Formula 1: Expect tremors in China!

The JRDC’s season opener – the  Carnival of Speed race meet -  held at Dover Raceway recently is still the subject matter which dominates heated debates. But, the neutral few who still retain clarity of thought, will find it easy to concede that, in battle, there are times when one party will fall victim to the cunning of the foe. And true grit will only come to the fore when upon recognition of the reason for failure, the appropriate remedy is administered and the army stands ready to regain lost territory.

So for the time being, ignore the sideshow and hope that corrective measures will be applied and the show in May will be even more thrilling than that which we witnessed on April 1! Who does not love a healthy rivalry? Motor racing, gentlemen, is not golf, it is not croquet! Think of it more along the lines of civilised, detuned NFL!

Can you believe that we are bracing for the 3rd race of the 2013 F1 season? There are 19 action-packed, John Woo directed, Bernie produced mega-films on the billboard. Two have been delivered thus far and if the internet traffic is reliable, apparently the viewing public is pleased thus far.

Technical glitches of an alien nature – read power-cut and poor planning – have conspired to preclude my active participation in what is shaping up to be a rather intriguing season. My efforts, I must say will be redoubled and my eyes to the ‘tele’, will be fastened like a wandering ant to a prolific spider’s web!

Vettel

A quick glance of the points standings do not reveal the drama the cameras hide. The top 5 in points are – Vettel, Raikkonen, Webber, Hamilton and Massa. Some rather interesting things are happening, but will they continue – Vettel leads – duh! But, that is where the status quo ends.

Kimi came out firing from all cylinders and stole the show in Round 1. Hamilton, after ditching his ‘name-brand’ team McLaren, is outperforming his ambitious teamate, Rosberg, at Mercedes. Massa who has been ruled out by some in the past, is actually leading Alonso (22-18), not by much, but still, the Spaniard must be having endless nightmares!

And for those lucky bastards who actually watched the Malaysian Round, I hate you right now! But, the irony of it all – I have nothing but love for you! The Malaysian Round served a game a Roger Federer in his prime could only dream of delivering.

We all know and accept that team orders are a part of F1. We also know that drivers, despite their preconceived notions of superiority, usually yield to the wishes of the team. So, when Mark, ‘Australian warrior’ Webber was in the lead and multi-champion Vettel – ‘the prodigy’, was advised to hold his position, one would expect the defending champion to comply. “Watcha talking bout Christian?”

Vettel was defiant, he drop-kicked Webber with merciless rigour and stole victory. According to reports, the heat from Webber’s boiling blood in victory lane and at the press conference could be felt all the way to the outback!

So we are up on another race in a matter of hours. The PR machines have exhausted the prepared lines, but Vettel has been the author of rather acidic statements and he is steadfast in his Renault-driven stance. Should we expect normalcy to reign in China? I do not think so. The relentless pursuit of victory will shake the ground at the Shanghai International Circuit. Be advised – expect tremors in China!  Round 3 paddle-shifts this Sunday!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer