On The Podium

Formula One is all set to resume in Australia this March with a plethora of technical changes that have resulted in bigger, wider and louder cars! For the first time in Formula One history, FIA’s technical regulations have focused on making the cars faster in 2017. And from the first impression of cars hitting the track in Barcelona, one will not be disappointed with the new direction the sport has been reset to.  Here’s the summary from Test Day 1 in Barcelona-   (Morning)  1. First ones to get down to business were Mercedes and Ferrari on the opening morning of the first test. While Ferrari had Sebastian Vettel behind the wheel for Day 1, Mercedes decided to go for a split with their drivers which saw their new addition Valtteri Bottas test the new W08. Alternating for the top spot, Vettel and Bottas ran short medium tire stints.  2. Right behind the silver arrows and Ferrari was Sergio Perez in the Force India who went out for a short sof...

Not a parallel world; it is Verstappen and Vettel in between a not-so-hot conversation  With 2 races till the end of yet another season of Formula One, I do not really have to wait to give my opinion on how the season has been so far. Nothing can happen in the next two rounds of 2016 that has not been screened before. 2016 was nothing like 2015 where there was a mix of scarlet with the silver - Sebastian Vettel often playing the role of a therapist to ease the tension between the two Mercedes drivers in press conferences. 2016 was rather a season full of controversies, record breaking streaks and anxiety amongst drivers and teams. I must admit, though, that it was quite a bit entertaining. However, on an other side , disappointingly, it revealed cracks in the very grounds on which the sport was built. Gone are the days when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost spiced up the on track bombast with their heart stopping racing or when the media highlighted the off track rivalry b...

Vettel, Ricciardo and Verstappen were all classified 3rd, 4th and 5th position all in the same race With a famous little Italian hand gesture from Verstappen and a stern-dad index finger shake from Vettel, not a single person can refute the fact that the Mexican Grand Prix was a thriller. For some, it was a nightmare. Just when Asian F1 fans were trying to keep their eyes fixated to their TV’s mid-race at 2am, the last few laps put life back into sport by proving to be one of the most representative laps of what Formula One truly is. To sum it up in the most brief way: Sebastian Vettel, on 30+ lap old tires was chasing Max Verstappen rapidly in the final stint of the race. Due to the pressure, Verstappen made an error, running wide into the grass and gaining a huge advantage in the fight to Vettel. Despite being told to give the position back, Verstappen’s ignorance massively upset the Ferrari driver, who by then was chased down by Daniel Ricciardo who was on fresher ...

Justice isn't for the ones who race in the cruel and unfathomable world of motorsports. It claims the lives of the ones so young with so much ahead of them and leaves behind nothing but a bitter memory in the minds and an unthinkable but forced phrase 'we move on' on the lips of the people of motorsport. Today, the next victim of this merciless sport is Jules Bianchi. Anyone associated with the sport, or seen him drive a race will shed a tear or send up a prayer for Jules. He was a champion at heart with an unbelievable ability which puts some today's front runners to shame. He was young and he had miles to go before he could sleep. The only driver who could bring home points for a back-running Marussia at the most feared circuit on today's calendar: Monaco and the driver whose talents were too much at times to be recognized by his short period. Rest in peace Jules Once again, this isn't a proof, rather a glimpse of how motorsport continues to be a s...

Mark Thompson/Getty Images Some say Formula 1 had peaked in the 1980 ’ s and ever since, the sport has seen nothing but a decent in its graph leading to a straight-line hit below on the x axis today. Racers of the yesteryear are unable to keep up with the way things are run; slowly letting that passion fade. And the new kids on the block, who are filled with relief and joy having made that final big step to join one of the crown jewels of motorsport, are being battered by the golden eyed racers of back-then. It is fair enough to say, two drivers who fit into this category are Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. Japanese grand Prix is one of the stand out races of the 2005 season. It was one race that cemented Alonso and Kimi ’ s names in the prestigious ‘ greats ’ book of Formula One. The former Ferrari teammates who ’ d qualified at the back of the grid in P17 (Raikkonen) and P16 (Alonso) due to hostile weather conditions sighed a breath of relief to know the race on Sunday...

Murray Walker once said ‘Anything can happen in Formula 1 and it usually does’. Probably if you were watching the 1980’s races, you wouldn’t have been so wrong, but this today, it is definitely one quote distant from delineating the reality of Formula 1. An F1 fan in India had to stay awake up till 1am to watch the grand prix du Canada. With hindsight, Canada never fails to provide a good show. In 2011, the race went on for 4 hours with Jenson Button pitting 6 times, being thrown back to dead end of the field but finally taking the win. And who could forget 2014 when Daniel Ricciardo snuck his car ahead of the Mercedes to take his first win in what was a fantabulous race overall? Evidence is in the bag, nothing could go wrong with the thrilling competition around here. Unfortunately, 2015 was the beginning of may one-offs. The race was comfortably won by Lewis Hamliton, who as such as already pretty much sealed his world title this season, followed by Rosberg an...

Starting on the front row for the Austrian Grand Prix are the two Mercedes drivers - Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg alongside Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.  Here's how the grid is set for tomorrow's race!