F1 Season 2010 = Awesomeness.

Gratification
Part of speech : noun
Definition : satisfaction
Synonyms : delight, enjoyment, fruition, fulfillment, glee, joy, kicks, pleasure, recompense.


Yup, that pretty much is the emotion being felt right now. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has become the youngest World Champion, after winning the Abu Dhabi GP, his fifth win of the season. 
Why am I gratified? Two reasons : I love Vettel. And I've noticed, for fans of Raikkonen and Schumacher(me me me!), he seems to be the next best driver to support. I digress, the second reason - Alonso didn't win! Haha suck it, you bank-robbing, Kimi-ousting, team-order-imposing , whining piece of eyebrow!


But moving on quickly, lets get to the what was and what should be. A brief account of this season(whatever I remember of it, at least) and what I wish for next year. 

No.1, indeed. Click
to see a bigger image

Sebastian Vettel. He's young, talented and comes with a sense of humor that keeps those interview halls filled with giggles. Whether he's winning races with Kate's Dirty Sister or pulling Mark Webber's fractured leg, he simply is fun to watch. This season, he lost over 66 points due to mechanical or technical faults, but never gave up. He never led the championship this entire season, but he never gave up! I admit he's not particularly good at overtaking without crashing. He's temperamental too, who doesn't remember him showcasing his rage after his crash with Webber in Turkey? But he's just 23, I think that's pardonable. I'm counting on him getting better. Winning the championship the way he did - with a win, was a big moment for us, fans him and one can tell there's more to come his way.

The Webber jump

Webber is fun! He talks crazy, he advertises for milk and he also set off the most fun meme in F1 history. Oh of course, he also drives well and wins races, provided he has a good car. He came close to winning the championship this year, good luck to him for the next!



Alonso. ha! Ferrari paid Raikkonen a hefty amount of cash, so he would leave behind a warm seat for Alonso to place his tushy in. But instead of winning a championship for the Italian team , Alonso blackmailed whined his way to becoming their driver no.1. He not only asked his engineer across the radio to shut up , because he was too upset to listen, he also provided us that priceless piece of theatrics in Germany, when he declared it 'ridiculous' that Massa was ahead of him and wasn't giving way. The Ferrari chaps promptly delivered those classic lines to Felipe baby : Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message? So, Felipe gave way. Of course, that wasn't a team order. Despite the fact that they immediately apologized to him - on air. Here's the entire drama put together in one video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s00OfqnJROk   And here I thought Shakespeare was an ace in the Tragedy category. 
But then, I guess its ok. Alonso won a few races, he brought the team an entire bank as a sponsor! He's got to be a worthy champi...*cough* *choke!*.. heck, I can't even kid about it.


Mr.Whine reminds me of Petrov. Vitali Petrov drove a fault-less race, keeping Alonso behind him for about 30 laps, contributing to Vettel's championship win. Alonso sure wasn't a happy man at the end of it and he made it pretty clear to poor Petrov:

Who knew it was illegal to race for points? Alright, lets leave Alonso alone for now. 
Petrov has made scores of fans across the world happy with his drive in Abu Dhabi. He has also been performing decently well throughout the season. Him, Nico Hulkenberg - who grabbed that lucky(yet awesome) pole in Brazil - are two rookies who are likely to lose their seats now. I sincerely hope they manage to get themselves back into F1, they definitely are good racers. There's also Kubica and Kobayashi - both who drove superbly well this season, that I'd like to see in good cars, next season. Maybe Heidfeld could get lucky too. 

Naturally blonde, he is.

Hamilton, Button, Massa, Rubens, they've all had a pretty good year. (Rubens was nearly driven into a wall, you say? hmmm ) Lewis and Button, in particular, have been fair racers all through and gave Mclaren a respectable second in the Constructor's title. But my driver of the year is probably Goldilocks. Nico Rosberg, as you know him. He didn't flinch when Schumacher was made his team-mate and has driven very consistently race after race, bar an accident or two. He surely has helped Mercedes in jumping Renault for fourth in the Constructor's standings more than Michael has. So, cheers to him!


