European GP 2016

Rosberg Boosts Championship Lead

The European GP returned to the F1 calendar after a 4-year absence to give Nico Rosberg the title boost he needed, with a comfortable win at the Baku street circuit in Azerbaijan. The excitement before the race was building as the supporting GP2 races had seen carnage and brilliant action. Even the F1 practice sessions and qualifying was a brilliant watch, as the winding street circuit was catching out even the best drivers. Ultimately though, as with many of the new circuits in recent years, the race fell flat and Rosberg eased to a 20 second victory. Sebastian Vettel did what he could to challenge Rosberg, but could only finish a distant 2nd. Sergio Perez continued his superb form to take another 3rd place for Force India, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who finished 4th. Lewis Hamilton finished almost a minute behind Rosberg in 5th, after he suffered technical issues throughout. Williams' Valtteri Bottas was 6th, ahead of the Red Bull pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa rounded off the points positions with 9th and 10th respectively.           

It was a comfortable afternoon for the championship leader who led every lap of the race after fending off Ricciardo at turn 1. From then on, he drove off into the distance to record his 19th win in Formula 1. His team mate Lewis Hamilton however did not have as easy an afternoon as his team mate and championship rival. Throughout Friday and Saturday, Hamilton looked almost certain to overhaul Rosberg in the championship come the end of the race on Sunday. His pace was scintillating throughout practise, and going into qualifying he was building momentum. This came to an end in Q2 however when Hamilton pushed that bit too hard and ending up crashing out of qualifying and started 10th. As with Rosberg in Canada, many expected Hamilton to fly through the field and maybe challenge Rosberg. Again, as with Rosberg, Hamilton struggled to make it through the field due to an engine settings problem on his car, the tight and twisty nature of the track certainly didn’t help. 

Elsewhere on track, it was a very drab race with nothing else really happening. Red Bull's race was ruined by strategy calls due to the risk of safety car deployments. Unfortunately for Red Bull, there was no such incidents. One highlight of an otherwise dull race was the performance of Jenson Button who came from 19th on the grid to finish in 11th place. Despite expectations before the race, there was next to no drama at all, with 18 of the 22 drivers finishing the race.  

Perez Equals Mexican Podium Record

Sergio Perez's rejuvenated Formula 1 career continued at the European GP as he equalled Pedro Rodriguez's record of 7 podiums for a Mexican driver. It is amazing what can happen in just three years. His 2013 season was a disaster at McLaren, with a series of high profile errors leading to the team dismissing him after one season. Force India could clearly see the talent the young Mexican possess and have really changed his career prospects in the sport. His performance in Baku, I believe, has put him in pole position to take Kimi Raikkonen's seat at Ferrari in 2017, should Ferrari drop the Finn.    

His podium in Baku was his second in three races, and that was after a big mistake in practice resulted in him receiving a 5 place grid penalty. Without the penalty, Perez would have started an incredible 2nd place behind Rosberg. Furthermore, Perez's race craft was brilliant throughout the race. To top everything off, Perez overtook Raikkonen, despite knowing that Raikkonen had a time penalty and would have finished behind Perez. What Perez did with this move was send out a clear message to the F1 world, especially Ferrari. What is certainly clear is that Perez has matured since the McLaren fiasco and is ready to return to the F1 big leagues. Ferrari would be foolish not to seriously consider Perez for 2017.   

Has the Radio Ban Gone Too Far?

Not for the first time in F1, rules and regulations off the track dominated the post-race talk, with the radio ban sparking huge debate. Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen suffered with technical issues throughout the race that could have been solved with a reset message from the team. However, due to the restrictions on radio communications, both drivers were not able to solve their issues. This message effectively ruined Hamilton's race as he was seriously down on power. Hamilton was getting more frustrated as the race progressed and threatened to reset everything to solve the issue. Eventually Hamilton figured out the issue and made the changes. By the end of the race, he was the fastest on the circuit. This has led to the debate about the ban. Many feel that this ban cost the fans the opportunity to see what Hamilton could do coming through the field. Had the ban been a bit more relaxed, an actual race might have broken out. With this ban in place, I feel it has taken something away for the fans. I used to enjoy listening to what went on inside the cockpit as it gave a brilliant insight into just how focused these drivers need to be. There has to be a happy medium with regards to this ban. I agree that drivers should not be almost coached by their engineers throughout the race, but these cars are extremely complicated. Knowing how to reset every little thing and focus on racing is a challenge. There has to be a way of balancing this out so that we do not have to keep talking about the ban. Formula 1's talking points should be made on the track not off it.

