2013 Australian Grand Prix: Thursday

It's been a long and exciting day here in Melbourne and admittedly I am on the verge of passing out. Although the Formula 1 cars don't make their way onto the track for the first time until tomorrow, the Albert Park circuit opened its doors this morning and I was there to capture all of the action.

The following are some of my photographs and observations from a very intense Thursday at the Australian Grand Prix:

Thousands of fans crushed themselves into a very full pit lane at nine in the morning. Funnily enough I was able to get a front row seat at Ferrari as Australian fans flocked to Red Bull in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Mark Webber.

Ferrari's chief designer Nicholas Tombazis seemed quite taken with the new McLaren.

Ferrari spent a decent portion of time studying the rear of Fernando Alonso's car and then practicing pit stops in the afternoon. Is it just me or does one of the mechanics look almost exactly like Stefano Domenicali? A group of guys standing near me certainly thought so and kept chanting "STEFANO!" to the poor man who was obliviously trying to do his job.

Kimi Raikkonen was as cool as ever. The iceman seemed almost pained to sign various items for his fans at a obligatory autograph session in Albert Park. I can't say that I blame him really, the whole area resembled a large cattle pen, with fans jostling for position and thrusting all manner of things, including a can of deodorant in his direction. Ever the professional, Kimi signed it all at a blistering speed and only cracked a tiny smile when an over-excited female admirer exclaimed "Kimi! I love you, I'm a huge fan!"

McLaren newbie Sergio Perez loved the autograph stage and even performed a crazy dance, which Jenson Button labelled as "sexy", for the assembled crowd. The two drivers seem to genuinely get along well, let's hope that Sergio doesn't become too jaded by fame.

David Coulthard treated me to a little show when his Red Bull exited the pit lane right where I was standing. Unfortunately security was trying to kick me out but at least I managed to get a few decent pictures before having to leave.

A beautiful view of the pit lane exit courtesy of a case of mistaken identity.

A large selection of historic cars was on display to the public.

I hope that you enjoyed this first view of the Australian Grand Prix. Rest assured that I will post more photographs in the coming days.

Formula 1 Arrives in Melbourne

It's another gorgeous day in Melbourne and the start of the 2013 Formula 1 season is just days away! Making the headlines this past week was Lewis Hamilton, who managed to secure a paddock pass for his beloved dog. No, I'm not talking about Nicole (oooh that was low!) but rather his new best friend and 'chillaxing' partner Roscoe the bulldog. Hamilton and presumably Roscoe landed in Melbourne recently and the Mercedes star couldn't resist posting this beautiful picture on his twitter account

https://twitter.com/LewisHamilton/status/310851216349483010/photo/1 adding that he was off for a 6am run. While not as scandalous as a post about his team mate's telemetry data, surely the revelation that he and possibly the entire Mercedes team are staying at either the Hilton or Crown Casino is enough to warrant a scolding from Ross Brawn. 

Other drivers have also been tweeting about their arrivals in the city or posting photos from their epic voyages to get here. Fernando Alonso tweeted this artistic snap en route to Australia http://instagram.com/p/WsCsy4Qak6/ and Sauber's latest Mexican recruit, Esteban Gutierrez, took part in a predictable photo shoot involving some kangaroos. http://instagram.com/p/Wp9daWOw90/ 

Jenson Button seemed to have the same idea as I did yesterday, enjoying a spot of beach training in the scorching temperatures 

and Nico Hulkenberg expressed his wish to make it past the first corner on Sunday! 

Notably absent from the Twitter posting frenzy was Kimi Raikkonen, who was probably asleep after eating one too many ice cream sandwiches in a first class cabin somewhere over the Pacific. 

Last but not least was Adrian Sutil. Back on the grid this year after being shunned in the wake of an assault conviction, Sutil still seems to harbor more than a little bit of resentment towards one time friend Lewis Hamilton. Last year I reported that when Hamilton refused to testify at Sutil's court case he had also apparently changed his phone number presumably to avoid confrontation with the bitter German . 

Now that the ghost of glassings past has come back to haunt the British driver, it seems that Hamilton is eager to bury the hatchet. "I have emailed Adrian a couple of times" a needy-sounding Lewis stated " I emailed him a while ago because I heard there was a chance he could get the seat. I just said that I had said a prayer for him, that I really hoped he got the seat because he deserved it and that I really hoped to see him back in Formula 1. I also emailed him on the way here as soon as I found out and congratulated him. I haven't heard back from him but I'm sure at some stage we will get to talk." For his part, Sutil doesn't seem quite as keen. "We have no relationship at the moment. I never saw him, I never spoke to him. I will meet up with him but I don't know what will happen." Oh to be a fly on that wall!

2013 Australian Grand Prix: First Pictures

Happy New Year everyone! 2013 is finally here and in only a few weeks time the Formula 1 circus will be here too. Normally in February I am in hibernation mode; shivering, drinking tea and bemoaning the many layers of clothing that it takes to keep me from getting frostbite. The long, sweaty, summer days of the Formula 1 season seem like a distant memory and that first race in March feels a lifetime away. This year, however, is slightly different. In Melbourne evidence that the Australian Grand Prix is just around the corner is all around me and the only kind of tea I feel like drinking is of the iced variety. From the blisteringly scorching daytime temperatures to the massive banner that is being displayed outside the tourist information centre in Federation Square, there is little doubt that the start of the season is just around the corner.

Perhaps the biggest evidence that the Australian Grand Prix is almost here can be found in Albert Park. Although the Grand Prix circuit has yet to be fully constructed, grandstands have been erected and materials for gravel traps, fencing and tyre barriers have already arrived.

The paddock area has been sealed off and signs advertise the upcoming event. Part of the circuit is a fairly main road and thousands of commuters use it to travel to and from work on a daily basis. Last week, as I stood in a parking lot which will soon become the Clark chicane, I couldn't help but smile to imagine that Formula 1 cars would soon be racing along the palm-tree lined straight nearby.

I can remember waking up early in the morning and watching images of that road on TV. Melbourne seemed like a tropical paradise; brightly lit and full of bold colours. The pure blue sky and lush green grass were so clear on my screen and the Ferraris gave off a red/orange glow as they sped by. There in the damp darkness of my English living room, blurry-eyed and covered in blankets, I fell a little bit in love with Melbourne and its vivid warmth.

Walking the circuit stirred in me those emotions that I felt as a teenager , longing for summer days to return and with them my renewed hopes of a Ferrari championship. As I ventured onto the start/finish straight, I glanced up at the empty grandstands and imagined they were full of people, my heart beat faster and I realised just how excited I am for this race.

While Ferrari scrambles to make sure that this year's challenger, the F138, is competitive from its first racing lap, all I can do is sit here and await their arrival. I have missed them, it's as simple as that and above all I have missed the way my stomach tightens in those seconds before the lights go out on a Sunday afternoon. I am very ready for 2013 and even more ready for a Ferrari championship.

The following are some of my recent photos from around Albert Park. Winter is almost over and the long summer days of the Formula 1 season will be here before we know it!

AFL Grand Final Week in Melbourne

Spring has finally sprung and I am really looking forward to some warmer weather after my few months of winter! As you have probably already guessed from the photos in my previous blog post, I am in Melbourne, Australia; land of kangaroos, Crocodile Dundee and these awkward looking pick-up truck mutations known as yutes.

I said goodbye to Italy in June after experiencing an amazing year living in Lodi and taking every opportunity to travel around the country. I will miss the home of Ferrari so very dearly and I have to thank the people who I came into contact with while I was there a great deal for showing me how to truly live with passion and helping me to understand the team that I have loved my entire life more than ever before. In the past year I have gotten closer to Ferrari than I ever dreamt was possible, I have made some amazing memories and I have been reminded that anything can be achieved if you believe in it and single-mindedly pursue that goal. I know that I will be back to Maranello someday soon and I am looking forward to that day with all of my heart.

 

 

It’s been tough moving to Australia and I would be lying if I said that there weren’t obstacles but who ever said that following your heart was easy? Thankfully I can now say that I feel settled in Melbourne and have begun to look forward to the fantastic amount of events that the city has to offer and also learn more about some of the things that are uniquely Australian.

At the top of my list of fascinations has to be what the locals here simply call “football” but the rest of the world refers to as “Aussie Rules”. The most confusing thing about “football” has to be the name since apparently only people in Victoria call it football, the rest of Australia calls rugby “football”. Lost yet?

