Formula One 2013 preview – Lights out, away we go! (Part two)

By Simon Wright

We are almost set for the start of the 2013 F1 season

A new season is almost upon us.  Formula One returns with the Australian Grand Prix on 17 March.  2012 was an unbelievable year, with seven different winners in the first seven races, and a championship battle full of twists and turns that was only settled in the dying stages of a brilliant Brazilian Grand Prix.

We might have lost Michael Schumacher to retirement again over the winter, but there are still five world champions on the grid.  With 19 races, there will be plenty of globetrotting across the world for the 11 teams, now that HRT have said farewell to the sport.

We welcome five rookies onto the grid, the most for a Grand Prix season since 2001, and although the depth of the midfield could be criticised, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about 2013.

I now preview the campaign ahead for the midfield runners and the backmarkers, attempting to get indications from the difficult formbook of winter testing, and see what might happen over the course of the season.

Force India – Struggling to move forward

I look at Force India and think where are they going in Formula One?  They seem to be totally stagnated in Grand Prix’s midfield pecking order.

You know what to expect from their car and solid driver line-up.  There will be regular point’s finishes, and some sterling qualifying efforts, but not much else. 

Based around the corner from Silverstone, podiums are a must if they want to break out of the competitive midfield and on a regular basis too.

Paul di Resta: If you created a list of driving in terms of giving excitement, Paul di Resta would be near the bottom of this list.

That isn’t a bad thing, as he regularly brings the car home, and doesn’t get caught up in too many scrappy incidents.  However, neither does he set the world alight.  Now in his third season in the sport, there is no doubting di Resta is a good driver, but is he more than that?

The Scot is hungry and wants to be successful in the sport.  He is aiming at high up the grid in future.  To do that, he will need to produce more high-scoring point’s finishes in 2013.  I can’t make up my mind on what kind of season he will have to be honest.

Adrian Sutil is back and raring to go after missing out in 2012

Adrian Sutil: I’m delighted to see Adrian Sutil back in Formula One.  Some have questioned Force India’s safe policy of picking Sutil over Jules Bianchi or Bruno Senna, but I do think Vijay Mallya has made the right decision here.

Like di Resta, Sutil doesn’t set the pulses racing, but he is a solid driver who deserves a place on the grid – something the likes of Senna, Kovalainen, and Kobayashi cannot say in 2013.

An unsavoury nightclub altercation in Shanghai in 2011 cost him an F1 seat last season, and while he was eventually found guilty of assault and earnt a suspended jail sentence, Sutil performed very well when he was last in F1. 

Di Resta starts the season as team leader, considering the miles of testing he has under his belt, but Sutil deserves a second chance, and I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he was the one scoring the majority of Force India’s points in 2013. 

Williams – Plenty of excitement

Williams entered 2012 off the back of their worst season in their proud history.  2011 was truly terrible, with just five points collected all campaign.

They ended 2012 with unfulfilled promise.  Victory was earnt in Barcelona in stunning fashion by Pastor Maldonado, before the horrific pitlane garage fire that marred the post-race celebrations.

However, they didn’t make the most of what was a very good racing car.  2013 could be different.  They might have lost Tito Wolff, but in Valtteri Bottas, have one of the most exciting rookies to enter the sport since Lewis Hamilton arrived on the scene in 2007.

Can Pastor Maldonado put the package together?

Pastor Maldonado: Pastor Maldonado in an enigma, but there is no doubt he is truly talented.  After all, you don’t win a race by accident, and his performance in Barcelona all weekend last season was extraordinary.  Unfortunately, he earnt himself a wild reputation, thanks to a spate of unnecessary incidents in mid-season.

Maldonado was cleaning up his act by the end of the campaign though, and the Venezuelan will be keen to get more consistency into his locker.  If he does, then Williams are sure to move up the constructors’ championship table. 

He has natural speed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he grabs a pole position or even a win again in 2013 – because when he can put the package together, he is very difficult to beat.

Valtteri Bottas: Bruno Senna was consistently in the points and brought some strong financial backing to Williams, so for him to be dropped in favour of the less sponsored and unknown quantity that is Valtteri Bottas suggests the latter has a bright future.

Bottas hasn’t raced since romping to the GP3 title in 2011, but showed a lot of maturity and matched Maldonado’s speed regularly in Friday morning practice sessions last year.

