The Stands were packed, The Paddock tense, The Drivers lined up on the Grid and the Five Red Lights went out to Start the 2012 season in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia. The Weekend had sprung a lot of Surprises.

QUALIFYING :

The HRTs didn't make the grid on Sunday after failiing to qualify within the 107 % rule. Kimi Raikkonen's return was marred by a miscommunication and timing problem relegating him to 18th. The Ferraris struggled too as Massa Qualified a disappointing 16th and Alonso beached his Ferrari in Q2 to finish 12th.

The day however belonged to the McLaren duo as Lewis and Jenson topped the timesheets and Romain Grosjean sprung a big surprise qualifying 3rd. Schumacher, Webber & Vettel completed the top 6. The pace of the Mercedes GP, Sauber Ferrari & the Williams clearly showed that the first would be exciting.

RACE :

Button jumped Hamilton at the start and Grosjean dropped 3 places into the first turn. Webber was hit from both sides and suffered some damage. Contact at the rear affected Senna. The main beneficiaries were Perez, Alonso and Raikkonen, Perez jumping 12 places in the first two laps. Grosjean's race ended after contact with Maldonado's car, the Frenchman suffering a wrecked suspension. Schumacher was running third before his gearbox failed.

A retired Caterham brought out the safety car and Vettel jumped Hamilton for second place. The restart produced more incidents - most notably the contact between Senna and Massa knocking both out of the race.

The last lap had surprises of its own as Maldonado who had come close to challenging Alonso for 5th place ran too wide on the kerb and was spun into the wall thus wrecking his race. Rosberg suffered a puncture on the same lap when Perez tried a move, the front wing clipping the rear tyre.

Jenson Button won the race. Vettel, Hamilton completed the podium. Webber the home hero produced his best result at home in 4th. Alonso flattered the Tifosi finishing 5th in the car that just doesn't seem competitive. Kamui Kobayashi and Kimi Raikkonen benefitted from the last lap incidents finishing 6th and 7th respectively. Perez, Ricciardo & Di Resta took the final point scoring positions.

The race does indicate how team performances are going to be. The Australian GP done and dusted, it is now time to turn our attention to the First Race in Asia, the highly technical and one of the Best Drivers' circuits - THE MALAYSIAN GP AT SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MALAYSIA :

Sepang is a very technical circuit with fast sweeping corners and a couple of really slow ones. The famed back straight has seen a lot of overtaking. All these circuit characteristics can only point to one designer - THE GREAT HERMANN TILKE!

The Malaysian GP is known to produce some of the greatest races of the season. The rains feature a lot on race weekends and races have been stopped or curtailed thanks to heavy downpours.The 2009 season was curtailed rewarding drivers only half the points.

So what does this year's race have in store for us?

Well the weather forecast shows storms throughout the weekend! We can't stop the monsoons can we? Rain always spices things up and evens out the field.

The first two races are on consecutive weekends. So teams won't have much to improve on the cars they used in Australia.

The McLarens are the favourite to win this race too and I think Button will overwhelm Hamilton again. He is consistent performer like Vettel and a better driver. So beating him would be difficult. Hamilton is ragged and can produce some magical drives but consistency would be needed from him to challenge his compatriot.

Vettel and Webber would be hoping to get some new components in their car to match the McLarens but this seems unlikely this weekend. The Ban of Blown Diffusers has affected the Milton Keyes team this year and changing wind conditons can affect the Red Bull which is more dependent on aerodynamics for performance.

Retirement for Schumacher and the last lap puncture for Rosberg didn't show the true pace of the Mercedes GP. Schumacher is called the Regenmeister ( rain master ) and if he qualifies strongly... you never know.

The Ferraris of Alonso and Massa will struggle according to me. Massa needs a good car to perform and Alonso has proved his driving prowess on more than one occasion by finishing in places that simply flatter Ferrari. Sorry to all the Tifosi fans but I don't see Ferrari on the podium.

Sauber Ferrari seems to be giving the Factory Ferrari a run for their money. The return of some experts of F1 ( retired from other teams ) have helped the team build a strong car. A podium finish for Kobayashi or Perez would be difficult but they seem better equipped than the other mid table runners.