If you can get past the name and the ridiculously short shorts that all of the players seem to wear, try understanding the rules. Am I the only one who wonders how a team can still score points even if they don’t get the ball in between the designated posts and what’s with the referee throwing the ball in backwards sometimes and then other times simply smashing it into the ground like a mouldy watermelon?! Why are there so many birds in “football” and why is one of the teams known only as the cats? Not the wildcats, not the tiger cats, not even the slightly agitated cats…just the cats. I could go on, but before I begin dissecting the random words that commentators use to describe various plays (for example: “Ooooh he soccerd it!” What does that even mean?!) let me just say that I am absolutely in love with this game!

I found out recently that Aussie Rules is in my blood and even though it was only a distant cousin of mine who once played for Collingwood, I definitely feel as though the revelation warrants me learning a little bit more about the sport and perhaps even trying it out for myself. Who knows, maybe someday soon you’ll see me violently thrashing my hands around like a lunatic in the stands of the MCG or maybe even prancing about on the Brownlow Medal red carpet. Stranger things have happened.

 

The Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final takes place this Saturday and all throughout the city, locals will be proudly sporting their colours of allegiance. There is even a parade on Friday and the tourist information centre boasts a large banner that features the AFL trophy on it. I can’t wait to see who emerges victorious this weekend, whether it’s the hawks or the swans. I’m putting my money on the swans simply because I reckon that in the wild a swan could absolutely take a hawk, I’ve been chased by one before and those things are bloody vicious.

 

 

Put some shrimp on your barbie, it’s going to be a cracker! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

Where Am I?

What a month to be a tifosa and what a crazy month for me in general. Since I last wrote I have been travelling...and travelling and having more of my random adventures. Ferrari has somehow managed to find speed in the car, Felipe Massa has managed to put in a half decent drive and yes, who could forget Fernando Alonso's spellbinding Spanish victory? So where am I now? I won't tell you just yet because I still have jet lag and honestly don't know if I'm on foot or horseback, but I will leave you with some of my pictures from the past month and the promise that I will return to tell all of my tales in the near future!

Ask Gianluca: Melbourne

Gianluca Martini is a rare type of enthusiast. He is one of the biggest Ferrari fans that I have ever met and yet his passion for motorsports and Formula 1 in particular mean that he values good racing over results. With more than thirty years of Formula 1 viewing under his belt, the Melbourne native has been enamoured with cars for as far back as he can remember. Add to that an engineering degree and you get one extremely well-educated fanatic. Since getting to know him, I have come to view Gianluca as an invaluable source of both information and witty commentary. He has a talent for picking drivers who will be the next big thing and for remembering obscure facts that most of us have long forgotten.

This past weekend, Gianluca was fortunate enough to attend the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and with Albert Park also being his home circuit, I decided that he would be the ideal person to give me the inside scoop on the Australian Grand Prix. Earlier today I asked him some questions about what the event was really like.

Danielle: As you know, I’ve never been to Albert Park during a Grand Prix Weekend before. What is the atmosphere like throughout the event?

Gianluca: It’s a good atmosphere but generally speaking people aren’t Formula 1 enthusiasts. They’re present more so because it’s a big event. In terms of knowledge I would say that it’s average which is slightly disappointing really. It doesn’t compare to Monza for instance, where you know that most of the crowd are motor-racing enthusiasts. In Melbourne, I feel the race is seen more as a social event than a motor race.

Danielle: Are you saying that there are no Formula 1 fanatics in Melbourne?

Gianluca: Not at all! There are some die-hard Formula 1 fans definitely, but not like in Europe where the majority seem to know what they're talking about. This weekend for instance, I had to explain to a guy sitting in front of me that Michael Schumacher made his come back in 2010, not this year!

Danielle: So tell me more about your personal experience. Where were you sitting?

Gianluca: I was sitting on the start/finish straight directly in front of seventh position on the grid.

Danielle: What was that like?

Gianluca: It was great for the start of the race and the pit stops. It was also exciting to see the beginning of a slipstream manoeuvre. Specifically Alonso would get sooo close to the car in front a few times I thought he was going to fly over his back wheels, the precision was extraordinary. All of the aircraft displays and action are centred around the start/finish straight, but in terms of seeing Formula 1 performance, apart from at the start, it’s probably not the best place.

Danielle: So if you could sit anywhere on the circuit, where would you sit?