Talking about the Constructor's title, well done Red Bull! They were hell-bent on not using team orders and now they've got both titles in their bag. Something Ferrari could learn. Not to forget, they had a brilliant car. I'm one step away from starting to worship their engineer Adrian Newey. Also, Force India missed 6th to Williams by a single point. That hurts. About time they became regular faces in the top 5. C'mon Team Mallya! 

Oh, also, I'm praying the team principal of Lotus (or whatever that team is called) , Mr.Tony Fernandes, is as pumped about winning his bet with the boss of Virgin Racing, 'Sir' Richard Branson, as I am. The bet went something like this: The losing owner must turn stewardess and serve drinks in the winner's Airline company, for a day. Now since Tony's team has done better than Branson's, we're going to get to see Branson play dress-up. Hopefully.


Air Asia will most certainly have all tickets sold out on that will-be-eventful day. 

Michael Schumacher. What can I say? To say it was a disappointing year would be an understatement. Nothing can take away all those brilliant drives over 15 years of racing, before his first retirement. He'll always be the hero that made me love Formula1. 
The gap of 3 years, the transformation the sport has undergone while he wasn't here, his age..whatever be the reason he didn't step onto the podium this season, I'm glad he's coming back next year. After his accident at Abu Dhabi though, I doubt his wife would allow for it.


I suppose I've covered most things that have been hovering in my head. Hat tip to that genius Bernie - thanks to the new points system, the Driver's title had four contenders to the very end. Also, Bernie, continue to bring in ex-drivers as special-race stewards, please. Damon Hill in particular.*drool* 


The 2010 season has been fantastic. I know I miss F1 already, but I'll keep myself busy with dreams of going to a race next season. Kimi's 10th in WRC standings sure are good for a debut, but I'd rather have him back in F1. Along with wishing for his return, Schumi's return to his winning ways and Vettel keeping his momentum, I have one other wish for next season. There was one fantastic fellow who made me enjoy F1 mid-season, when I thought the circus was getting too bland. He's amazingly crazy and can overtake a driver faster than I can type this sentence. If there's anyone out there who deserves a winning car, it's the guy who made the Japanese GP the best race of this year. Kamui Kobayashi, stay awesome, you mad fellow.

Next seazon, all your meme are belong to me!

 Bring on the 2011 season, I can't hardly wait!

In my life, I love you more.

Of course, there's plenty of them fantastic artists out there. But this band is somehow more special to me. And I'm just about to grant myself the permission to talk about them.

I can't pick a favorite Beatle. That, in a way, translates to - I can't tell whose voice I like most. But honestly, I can't rank the four of them for nuts. There would be no legacy of this magnitude, if any one of them wasn't a part of the band. Each one was/is so supremely talented and brought in unique elements to the band. Of course, people's perceptions vary, but I'd say Paul had an edge over the others, when it came to creating the nicest rhythms. Lennon introduced that zing, while forming my favorite song-writing duo with Paul.  George, that sitar-using charm aside, most satisfies my need for a good looking, long-haired member in a band. And Ringo, mighty Ringo, kept this crazy bundle of creative energy packed together. And together, anything they created was magic.

I'm partly happy this band existed, partly regret that they split up too early. I love them by a good measure, but most of all, I feel gratitude. For all those songs, words and tunes, and for all the times I've found peace in their music.

There is a Beatles song for every mood. And almost always, I'm a better person at the end of each song I listen to. And well, just some times, there's that overwhelming feeling of joy and thankfulness that compels you to write a post about them.

I'm hardly qualified to say anything that does justice to The Beatles or their music, so I'll borrow a line from ABBA and simply say, 
Thank you for the music.

Philosophical indulgence

I have a strong urge to post another 'arbit rants' labeled post, considering the number of  unimportant and unrelated statements I want to make.  But I'll skip them all for this. 