Williams have had reshuffling at the top and the team seem to be slowly returning to the good old days. Maldonado needs to finish and stop making mistakes. He is a great prospect and can get the team a lot of points - provided he finishes! Bruno Senna is quick but has to settle in to return favourable results for the team.

Kimi Raikkonen & Romain Grosjean have got mixed resuts in the previous race for Lotus F1. An ardent fan of Kimi, I would love to see him on the top step of the podium but as it looks a Podium would be a very strong result for Lotus. Kimi showed great race pace as he climbed from 17th to finish a strong 7th, Grosjean's race cut short by the incident with Maldonado. Watch out for the Frenchman though.

The other teams have work to do and I dont see them in the points. Sahara Force India F1 and Scuderia Toro Rosso might just sneak in though.

This will be the first race of the season that I shall be attending!!

TOURISM MALAYSIA have been kind enough to offer me the privilege of watching the qualifying & the race in the grandstands. It's going to be an unforgettable experience for sure.

Can't Wait!!

 

Photo Credits : www.aneyeforindia.com - Santosh Verma Photography

 

The 2012 Formula 1 Season is just a few hours away, the opening round to be held in Albert Park, Melbourne Australia. So what better a time to preview what promises to be the most exciting season yet!!

LONGEST F1 SEASON :

20 Races spread over 5 Continents!  This year poses a mammoth challenge to all the teams across the grid. Reliability is going to be of utmost importance as teams battle it out for supremacy.

United States makes a return with a new track in Austin, Texas and Bahrain would feature once again after the Race was Cancelled due to political turmoil the previous year.

RULE CHANGES :

1) No Restriction on Tyre Usage. Teams would have the liberty to test Tyre compounds chosen by Pirelli for the weekend that would suit their car setups. This should definitely reduce the Lap Time Differences between teams.

2) Mid Season Testing returns this year and Mugello is the Track chosen for the same on May 1.

Everyone specially the newer teams would benefit from this. The teams will only be permitted to do fifteen days of testing over the course of the season, the pre-season winter testing schedule has been cut back to accommodate the Mugello test.

3) The banning of blown diffusers has meant all teams had to redevelop the exit of the exhaust.

4)  FIA banned the use of "reactive ride-height".The reduction in the height of the nose led to several teams using a "platypus" nose design. Some of the designs really look ugly. Mclaren & Marussia though have adopted a different design.

5) All cars had to pass their mandatory FIA crash tests before being allowed to take part in pre-season testing. Previously, passing the crash tests was only a requirement prior to the first race of the season. Crash tests for the 2012 season will also be more rigorous than in previous years.

THE CONTENDERS :

Red Bull Racing Renault ( AUT ) 

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Mark Webber
Test Driver : Sebastien Buemi


VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES (GBR)
McLaren Mercedes 

3. Jenson Button
4. Lewis Hamilton
Test Driver : Gary Paffett

SCUDERIA FERRARI (ITA)
Ferrari

5. Fernando Alonso
6. Felipe Massa
Test Driver : Jules Bianchi


MERCEDES GP PETRONAS F1 TEAM (DEU)
Mercedes

7. Michael Schumacher
8. Nico Rosberg


LOTUS F1 TEAM (GBR)
Lotus Renault

9. Kimi Raikkonen
10. Romain Grosjean


SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM (IND)
Force India Mercedes

11. Paul Di Resta
12. Nico Hulkenberg


SAUBER F1 TEAM (CHE)
Sauber Ferrari

14. Kamui Kobayashi
15. Sergio Perez Mendoza
Test Driver : Esteban Gutierrez


SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO (ITA)
STR Ferrari
16. Daniel Ricciardo
17. Jean-Eric Vergne
Test Driver : Sebastien Buemi


AT&T WILLIAMS (GBR)
Williams Renault
18. Pastor Maldonado
19. Bruno Senna
Test Driver : Valtteri Bottas