Gianluca: At turn eleven/twelve, which is a fast chicane where the apex speed is around 220kph. Turns one and two is also a good position to sit, drivers tend to get greedy under brakes and more often than not drift wide across the Astroturf or gravel trap - I think it must be the most used run-off area in the whole Formula 1 calendar!

Danielle: Friday must have been brutal with the weather being so changeable. How did you manage to keep dry?

Gianluca: Huddled under a plastic poncho that I brought with me to the track. As a Melbournian I know that it can rain at any given moment regardless of what the weather forecast is or what the sky currently appears to be!

Danielle: What about what other people were wearing? What was the funniest fan outfit that you saw all weekend?

Gianluca: There was a woman in my grandstand who was wearing a Ferrari cat hat, it had two ears and a cat's tail. I’ve never seen a Ferrari cat hat before and I have no idea what a cat has to do with Ferrari. It was certainly unique; I’ve never seen them sold anywhere.

Danielle: If you had to guess, what would you say that cats have to do with Ferrari?

Gianluca: Maybe she’s a Massa fan and believes that Massa deserves nine lives. At the current rate, he'll need 20 though, one for each race haha. She was clearly a Ferrari fan; she had the jacket, the t-shirt and clearly the quintessential Ferrari cat hat!

Danielle: Aside from people wearing strange outfits, did you notice anyone else who was interesting at the track? What about celebrities?

Gianluca: I saw plenty of drivers and team personnel because I was sitting right in front of the pits but one that stands out in my mind is Lenny Kravitz. He looked absolutely ridiculous with his beanie and dark sunglasses even though it was nearly night time and pissing down with rain. Then he mentioned something about not knowing anything about Formula 1, yet he got a personal garage tour of McLaren and I had to sit out in the rain! Yes I’m a disgruntled fan…damn you celebrities!

Danielle: Let’s talk about the actual racing itself. Was there anything that you noticed that people watching the race on television might have missed?

Gianluca: Kimi Raikkonen’s start! It was fantastic because he just shot between two cars. People watching on television would have probably been concentrating on the front of the grid as opposed to eighteenth position. Vitaly Petrov also stopped right in front of me when he had his steering problem. And of course Alonso's millimetre perfect overtaking moves, unfortunately mostly on lapped cars!

Danielle: What about the cars themselves, did you notice anything that was of particular interest to you?

Gianluca: I spent a fair bit of time trying to work out how the DRS F duct stalls the front wing of the Mercedes.

Danielle: Did you manage to work it out in the end?

Gianluca: Schumacher spun in free practice three and got stuck in the gravel. The crane had to lift his car up and he was standing in front of the front wing to block any views of this DRS F Duct device. You could tell that he was trying to block it because he was spreading his arms out and ensuring the car wouldn’t be lifted too high so nobody could see under it. Obviously that means there is something to the rumours and that the system exists because thus far it has only been speculation really.

Danielle: What about HRT? Exactly how bad is their car in person?

Gianluca: I actually really like the car! I think it’s one of the best looking cars on the grid in terms of the shape and the minimalist colour scheme is classy but it’s visibly slow, even in a straight line.

Danielle: What was your favourite support race category this year?

Gianluca: Australian V8 Supercars. They have probably the best set of drivers outside of the Formula 1 grid at Albert Park and usually produce close racing along with a fair bit of commotion.

Danielle: Was there anything about this year’s V8 events that stood out to you?

Gianluca: The stupid rules that they trialed. First there’s a qualifying 'race' and every three laps the last three cars are eliminated until there are ten cars left. At this point, if the ten cars are too far apart they call out the safety car to bunch the field up and then restart the race for the remaining 8 odd laps.

Danielle: That’s one way to force competition. It makes DRS look tame.

Gianluca: Yes, it makes DRS almost seem like a good idea doesn’t it? To be honest I’m not entirely sure that I dislike DRS. What I don’t like about it is that it gives only one car the opportunity to use it at a time. The driver who’s the faster car is in front but with DRS, he’s disadvantaged by being in front which is against the whole point of motor racing. In terms of overtaking though it’s no different to the turbo boost button they had back in the 1980s although then you could also use it defensively too.

Danielle: Imagine if DRS had been around when Gilles Villeneuve was driving. It would have certainly altered his legend.