Monaco GP 2016

Hamilton Wins as Red Bull Bin It

Lewis Hamilton took his first victory of 2016, his first since the U.S GP last year, to cut team mate Nico Rosberg's advantage to 24 points. It could have been so different had Red Bull not botched Daniel Ricciardo's pit stop, leaving the Australian to finish in 2nd. A popular 3rd place went to Sergio Perez in the Force India after a brilliant tyre call by the team. Sebastian Vettel was 4th, the only Ferrari to finish after Kimi Raikkonen put his car into the barriers and Romain Grosjean. Fernando Alonso came home 5th of the 50th anniversary of McLaren's debut at the Monaco GP in 1966. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg beat fellow German Rosberg for 6th place right at the end of the race, with Carlos Sainz, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa rounding off the point scoring positions. The tricky conditions in the principality saw Jolyon Palmer, Max Verstappen, along with Raikkonen put the car in the barriers and retire, whilst the Sauber pairing of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericson took each other out. The major talking point however was the pit stop that caused Ricciardo to lose the race to Hamilton.  

The 78 laps of Monaco started behind the safety car as heavy rain made conditions unsafe for a full blown start. After the racing conditions started, Ricciardo pulled out a commanding lead over Rosberg who simply did not have any pace throughout the race. With Ricciardo pulling out a healthy lead, Mercedes switched around Hamilton and Rosberg so the Brit could have a charge at the Aussie who was looking comfortable. The track was beginning to dry out and drivers further down the field were switching from extreme wets to the intermediates and started going quicker. Ricciardo was the first to blink out of him and Hamilton, and came in for the inters as Hamilton continued on wets. Inevitably, Ricciardo caught right up with Hamilton who was starting to struggle with grip but wanted a straight swap to the ultra-soft tyre, bypassing the intermediates. Hamilton eventually pitted and Ricciardo carried on for a further lap before the race deciding incident occurred.

Ricciardo was called into the pits by his team, only to arrive to no fresh tyres, costing him about 13 seconds and most importantly, the lead. Ricciardo came out just behind Hamilton and hustled him until the end. Hamilton's ultra-soft tyres went much further into the race than they should have, something that seemed to play into Ricciardo's hands as he was able to stay within a second of Hamilton throughout. It was always going to be difficult for the Red Bull driver due to the nature of the track, and the fact that Hamilton's car position throughout was nothing short of superb. In the end though it was Hamilton who took the chequered flag, and Ricciardo could not hide is anger. When the team came over the radio to apologies to Ricciardo, he replied with "save it". He went on further to say he felt "screwed" and "ran over by an 18 wheeler for the second time in two races". I can understand his disappointment but he needs to look at the bigger picture if he is to move on from this. He blew Mercedes away this weekend and has an upgraded engine now from Renault. That car for me is aerodynamically better than the Mercedes, only its lack of power keeps them back. Now that problem is being addressed, he can surely look forward to a couple of wins this season. 

Tensions Eased at Mercedes

The contrasting fortunes of the Mercedes drivers at the Monaco GP may have been the best thing that could have happened for the team. Nico Rosberg's poor race in Monaco was looking like it was going to ruin Hamilton's. Hamilton had fallen 13 seconds behind leader Ricciardo and was stuck behind Rosberg, who was struggling with fuel pressure problems, tyre temperatures and brake issues. Rosberg admitted afterwards that he had lost confidence in his car and allowed Hamilton to overtake to aid the teams push in the constructors championship. Hamilton alluded to this and even called Rosberg a "gentleman". More significantly though for Hamilton, he now only trails Rosberg by 24 points in the standing heading to Canada, a track that Hamilton loves. The very fact that Rosberg admitted he was happy enough to let Hamilton through and Hamilton putting a arm round Rosberg after the race may have eased some of the tension within the team. The pair seemed very genuine in their comments, which will only make the Mercedes team stronger going forward.  It could have easily went the other way however, especially the way things have been between the pair since Hamilton won his 3rd World Championship. Rosberg could have made life for Hamilton very difficult and completely ruin Hamilton's race. Moreover, the events that occurred in Spain lead many think would be the total breaking point for the two drivers. It has not transpired this way and fences certainly have been mended.