TEAM CATERHAM (MAL)
Caterham Renault

20. Heikki Kovalainen
21. Jarno Trulli


HRT F1 TEAM (ESP)

22. Pedro de la Rosa
23. Narain Karthikeyan


MARUSSIA F1 TEAM (RUS)
Marussia Cosworth
24. Timo Glock
25. Charles Pic

 

SIX CHAMPIONS ON THE GRID :

A season featuring 6 World Champions brings in so much excitement. Vettel ( 2010, 2011 ), Button ( 2009 ), Hamilton ( 2008 ), Raikkonen ( 2007 ), Alonso ( 2005, 2006 ), Schumacher ( 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1995, 1994 ).

Vettel has been a confident driver for the last 2 seasons thanks to a very reliable and quick Red Bull. He certainly has no intent of stopping at 2 titles. He seems to be the man to win it again.

Button has been a consistent performer in the 2011 season and hasn't done much wrong in earlier seasons either. Mclaren are a great team to be in and I see him giving Vettel a run for his money.

Hamilton has been erratic and very rash in his driving techniques leading to many bust-ups with co-drivers on the paddock. He has the ability to accomplish what he did in 2008 and only time will tell how the Brit will perform this season. Button as a team-mate would not make things comfortable for him.

Raikkonen - The Iceman, The Flying Finn and My Personal Favourite has made a return to Formula 1 this season in a team that is in a rebuilding phase after the successful 2005-2006 seasons. They have had a strong pre-season but it would be an exaggeration to say he would be successful to the point of winning a title. As Keke Rosberg once said " If you want to win, Get a Finn! "

Alonso has lead the charge for Ferrari from 2010 after Raikkonen's exit in 2009. However Ferrari have failed to give him a car that would match the credentials of a Red Bull. The results from pre-season aren't encouraging either. The Maranello team has work to do.

Schumacher has been the most successful Formula 1 driver. Accolades and Records adorn a fantastic career. However his participation shouldn't rattle his compatriot VETTEL. He has achieved what he could in Formula 1. His participation however brings in millions of viewers from all parts of the world.

 

PERSONAL PREDICTIONS :

Pre - Season testing has clearly indicated that the RED BULL is the most consistent in performance over long periods. They haven't been the quickest, but the RB8 will be more than a match to the others. As Steve Slater reports " The only potential good news for their rivals is that after the Red Bull team unveiled an upgraded exhaust system and gearbox assembly to improve rear-end aerodynamic performance at the final test, they suffered gearbox problems."

Red Bull is going to still run the "B-spec" in Melbourne so reliability can be an issue. 

Mclaren, Lotus, Mercedes GP have been quick on individual days but Mclaren seem to be the only worthy contender. However Kimi Raikkonen in a LOTUS F1 car will be more than a handful for the rest.

FERRARI have a lot of work to do as the feedback by both Alonso & Massa clearly underline the shortcomings of this year's car. ALONSO is no pushover and he will leave no stone unturned to fight for the crown.

MERCEDES PETRONAS have two able contenders for the crown. NICO ROSBERG would want to prove his worth and MICHAEL SCHUMACHER as a team - mate will compel him to give his best.SCHUMACHER with his 7 Titles and more importantly Experience can never be written off.

MID - FIELD Battles are going to be enthralling too as cash - strapped Force India, Sauber, Williams would find it difficult to sustain progress. This will bring in Toro Rosso & Caterham closer to the trio. HRT failed the Crash tests and will enter the season almost untested. The same can be said for the newcomer Marussia, but Formula 1 is never short of surprises, 2009 season a clear testimony of this fact.

Well we aren't far from finding this out! So Bring it on!

FORMULA 1 is BACK!!

 

Photo Credit : Santosh Verma Photography www.aneyeforindia.com

Red Bull gives you wings!! Most of us never believed this when the commercial came on air. Well Red Bull Racing went all the way to prove this to us in the 2011 season.

2010 was a very competitive season with Red Bull, Ferrari & Mclaren Mercedes fighting for top honours till the end of the season. However the Bulls prevailed and Sebastien Vettel was crowned the youngest Formula 1 champion!

