Formula One - First of many

As the F1 rolls into Europe, first stop Magny-Cours, France methinks it is only right that I declare my passion and love for the sport (and yes it is a sport) and from here on offer my thoughts and opinions (read review) the sport and the goings on during race weekend.

I will start by stating this. I was (think I still am) a fan of Honda racing. But this, my affinity seems to be related to the time period when Dave Richards was at the helm of the Honda-BAR outfit and needless to say were a very strong team. (For those who are not aware, Honda bought out the BAR stake and now the team is 100% Honda)

But unlike in football or other spectator/supporters sport where alligiance to a team seems to be of utmost significance, affinity to a F1 team really sways and wanes season in season out. Before the start of the season, one needs to keep a close eye on the testing and development on the cars so as to get a feeling of who will generally be in contention. Come the first race, of the season in March, which is usually held in Melbourne, Australia (with the exception of a few instances - such as when Australia hosted the Commonwealth games in 2006) then it's on. The excitement is second to none. By the time one gets to the 145 Km/h right hander you have a feeling who is in it to win it.

Anyway since Melbourne, we have been to Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain, Monaco, Canada and the USA. During this races we have seen the emergence of the rookie F1 driver Lewis Hamilton for McLaren-Mercedes who has defied all odds and is proving a sensation. I personally, have reservations about his agressive and forceful driving style but somehow the present McLaren MP4-22 seems to be working for him more so than his team mate and current world champion Fernando Alonso. Oh! And the critics somehow say the said something along similar lines when Tiger was in his ascendancy. So do not read too much into my reservations, results is what matters and Hamilton is getting results.

The title at the time of writing seems to be going Mclaren's way, with Ferrari being the only team offering any sort of challenge. So the competition is really between this two teams and though Ferrari have won the race here and there i.e. Melbourne won by Kimi Raikkonen while Bahrain and Spain was won by Felipe Massa, the strong team performance has been undoubtedly by McLaren.

What is also of interest is the great leaps forward made by BMW and the sophmore team Super Aguri, the latter having outperformed its parent team Honda so far this season. Honda in fact have somehow managed to be a mediocre team with Jenson Button -a driver once rumoured to be a target for Ferrari, and Rubens Barrichello, himself a former Ferrari Driver, having scored no points this season. I know what you're going to say. Jenson who? And I couldn't agree more. Heads need to roll and I'd start with Nick Fry, cause obviously he isn't getting the job done.

Ofcourse the underperformance of Toyota, the team rumoured to have the biggest F1 budget, is very disheartening because season in season out, one can't help but get the feeling that they will be in the title race, that is until you actually see them on the track. I have a hunch, Ralf Schumacher will not finish the season with Toyota. Who knows?

Anyway, I will check in with you later and share some of my thoughts on this wonderful sport they call F1 until then enjoy Magny-Cours.