It's insulting to the author that I don't remember where I read this or when I read this, so I apologize.  But this simple poem has come to mean a lot to me.  I find much depth in it and can't help but share it.  Hope you connect with it as much as I did.

Let alone this desire

And see a new world rise

Let alone this time

Forsaken in your mind

Let alone this pride

And see the faces that smile

Let alone this hatred

Filled up in your heart

Let alone this remorse

And look straight in the eye

Listen to the sound of a new life

And we shall rise. 

Whoever you are, Mr.Author, thank you for these lines.

The kind of post that gets deleted - 4

Welcome once again, non-existent reader, to the world of arbitness. This is going to be one of those spontaneous posts,  with no proof-reading or editing, where I simply wish to check if my keyboard is functioning.

2 fractures , one on each arm , while I was just being myself.

1 hairline fracture - and I still can't bend that toe.

1 cycle - truck accident , after I forgot I was coyote and not road runner.

1 muscle-ripping moped - rickshaw accident, because the rickshaw driver was just being your average rickshaw driver.

And of course, not to disregard the common fall - that usual trip and fall and slide. And many an embarrassed smile.

Ask me to list the times I've hurt myself and these incidents immediately come to mind. So yes, I've had my fair share of accidents, falls and injuries. But I've never had that crowning moment. You know, when you get a bump on your head? Never, until last week.

After all these miraculous feats, one would expect that I land the crown in a glorious manner, yeah? But no, I simply had to walk into that wall and then flail my arms like an awkward flamingo. It's disappointing. You know why? I thought this was one field where I exercised expertise. It's very disappointing.

So is the buildup to our CWG. Like I wish the F1 season and Schumi's career would take off again, I hope, like every Indian, that the CWG happen smoothly and successfully. Also, the  Indian Olympic Association, who took charge of CWG, signed a deal with the FIA for the Indian GP. Their involvement in this might just bring in a déjà vu moment come October 2011, when Bernie stomps his way around a deserted Gurgaon. But, we may not be the only country to pull a stunt like this. One of them Korean countries plans to hold a race too and their track looks like this :

F1 race track? You bet.

Oh, did I mention? The Korean GP is set to happen this October.

The track at Spa

The next race though, is at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium. A beautiful track, universally loved, what with its uphill sections and the works. One of my favorite tracks of all time, it's also been a great place for Schumacher and Raikkonen. The latter of course,  won't even race here this time. And to think it was him and the Belgium GP 2008, that made me want to create this blog. *nostalgia* 

Love this track, yes I do.

And I won't get to watch this race this weekend. No, don't ask.

I have been overdosing on nostalgia of late, with many good friends passing out of college or moving out of the city.  And as always, music comes to aid. While I have discovered/been gifted links to many wonderful bands/artists/songs over the last few months, I've got to make a special mention of In Extremo. They're German and they play medieval Irish, Swedish and Finnish instruments. My thoughts initially - are you kidding me?! If you dig this kind of music, you should probably give this song a try : Vollmond.

Ok, then, my testing's through. I'll leave you with this video of Formula 1 drivers doing their..err.. thing. They were to make sounds, imitating an F1 car, but Petrov and Massa were into something else altogether.

After laughing my heart out, it occurred to me that what happened in Hockenheim wasn't Ferrari's fault. No team orders, no growling Alonso. Massa has just always been the tame kitty.

Black,red,gold and a chequered flag.

Just like it is with the chicken and the egg, I'm not sure what came first - my obsession for Formula1 or for Germany. Either way,  they have both given me something to look forward to every alternate weekend, for a decade now. Over the last two months though, Formula 1 barely managed to excite me, thanks to Klose and co. draining me off adrenalin as and when my body produced it. Loew and his men(boys?) gave me more than one reason to smile, so here's me saying 'Vielen Dank, die Mannschaft'. 