2011 witnessed a number of changes -

a) Return of the 107 % Qualifying Rule. The Qualifying is divided into 3 sessions; this rule was applicable for Q1.  Under this arrangement, any driver who fails to set a time within 107% of the fastest lap in Q1 may not be permitted to take part in the race i.e. if the fastest Q1 time is 1 min 40 sec, the slowest driver has to be quicker than 1 min 47sec. A driver could however race if he suffered Mechanical Failures prior / during Q1 and was within the 107 % limit in Practice - at Marshall's Discretion.

b) The Biggest change in Formula 1 - Pirelli replacing Bridgestone as the Sole Tyre Supplier to the teams. Pirelli had reentered the sport after 20 years, the last season being 1991. Pirelli introduced 3 tyre compounds for dry races - Super - Soft ( Red Banded ), Soft ( Yellow Banded ) and the Hard ( White Banded ), the Hard Compound rarely used. Pirelli designed a higher wearing tyre leading to 3 stops for many races. Many incidents of Blistering were reported most notably in the Belgian Grand Prix.

c) KERS made a return. Kinetic Energy Recovery System was introduced in 2009, a 35 kg addition to the car's kerb weight. The Principle was simple : The Loss of Power due to braking into a corner would be transmitted via the brakes to a storage battery and this would be returned at the touch of a button causing quicker acceleration and better top speeds on starights. The KERS Battery would be refreshed at the end of each lap. 2011 rules allowed only 20kgs to be added. Most teams used KERS although Red Bull suffered many malfunctions with KERS. Other teams also had mixed results but when it worked flawlessly KERS was Fantastic for the cars.

d) The F Duct system devised by McLaren and Copied by others was banned but DRS was introduced. DRS - Drag Reduction System negates the Downforce flowing over the rear wing. This can be achieved by opening the rear wing and offering the driver an additional 15km/hr. DRS could be used freely during Free Practice and Qualifiying but the use was restricted in racing. Wet Track conditions prohibited the use of DRS. DRS could be enabled only after 2 laps of race completion. The chasing driver needs to be within one second in the Detection zone before he attempts an overtaking move. DRS zones were marked on track and DRS did a fine job of spicing things up in races.

e) Team Orders were Banned. "Fernando is faster than you". 2010 Hockenheim GP was the bone of contention. Rob Smedly, Felippe Massa's Race Engineer gave him this message and a couple of turns later he conceded the race lead to his teammate. Mark Webber was also asked to stop pressurizing his teammate Sebastien Vettel and this didn't go down well with the Australian.

 

2011 Season kicked off with Victory for Sebastien Vettel. The sheer pace of the Team from Milton Keyes amazed everyone. It looked ominous for Ferrari and Mclaren Mercedes - the true contenders to Red Bull's crown. The expertise of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey was proving fruitful to the team as Vettel Notched up Pole Positions in Qualifying and converting them to Victories. The gap was increasing and the others were struggling to play catchup. A victory for Alonso, Hamilton and Button didn't do much to dent Vettel's hopes for a second title as the German always ensured that he finished on the podium in every race.

Sebastien's consistency coupled with the Red Bull's sheer pace and Reliability help them open a considerable gap in the first part of the season. KERS malfunctioned more than once but the Aerodynamic Experience of Adrian Newey made the Red Bulls literally untouchable. Nine Races into the season and Vettel's lowest finishing position was 2nd !! Germany was the only race in which he finished 4th and the Tyre Burst at Abu Dhabi was his only retirement of the season. The German broke Nigel Mansell's Record of 15 poles at the season ending Brazilian GP but failed to beat Compatriot Michael Schumacher's record of 14 victories from pole. This however was nothing short of special from the German. He won his 2nd title at the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest Double World Champion.

Webber played a good wingman to Vettel's title charge although he was unlucky not to get a car as capable as his team mate's. His resurgence in the second half of the season helped him claim 3rd position in the Championship Standings.