He is familiar with the team from his testing duties, and will have experience of the majority of the current race circuits.  Plus, he is Finnish and they have a reputation of driving flat-out. 

Bottas should be a dark horse to watch out for in 2013.

Toro Rosso – The battle for a top seat

Toro Rosso's youngsters have been given a second chance to impress

Scuderia Toro Rosso’s star has waned ever since Sebastian Vettel left the team.  They have developed a knack for hiring young talent from the Red Bull Racing academy, only to dump them on the scrapheap when the going gets tough.  Scott Speed, Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari can testify to that.

The stakes are high in the Italian team this season.  With James Key onboard as technical director and a more stable car in the pipeline – they should improve considerably on last season’s modest effort.

The drivers’ remain unchanged, and it could be the case that the winner of the battle for supremacy between Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo will be aiming high up the grid, whilst the loser will join the likes of Buemi and Alguersuari in the rejects category.

Jean-Eric Vergne: It was difficult to read a great deal into Jean-Eric Vergne’s debut season.  His qualifying performances were nowhere near good enough, but he was a better raceday driver and ultimately outscored his team-mate.

Vergne only got into the points on four occasions, but they were all eighth place results, on days where the going got tough such as the tricky conditions in Malaysia and Brazil, and the crash chaos at the start in Belgium.

He deserved to keep his seat, but must build on an unspectacular rookie year.  He probably is behind Daniel Ricciardo on speed, but perhaps better when it comes to collecting the big points.  The pair certainly has a good working relationship, but there is a big private battle going on in the aim to be a Red Bull star of the future.

Daniel Ricciardo: They say that nice guys can’t win in Formula One, so that might count against Daniel Ricciardo.  However, he is a very likeable Aussie who stays out of trouble and quietly gets on with the job in hand.

Ricciardo struggled to start with at Toro Rosso, but developed into a very capable performer after the summer break, and scored points in five of the last eight races.  He also thrashed Jean-Eric Vergne 15-5 in qualifying.

The only thing that seems to be missing from Ricciardo’s talent is he is slightly timid behind the steering wheel, which possibly explains why he doesn’t get the excitement levels up for a neutral.  

This could be a breakthrough year for Ricciardo, and I reckon he will surprise plenty of people who have him written off already as just another Buemi or Alguersuari.

Caterham – All direction lost

Three years into the project and Caterham seem to have lost all direction with the point of entering Formula One.  Legal wrangling about the naming rights, the harsh sackings of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli along the way, and the departures of Tony Fernandes and Mike Gascoyne seem to hint the team is in serious financial trouble.

Vitaly Petrov did provide a crucial cash injection, when he finished 11^th in the season finale last term, but even the Russian was ditched for fresh talent.  New team principal Cyril Abiteboul has a huge job on his hands.

I can only wish him the best of luck, but Caterham’s position as perennial backmarkers in unlikely to change in 2013.

Charles Pic: Making the move of the minnows from Marussia to Caterham might surprise a few people; there isn’t a great deal of difference to be honest.

Charles Pic is a solid driver, and proved his capabilities last season, when he gave Timo Glock some concerns on a regular basis.

However, I don’t quite see the logic of the move, and as team leader of Caterham, he has a big challenge ahead of him.

Giedo van der Garde: I don’t know a great deal about Giedo van der Garde’s background.  He is a surprising choice for selection in the number two seat at Caterham, and I think he will be in for a long campaign at the back of the field.

The one main advantage is he knows a lot of the team, having been the reserve driver last season, which could give him a slight headstart over his team-mate Pic.  Other than that, I hope he likes blue flags – because this is what he will have to get used to frequently.

Marussia – Hope at the end of a dark tunnel

Last season was Marussia’s most challenging campaign.  They didn’t debut the 2012 car until Melbourne, lost test driver Maria de Vilota to that dreadful testing accident in Oxfordshire, and ultimately had to terminate Timo Glock’s contract in January to save money.

However, they will have KERS on their package this season for the first time, and were very unlucky to have been pipped to the crucial 10^th spot in the constructors’ championship by a distinctly average Caterham squad.

Pat Symonds will be back this season too.  Michael Schumacher’s former race engineer was banned for his part in the ‘Crashgate’ scandal involving Nelson Piquet Jr in Singapore 2008.  

He has been a consultant with the team, but can now return to the pitwall in 2013 and his experience and knowledge of engineering can’t be faulted.  His presence could push Marussia ahead of Caterham in 2013.