Gianluca: Yes, he’d have been in trouble. One of the skills of motor racing is being able to defend your position. With DRS, and if both cars have similar performance, you almost have no chance.

Danielle: Alright, time for a conclusion. What is the most annoying thing about Albert Park as a venue?

Gianluca: I don’t particularly like the layout of the circuit. There are too many chicanes and left/right or right/left combinations. It doesn’t have a nice flow to it, not until the last sector anyway. The other thing would be vantage points. It’s not like Sepang for instance, where you can sit in one spot and see most of the track. All the views are pretty limited.

Danielle: I know what you mean, Canada’s like that too.

Gianluca: Yes, because they’re both street circuits essentially, surrounded by concrete walls and trees.

Danielle: Finally, what is the best thing about Albert Park as a venue?

Gianluca: The organisation is excellent, you'd have to try really hard to get lost going to/from the circuit or making your way around it. It’s a four day event and the programme is filled with so many things to see and do, both off and on the track. There are historic parades, car shows, aircraft displays, stunt motorcycle displays, concerts, 'jet pack man' and a massive support race program including V8 Supercars and the Porsche Carrera Cup. It’s pretty impressive, there is something going on all the time. There’s almost too much choice, you literally could not see everything.

Danielle: Did you say 'jet pack man'?

Gianluca: Yes, he’s basically a guy with a jet pack who flies for a pretty short amount of time, like 10 seconds, until his fuel runs out. There’s a video of him on Youtube actually. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL4Hfr2v64c He was on the pit straight and trying to fly over a bridge, it was bloody loud. Unfortunately one of the days he couldn’t do it because he had a problem with his jet pack and only hovered a metre off the ground - understandable as you don't want to be falling from a 20 metre height with only your legs cushioning the landing!

Danielle: Sounds epic. What was his name?

Gianluca: Jet pack man…literally.

Danielle: I love Australians!

**Photographs for this article were generously provided by Gianluca Martini**

Australian Grand Prix: Race Report

McLaren’s Jenson Button has won a thrilling Australian Grand Prix ahead of Sebastian Vettel and the Scuderia Ferrari has achieved its goal of finishing the first race of the season in the points, much to my great relief.

A few years ago, I would have been incredibly disappointed if Ferrari had only managed to achieve ten points at the season opening Grand Prix and would have most likely been ranting and raving about what an epic disaster it was on this very blog…my how things change. With the way that the F2012 has been performing and after yesterday’s dismal qualifying session, I am viewing Fernando Alonso’s fifth place finish today as a minor miracle.

The brilliant Spaniard, who began the race with one of his trademark position-gaining starts, managed to take his Ferrari from a lowly twelfth place on the grid and salvaged somewhat of a decent result. In fact, in his hands the Ferrari did not look bad at times, largely thanks to an inspired team decision to switch to medium tyres at the first pit stop. Alonso put in a handful of fast laps and ran as high as fourth position before tyre degradation meant that he came under pressure from the Williams of Pastor Maldonado in the later stages of the race.

In contrast to Alonso’s performance, Felipe Massa had a lacklustre race, never featuring amongst the leaders and running outside of the top ten for the majority of the day. When Bruno Senna attempted to pass his countryman on lap 48, the pair collided, ending Massa’s disastrous opening weekend.

In the aftermath of the race, the Ferrari driver blamed his woes on tyre wear, resulting from the F2012’s poor balance. After having a terrible season last year, however, Massa has used up all of his get out of jail free cards and it seems as though the writing is on the wall for him. Sauber’s Sergio Perez, who is also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, put in a fine drive today to reach an eventual eighth place and there is no doubt in my mind that speculation will begin shortly about exactly when he will usurp Massa’s position within Ferrari.

Aside from Ferrari’s race, there were of course many other highlights from the afternoon and the following are just five of my favourite talking points from the day:

1. Kimi’s confusion. After starting his return to Formula 1 off with a disappointing eighteenth position on the grid, Kimi Raikkonen was keen to prove exactly why he is a former World Champion in the Lotus. The sometimes too relaxed Finn, who is known as the iceman, put in a solid performance to end the day in seventh position. While weaving his way through traffic, the thirty two year-old came across several blue flags which were meant to warn backmarkers to make way for the leaders. Instead of ignoring them, however, a confused Raikkonen radioed his engineer, Mark Slade frantically asking what they were there for. “Blue flags are for cars behind Kimi, they’re not for you.” Was Slade’s somewhat amused answer.

