RAVE: Thank You, Michael

This past weekend saw not only the end of the 2012 Formula 1 season, but also the (second) farewell of the all-time greatest Formula 1 driver, Michael Schumacher.



Courtesy of SuperSport South Africa

Schumi came back to Formula 1 in 2010 after a three year hiatus and his first retirement from the motorsport at the end of 2006. Expectations by all, fans (like me), detractors and sober commentators alike, with his return were HUGE. Everyone, myself included, fully expected Michael Schumacher to come back with a bang and take up his rightful place at the very top of this most supreme and elite of motorsports. 

Alas, it did not turn out that way. Having left Ferrari in 2006 at least having had some race wins and a shot at the championship that year, he was forced to wallow for three long years from 2010-12 in a Mercedes team that was unreliable, usually not that quick and totally undeserving of his huge talents.

It was a waste, and for even some of his most ardent fans (and he has many) his baleful return for the past three years did go some way to tarnishing his incredible and awe-inspiring legacy. It was a pity, yes, but he gave it his all without ever once running down his team or the technical crew at Mercedes, as only Schumi only knows how to do.

Always the consummate professional and here and there he showed glimmers of the speedster and racing genius many of us came to love (like his blistering fastest time at qualifying for this year's Monaco Grand Prix). If only he had been given better equipment with which to take the fight to the likes of Vettel and Alonso and Hamilton, etc. 

His always had his haters and detractors, and he did do some questionable things in his time. But, quite frankly, Scarlett: I don't give a damn. The man was a racing genius and a pleasure to watch on the track.

And it was only Michael Schumacher, together with a dream team that only joined Ferrari because of him, that managed to finally pull Ferrari out of years in the politics-riddled doldrums and downright embarrassing mediocrity. As an ardent tifoso, for that alone I will be forever grateful to him.

This is how I will always remember Michael:


Courtesy of Mibz

Although I am forever a Ferrari fan and those two scarlet cars are always foremost in my undying support and anguish on a racing weekend, it was still always good to be able to watch Michael in action. And just simply know that he was around, taking part in the action and having the time of his life. Always smiling, always waving at the camera.

I was truly devastated when Michael Schumacher retired the first time at the end of 2006. I remember having a knot in my stomach for days after his last race that season. For those, like my mother who had loved him since his early days at Benetton, it was as painful. He had been my unfailing hero, my touchstone for all those glorious years with Ferrari and, suddenly, he was gone.

Now this time around as he retires for a second time, I am not devastated nor was I that sad. I do wish he'd remained for longer, and I do believe he still had it in him to fight for wins. But, as I and so many other tifosi needed to move on when he left Ferrari (which has never really since been the same, by the way), Michael deserves now to finally rest on his enormous laurels. Yes, he too must move on.

It is sad to think of a 2013 Formula 1 season without Michael Schumacher on the grid, but, just like the first time, those of us who loved him as a driver will continue to be left with memories few other fans can profess to have.

And, oh boy, does he leave us 'Schumisti' with some terrific memories!

Danke, grazie, thank you, Michael - auf wedersehen...if only for now.

RANT: Shame On You, FIA and F1

It's official - the Bahrain Formula 1 GP came and went on April 22nd, with the full blessing and support of the FIA.

The dust has long settled and the F1 circus already has its sights on the next Grand Prix in Spain. And I as an F1 fan am left as if with dust in my eyes, still smarting all these days later.




The FIA, Bernie Ecclestone and all the teams and drivers of Formula 1 should be ashamed of themselves for having allowed this GP to go forward.

Crony capitalism, corruption and oil riches trump fights for democracy, human dignity and simply doing the right thing.

It's disgusting.

Enough said.

It Says It All - Boycott the Bahrain GP

My last post was on how Formula 1 should boycott the upcoming Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. Hundreds of thousands of people protested in an anti-government march on March 9th, the largest of its kind ever in the small, rich Gulf island state.