Does Palmer Have What it Takes?

When Renault announced it would be taking over the Lotus team and return as a works team, many people including the team itself admitted 2016 would be a teething year for the team. Although it has not been as bad as many feared, it has not been fantastic. Struggling for overall pace and getting out of Q1, the performances of Jolyon Palmer have not lived up to his potential, or his team mate Kevin Magnusson. Magnusson I believe has proven why he was given a second chance in F1. His performance at the Russian GP for example where he finished 7th, scoring the teams only points this season after starting 17th. Palmer has not been as impressive for me however. His highest finish is 11th and his highest qualifying position has been 13th. His performance during the Monaco weekend, a track where he has won at in the past, was not eye catching at all. He had one too many contacts with the barrier during practise, taking valuable running time away from the team, and then in the race he did not make it to turn 1 when the safety car went in as he put his Renault in the barriers on the start finish straight. Renault have made no secret of their desire to have a Frenchman driving for the team, with Esteban Ocon in the third driver role in the team waiting in the wings should Renault decide to replace Palmer. I hope though that Palmer can find the talent that he possesses in order to prove me and many others wrong, and keep his place at Renault for the rest of the season.

Spanish GP 2016

Verstappen Tares Up Record Books

Max Verstappen ended Nico Rosberg's winning streak by winning the Spanish GP on his debut for Red Bull. In doing so, Verstappen broke countless records in F1, something that was bound to happen sooner or later. Kimi Raikkonen finished 2nd behind the Dutchman, with Ferrari team mate, Sebastian Vettel rounding off the podiums with a 3rd place finish. Verstappen's team mate, Daniel Ricciardo finished 4th after a puncture spoilt his chances of a podium finish. Valtteri Bottas ran a very lonely race coming in 5th, with local boy Carlos Sainz coming home 6th in the Toro Rosso, ahead of Sergio Perez in the Force India. Felipe Massa mounted a great recovery race from 18th after a poor qualifying to finish in 8th just ahead of Jenson Button's McLaren and Toro Rosso's Dani Kvyat rounding off the top 10. Both Mercedes retired on lap 1 after colliding with each other at turn 4, allowing for a very refreshing race, one that will live long in the memory of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen became the youngest ever grand prix winner at just 18 years and 228 days, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel's previous record of 21 years and 73 days. He also beat Vettel's record of the youngest podium finisher by the same margin. When Verstappen led his first full lap of the Spanish GP, he became the youngest leader of a Formula 1 race, again beating Vettel's record of 20 years and 89 days (Japanese GP 2007). Moreover, Verstappen became the first Dutchman to win a Formula 1 race, which in turn will surely raise the sports popularity in the Netherlands.

After the Mercedes pair took each other out, it was a straight fight between Ferrari and Red Bull, but not between Ricciardo and Vettel like many would have predicted. Both teams decided to split their strategies, putting Ricciardo and Vettel on a 3 stopper, with Raikkonen and Verstappen going for a 2 stopper. This raised eyebrows due to the early nature of the second stops, as the tyres were not predicted to go too far. However both Verstappen and Raikkonen managed their medium compound tyres superbly and made their two stoppers work to take the top 2 steps on the podium. What we saw in the battle between Verstappen and Raikkonen was just how good Verstappen is, holding off the 2007 World Champion brilliantly with some great race craft. It also showed how good the Red Bull car actually is. In the final sector, Verstappen was able to bridge just enough of a gap, because of the Red Bull's superiority, coming out the final corner. Although had Raikkonen been more aggressive at turn 1 on the occasions he was close, it could have been Raikkonen on the top step. Behind them, a brilliant battle between Vettel and Ricciardo unfolded with some fantastic racing between the pair. A puncture to Ricciardo spoilt a fight to the finish with Vetter, and again had Ricciardo managed to make a move on Vettel stick, it could have been a 3 horse battle for victory. This was not the case however, and the scenes at the end were of a jubilant teenager and a very proud father. Monaco should be a cracker in two weeks time because it is not a track where the Mercedes will run off into the distance. Red Bull will be there or there abouts due to the high downforce nature of the track. 

