Silverstone-based team, owned by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya, have agreed a reported five-year deal with McLaren for the supply of gearboxes, hydraulic systems and Mercedes-built engines. In addition, McLaren will lend operational support and provide the team with the new kinetic engine recovery system (KERS) that is due to be implemented for 2009. The announcement comes just three days after Force India ended their two-year deal with Ferrari for the supply of engines 12 months ahead of schedule. The Scuderia supplied Force India with engines in their debut season but the team failed to score a point with Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil as their drivers. Mallya said: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngine...

Monday 10th November 2008 They may not be the best of buddies but there is "huge amount of respect" between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, according to the 2008 World Champ. Hamilton and Alonso didn't have the best of relationships during the Spaniard's season with McLaren last year. Alonso added further fuel to the fire when he claimed before the final race in Brazil that he would do everything he could to help Felipe Massa to secure the title. However, after the race Alonso visited the McLaren garage to congratulate Hamilton after he won the World Championship by just a single point and was quoted afterwards as saying, "Lewis deserves his time and I congratulated him." Hamilton says it was "big" of Alonso to come over and says they've always respected each other. "I don't think there was a particular dispute between us," the McLaren driver said during Mercedes-Benz's Stars & Cars event in Stuttgart. "We'v...

It would seem that Heikki has to do something to improve next year as he was roundly beaten this year by his team mate and he was unlucky at some races. Some people thought that maybe he wasn't the right choice for a renewal at McLaren for next year but we'll have to see how he does. There are a few interesting candidates for his seat like Vettel or Kubica, so he'd better up the ante .

This is the provisional 2009 calendar released by FIA which is the 3rd version so far. Maybe there'll be another revision, I don't know but for now this is how it looks like. This calendar was published by F1Wolf . 2009 Provisional F1 calendar: Revised on November 5, 2008 29 March - Australia 5 April - Malaysia 19 April - China 26 April - Bahrain 10 May - Spain 24 May - Monaco 7 June - Turkey 21 June - Great Britain 12 July - Germany 26 July - Hungary – summer break – 23 August - Europe (Valencia) 30 August - Belgium 13 September - Italy 27 September - Singapore 4 October - Japan 18 October - Brazil 1 November - Abu Dhabi At least Malaysia's race will be not so late into April. I'm looking forward to that as I'll probably be working at Sepang during race week and Lewis and Anthony will be here. Though I'm not sure whether we'll be able to meet as the world champ would be very busy and popular.

Friday 7th November 2008 Lewis Hamilton insists he does not share the views of Bernie Ecclestone that the racist abuse he received this year should be dismissed as a "joke". Formula One supremo Ecclestone made the claim when asked about the insults directed at Hamilton during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona, in February. Some spectators were pictured mocking the newly-crowned World Champion by wearing wigs, dark make-up and T-shirts with the slogan 'Hamilton's Family'. In an attempt to defuse the row, Ecclestone declared it had been blown out of proportion and stated he did not understand why the scenes were insulting. But Hamilton, the first black driver in Formula One history, refused to trivialise what happened and revealed it was the support of his fans that enabled him to overcome his anguish. "I didn't see it as a joke. It's something that happened but it is in the past," he said. "What's more importa...

Thursday 6th November 2008 Fernando Alonso may have pledged to do all he could to help Felipe Massa win this title but if he wants a third Drivers' Championship of his own he first needs Lewis Hamilton to win again in 2009... For Fernando Alonso, the red devil is likely to be in the detail. While confirmation that the Spaniard has signed a two-year extension with Renault appears, at first glance, to be a long-term commitment, the likelihood is that his pledge for 2010 will have included that all-important get-out clause, either performance-related or a straightforward buy-out. Alonso is too clever, too ambitious, too good to have not kept his options open. 2009 will thus be a wait-and-see, deliver-or-else type of year. Having won two previous World Championships, Alonso's goal is another. Nothing else will do. Improvement? That's for the also-rans. Fernando is dreaming of a third title and his contract is bound to reflect that demand. If Renault cannot deliver the required ...

Thursday 6th November 2008 The FIA has launched its latest attempt to inject some credibility into the stewarding process. Andrew Davies is wary that it's nothing more than a box of fudge. Lewis Hamilton's fifth place at the Brazilian Grand Prix was a relief. And not just to the people who wanted the McLaren driver to win the World Chapionship. His four points for fifth place on Sunday took him one point higher than Felipe Massa and gave him the World Championship he well and truly deserved. It was a big relief to those F1 fans who didn't want to see the winter months mired by talk of outrageously inconsistent stewarding decisions. Two races earlier Felipe Massa had been given an extra point by the Japanese GP race stewards in what is widely regarded as the most incomprehensible F1 stewarding decision in the last ten years. Perhaps of all time. When Massa collided with the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Bourdais it was widely expected that if anyone was going to collect a penalty ...