Lewis Hamilton had a very troublesome season though. His antics on track didn't gain him many admirers. His duels with Massa were incident packed affecting both in the championship and causing a lot of friction between the two who were once good pals. Lewis' driving style was being questioned as more incidents plagued his races, most notably the one with Team mate Jenson Button in Canada. The Contact between the two wrecked Lewis' race and compromised Button's pretty badly though the latter went on to win thanks to the temporary suspension of the race due to rain. The Formula 1 Drivers Association had planned to discuss Lewis' driving tactics before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the details of which are unknown.

 Jenson Button performed commendably and overshadowed Lewis' performances. Although both the McLaren Drivers won 3 races apiece, Button's consistency helped him finish 43 points ahead of his team-mate. The Canadian Grand Prix was Special for the Brit as he went on to win the race from the back of the grid - thanks to a rare error by Vettel on the last lap. 2nd place in the championship was all that Button could achieve this season even though McLaren had caught up with Red Bull in the 2nd half of the season.

Ferrari had another dismal season. Fernando Alonso had only the solo victory at Great Britain to show for his efforts. A few podiums helped him finish 4th in the standings, 1 point behind Mark Webber. Felippe Massa didn't manage a single podium in the entire season!! The man who finished 2nd on 2008 a mere shadow of himself. His position in the team could also be in jeopardy if the Brazilian fails to perform in 2012. Steve Slater, the Famous TV Commentator for ESPN Star Sports made a very important point post the Brazilian GP - " If Felippe Massa had scored another 80-90 points, Ferrari would have displaced McLaren Mercedes for the Second Spot in the Constructors."

Mercedes GP were the best amongst the rest as Nico Rosberg finished ahead of the 7 time World Championship winning team-mate Michael Schumacher. The German Duo performed well for the Factory Mercedes and won the 4th position in the Constructors quite comfortably.

The others only became "Also rans" sometimes ending up on the podium - such was the dominance of the Redbulls, The Mclarens & The Ferraris.

However the TOP STEP ALWAYS belonged to ONE MAN - SEBASTIEN VETTEL

 

In Brief :

After a closely contested season in 2010, 2011 was the advent of a new period in Formula 1, be it rule changes, tyre changes, Team Revamps and novel ways of Overtaking. The entire season was dominated by Red Bull who were rightly Crowned with the Drivers and the Constructors' Championships. The Others have a lot of catch up to do.

Some stills from the FIA awards held in Gurgaon which became a hot destination after the inaugural Indian Grand Prix

 Photo Credits : www.zeenews.india.com

 

These two Footballers have been successful at Manchester United. Their Participation in this event is testimony to the fact that the club is thankful for all that they have done for the club. One was there when Manchester United won the treble - The Barclays English Premiership, The FA Cup & the most coveted Champions' League in 1999. The Other has been a part of 2 FA cup winning Squads. Legends in their own right, both represent the club who with their official sponsor DHL are on a whirlwind Trophy Tour that shall traverse more than 45000 miles!

The Purpose of the tour is to show Fans across the World the most celebrated trophy at Manchester United - Their 19th Title!! which makes them the MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUB IN ENGLAND.

I had the privilege of Meeting these 2 Legends - something I never thought would happen even in my dreams!

Today I rubbed Shoulders with DENNIS IRWIN & QUINTON FORTUNE!!

The Venue was the Manchester United Soccer School - the First Facility in India to teach the youth to play football the ' Manchester United Way '. Inaugurated by another great GARY NEVILLE, I must say I was completely floored by the facilites at the School. The Building resembled a mini Old Trafford with plaques of Different Players adorning one wall and the Trophy presentation and Celebrations at Old Trafford on the other. The Coaches room, the Locker room & the Business facilities nothing short of World Class. 

Both the legends were engrossed in a high tempo games showcasing their skills to the delight of the media and fans alike. This was followed by a nice photoshoot with the kids from Magic Bus - who enjoyed their time with the legends asking them questions that varied from the first time they kicked a football to representing their country at the World Cup. The Work Ethic of the players amazed one and all. This was followed by a very popular tradition practised post training at the Carrington Training Ground - THE CROSSBAR CHALLENGE. Honours were shared with both players hitting the crossbar. 