Mercedes Implode 

 

The incident on lap 1 at turn 4 between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has been coming since mid 2014. We have seen flash points on track between the pair, notably Spa in 2014 where they touched wheels, causing a puncture to Hamilton, and again in Austin last year where an aggressive Hamilton hit Rosberg at the 1st corner. What we saw in Spain though was a Senna/Prost style collision, that could have been avoidable. Hamilton had a poor start from pole which allowed Rosberg to get the initial jump on Hamilton. Coming out of turn 3, Hamilton was so much quicker than Rosberg who went on the defence. The rest is history. Rosberg keeps his advantage over Hamilton, but team relations surely must be strained by the latest scuffle. The race stewards put it down as a racing incident, something the two drivers agreed with, although Rosberg seemed to agree through gritted teeth. Personally, I believe it was a case of over aggressive attacking against over aggressive defending, which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just needs to be managed now by Mercedes. Both drivers want to beat each other so badly, but there will be a time when the Mercedes team will have to do something before it ruins their own championship goals.

The Kvyat Fallout 

Before the Spanish GP, it was announced that Dani Kvyat would drop down from Red Bull to Toro Rosso to make way for Max Verstappen. Kvyat's indifferent form since joining Red Bull at the start of 2014 has ultimately cost him. His antics at his home race in Russia were not the reason for the switch, but certainly would have had an effect. Kvyat was clearly torn up by the demotion over the weekend but to see Verstappen win on his debut would have been a tough pill to swallow. Had it been Kvyat in Verstappen's place, I don't think Red Bull would have came away with a win in Spain. Kvyat has shown glimpses of how good he is with two podium finishes for Red Bull, but the ruthless Dr Helmut Marko felt a change was needed. Marko has had a history of wielding the axe on young Red Bull drivers, even when they have done a solid job, take Jean-Eric Vergne for example. What this has done also is put to rest the speculation that Verstappen will be racing for Ferrari or Mercedes in the near future, a smart move for everybody at Red Bull. Kvyat will have to pick himself up and prove that he should be back in that team, although I do not see that happening any time soon.

A Look Back At The Career of Mark Webber

On March 3^rd 2002, Mark Webber drove his Minardi PS02 to an incredible 5^th place on his formula 1 debut at his home race in Australia. This was the start of Webber’s highly charged and eventful career which will, in my view, sadly come to an end in Brazil on November 24^th 2013. This is my small tribute to a man I have thoroughly enjoyed watching over the last 11 years and one I will greatly miss watching and listening to in 2014.

Mark was initially signed on a three race contract by Paul Stoddart’s Minardi team. After his stunning debut performance, the contract was extended until the end of the season. He was able to stick his Minardi 18^th on the grid. It was a Minardi performance that fans had been used to seeing since the teams formation in 1985; over 4 seconds off the pole position time. Webber managed to avoid the 9 car pileup at the beginning of the race and put in a stunning performance. He battled with a broken differential to keep the more experienced, and faster, Mika Salo behind him to take Minardi’s first points since the European Grand Prix in 1999. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to watch this race and thinking ‘Wow! I wonder what he can do in a better car?’ Throughout the rest of the season he was never out-qualified by team mates Alex Yoong and Anthony Davidson and always put in a strong performance. He wouldn’t score any more points, with his next best finish coming in France where he finished 8^th. His strong debut season rightly gave him the title of rookie of the year from F1 Racing magazine.

Webber’s fine season earned him a Jaguar drive in 2003, but it didn’t start in the same way as 2002. Mark qualified in 14^th and retired from the race with a suspension failure. The second round in Malaysia proved just as frustrating, retiring from 8^th place with an oil issue. Webber’s qualifying skill was first seen in Brazil where he took a career best at the time of 3^rd place, which was also Jaguar’s best qualifying position since entering Formula 1. Although the Jaguar was not the most competitive car, Webber’s skill and determination to get the best from it really showed. He managed to qualify an impressive 5^th place in San Marino and suffered his 4^th retirement from 4 races. One thing I admire about Mark is that setbacks don’t faze him; they only make him more determined. 4 non finishes were followed up with 6 points finishes in the next 7 races. I remember his race in Austria when he started from the pit lane and managed to bring his car home in 7^th with the third fastest lap of the race, only beaten by the two Ferrari’s. On top of his pit lane start, he also incurred a drive through penalty. He comprehensively outperformed team mate Antonio Pizzonia, who was replaced by Justin Wilson. Webber was able to outperformed Wilson as well and led the US GP before he spun out. By the end of the season, Webber had still never been out-qualified by a team mate, and his strong season was again noticed as he received the 2003 driver of the year award from Autocar magazine.    