The oil-drenched, corporatist and hopelessly biased Western media may be conveniently looking the other way, but the current situation in Bahrain is explosive and the Bahraini regime is clearly struggling to crack down on the immense political unrest in the country.

Not exactly what one would expect from such a rich and 'prosperous' nation, is it now?

One thing is very clear: the Formula One GP is a hot potato issue in Bahrain, and highly unpopular amongst many protesters, so linked is it to the much-hated King Hamad. That's why the picture below of graffiti in the town of Barbar, and as cited by Washngton D.C. paper, The Examiner, is so salient:



Need one say more?

RANT: Boycott Bahrain, Bernie

I have been a Formula 1 fan for over 30 years now. I wouldn't say I'm rabid about the sport, as I sure as hell don't know every conceivable statistic about F1, like, say, baseball fans seem to have about their sport - at least in Hollywood films. Some seasons are dull, some seasons a lot more exciting. The same goes for races too.

But I do love F1 - the speed, the characters, the drama, the colour - and for anyone who has ever attended an actual Grand Prix weekend, as I have, the sheer noise, energy and spectacle of it all defies words. It's amazing.

Watching an F1 race has been a Sunday ritual for me for many years now, and sporting rituals have a funny way of making one's life more interesting, more fun, sometimes even more bearable. 

However, there does come a time when sport must take a backseat to principles and politics and, yes, doing the right thing. In less than two weeks, on Sunday, April 22nd, the F1 circus will be hosted by Bahrain. Owing to political unrest and violence the 2011 race at that island state kingdom was cancelled. That was the correct thing to do, and I was glad for that. It was a big blow for the Bahraini powers-that-be - F1 is a huge prestige and glamour showcase for the small nation, even if the race itself is poorly attended and many F1 fans hate the track anyway.

As the Bahraini dictatorship (which is exactly what it is, by the way) continues to this very day to imprison doctors (for simply helping out in the mayhem of demonstrations last year) and to harass its citizens who clamour for more democracy, then it only makes sense that Formula 1 take a stand and simply not attend.

Yes, there are also F1 races in dictatorships and dubious nations like China and the UAE. But for a nation of just over a million, the F1 GP is intrinsically linked to the Bahraini regime.

Enter Bernie Ecclestone. The self-styled Formula 1 'supremo' has a near-stranglehold on the commercial rights to the sport, and is also one of the richest men in the UK. Everyone knows that Bernie loves (really L-O-V-E-S) money, and has an uncanny ability to ferret it out, like a prize specially trained pig that sniffs out truffles in an Tuscan forest. The man has amassed a huge fortune by making sure that only the highest bidder gets to host a race - which is why countries with terrific tracks like France, Austria and Portugal don't host Grand Prix, yet countries with piss-all racing traditions like Bahrain, Singapore and Abu Dhabi do. Bernie may love Formula 1, but Bernie loves money and influence a whole lot more.

But there comes a time when that cannot be enough. Even for Bernie. Of course, he continues to trumpet that old chestnut of "you shouldn't mix sports with politics", but even he must surely know that is ringing very hollow. Knowing him, he probably doesn't give a damn. A deal is a deal, and Bernie wants future deals with rich, dictatorial Arabs.

Today on the popular blog www.planet-f1.com, the headline reads, "Bosses urge FIA [the international federation for motorsport] to call off Bahrain." They're not even bothering to urge Bernie himself, probably knowing far better than I what a lost cause that is.

Ironically, I did benefit from attending Grand Prix at the splendid Kyalami track near Johannesburg at the height of apartheid. South Africa was barred from the Olympics at that time, there was an arms embargo against the country, and we were the international pariah in just about everything. But we could count on F1 races well into the 1980s. Even then it's clear that F1 had very little conscience.

Last year the F1 fraternity did have a conscience, even if it was mostly on 'security' grounds. It was hardly making a moral stand, but at least the Bahrain GP didn't go ahead. I'd settle for the same again this year.

Of one I thing know - even if the Bahrain GP does go ahead this year, I for one will be boycotting it and will not be amongst the millions tuning in that weekend. I may love Formula 1, but not that much.