2. The safety car. Being the first race of the season, there was always bound to be at least one safety car period for the drivers to contend with. Even though the majority of the field were fairly well-behaved in the early stages of the race, the stewards were forced to call the safety car out on lap 37 when Vitaly Petrov’s Caterham ground to a stop on the start/finish straight. The timing played right into the hands of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel as both McLarens, who were at the time running in first and second position respectively, had pitted on the previous lap. Vettel was able to use the safety car to his advantage as his rivals circulated slowly around Albert Park and emerged from the pit lane in front of Lewis Hamilton. This year the FIA have reintroduced the rule where lapped cars are allowed to unlap themselves during a safety car period. In my opinion this is a fantastic thing as it ensures a straight fight between the main contenders once the race is restarted. Critics of the rule say that it adds to the time that the safety car remains on the circuit and that overtaking backmarkers should be a part of any racing drivers skill set. What do you think about it?

3. A resurgent Williams catches an unlucky break. Poor Williams. After impressing throughout the weekend, somehow the former championship winning squad managed to leave Melbourne without a single point to their name. It looked as though Pastor Maldonado was about to finish the race in sixth position when he made a silly mistake and slammed his car quite violently into the wall. Perhaps in that moment Frank Williams lamented his decision not to keep Rubens Barrichello on for one more season. Still, Williams can gain some comfort in the knowledge that their new chassis is clearly a great deal more competitive that last year’s beast, the FW33 and surely the team’s first points of the season will come sooner rather than later.

4. Australian drivers perform on home soil. Australian natives Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo both started off their seasons with solid drives in front of their home crowd. For Webber, his fourth place finish was the highest that he has ever achieved in Australia and Ricciardo took the ninth spot to complete a dream weekend for him that saw him make the final part of qualifying for the first time in his career. No doubt there will be more to come from the young Toro Rosso driver.

5. Hamilton eats his words. Am I the only one who dislikes the way that Lewis Hamilton clearly thinks that he is a better driver than Jenson Button? Probably not. Before the season began, Hamilton was quoted as saying that he wasn’t concerned about finishing last year with fewer points than Button and implied that the result had to do with his own mistakes rather than a particularly brilliant performance from his team mate. When the Britain put his McLaren on pole position yesterday it seemed as though there may have been some truth to his words and that we were about to experience a dominant win from the former champion. Good thing that his team mate was having none of it. When Button was interviewed by Martin Brundle on the grid, he seemed calm and confident and after the lights went out in Albert Park, he carried that attitude through into the race. Button’s driving was reminiscent of the kind of form that saw him win the 2009 World Championship with Brawn GP and he proved today that his wonderful season last year was no fluke. He is certainly far too much of a gentleman to say this himself, so I will say it for him…ha ha!

Now that the inaugural weekend of the 2012 world championship is over, the teams must quickly pack everything up and make their way to Malaysia, where the Formula 1 circus will reconvene in less than one week’s time. Until then I leave you with Kimi’s conversation with Mark Slade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDfOmEIt_As

**Photographs for this blog post were generously provided by Gianluca Martini.**

Australian Grand Prix: Qualifying

Yesterday in Melbourne, the twenty four cars that normally make up the Formula 1 grid took to Albert Park to find out once and for all where they stand after a long winter of testing and development. When the lights turned green for the first part of the inaugural race’s qualifying session, teams scrambled to get their cars out on track in the glorious Australian sunshine after poor weather limited their running yesterday.

Almost immediately, Narain Karthikeyan proved to be an irritation in his troubled HRT. The Indian driver played the part of mobile chicane, blocking both world champion, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, causing the pair to wave their fists angrily as they finally made their way past. After qualifying well outside the 107 percent rule, both HRTs were refused permission to race from the stewards and will have to hope that they can find a spot on the grid in Malaysia next weekend. Karthikeyan was, however, sceptical that the team could improve the car before then. “It’s going to be a lot hotter and we have cooling problems already, so it’s going to be hard.” He told the media after the session. “We don’t want to bullshit ourselves; it’s going to be very difficult.”