Last year's Brazilian Grand Prix was an unmitigated disaster for Lewis Hamilton. A poor start, a first-lap error and some untimely gearbox gremlins all combined to shatter his hopes of clinching a historic first title at Interlagos, leaving a resurgent Kimi Raikkonen free to collect the crown.On Sunday, after a nail-biting finish, the failure and heartache were confined to the history books, as Hamilton accomplished what he so nearly achieved on his first attempt. So established is the new world champion, it is difficult to believe that he becomes the sport’s youngest ever title holder, aged just 23, bettering previous record holder Fernando Alonso by just over four months.Hamilton has just 35 race appearances under his belt, but from that modest tally has gleaned nine wins and 13 poles. To put those figures into context, Alonso had made 69 starts before he clocked up that number of victories, while Raikkonen has scored only three more poles over his eight-year career. Of course Al...

Wednesday 5th November 2008 Lewis Hamilton has praised the impact of father Anthony in helping him become Formula One World Champion. Anthony has been the one constant in Lewis' life since he started out on the road to title glory at the age of eight in karting. Supporting what began as a hobby, despite financial hardship, Anthony played not only the fatherly role, but was also an advisor and mentor, even a mechanic as he also repaired the karts. As Lewis then worked his way through the various categories and ultimately into F1 with McLaren, Anthony has remained by his side, and now also serves as his manager. When asked as to what his dad had meant to him over the years en route to becoming champion, it was not an easy question for him to answer as Anthony was stood just a few feet away. With emotion in his voice, he initially replied: "He's been an inspiration, positive in many ways." After a pause, Hamilton then broke the ice as he joked: "But he's a dad, ...

Racism is alive and well, as we can see and feel throughout the 2008 F1 season. It was very clearly evident in how the so called "fans" are racially opposed to Lewis this year in Barcelona, Brazil and China. I felt that also this year even though I didn't want to admit it. It came to a head during the Brazilian GP how much the F1 world didn't want Lewis to win because he is black. Anthony knew it too . It's that simple. From the FIA to the teams to the drivers to the fans, I felt that insatiable need for the sport to remain "white". Yes, F1 is a white mans sport, that's why they can't take it that a black kid came out of nowhere to kick all their butts. I symphatise with Lewis because I'm not white, I'm a Malaysian but most whities will lump me together with the blacks and other minorities. Not only that, I'm not rich either. I understand the need for the rich to keep me out of their circle as I have been around them for a long time. ...

Tuesday 4th November 2008 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton insists it will be his passion rather than fame and fortune which drives him to future glory. In the wake of becoming the youngest World Champion in F1 history, Hamilton is poised to become one of the most marketable stars in the world. Forget 'Brand Beckham' and consider the prospect of 'Hallmark Hamilton' as riches now beckon beyond the 23-year-old Briton's wildest dreams. But despite being elevated to such stratospheric status on the back of one of the most dramatic conclusions to any sporting event, not just in motor racing, Hamilton is determined to remain grounded. Although he is currently earning more in one month than the average man in the street will make in a lifetime, he stresses that money is just a welcome by-product of the talent which yesterday propelled him into superstardom. To that end, Hamilton is not even considering buying something to reward himself for becoming Britain's ninth W...

Tuesday 4th November 2008 Anthony Hamilton has spoken of the ill-will and abuse directed towards his son Lewis in the build-up to last Sunday's title showdown in Brazil. In the days leading up to the season finale the McLaren driver was racially abused on a Spanish website, earning the condemnation of both the FIA and the British government. However, the abuse later got up close and personal as two Brazilian comedians insulted Lewis during a press conference before handing him a toy black cat - a symbol of bad luck in the eyes of the Brazilian people. It didn't stop with Lewis, though, as his brother Nick was also handed a black cat as he entered the hotel where the family was staying. But despite the ill-will directed at Lewis and his family, the Brit rose above, winning the 2008 Drivers' Championship title by one point over local hero Felipe Massa. While the Brazilian was dignified personified in the wake of Hamilton's victory, sections of the crowd booed the Englishm...

