Firstly, I should apologise for my lack of blogging over the past few weeks. Life has been rather hectic and finding the time on a Sunday or following days in order to note my thoughts on a certain sporting topic has been more elusive than anticipated. I hope though, that you are keen to read a new post!
It is probably of no surprise that after one of the most exciting races of the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi, that stories associated with the weekend have continued to unfurl over this week. What made it all the more remarkable was that the race has more or less sewn up the Drivers’ Championship for Sebastian Vettel, despite when the lights went off last Sunday afternoon, it seemed pretty unlikely that he would be in such a position. Like I said, the race was one of the best of the season.
Arguably the biggest story following on from the weekend was the warning issued by the FIA towards drivers needing to conduct themselves better during interviews after both Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen swore during their live interviews on the podium. Naturally, this led to a number of complaints and the FIA are keen to nip it in the bud quickly, rather than send the sport into disrepute once more, thankfully, something that seems to have been avoided in the main during the 2012 season, unlike in more recent years. No punishment has been handed out to either driver, although the warning did state that anyone caught in future is likely to face action against them. This is all fair enough, though the governing body did state in its letter that there are many sport-stars who are interviewed soon after competing whilst still pumped full of adrenaline and the like who avoid such coarse language. With such reasoning applied, you have to feel that both Vettel and Raikonnen have managed to escape any further action with some luck. If, as a governing body, you agree it is possible to avoid, then why excuse individuals straight away? They may have said future misdemeanours will be punished, but the lack of discipline against the two drivers last weekend is a precedent that could hamper them in the future.
At least Vettel apologised. Nothing from Kimi however, yet because of his personality and demeanour, I doubt there are few that are surprised by that. The ice man has never had a particularly warm glow; instead he portrays himself as a man doing his job, and never was that more obvious than during the Abu Dhabi race. Raikonnen at one point stated on the team radio to “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing”, and later on, came out with the quote, “Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm doing it all the time. You don't have to remind me every second”. These were met quite comically by the BBC team covering the race, although I am sure his Lotus mechanics may have felt slightly embarrassed and arguably even annoyed that they were spoken down to in such a manner. Thankfully, Raikonnen appears to have shown he does have a humorous side by getting t-shirts with the former quote emblazoned on them for each member of the Lotus team. However, despite his cold, singular stance, you would never have noticed he had been away from F1, after delivering some superb performances in this, his comeback year. He is likely to finish in 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of the likes of Hamilton, Webber, Button and Massa. Yet, after securing his first victory in 2012, the man proclaimed the victory was of more importance to the team, rather than for him. However, the victory has told the rest of us that Kimi Raikonnen is back, and he means business.
But despite all of this, the season is beginning to have a sense and air of inevitably about it, with the likelihood of a triple-world champion about to be crowned. Sebastian Vettel has certainly not had it as easy as in 2010 and 2011, but since about mid-season the Red Bull dominance appears to have come to the fore again and taken him ahead of his nearest challengers. Last Sunday he displayed an excellent driving display, as he started from the back of the grid and returned there after his first pit stop as well. To eventually finish second demonstrates an incredible driving performance, something that some have doubted him over, claiming the car does the work for him. He has quashed that thought now though; he holds a 10-point lead over Fernando Alonso in the Championship, with only the USA and Brazil Grand Prix’s to go, and although that makes it very much possible for Alonso to still steal the trophy, it would take something incredible, or some horrific bad luck to befall the German and let the Spaniard come out on top.
So, as the end of another motorsport season comes to a close, the FIA can look back and probably feel a great deal of satisfaction with all that has happened. Yes there has been the odd issue, with the new USA track failing to be ready for 2013 being one of the most inconvenient stories to unfurl, however, on the track the cars have been competitive and made for an enthralling year. Already the shake-up of drivers for next year has created some interesting choices, with Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes being the major headline, and as such, with lots of new drivers in different cars, next season too could make or break many individuals’ careers in Formula 1. What would be fantastic though is a season full of races like Abu Dhabi, with comical moments from Kimi on the radio, and blistering drives from the likes of Vettel. Yes, the poor language would be best left alone now, but let us see if someone can go out and break the Red Bull and Vettel stranglehold should they once again reign supreme by the end of the month in Brazil.