The major surprise of qualifying one was the loss of former World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, who made his return to Formula 1 in Australia. Even before the session began there were rumours circulating within the paddock that as the rain fell during Friday’s second practice session, Kimi simply declared to his team that he did not feel like going out on track. This caused several commentators to revisit the major pre-season debate of whether or not Raikkonen is motivated and ready to race. When, in the dying moments of the first session, the Finnish driver made a mistake and could do no better than eighteenth position on the grid, their scrutiny seemed to be legitimized. Afterwards Raikkonen explained that a miscommunication meant that he thought he had time for another lap and therefore slowed as the minutes counted down to zero. “We had plenty of speed and I just ran wide in turn twelve and we were supposed to have one more lap and that’s why I slowed down.” He explained. “Probably if I’d just kept going we would have been fast enough to go through. I was supposed to have one more lap and I was just speeding up through the last corner when the red lights came on…It was close but I just missed my last lap.”

Whatever the reason for Raikkonen’s poor grid position, it was made to look even worse by his teammate Romain Grosjean, who not only made it through to the final part of qualifying, but managed to put his Lotus in third position for Sunday’s race. For Grosjean, it was a dream start to his season and he must have felt a little bit vindicated after his previous spell in Formula 1 ended so badly. “Very few people still had faith in me after my first life in Formula 1, but we’ve all worked very hard to start a new adventure and I’m very happy to be able to put a great performance in right from the start of the season.” The reigning GP2 champion stated. “This third position shows one thing: you must believe in your dreams and hold on to them, whatever happens.”

Ferrari’s dreams of hoisting this year’s constructer’s championship were dealt a solid blow when the team had their worst qualifying sessions in recent memory. Felipe Massa barely managed to make it out of the first qualifying session and both of the F2012s failed to make the top ten, with Massa qualifying in a lowly sixteenth position. That isn’t to say that Fernando Alonso didn’t look capable of making it into the final shootout for pole position. The Spaniard touched the grass while heading into turn one and ended up beaching himself in the gravel, bringing out red flags in the process. After the disappointment he assured Ferrari fans worldwide that he would still be fighting for points on Sunday’s Grand Prix and assured the media that the team would give it their all to make up the deficit in the coming races. “We have to work and I’m sure we’ve worked 24 hours a day before this race, now we need to work 25 and it’s the only way to improve the car and to win races soon.” He summarised. Although, as a tifosa, it was a very bad day for me, Fernando’s lost-in-translation comment brought a smile to my face. Surely he didn’t mean to imply that winning races would be impossible for the scuderia this year and as I chuckled to myself, I relaxed and decided that Sunday could still go Ferrari’s way.

At the sharp end of the grid, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes all looked more than capable of challenging for pole position. There were also fantastic performances from Pastor Maldonado, who drove his much improved Williams Renault to eighth position on the grid, and Daniel Ricciardo, who earnt a spot in the final qualifying session for the first time in his career, much to the delight of his home crowd.

In the end it was the McLarens who occupied the front row, with Lewis Hamilton just edging out Jenson button by 0.152 seconds. Red Bull was also caught off guard by Mercedes as Michael Schumacher grabbed an impressive fourth spot on the grid and his countryman, Nico Rosberg ended up in seventh. Sebastian Vettel blamed his sixth place on a mistake made during his final lap. “I wasn’t entirely happy with my final attempt; I did a mistake at the beginning of the lap so I should have been higher up.” He admitted before adding. “But I think McLaren was out of reach today so congratulations, they were really quick.” Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber qualified just in front of him ahead of tomorrow’s race and Nico Hulkenberg brought his Force India towards the front of the grid, when he finished the day in ninth.

With more than one driver out of place for the race, the Australian Grand Prix promises to be even more exciting than qualifying. Look out for Kimi Raikkonen to prove his worth as well as both Ferraris to try and make their way further up the field.

**Photographs for this blog post were generously provided by Gianluca Martini**

Australian Grand Prix: Friday Free Practice

Okay I’ll admit it, even though I am really excited about the start of the 2012 Formula 1 season, I feel like I have been hit by a bus, knocked over by a marching band and trampled upon by a herd of rampant elephants! Any European enthusiast who tells you that they were not suffering from severe sleep deprivation by the end of this morning’s second free practice session at Albert Park is either a liar or a chronic Red bull drinker. In Italy, free practice one began at half past two in the morning and free practice two ended at eight o’clock, creating one very intense Formula 1 all-nighter. 