Stepping into familiar territory, I've got to say I'm not enjoying this season very much. Lets just say its harder than I'd imagined, to see Schumacher being a regular mid-fielder (all non-Schumis , this is your cue to point and laugh). And that's not all. This season's throwing up a few too many unpleasant surprises.  If my opinions mattered - and I really wish they did - I'd have this to say to the F1 kingdom :

@Vettel, Webber and Team Red Bull - STOP stealing Mclaren thunder! All those actions on and off track , garnished with your war of words are so ridiculously dramatic, it must be giving Lewis/Alonso an inferiority complex. You were liked for your fun-quotient and diplomacy - save whatever of it is left.

@Bernie- You sly, 5ft tall bugger, you! Are you behind the scene at Red Bull? Wouldn't be too surprised, considering we have no scandalous 'gate's this season. Just..pick another team?

@Lewis, Button - So, you've been christened Lewson/Jenis by the media. Jenis, seriously? All the in-team-love is slightly over done, fellas. The patience is running out, just call each other a wanker and collide already!

@Ferrari - Dudes, I'm Tifosi and everything, but hello! You're supposed to be a Prancing Horse , not a braying child of a donkey. Let me put it across very simply :
Ferrari + Raikkonen + whining = monotone-d fun.
Ferrari + Schumacher + whining = bearable.
Ferrari + Alonso + whining = pain in everyone's rear.

You're not winning because you're not improving! It has nothing to do with one of the stewards not having a pleasant family life. No one's plotting against you!

"Its all a conspiracy =( "

So stop wailing and pointing fingers, before your logo goes from the classic horse to this --->

Oh Nando, you can continue. It's always fun when your frustration makes its way to the team radio , for all of us to hear. Also, (dyamn) I don't really have any other reason to pick on you.
(For your benefit kind reader, Alonso doing his thing : 1. A funny one  2.A sulky one )

@ Schumi - Don't quit. Not yet.

When the "Schumacher is a back-marker" claims drop into my chat window, I have nothing to say. I can only hope for better, I can only look back at The Race of Champions and feel a sense of relief. No matter what though, my opinion of the maestro will never change. 

Formula1 is set to redeem itself this weekend, with rain hinting it might pay us a visit. I, for one, have been looking forward to this race for a very long time. After Schumacher, Germany and Formula 1 combine most beautifully in the location for this weekend's race - Hockenheim. The German GP is here, bringing back every emotion the German football team did. I'm excitedly hoping to witness an entertaining race and I can tell I won't be disappointed.
To all fans, happy (pre-poned and extended) Oktoberfest!

21 years of facepalm

It's that time of the year when it's all about me. Don't run away though, I'll keep this rant short.

When I was 14, I was crazy about Formula 1 and I loved Schumacher. Today, I'm fond of Formula 1, I like Schumacher and I'm trying to hunt his son down. Back then, I loved watching Cardcaptors. Now, I watch Cardcaptors only when I find its Japanese version. I used to believe Richie Sambora was the best guitarist in the world. Now I don't think twice before saying Petrucci can kick Sambora arse. My behaviour, once termed hyper, is now high. As a teen, I'd regret a lot of things I'd say, often said without internal processing. Now I don't care enough to regret. Then, I was always full of energy and made good of it in athletics. I cared about education. I actually had ambition. And now, I'm ..well, I have energy and make good of it by looking for more food. I drag myself through the process of education. I can't find my ambitions.

Many changes, o'er these years, some trivial, others not so much. Only a few things have stayed constant. My height for instance, but lets not go there.

None of those changes, I had a conscious control over. When I turned 20, I decided to bring about changes that I wanted to see. It's only providing you with redundant information, when I tell you that none of it came through. But I did have exciting plans! I wanted to experiment and go trippin'.Instead, I had paan for the first time and went tripping over electric cables. Did I hear you say facepalm? Well, you're absolutely right.

In fact, I'm pretty sure the doctor who yanked me out into this world 21 years back had a hard time getting my feet out of my mouth, while I hid my face in my hands. Ever since, its been facepalm after facepalm. My parents have even considered using surgical measures to keep my feet out my mouth. 21 years of it all, its been fun. For those who stood at a distance and watched, of course. I'm not too upset myself, I'm sure a lot of things could've been worse. Tough, crazy or blissful-it's at least been interesting all this while.