Max Chilton has his chance to impress at Marussia

Max Chilton: Max Chilton comes from a real racing dynasty within his own family.  His brother Tom is a star in touring cars, and his dad was a nifty racing ace himself.

He impressed in GP2, winning three races and finished fourth in the championship.  There is no doubt that his seat has come from some important financial backing, but the team does like to give new talent a go.

Chilton has done the majority of the Marussia testing over the winter.  If he can match the likes of Charles Pic in the Caterham, and his highly rated team-mate Jules Bianchi, he will have had an excellent debut season.

Jules Bianchi: Frenchman Jules Bianchi is so highly rated; he is part of Ferrari’s Young Driver Academy.

He only narrowly missed out on a Force India drive to the proven Adrian Sutil, but when Luis Razia’s money ran out, Bianchi stepped in to fill the breach.

He has the speed, and will make mistakes but is likely to cause a stir in his debut season.

Regulation changes

There isn’t a massive amount of changes in the regulations for 2013, before the big switch to V6 turbos for 2014.

With just 22 cars on the grid this season, only six cars will be eliminated from the first two parts of qualifying, rather than seven as it previously was.  The pole position shootout will remain the same, with the top 10 cars competing.

The double DRS system as pioneered by Mercedes GP has been banned by the FIA.  Teams can still run a passive system though, with Sauber and Lotus believed to be trying this concept out.

The FIA have made minimal changes to the regulations

The FIA has removed the rules of ‘force majeure’ to clarify issues in post-qualifying and post-race scrutinising.  This happened after Lewis Hamilton stopped on track after qualifying in Spain last season, and likewise with Sebastian Vettel in Abu Dhabi.  Now, if a driver stops and can’t provide the required FIA fuel sample – they will either be excluded from qualifying or disqualified from the race.

The minimum weight of the cars, including driver has been increased to 642kg to combat the new specification of Pirelli tyres.

The FIA has introduced a new ‘penalty points’ system for drivers, after last year’s catalogue of incidents which led to penalties for regular offenders such as Sergio Perez, Michael Schumacher and Pastor Maldonado, plus the one-race ban for Romain Grosjean.  Under the new system, driving infringements will receive points for different levels, and when they have committed enough offences to harm a driver’s super license, they will be banned immediately from racing.

The use of the DRS system has been modified.  Competitors can only now use the device in the permitted DRS zones for practice and qualifying, along with the race.  Previously, DRS could have been used everywhere until raceday.  To combat this, the FIA has announced that all circuits will have two DRS zones, with the exception of Monaco, Hungary and Singapore.  DRS will still be banned in areas such as Eau Rouge at Spa and the tunnel in Monaco on safety grounds.

Calendar and TV schedule

There will be 19 races this season, after the European Grand Prix was dropped from the schedule for the first time since 1998.

A proposed race in New Jersey was postponed due to circuit design issues, whilst a 20^th race in Europe was scrapped after Turkey, Austria and Portugal couldn’t agree on a deal with their respective race organisations.  The German Grand Prix will be staged at the Nurburgring in 2013.

The Sky team are ready for season two in the British broadcast battle

The BBC and Sky Sports F1 HD will continue to share the rights in 2013, with Sky being the only place to see every session live and uninterrupted.  The BBC will show nine races live, and extended highlights of 10 events, with practice sessions live on BBC Two.

Georgie Thompson has been dropped from the Sky presenting team, with Natalie Pinkham taking on the role as Ted Kravitz’s co-host for The F1 Show.  On the Beeb, Jake Humphrey’s departure for pastures new with BT Vision means former Superbikes and MotoGP anchor Suzi Perry will be the face of terrestrial F1 coverage.

Round 1, Australian Grand Prix – 17 March (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 2, Malaysian Grand Prix – 24 March (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 3, Chinese Grand Prix – 14 April (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 4, Bahrain Grand Prix – 21 April (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 5, Spanish Grand Prix – 12 May (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 6, Monaco Grand Prix – 26 May (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 7, Canadian Grand Prix – 9 June (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 8, British Grand Prix – 30 June (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 9, German Grand Prix – 7 July (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 10, Hungarian Grand Prix – 28 July (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 11, Belgian Grand Prix – 25 August (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 12, Italian Grand Prix – 8 September (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 13, Singapore Grand Prix – 22 September (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 14, Korean Grand Prix – 6 October (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 15, Japanese Grand Prix – 13 October (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 16, Indian Grand Prix – 27 October (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

Round 17, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 3 November (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 18, US Grand Prix – 17 November (Live on Sky Sports, extended highlights on BBC)

Round 19, Brazilian Grand Prix – 24 November (Live on Sky Sports and BBC)

So we are almost set and ready to go.  The 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship promises to be another special season. 