2004 would prove to be a disappointing season for Mark as he only managed seven points throughout the whole season. He started very positively, qualifying in 6^th place in Australia before retiring. His brilliant qualifying form continued into the next race in Malaysia where he got his best qualifying result to date, managing to split the dominant Ferrari’s and take second. Again, he failed to finish the race after spinning out on lap 23. At the first Bahrain grand prix and after 35 races, Webber was finally out qualified by a team mate, but managed to score his first points of the season. More retirements followed and by the time the British Grand Prix came round Webber had only scored 4 points compared to the 12 he scored by this time in 2003. To make matters worse, reports began to emerge that claimed Jaguar would not be competing in Formula 1 in 2005 and it was announced that Webber would drive for Williams in 2005. He would score his best finish of the season in Germany coming 6^th; and that would be his final points for the team, as his season fizzled out with three more top 10 finishes and three more retirements. 
 
I thought that 2005 would bring something different for Mark and I’m sure he did as well. Although Williams were seemingly on the slide, you could never rule them out simply because of their history and the brilliant figure heads at the team. The team managed to win the final race of the season in 2004 and Mark admitted it was the team he had his heart set on joining. I mentioned earlier how I admire Mark for his determination but I also admire his straight talking nature as well. When Jenson Button’s contract with Williams for 2005 was overturned, Webber’s former team mate, Antonio Pizzonia was in the frame to be his team mate. Pizzonia made claims of favouritism at Jaguar towards Webber to which Webber replied by calling Pizzonia a liar and a loser. Many people believed that this could be his year to win a race, including myself. 

His qualifying form was incredible, scoring 7 top five grid slots from the first seven races. He qualified 3^rd in Australia but fell back to 5^th place. Malaysia looked very promising. From 4^th place on the grid he overtook Giancarlo Fisichella who ran Webber off the road after locking his brakes. Although his qualifying performances were excellent, there was something missing in the races from the car. It was almost as though he had a different car during the race from what he did in qualifying. This was different in Monaco however when Mark scored his first F1 podium after qualifying 3^rd and driving a superb race to keep his position. Mark didn’t look as elated as he should have been with 3^rd as his team mate Nick Heidfeld finished second after Williams decided to pit the German before Mark. We know this wouldn’t be the last time in his career that a team decision would spoil his race! Webber endured a series of poor results, only scoring two points in seven races from the US GP. He scored two more 4^th place finishes at the back end of the season but it again fizzled out. A great quote from Webber really summed up his 2005 season. Webber said “If you have a tough weekend you have got nowhere to hide. If you have a fantastic weekend you get rewarded, everyone thinks you are a legend. There is no grey area in this sport. It’s a fine line between the Whitehouse and the Shithouse, that’s the way it is, always has been, always will be”. The straight talking Aussie in a, let’s say, philosophical mood.

2006 saw Nico Rosberg enter F1 as Mark’s team mate in a very lean year for Williams and Mark. Out of the eighteen races, Mark was only able to finish seven, retiring from the other eleven. Things started out okay with a points finish in Bahrain; however two retirements followed in Malaysia and Australia before he scored 3 more points in San Marino. A possible highlight for Mark was his second place grid slot in Monaco. He retired from the race after his exhaust blew and I remember seeing the raw emotion when he threw the steering wheel from the car. Five retirements from six races after Monaco saw Mark not score another championship point until China. Williams decided not to retain Mark for 2007 but, at his new team, he would come into his own.

2007 would see Mark join his last team in F1, Red Bull Racing. His first season would be a mix of strong, promising performances with a mix of reliability problems. He didn’t score his first points until the US GP in June. He was able to score his second F1 podium at the European GP finishing third after starting 6^th. Despite an average season, Mark came very close to winning a race. It was the rain soaked Japanese GP where Mark was running second and lapping faster than race leader Lewis Hamilton, having made all of his pit stops. Then, a young man he would soon be very familiar with, Sebastian Vettel, ran straight into the back of him after Hamilton suddenly reduced his speed in shocking visibility behind the safety car. Mark didn’t mix his words over the incident. When asked about the incident he said “Well it’s kids being kids isn’t it? Kids with not enough experience doing a good job then they fuck it up”. He went on to describe Hamilton's driving as “shit”.