The legal age for everything is here and I've waited for long. But harder times are to come, people say. I find myself wondering if I'm all set to 'battle the world'. I wonder if I'll ever make a positive difference to my environment, or if I'll fall asleep in a bathtub at 27, without having achieved anything worth talking about. I..

I wonder how much I'm going to cringe when I read this a year from now.

Damn.

There's a geezer in F1 (and its NOT Schumacher).

"The five red lights eliminate and the *insert name* GP iis GO!"

Quite literally, ring a bell?

For religious followers of Formula1 who watch the telecast on Espnstar, every race begins with those words being spat out in mighty excitement by Steve Slater. And boy, is he one special character!

Before I stick to boring tradition and list out points as to why the man ought to be out looking for his screws, let me state that I like him. He's a fine chap, a typical middle-aged British man, I suppose, hyper and overly joyous all the time. Irrespective of everything I say, Formula1 RaceDay needs him. But considering all that bumbling, messing up and guffawing, I decided there had to be a post on the bugger. So, quickly getting down to business, here's what I find annoying/amusing about the man :

* The tone of his voice + accent.

Maaybe I shouldn't comment in this category because of my bias toward the baritone. But hey, its only fair that a sport have a commentator with a charming voice. I mean, the sport is a two hour show with cars going about one track, a shrieking voice can get to you, y'know? Alright, maybe not his voice per se , its pitch perhaps. Well, you get the drift.

And I won't trash the accent - I don't hate it. Especially since it can get amusing at times.

* Mr.Excessivley Hyper

Yeah, I'm no one to rant about somebody else being annoyingly hyper, but this man simply ought to calm down! What is he now, 50? All that excitement could rub his BP the wrong way. Earlier, there was the ever-calm Chris Goodwin, who kept things going steady, without giving any one's pulse a sudden jolt.

Agreed, there are two sides to the coin. Without Slater's constant cackle, non-crazy F1 fans might catch a snooze before lap 20. But just sometimes, his excitement can get to one's nerves.

* Blunders galore

In the name of Ayrton Senna, someone please help him get all those names right. Slater almost always remembers to drop in a blooper during a telecast. In all his excitement, it seems like he often loses his train of thought. For instance (and this is just one of hundreds), at this weekend's Spanish GP, he went,

"Whatever Sebastian Vettel can do, Vettel can do it 300th of a second better."

Replace the second Vettel with Webber, please.

Yes, I know, to commentate in real-time is very tough, I would've made a bigger fool out of myself.. yada yada yada. But one ought to know the basics like team and driver names, yes?

"Kobayashi there, driving for the BMW Sauber.....Sauber...whatever it is they call it now! hehe!"

BMW Sauber Ferrari, thank you very much.

* Talking over a driver's radio conversation.

Here's something that actually makes me want to send out a flying punch. When a driver's radio goes on for the viewers to listen to, you quit rambling and let people listen to the driver-engineer conversation! Slater always has a fellow commentator remind him to shush. When the man finally completes his rant and goes quiet, the radio conversation would be three fourths done with.

Bollocks!

* Well, strictly speaking, this is not a valid point. His bro-crush on Lewis Hamilton has nothing to do with this post. Yeah, he was a true Schumacher fan but jumped wagon. So? He never makes any biased remarks in Hamilton's favour now, does he? Does he?

Well, at least its better this year. Its just him going ga-ga over the Ham-boy. There is no bright orange-clad-pussycat's-annoying-doll going fruity in the pit lane. Phew!

Anyway, not digressing further ; the listed issues aside, there's Slater's constant comparison between F1 and chess ( "they're playing chess at 250kph!") and his never ending stuttering, among many such idiosyncrasies.

But like I said before, he's one endearing old bloke. He adds his Brit jazz to Formula 1 every Sunday and my race wouldn't be complete without him or his flubs. Of course, other sports have funnier people to celebrate, but here's my toast to that yeasty geezer from Formula 1 - Cheers.