Lights, camera, action!

Categories:

Formula One 2013 preview – Lights out, away we go (Part One)

By Simon Wright

Formula One returns from the winter break this weekend

A new season is almost upon us.  Formula One returns with the Australian Grand Prix on 17 March.  2012 was an unbelievable year, with seven different winners in the first seven races, and a championship battle full of twists and turns that was only settled in the dying stages of a brilliant Brazilian Grand Prix.

We might have lost Michael Schumacher to retirement again over the winter, but there are still five world champions on the grid.  With 19 races, there will be plenty of globetrotting across the world for the 11 teams, now that HRT have said farewell to the sport.

We welcome five rookies onto the grid, the most for a Grand Prix season since 2001, and although the depth of the midfield could be criticised, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about 2013.

I now preview the campaign ahead, attempting to get indications from the difficult formbook of winter testing, and see what might happen over the course of the season.

Red Bull Racing – The champions to be shot at

Red Bull Racing will once again arrive at Albert Park as double champions, but can they make it a quadruple of successes in both the drivers’ and constructors’ title battles?

The Milton Keynes based team have set the standard over the past three seasons, and are there to be shot at. 

Testing indicated an evolution of last year’s successful RB8, and the RB9 will start as clear championship favourites.  Anything can happen, but there is no doubt the confidence levels will be flowing in their garage. 

If a combination beats them in 2013, they will probably end up being champions.

Sebastian Vettel starts again as championship favourite

Sebastian Vettel: The youngest triple world champion has already written his name into the history books, but he had to work doubly hard to retain his title in 2012.  Sebastian Vettel has proven to the doubters that he has the ability to overtake, can handle with pressure, and has a ruthless streak amidst his driving – as Fernando Alonso can testify to when he was stuck on the grass at Monza last season.

Vettel has come back fully refreshed from his party celebrations in Brazil, and begins the season as championship favourite.  There are still minor chinks in his armour, and he didn’t end up fastest at any end of a day during the winter testing programme. 

However, I’d expect the ‘famous finger’ salute to be victorious on many occasions in 2013.  His message to the rest of the field is ‘Catch me if you can.’

Mark Webber: He will deny it venomously, but Mark Webber has become a valuable and reliable number two.  He is an important part of the Red Bull jigsaw, and will take some replacing when he eventually decides to retire.

Webber will want to be competitive from the outset.  Last season, he showed some great consistency early doors, and was unbeatable around Monaco and Silverstone.  After that though, his championship challenge derailed thanks to gearbox penalties, unreliability and scrappy incidents.  He is full of Aussie Grit and a nice guy but as they say, nice guys don’t win the main prizes.

Helmut Marko made some rather poisonous comments about Webber and handling pressure back in January.  I hope Mark can shut his mouth once and for all in 2013, but I can’t help feeling his best days and best shot of winning the outright prize has already evaded him.

Ferrari – A better baseline

Ferrari turned up in Melbourne last season with a car that handled like a pig.  It wasn’t the quickest, but through some rapid developments and some stunning performances, it almost became a title winner in the hands of the fantastic Fernando Alonso.

This season, they have started with a better baseline, but the car doesn’t seem to be world-beating standard like it was in the Michael Schumacher era of a decade ago.

The Scuderia had the most reliable car last season, but they need to work on their one-lap pace if they want to turn their 2013 challenger into a title winner.

Fernando Alonso: What else can you say about Fernando Alonso that hasn’t been said already?  He might not be the quickest driver on the current grid, but he is the most complete driver, and has been for some time now.

Alonso has spearheaded and moulded the Ferrari team around him.  He has driven them on in difficult periods, and always kept their spirits up.  He was the best driver last season, and fully deserves to be a triple world champion. 

If Ferrari can finally give him a car capable of his talents, then title number three could be waiting at the end of 2013.

Felipe Massa will be hoping to recapture his form from the season's end

Felipe Massa: Felipe Massa was a finished article at the midway point of the 2012 season.  He even admitted in January that he came close to walking away from Formula One, and even went to see a psychologist to sort his head out.