The Trophy was presented in full view of the media as both the players smiled for the shutterbugs with the kids. I had the privilege to ask Dennis Irwin what was the greatest rivalry for him when he played for Manchester United. The answer was LIVERPOOL, and the man didn't flinch one bit. "Liverpool is a club with a great history and great players. Winning the league 18 times was a big thing. Now we've won 19! " His declaration of the 19th title was greeted with a great cheer from the crowd.

The Press Conference was the icing on the cake as I had the honour of asking the greats two questions.

Question : Why did you want to join United? There were other clubs. Any specific reason for switching to this club?

Dennis Irwin : When I was young, there were clubs around, but it was always United that appealed to me. The style of play, the quality of play, the philosophy of the club made me want to be a part of it. But there was a big difference between joining United and staying at United. The Quality of Players at United is top class, so you have to maintain a high level to be able to stay in the team, else you have to leave.

Quinton Fortune : I just knew I had to join United when I started playing football. They are the best club in the world and play the best football in the world. So I just had to be a part of it.

The next question was in light of the memories of 6th February 1958.

Question : How strong an inspiration have the Busby Babes been in the Locker Room ?

Dennis Irwin : Well all of us remember the Busby Babes & we have always been trained to play the way they played. Fast, Attacking Football, Wingers running down the flanks crossing the ball into the box for strikers to score. The same philospohy is imbibed into the youth at the Soccer Schools too. Everything that United does is to honour them!

 

AMAZING!

The Press conference ended with the Head Coach of the Soccer School - Chris O' Brien posing with the greats holding the Trophy.

 

Both Quinton Fortune and Dennis Irwin Obliged me by autographing the Photo Prints I had carried to the event. I got a chance to pose with the Trophy too!!

TRULY A GREAT DAY!!

GLORY GLORY MANCHESTER UNITED!

Swiss Avant - Garde since 1860 !!

These are the lines that adorn the brand which epitomises excellence in the field of Swiss Watch making!! Switzerland - the land of Chocolates and Watches would feel proud to see this brand  associated with Formula 1 and Top Celebrities from Different Fields, be it Sports, Movies or Modelling!

The Name is TAG HEUER and today I showcase my love for this brand.

My love affair with Tag Heuer started in 2006. Kimi Raikkonen - My Favourite Formula 1 driver endorsed the Formula 1 Chronograph and I still have it. The Steel Strap, Red Dial, 1/10th sec Chronograph Water Resistant upto 200m still looks classy after 6 years.

 

The next purchase was the eyewear designed by the same man - The Tag Heuer Reflex!

The Uber Cool, Stylish Numbered Spectacles turned many a heads whenever I wore it. The Frameless Spectacle adapts to the Facial Characteristics making it really comfortable.

Finally My latest purchase took me into Tachymeter Territory - FORMULA 1 GRANDE DATE CHRONOGRAPH

The Black Dial, 1/10th sec Chronograph comes with a Tachymeter and is the Pinnacle of the Formula 1 series of Tag Heuer. The Craftsmanship of this watch just awed me.

I was awarded by Tag Heuer for Showcasing my Collection.. A BIG THANK YOU TO TAG HEUER INDIA. -

I don't need to say more... Pictures are more than Enough!

The Gift

Photo Credits : Santosh Verma Photgraphy www.aneyeforindia.com

"The Iceman", "The Flying Finn", " The King of SPA" , These are some of the names given to the man who made it to Formula 1 after just 23 races in the Formula Renault Series! - A Jump many considered too dangerous for Formula 1. His Monosyllabic Answers and Expressionless Face make him a nightmare for media; but as a McLaren Mercedes' pit crewmember said "Outside He is a different guy, an introvert, but when He gets behind the wheel, his character changes completely! He is focussed and has so much knowledge about his car.. Its simply Astonishing!"

The man is from Espoo, Finland , the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion KIMI RAIKKONEN!! 