Do you get my point?

RAVE: Ferrari Slays The Bulls & Poms in Britain

It already happened two days ago, but I'm still enjoying the fact that Ferrari's Fernando Alonso won this year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

And what is so great for me as a tifoso is that he did it in such emphatic style. To win on a circuit supposed to be heavily suited to the Red Bull cars and do so by 16.6 seconds on the last lap is no mean feat. And Alonso set the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, with his teammate Felipe Massa as second-fastest on the day.

This year's title remains undeniably Sebastian Vettel's to lose, so huge is his lead in the Driver's Championship, but it was still a magnificent day for the scarlet cars. 

It was almost as delightful watching other teams stuff up their pitstops for once! As any Ferrari fan knows (and has suffered), the Scuderia have made some ghastly mistakes in the pits in recent years. So it was positively fabulous to see the seemingly invincible Red Bull team make a balls-up of Sebastian Vettel's second pit stop.

Even more satisfying was watching the team I hate most in Formula 1, namely the McCheaters... ahem... McLaren, releasing Jenson Button without his front right tyre securely fastened, theerby stuffing up the Brit's race. Glorious stuff.

A Spaniard driving for the all-Italian team I have supported since 1977 at the British Grand Prix, the 'spiritual' home of British motor racing for British drivers and most of the teams in F1, it's... SUPERB.

Ah, the simple pleasures in life ;-)

RAVE: Formula 1 Season in Two Weeks!

I thought it a good idea to finish my last post of this month with a rave on something not that important to most, but still quite important to me. A lighter note, so to speak. Namely, it dawned on me tonight that the first Formula 1 Grand Prix for this season will be in exactly two weeks time. Trust me, that was reason enough for me to end my February posts on this positive, forward-looking note!

To many, Formula 1 is nothing more than loud cars going around and around in circles. It's utterly boring, even quite hateful, for some, and I can get that. And, well, to be very honest, sometimes even for a fan it can be a bit like that.

But, once Formula 1 is in your blood, there's just no way it'll ever really get out of you. That includes those frankly boring races. And when the Grand Prix is exciting or there's a nail-biting finish or a great battle of the wills between drivers on the track...well, nothing comes close, quite frankly.

I grew up on Formula 1. I have a host of Formula 1 addicts in my family, my mother amongst them (as she is to this very day). I saw my first Grand Prix in 1976 at (the then) fantastic Kyalami track on (what was then) the outskirts of Johannesburg. My word, what a thrill for a seven-year old. The ear-shattering sound, the smell, the visceral sense of danger and chest-shuddering excitement. Fantastic!

It was a year later at the 1977 Grand Prix that I first remember falling in love with the bright red cars in the field. And so commenced my love affair with the Ferrari team, an unwavering (and often heart-breaking) passion for over 30 years. It's been the longest-lasting, most monogamous relationship of my life.

And so commences another season on March 14th. There's the undoubted thrill of seeing Michael Schumacher - the Man, the Legend - back in F1, even if not in my beloved red cars. And a host of other exciting things to look forward to, things that only anyone really passionate about a given sport can really feel.

I do have my qualms about being an F1 fan in this day and age. I mean, I am a sustainability consultant. The environmental drawbacks are quite obvious and way too many to mention. And the truckloads of money that this sport costs and generates seem obscene, especially in this current economic recession of hard times and rising hatred against the vapidly super-rich by many people (myself very much included).

I may just as well have the word HYPOCRITE scrawled in neon across my forehead.

I can't help it. I did like it more years back when it somehow seemed more real and accessible to fans and less the grossly rich corporate hound that it is today. But I still love the damn sport. What can I say. Pathetic excuse, but that's how it goes.

So, guilty pleasures aside, here's to a fortnight of expectation and anticipation before the first red lights turn green and over twenty of amongst the fastest, most beautiful cars on the planet roar down that main straight in Bahrain.

Jeez, my heart's beating faster already!