It seemed to work.  Massa rediscovered some of the form that took him within 30 seconds of the title in 2008, with strong podiums at Suzuka and Brazil, and great efforts in Korea and USA.

He is a team player, and has accepted that he can’t live with Alonso on a regular basis, but he is still quicker on his day, and I hope he will return to the winners circle at some point in 2013.  

Massa is a popular guy in the paddock, and seems reborn.  Let’s hope he can continue his form from the backend of last season.

McLaren – No more excuses

Martin Whitmarsh will face tough questions if McLaren don't deliver

For a large chunk of 2012, McLaren had the quickest car in Formula One, but like in 2005 and 2007, they failed to win either championship.  Finishing below Ferrari in last season’s constructors’ championship would have been a body blow to their reputation.

Former technical director Paddy Lowe is on ‘gardening leave’ and his impact will be missed, as will Lewis Hamilton in his departure for Mercedes.

Testing form suggested that with the perfect setup, they could be the early season pacesetters, but form did fluctuate way too much.

It is time to deliver.  Five years without a drivers’ title, and 15 years without a constructors’ championship to their name is simply too long for a team of winners.

Jenson Button: This could be Jenson Button’s year.  The 2009 world champion came into Lewis Hamilton’s den, and turned the team in his favour.  Hamilton threw his toys out of the pram in Spa last year, and has gone onto pastures new.

With the team’s full backing, Button could be about to deliver big time.  He is the master when it comes to tricky conditions, and is on top of his game when he has the perfect surroundings.  However, he can suffer mysterious drops in performance, which can’t be allowed this season for a team leader.

Some argue his 2009 title was a fluke due to Brawn GP’s superior car advantage at the start of that season.  If he can win the main prize again – it would silence those few doubters once and for all.

Sergio Perez: Rising talent Sergio Perez is stepping into some very big shoes, and will be under pressure from the outset.

He is targeting a championship assault.  If he isn’t a regular podium finisher or a race winner by the end of 2013, severe questions will have to be asked about Martin Whitmarsh’s choice as a McLaren driver.

Perez was exceptional on his day in 2012, but went missing at some points, and by the season’s end, became a magnet for hitting other cars.  

I’m still not totally convinced by his worth in Formula One.  Seeing how he deals with the expectation will be one of the most intriguing stories of this 2013 season.

Lotus – Bold predictions

When asked about his team’s competitive edge at the second pre-season test, Lotus team principal Eric Bouillier suggested his team was only behind Red Bull in the pecking order.

This is a bold statement of intentions from Lotus, who surprised a lot of people last season.  They might have only achieved one victory, but collected many more podium finishes for their two drivers.

With the best looking car in the paddock, watch out for Lotus in 2013.  They are more than capable of giving Formula One’s top three teams some regular headaches.

Kimi Raikkonen: The Iceman’s return to Formula One after two seasons hitting trees in the World Rally Championship on a frequent basis was a fruitful one.  

He completed all but one lap during the season, finished every race and only failed to score in China.  He won in Abu Dhabi, and won even more fans for his ‘Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing’ comments on the team radio.

Kimi does have a change in race engineer, as Simon Rennie has departed for Red Bull over the winter.  Ciaran Pilbeam will work with Mark Slade to get the best out of Kimi, but if you keep reminding him, you know what his response will be.

With all the foundations in place after his impressive return, Lotus has brought the best out of Raikkonen, and he has to be considered as a serious championship contender in 2013.

Romain Grosjean needs to stop hitting cars and score more points

Romain Grosjean: Romain Grosjean crashed into many cars in 2012, and Lotus was in no rush to confirm him for this season.  They have already warned the Frenchman that another season of wrecked cars and that will be his career in the rubbish bin.  That is understandable when you consider the economic recession we live in.

However, Grosjean showed on his day his sheer speed, and he collected three impressive rostrums, and should have won in Valencia had it not been for a dodgy alternator failure.  He always smiles, which is nice to see.

I hope he calms down, as we all know he has the speed.  He desperately though needs to neuter his wild side, or it will cost him more than it did in 2012.

Mercedes GP – All the ingredients in place

The biggest amount of upheaval over the winter has come at Mercedes.  Paddy Lowe will join the team for 2014, while Niki Lauda has joined the team as a member of the board.