Well lets have a quick look at his Formula 1 Career :

Peter Sauber, Owner of Sauber Formula 1 team signed him for the 2001 season amidst opposition from many critics because of Kimi's Racing Inexperience. However the Finn didn't disappoint achieving four points-scoring finishes and eight finishes in the top eight. Completing the year with 9 points, Räikkönen, along with teammate Nick Heidfeld, helped Sauber to what was then its best result of fourth place in the constructors' championship.

Ron Dennis a long admirer of Finnish Drivers considered him a worthy replacement for the retiring Double World Champion Mika Hakkinen and signed Kimi in 2002, Ferrari also being a prospective destination.

2002 - 2006 saw him complete 5 seasons with McLaren Mercedes. The Woking Based team however suffered from unreliability which cost Kimi dearly in the Championships. He finished 2nd in 2003, two points separating him and the winner Michael Schumacher. 2005 could have been his year but poor reliability and component failures forced him to finish 21 points behind Fernando Alonso - Youngest Formula 1 champion in 2005. McLaren Mercedes struggled in the other season inspite of having quick cars.

Kimi finally made the much anticipated switch to Scuderia Ferrari in 2007 taking the place of the 7 time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher. However Kimi never let the disappointments of the previous seasons trouble him as he clinched his maiden Formula 1 Championship in the last race in Sao Paulo ( Brazil ) winning by a solitary point from Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

2008 & 2009 saw him struggle again. The first half of 2008 was fruitful with Kimi getting a couple of victories but Tyre Temperature issues troubled him in the second half. 2009 witnessed many changes most notably Kinetic Energy Recovery System ( KERS ). Ferrari opted to use it though it was optional and struggled throughout the season. He however did win His Favourite GP of Spa Franchorchamps in Belgium winning 4 times in the last 5 Belgian GPs earning the title "THE KING OF SPA" .

2010 saw him leave Formula 1 for Rallying. Ferrari replaced him with Fernando Alonso.

After a couple of mediocre seasons in Rallying with the Citreon B Team, rumours were ripe of Kimi's return to Formula 1 when he was spotted at Williams' Oxfordshire factory during the Singapore GP weekend. However the talks failed and just when all hope seemed lost, Lotus Renault surprised us all. 

The Announcement came on 29th November 2011 with Lotus offering the Finn a 2 year contract.

2012 is going to be an amazing season featuring 6 Formula 1 Champions - Sebastien Vettel ( Youngest Double World Champion - 2010 & 2011 ), Fernando Alonso ( 2005 & 2006 ), Lewis Hamilton ( 2008 ), Jenson Button ( 2009 ), Kimi Raikkonen ( 2007 ) & Michael Schumacher ( 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 ).

Kimi Raikkonen will have to settle in quickly to challenge his Close Friend Vettel's Crown.  Although experts are having mixed reactions about his return, underlining Schumacher's performances as a reference, I feel Kimi when given the right car is more motivated to win than anyone else on the grid. In his words "Only I know what is going on in my mind" goes to prove that the Finn wants to prove his worth again. The 2nd Highest Sportsman in 2009 knows how to accomplish the task at hand.

He will have to first build Renault, using his Formula 1 expertise and making them the team that they were in 2005 & 2006. Renault knows that guys like Raikkonen, Alonso are born racers and I am sure this move won't backfire. Kimi has enjoyed his preliminary testing in Valencia and has said he is more motivated than ever. Alonso has welcomed his friend's return to Formula 1. “Kimi’s return is certainly a very great news for all of us, not only to Formula 1, but also for the spectators, for people who love the races, because he is a very talented driver. I have always respected him and a driver you can trust racing wheel to wheel,” 

His return has aroused the Formula 1 passion for supporters like me. We hope to see King Kimi back on the podium soon and Hopefully even lift his Second World Title. 2012 Season Bring it on!!

Till then Adore the Man in his new Avatar!!