2008 saw Mark return to good form with a promising Red Bull at his disposal. Despite retiring from the opening race in Australia, Mark went on a brilliant points scoring run, scoring in each of the next 5 rounds. Another excellent qualifying performance saw Mark line up second at the British GP and announcing that he was staying at Red Bull for 2009. The second half of the season was quiet but solid for Mark, picking up a further 3 points, taking his total to 21 for the season.   

2009 saw Mark’s most successful season to date. A radical shake up of the regulation meant the usual front runners of F1 would be different. Red Bull was right up there at the front. After looking at the testing that winter, I hoped and prayed that this was going to be Mark’s season to at least get a win and maybe challenge for the title. The season started with another retirement in Australia before his highest F1 finish of 2^nd in China behind team mate Sebastian Vettel. Three podiums in the next five races showed that Mark could potentially challenge the Brawn of Jenson Button for the title. Then the weekend came that saw him take his first pole position and win of his career at the Nurburgring. He was the first Australian since Alan Jones to take a pole position in Formula 1 and he totally dominated the weekend. He headed a Red Bull one-two despite receiving a drive through penalty early in the race. What made the result more emotional was the way in which Mark recovered from a broken leg in pre season to get himself fit again for the season. After the win, another podium in Hungary then five pointless finishes ruled him out of title contention. Another brilliant win came in Brazil and second place in Abu Dhabi finished off a brilliant season. It would be Jenson Button at Brawn who would be crowned champion in 2009. When comparing himself to Jenson, Mark said “Unfortunately, when I got myself a good car, I had Sebastian as a teammate. Jenson didn’t have that at Brawn; he had Rubens”.

2010 should have saw Mark crowned World Champion, but it wasn’t to be. Four wins including Monaco and Britain plus other strong podium finishes in the first half of the season saw Webber top of the drivers’ standings going into the summer break. 2010 also saw the beginning of the end of his relationship with Vettel. In Turkey, Webber and Vettel were fighting down to the final few corners on lap 40. Vettel tried to put a move of Webber for the lead but the two collided, sending Vettel into retirement and Mark finishing in third, when a win was there for him. The relationship was further strained at the British GP when Webber had the car’s newly designed front wing taken from him and given to Vettel, leaving Mark with the old one. Mark went on to win the race however and claimed “Not bad for a number two driver eh?” If Webber had won in Turkey and Korea, where he retired after spinning out, he would have been crowned 2010 champion. Unfortunately for Mark, this would be the closest he would get to the title.

2011 was a year dominated by Webbers teammate, Sebastian Vettel and nobody could come close to the German. Mark was consistently out-qualified and out-raced by Vettel, but let’s be honest, who wasn’t in 2011? In the dominant Red Bull he did secure three pole positions and 10 podiums, including a win at the final round in Brazil. However mechanical glitches, especially the KERS system which failed on Mark’s car at several rounds and a few slow getaways at the start of races proved to be Mark’s downfall.
 
The first half of 2012 saw Mark start strong with four 4^th places and another win in Monaco from pole position. He won again in Britain and signed another one year extension with Red Bull. In the second half of the season Mark slipped away from the title fight again. He scored only two podiums after his win in Silverstone at two tracks where the Red Bull’s were untouchable (Korea and India).

2013 will be Mark’s last in F1, as we are in the summer break, it has been an unspectacular season so far. No wins and no pole positions see Mark down in 5^th in the current standings. He put in a great performance in Britain to finish 2^nd and came from 10^th in Hungary to finish 4^th. The major talking point from his season so far has been the Malaysian GP where I think he made up his mind up about quitting. After playing second fiddle to Vettel all the way through their partnership, it was Vettel’s turn to stay behind Mark. Vettel ignored team orders and took the win from Mark. Again Mark didn’t mix his words saying “The team made a decision to get the car to the end. But Seb made his own decisions and will have protection. That’s the way it goes”. After hearing that interview I had a feeling enough was enough for Mark. He had put all his heart and determination into that team only for them to favour the young star driver. Red Bull boss Dr .Helmut Marko even came out and called Mark a number two driver which I personally thought was a terrible piece of management.

Nevertheless, I believe Mark will be thoroughly missed in the paddock as much as I will miss watching him race and listening to his straight talking mouth. He deserved so much better at Red Bull and should have won at least one world title. It has been an honour and a privilege to watch him race and I wish him all the luck driving for Porsche in 2014.