The powers of Stuttgart have enticed Tito Wolff away from Williams and with Ross Brawn, Bob Bell, Aldo Costa, Geoff Willis, Jock Clear, Ron Meadows, Nick Fry and Andrew Shovlin all onboard – there are plenty of winners.

Of course, the main attraction is the arrival of Lewis Hamilton.  He is playing down expectations, but the car looks mighty quick, if very fragile from testing form.  After three seasons of relative underachievement, improvements must be made in 2013 from a team with so many resources at its disposal.

It is a new start and a new dawn for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton: So the boy has become a man.  After 14 years being nurtured by McLaren, Lewis Hamilton has elected to move to Mercedes.  He sees this as a new dawn, and a new challenge to rebuild a team – like his predecessor Michael Schumacher managed when he quit Benetton for Ferrari in 1996.

Hamilton has been quick to play down expectations, and that is a good thing.  He will expect the car to at least be challenging for Q3 in Melbourne, and anything else is a bonus to begin with while he settles into a totally new environment.

However, I would expect podiums fairly quickly, and Hamilton did win two races in 2009 when McLaren had an appalling car to start with.  I wouldn’t say he will be a championship contender in 2013, but I’d be hugely surprised if we arrive in Brazil in November, and he hasn’t at least visited the top step of the podium once this season.

Nico Rosberg: I still remember Nico Rosberg’s debut for Williams in Bahrain 2006.  He put in a terrific drive and set the fastest lap of the race.  Seven years on, and his potential has largely been unfulfilled. 

With just one victory to his name in his career, it is time for Rosberg to start showing his proven capabilities at the wheel of a Mercedes on a regular basis.  Apart from the Chinese victory and second in Monaco, Rosberg largely disappointed in 2012 and was matched by Michael Schumacher throughout.

Remember this wasn’t Schumacher at his prime either.  Lewis Hamilton’s arrival will give Rosberg a greater incentive to deliver.  If he matches Hamilton, it will be a notable achievement.  

If he is soundly beaten, he will go the same way as fellow countryman Timo Glock and Nick Heidfeld have gone in recent years – out of the sport.

Sauber – New beginnings

A new line-up at Sauber, but they will do well to repeat last season

Sauber have made some significant changes in recent seasons, as they come fully out of the shell left by BMW’s departure from the sport at the end of 2009.

A commercial partnership with European champions Chelsea has seen them become more noticed, while Monisha Kaltenborn has made the Swiss outfit far more media friendly than what they ever were under the previous regimes of the shy Peter Sauber and Mario Thiessen.

It is a new driver line-up that makes the headlines for 2013.  Sergio Perez has departed for McLaren, while Kamui Kobayashi was ditched into the wilderness.  

Changing both drivers is a huge gamble, and it could well backfire spectacularly for Sauber if they aren’t lucky.

Nico Hulkenberg: A lot of people in the paddock think Nico Hulkenberg is the real deal.  Already on his third team in the sport, some were surprised by this sideways move from Force India to Sauber, but if it lands him a McLaren or Ferrari seat in the future, it could be well worth it.

Hulkenberg has plenty of natural speed, and has the ability to outperform his machinery.  Had he been a bit more cautious in his attempts to reclaim the lead in Brazil last season, he could have won on his Force India swansong.

Richly talented and totally focused, Hulkenberg will lead the Sauber team in 2013, and I reckon he will be a surprise package with a number of visits to the podium on the horizon in the coming eight months.

Esteban Gutierrez: Esteban Gutierrez has been promoted from his third driver role at Sauber into the number two seat.

There is no doubt that he is fast, but has a lot of rough edges around him – as demonstrated in the junior formulae.  It is difficult to judge how much of an impact he will have on Sauber.  

Considering Kobayashi achieved one podium last season, Gutierrez must do better than that and it sounds like a big ask.

I’m afraid when I think of Gutierrez, I think of a driver paying the bills.  He brings big sponsorship and could make a big impact this season.  Sadly for his fans, I think it will be many meetings with the gravel traps and tyre barriers around the globe rather than on the point’s leaderboard.

COMING UP IN PART TWO: Force India, Williams, Toro Rosso, Caterham and Marussia previewed, along with the calendar and the minor regulation changes.

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Recovering from setbacks

I can probably speak for many that life isn’t plain-sailing.  Nor should it be.  You would have to be the luckiest person in the world to have the perfect everything.

If you do have the perfect job, the perfect marriage, the perfect family and friends, and the perfect bank balance, then congratulations for being such a lucky devil. 