Photo credits : www.lotusf1team.com

 

"Football is a funny game" someone said and its very hard not to agree with him. Barclays English Premier League, Europe's most televised, most physical and maybe the toughest has seen a lot of changes in terms of dominance by teams. The Merseyside teams - Liverpool and Everton were the teams to beat in the 80s with the former racking up many titles in the process.
The 90s saw the emergence of Manchester United under the reign of the greatest manager on earth - Sir Alex Ferguson. He was more than happy to take up the challenge of beating Liverpool's record of 18 titles and slowly and steadily his dream took the Manchester Club to great heights which included a Champion's League Crown. The club produced some footballing greats - David Beckham was one.
Just when everyone thought that United were untouchable, a Frenchman entered the fray - Arsene Wenger. So talented was his team that they Didn't Lose One Game in the 2003-04 season; the team famously dubbed " The Invincibles ". Arsenal's youth system was more than capable to rival United's who combined with the experience that Wenger got to dominate the league at the turn of the century.
2005-06 were the Mourinho years for Chelsea - a team whose fortunes changed with its takeover by Russian Billionaire Roman Abromovich. The influx of finances brought in World Class players who repaid their manger's faith with back to back titles after 55 years.
07-10 was a power struggle between United and Chelsea, the title going to United thrice in those years. However " the Big Four " of England - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United were going to face a worthy challenger and they were " the Noisy Neighbours of Manchester " - Manchester City.
City have always been in the fray only to become "also rans" towards the end of the season. HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan  ( Ruling Family of Abu Dhabi ) bought the club and supporters knew fortunes were about to change. Signing players from all across Europe, notably Silva, Aguero, Toure from Spain, Dzeko from Germany,  City were going all out for the crown in 2010. The English Clubs including the Big Four lost some players to City earning them the term " the club for Rebels ".
2010 saw them displace Arsenal and Liverpool for the third spot and the Big Four had now become the Big Five.
Manchester United's title in 2010 was their 19th, dethroning Liverpool to become England's most successful Club in Premiership History. This added fuel to City's fire who responded with more signings in the transfer season in their quest for the 2011 title.
Roberto Mancini had built a fantasy team and with the Owner's backing, one knew the Manchester faceoff would now be a very mouth-watering affair.
The season kicked off with a flying start for the reigning champions United who enthralled one and all with the quality of their youth. Arsenal bore the brunt with a 8-2 hammering at Old Trafford, the London club totally outclassed and struggling to catch up. Liverpool and Chelsea also had mediocre starts to the season. So the Manchester Clubs were dominating the Londoners into September - October. October featured the first faceoff of United vs City at Old Trafford but the home team failed to turn up and lost 6-1 to the horror of supporters. October, a miserable month for United saw them concede first position to City with the gap extending to 5 points. A series of injuries to important players didn't help United's cause either. City suddenly were the force to reckon with and after handing their next door neighbours a humiliating defeat went on an unbeaten run; a draw at Anfield against Liverpool their only blemish.
United, after their demoralizing loss struggled to score but amazingly didn't Lose ground to City maintaing the gap to 5 points into December. However both clubs were on the verge of a shocking exit from the UEFA Champion's League - Europe's most elite competition featuring the Best of Europe. United failed to draw at Basel and City's win at home against Bayern Munich went in vain as Napoli grabbed second spot in the group. The exit hurt United more, the team featuring twice in the last three finals with a title to their credit.
Chelsea's and Arsenal's progress into the knockout stages only rubbed salt into the wounds as United and City were left to contend in the Europa League. However United responded well winning comfortably even though they lost their captain Nemanja Vidic for the season.
City faced a tougher test as they travelled to Chelsea and lost at Stanford Bridge, their lead reduced to a meagre 2 points. Its a three horse race for the title with United, City and Chelsea capable of walking away with the accolades. The toughest league in the world just got more exciting. What lies ahead is very intriguing. I personally believe that the title will stay at Manchester but which club? Lets Watch!!

One can never be ready for surprises. They would'nt be surprises anymore.

Today, I actually start something that I can call my own, a place of my own, tho' in a virtual world. A place that excites me already, where I plan to share all things that I love, enjoy, like, follow, dream of and think of.  I shall also share my views and my own peculiar personal way of looking at things and interpreting things that I come across my daily round of living.

For all my friends, and those who will visit my pages, a hearty welcome.

I look forward to your feedback, comments, your thoughts and your suggestions.