Its on!

What is?
Firstly, UTPT. Quizzing doesn't get better than this. March 19-21st, 2010. Be there!


Now with that out of the way, the 2010 season is ON!
Nerves have started to twitch, fingernails have been digested , friends have been fought with - all this, with a month to go for the inaugural race!

There is so much to like about this season. New teams, new points system, NO Mosley, a good selection of drivers and the return of a winning combination. Needless to say, I'm thrilled(beyond acceptable limits) to see Schumacher and Brawn back together. But before I continue with my joyous rant, I'm going to say one thing to those of you who believe Schumacher is back for the money, fan count(?!) yada yada yada : Foutre vous.

Getting down to business, the new teams are US F1, Virgin, Lotus and Campos. The newbies started to interest me after I read about Branson's deal with Tony Fernandes, the owner of Lotus. If that deal is followed through, the team that ranks lower in the championship at the end of the season will have its owner serving wine in the other team owner's airline, for a day. Stewardess attire in place. How rad is that!

Their spirit is commendable. It has been and will continue to be an uphill task for the new teams to provide good/any competition to the established teams. Branson's glamour quotient aside, Virgin - the car, isn't really happening. If you look up an F1 thesaurus, you'll find 'US F1' to be synonymous with 'joke'. My genuine sympathies are with the team, but, that F1 is an expensive sport is no hidden secret. Lotus has launched a good-looking car, but is said to have downforce issues. And the last team, Campos, has been battling for survival. I have come across more rumors about Campos and Stefan GP than those about the foster parents of the world, Brangelina. It finally appears like Campos is being taken over by (some)Jose Ramon Carabante , in which case the team might be renamed. News about a certain Stefan GP continue to float around. Stefan GP is linked to Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and India's Karun Chandok. I wouldn't mind having them enter the sport, if it means giving Karun an opportunity to do the same.
Frankly, I can not do justice to this situation with my post. At least, not like Ferrari seem to have done with their statement. (Its a must-read)

Plenty new drivers coming in, but I'm excited crazy about The Hulk-enberg. I've been tracking this young German from his A1 and GP2 days and I expect him to perform well, given a reliable car. And perhaps, he could bag a better drive next season. Bruno Senna brings with him a legacy and the hopes of many fans around the world. US F1 brings with it some drivers whose names I haven't tried keeping in memory, not yet. Renault, for one, isn't paying a driver - the team is being paid by Petrov. Russian Petrov, his politically connected father and their tryst with F1 and money - this circus is far too controversial even by Formula 1 standards. Here's a good read on this.

Of course, we still have charming Vettel around. He is my candidate for the driver's title, after Michael. And I'm praying, with as many fingers crossed as possible, that we'll have an ego-driven battle in the all Brit team of Mclaren. Unlikely as this scenario is, I'd simply love to hear Button refer to Hamilton's arse on the team radio. All wishful thinking aside, I'm not ruling out Mclaren as a top contender. Mclaren, along with Ferrari and Red Bull seem to be the top 3 teams this season.

The new rules include a new points system, re-fueling ban et all. Interesting. But just having the old tyrant out feels good. My official congratulations to Jean Todt for becoming the new chief of the FIA. It is said, Todt wanted to appoint his son, Schumacher, as his special officer. But fortunately for me and numerous other Schumacher fans, Brawn made Schumacher an offer he couldn't refuse!
Ferrari tried hard to bring in a 3 car per team system, desperate to provide Schumacher a car. They couldn't manage that but had already booked themselves a whiny, brassy Spaniard. And before we knew it, Schumacher was set to join Brawn in his mission.

Ferrari have moved on, embraced their new line-up and can't stop singing wussy praises. They're sure of seeing their drivers better Schumi. Stefano said at an interview recently, "Alonso is the only one to have beaten Michael by a huge margin - in 2005." Stefano worked for Ferrari in 2005, surely he remembers how pitiful that car was?
Its rather painful to see Schumi separate from the family he held together for so long. Yes, I'm still miffed with Ferrari for ousting Kimi but once you wear Ferrari red, you don't trade the colour. I can't wait for Brawn to draw stunning strategies, watch Schumi execute them to perfection. I can't wait to upload photos of Schumi-Ross on the podium and tag them brawn and brain, respectively. I can't wait to feel the thrill and joy that I felt many years back! But it still is hard to accept that he isn't driving for the Tifosi. Whats harder, is watching Alonso drool over Ferrari like an annoying girl in her early teens. He is doing a great job behind the wheel though. The new car seems to be in great shape and I have little doubt that Alonso will make the best of it. Seeing Alonso top a Test session recently, with Michael coming in 5th(that Mercedes has me very worried) left me ripped. At this rate, cheering on Ferrari for Constructor's and Schumacher for Driver's isn't going to be easy.

Well, since I've got an entire season of racing, controversies and political drama to worry, lose hair and voice over, I'll end the post. I'll end it with a wish, an optimistic note that has been running through my mind for two months :

Schumi, kick Nando's ass for 2006!