I don’t mean that in a bad way either, I just prefer those who have to work exceptionally hard to get where they are today, rather than see success just handed out on a plate.

Plus, it is important to recover from setbacks and take the positives out of experiences – otherwise we don’t improve as individuals.

That could be a record deal that has turned sour, a football transfer move that went wrong, or something as simple as a rejection which could mean the end of the world.

The reality is it isn’t.  New avenues can open up, and for every crushing disappointment – there’s a cloud in a silver lining.

For me, I’ve had a couple of experiences where I have had this and reacted in different ways.  One was on an educational scale, and one was on the never ending job search lately. 

On both occasions, I took the positives from this shattering setbacks and feel that improvements can and will be made.  After all, that is the only way we improve as individuals.  Self-assessment doesn’t have to be taxing as one advert used to say.

Unfair but made sense

It was the autumn of 2001, and the world was only just coming to terms with the shocking terrorist attack on America on September 11^th, and the air strikes that had got underway in Afghanistan – a country that our brave and strong troops are still serving in today.

In my own personal life, I had just started at secondary school – a massive change after four years at the same middle school.

I remember the start of my first year there (Year 8), and it was a real wake-up call.  The high amount of levels in homework was absolutely ridiculous.  I wasn’t prepared for such a change, and some of the lessons were demanding too.

It was a packed curriculum at the time.  Not only did you have the basics of English, Maths and Science to cope with, there were lessons in French, I.C.T, R.S, Geography, History, Music, Food Technology, P.E, Drama and Art.  You could see how easy it was for me to be confused!

Sometimes, phrases in pictures speak louder than words in general

Anyway I still thought I was managing the situation okay, until in October – six weeks after the first term began.  The school changed the timetables around and I was put in a lower group of study.  It was called Route 2 as I recall at the time.

Not only was I going to be separated from the friendship network I was building up, it felt like an insult to my intelligence.  I’m not the smartest tool in the box, but I couldn’t fathom why I wasn’t good enough to not be in a higher group. 

I’ve always wanted to challenge myself, and felt this was a massive misjudgement from my secondary school.

I went home that night in floods of tears.  I don’t think I’ve been more devastated than I was that Friday evening in my education history, apart from GCSE results day.  I didn’t care about what people were saying to me that this wasn’t the end of my hopes for the future. 

All I wanted to do was crawl underneath something and stay there.  Half-term was around the corner, so it didn’t matter.

I felt I was considered as a total failure and a write-off.  Those who know me will agree that I have often shown a dramatic side to my personality.

Ultimately, it was the best thing that could have happened to me.  Although I had to deal with a stalking problem from a fellow student who nobody liked, dropping to a lower level meant I was able to cope with the workload much better.

I worked hard, got some decent end-of-year exam results and at the end of the year – got my promotion back to a higher tier of study for Year 9. 

My initial reaction was one of pain, hurt and anger.  In the long run, everything worked out through some hard work, more determination and a stronger side to me that I had probably been lacking in education upto that point.

Taking the positives out of the disappointment

On Monday this week, I got the news I wasn’t hoping for.  I had been turned down for a job I had applied for in media.

It was my first media interview since graduating from the University of Northampton last summer.  All those application rejections, ignored e-mails and unpaid experiences that had turned sour finally had a point.

I don’t want to say too much about the role I was going for, except it would have meant relocation from my current base to the north of England. 

Also, it was an entry level position and one where I felt I met all of the job specifications in the criteria.

I had the interview last week, and felt I did very well.  I was nervous on the day, but I didn’t show it.  I spoke confidently, showed my problem solving skills, explained what I had done before and undergone a written assessment of a high standard.

I left the venue and the area feeling that I had done all that I could.  I couldn’t have done anymore to be honest, and at the end of the day – that’s all you can do in any given situation.

The position was always going to be fiercely competitive, and it ended up going to an individual with more experience in an office environment.

That is no reflection on me, and the feedback I got was very positive.  Sure, I was very disappointed with the outcome.  Who wouldn’t be in that situation, but the experience I’ve taken from this is valuable.

With a degree of luck, I hope it won’t be long before the big breakthrough happens for me.  It’s no good stuffing your face with chocolate and sitting in a corner staring into space.  That’s the quitting option – and that is not an option for yours truly.