Like every other fanatic in the world, I turned on my television this morning wanting some answers to all of the questions that have been floating around since the 2011 season ended all the way back in November. Which team would have the fastest car? Is Ferrari really in as much trouble as everyone is saying? How will Kimi Raikkonen perform upon his return to the sport? Which colour earrings will Lewis Hamilton be sporting? Sadly at the end of the day I have to admit that I can not even answer one of the questions, not even the one about the earrings. I was too taken aback by the presence of Lenny Kravitz and Nicole Scherzinger in the McLaren pit to pay any attention to Lewis’s ridiculous jewellery. I guess that there is no truth to all of the recent comments insisting that his days of celebrity schmoozing and personal distractions are over. All I can say is that Felipe Massa had better watch out on Sunday. He is one driver who is more than aware of the havoc that a distracted Hamilton can wreak during a Grand Prix weekend.

As for the remaining questions, the unpredictable Melbourne weather kept the mystery alive when it alternated between dumping buckets of rain onto the Australian spectators and glorious sunshine throughout the day. The result was that none of the teams were particularly keen to run their latest challengers as the rest of the weekend is expected to be dry. When the cars finally began putting in their hot laps, McLaren’s MP4-27 emerged as a strong chassis and the Mercedes looked formidable in the hands of Michael Schumacher. Both teams seemed reasonably pleased with their position and with the way that their cars were handling.

The opposite can be said of Ferrari, whose car looked ragged and unpredictable. Felipe Massa had an off-road excursion during the first of the morning’s sessions and Fernando Alonso also had a twitchy moment of his own. Still, the team can gain satisfaction from the fact that although it appeared to be a bit of a handful, the F2012 also looked fast, with Alonso ending both of the day’s sessions in an encouraging fourth position.

Of the front-runners, the team that appeared to be most caught off guard today was surprisingly Red Bull. Clocking a speed that was twelve kilometres an hour slower than both the McLaren and the Mercedes through the speed trap, Red Bull could only manage to finish the day in tenth and eleventh positions respectively. Although the team’s strength last year was not the car’s straight line speed, there were apparently a few worried faces in the Milton Keynes based squad’s garage. In the aftermath of their difficult start to the weekend, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel stated that he was unhappy adding that Red Bull would have to go “a lot quicker tomorrow” if they hoped to compete against their rivals.

At the blunt end of the grid, HRT struggled with an ill-fitting nosecone that forced the team’s mechanics to literally file pieces of carbon fibre off of the unruly part in order to get it attached to the car. Narain Karthikeyan’s twenty-third place lap, with a time that was a staggering thirteen seconds off of Michael Schumacher’s pace, has prompted team principal Luis Perez-Sala to admit that there is a real possibility that his cars will not qualify for the season opener. “It will be difficult for us” he said “I’m not thinking now about the speed of the cars, now we are trying to fit all of things to make do as best as possible to make P3 tomorrow, doing several laps and then we will see on the qualifying. For us Melbourne is like a place where we are going to take certain information from the cars and go forwards for the next races.”

Finally, in terms of what is new in the paddock, Caterham driver Heikki Kovalainen showed off a new helmet design in Albert Park today. http://www.t3.com/news/f1-driver-heikki-kovalainen-to-race-with-angry-birds-helmet His new helmet is red in colour and pays homage to the popular computer game “Angry Birds”. As I mentioned in my previous blog post on January 26^th http://lovelifeandferrari.blogspot.com/2012/01/angry-bird.html I am quite the fan of the game and so it is only fitting that Kovalainen, who is one of my favourite drivers, now looks like a motorised version of the game’s red bird. Although the design is a result of Rovio sponsorship, I like to think that Heikki has a sense of humour it. I have always admired him for being one of the drivers on the grid who has managed to remain down to earth despite his profession and once again he has given me good reason to smile. In fact, I also found it amusing that he was practicing his golf swing today while waiting to head out on track. Heikki, you are phenomenal…don’t change a thing!

As the sun sets and I prepare myself for another sleepless night of Formula 1 action, I find myself nervous, excited and full of hope. Tomorrow we will see once and for all just who will be the team to beat and I know that I will be sitting on the edge of my seat during qualifying. Formula 1, it’s good to have you back!

**Photographs for this blog post were generously provided by Luca Martini, who is attending the Australian Grand Prix this weekend**