First of all, I have to say what a race! The last 2 laps was the most exciting and scariest laps of my whole F1 watching career for as long as I can remember. It's like, after all the planning and all those laps, suddenly Vettel could overtake Lewis and there was nothing Lewis could do about it. I was watching with baited breath and wanted to jump with joy in celebrating Lewis' win but he was in 6th and I was holding my head, thinking to myself how it could have gone wrong again, ready to blame Kubica for his unecessary un-lapping move. Then after Lewis crosses the line and the cameras after showing celebration in the Ferrari garage shifted to show celebration in the McLaren garage. I was dumbfounded, confused. It kind of took away the celebration for me, anti-climax. Though I'm glad Lewis won the title finally after what he went through last year and after what the whole F1 world put him through this year, it was almost like they didn't want him or a black person to wi...

Sunday 2nd November 2008 It was the Championship decider to end all Championship deciders, and though Felipe Massa won the battle, Lewis Hamilton won the war. STAR OF THE RACE Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1st Massa did everything he had to do. He put the car on pole and then dominated a race that he had to win. He was fortunate that the entire field were forced to stop early (having qualified with low fuel) and so the McLarens weren't able to make use of their extra laps of fuel that had put them further down the grid. He was the model of dignity in defeat and your heart went out to him. Though the more deserving driver won, you got the feeling that the nicer guy didn't. Massa's sporting reaction was in complete contrast to the crowd. Before this race I felt pretty well-equipped to argue that F1 crowds were knowledgeable and sporting and showed football crowds up. Not in Brazil. Fair enough, you can boo drivers if ...

Sunday 2nd November 2008 Sometimes words are just not needed... Formula One, Bloody Hell Wow. Just wow, because sometimes commentary is irrelevant and unnecessary. Anyone who watched the 2008 Brazilian GP will never forget it. 'Incredible' is an over-used word but not on this occasion. There Can't Have Been An Ending Like It After approximately 3000 miles of racing, eight months of competition, 900 laps of action, it came down to the penultimate lap and a single point. There can't have been an ending like it in the history of F1 and only a handful of comparable conclusions in the annals of sport. Massa Is A Class Act Both on and off the track, Felipe Massa was a champion in Brazil (an apology is due from those who suggested that he would crack under the weight of pressure and expectation in front of his fanatical home support). "We ought to be proud of our race, we ought to be proud of ourselves,...

Sunday 2nd November 2008 Felipe Massa did everything he could to win the World title but his victory in Brazil wasn't enough to stop Lewis Hamilton from clinching the Drivers' crown in the most exciting finish to any F1 Championship. After a delayed start, the result of a brief deluge moments before the start, the race got underway with Massa leading from pole position while Hamilton slotted into fourth place. That's how it stayed in the opening stint before the drivers pitted for dry tyres with Hamilton then dropping down to sixth place as Massa continued to hang on in front of the chasing Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Hamilton gradually elevated himself to fourth place until the closing laps when another period of rain dropped him to fifth place, and then a catastrophic sixth place after he was unsighted by Robert Kubica who unlapped himself in a bizarre incident which the FIA will need to look at...

Wow, the race will be on in another 5 hours and my hearts beating fast. This is gonna be one interesting and exciting race to watch. Too bad I'll have to miss the first hour as I'm working shifts but I'll be back to catch the last part. I'm rooting for Lewis to clinch the world title, of course. He doesn't have to win this race, Massa can have it. At the end of the day, it's the title that matters. I hope this race will be clean without any other driver intervention cos if Massa wins the world title with somebody else's help, it will be tainted as Rubens puts it . And I hope there will be no more FIA interference either as we wouldn't want to wait hours or days to know the outcome. And to make sure, McLaren has spent $7m to make sure Lewis' car is ready for the Brazilian GP. That money achieved just 0.15s improvement over Shanghai. And in the same report, it seems that Nelson Piquet Snr doesn't think Lewis will make it past the first corner becau...

Saturday 1st November 2008 Felipe Massa boosted his chances of winning the World title by qualifying in pole position for Sunday's title showdown in Brazil. The Ferrari driver enters the final race of the season seven points behind Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, which means he has to finish first or second to stand any chance of winning the World title. And the Brazilian boosted his chances of doing that on Saturday when he crossed the line with a 1:12.368 to beat Jarno Trulli and Kimi Raikkonen to pole position. As for Hamilton he qualified P4, which won't be too much of a concern for McLaren as he only needs to finish fifth on Sunday to clinch his first title. Qualifying 1With sunshine at Interlagos and no sign of the forecast showers, the entire session would be run in dry conditions, starting with an ambient of 22C and the track at 39C. Nelson Piquet set the benchmark P1 time in front of his home crowd, a 1:13.308. It was bettered by Timo Glock with a 1:13.023 and then...