If something doesn’t quite go the way you want it to go, it is important to learn from your setbacks and become stronger for them, otherwise we don’t become better people at the end of the day.

Categories: Autumn, Bank, English, Friendship, GCSEs, Job, Life, Marriage, Maths, Media

What is love?

Two weeks have now passed since Valentine’s Day – a day where couples or lovers around the world shower their other half with cuddly bears, flowers, chocolates etc. 

As my ‘singleton’ status hasn’t changed, nor will it likely change in the coming months or years (a non-existent track record is proof) – I thought I would try to untangle the complexness that this question can provide on plenty of our lives. 

There are many descriptions and words we can use for love...

What is love?

Pride and affection

After typing ‘Definition of love’ into the Google search engine, these were the two common terminologies.

As a noun, love is an intense feeling of deep affection.  As a verb, it is feeling a deep romantic or sexual attachment to another individual.

So I thought I would explore both sides of these terminologies.

The first one probably applies to me more, and does for so many others.

There are many feelings we have within our systems, whether it be celebrity crushes, family power or pride and belief in the country you live in, support or even represent.

It might only be a short word with four letters in it, but I’ve often found the word to be embarrassing to say, or difficult to use. 

There are many things with our country that can give cause for deep affection.  Examples could be the Queen and the Royal Family for their noble and gracious service towards Britain.

The scenes last year throughout the summer, both at the Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee were picture you were there moments – memories you won’t forget. 

Watching it on TV, I certainly felt affection for the Queen – and I experienced the intense feeling of competitors realising their dreams or having hopes shattered at London 2012, both from a distance and from the BT London Live venues I visited.

There are certain aspects that we can also say we love.  It might be a food that you find irresistible to avoid, a football team that gets the blood veins boiling, a celebrity who just captures your heart, or even a particular holiday destination which took you to another planet away from home comforts.

This term is the easiest to explain, and also the easiest to use when you come around to asking the question of ‘What is love?’

Common and complex

This brings me onto the second aspect and the deeper feelings you could/might feel for another human being.

In life, we all go onto meet amazing people who touch us in different ways.  Sometimes it is a chemistry attraction that can be difficult to explain.

And if you are really lucky, you might find the perfect match and spend a life together happily ever after, like in all those fairytales you heard about growing up.

The reality is it is difficult to admit these feelings, and there has to be a confidence and courage to pluck up and say how you truly feel about the individual standing next or opposite to you.  It must be better this way than via e-mail, text messaging, video calling or social media.

Sometimes it can lead to total rejection, or a dismissive reaction.  Other times, the bravery will reap the rewards.  It is difficult to find the right balance and judge when the time and the place is right to blurt it out.

Of course, things could get awkward should the feelings you have not be reciprocated by the fellow human being, but again that will totally depend on the personality and the approach afterwards.

Love is such a powerful word to use, and in these situations – it has to be used very carefully.  It is okay to admit you have feelings for someone, or approach it saying ‘I’d like us to be more than just friends,’ but until you’ve been with someone – you don’t know what it is really like and that’s the reality.

In my instance, being single is not the greatest feeling in the world at all.  I have hoped I would have found my perfect match by now, but for one reason or another (work, college, University), nothing happened.  That wasn’t for the worth of trying though.

I don’t want to delve too much into my history of feeling love, or shall we say ‘feel different’ in this situation.  My experiences of telling people how I feel haven’t turned out the way I hoped they would. 

Has it knocked my confidence in this department?  Yes it has, without a doubt.  I wish things could have ended different, but it is no good dwelling on everything.  Rewinding the century or the year is not an option, and you must move on in these instances.  Sometimes, it just isn’t meant to be.

Occasionally, you have to go and find love, and that isn’t me.  I don’t do dating websites – so the chances of finding love and settling down with the opposite partner I’d say are slim at best. 

However, you never know what is around the corner.  The people who make you the happiest are often the people you never expect.  When you find love, you must cherish it or it will come back to bite you.

Answering the question

In summary, what does love mean to me?  It means feeling pride, joy and happiness in being surrounded by your passions and interests.  While I might not have found my ‘special one’ (sorry Mr. Mourinho for borrowing your phrase), I can count myself lucky that I have a close network of loving family and caring friends.

And what is love ultimately?  I think I will say that it means different things to pretty much everybody on this planet.

Categories: Britain, Celebrities, Chocolates, Diamond Jubilee, Flowers, Google, Love, Planet, Queen, Valentine's Day