Sep 8, 2008

50th post : Stand up for the Spa King

We Kimi fans aren't baffled. A refurbished version of Kimi Raikkonen, the Kimi Raikkonen we knew, ruled La Source, Eau Rouge and Blachimont. He drew a line between men from boys in a manly circuit. To hell with qualifiers, to hell with setup, we want racing. We want circuits like Spa Francorchamps but we also want the heavens to stay shut for 3 more mins :) With sheer pace, Kimi went past his title rivals Massa and Hamilton without depending on nature fiasco. A true racer but more importantly a passionate racer who just can't settle for anything but victory. I stand up for our champion, the one and only Kimi Matias Raikkonen.


Race review - courtesy: darkmaiden

That race was just….awesome? Chilling? Breath taking? I don’t know what word describes it but the name Kimi Raikkonen says enough for me today. He was flying. And despite the crash, he’ll keep flying!

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6039/xpb0e4mrgh0mvdnnk0jwv3wct3.jpgThe start: Rain fell on the track hours before the grid lined up, the rain had stopped slightely for the start but it remained damp enough to cause a bit of drama at turn 1. Kimi said on Saturday that he was hoping for dry weather and knew it would be difficult if it rained. But that didn’t stop him going all out off his start line. It was one of the best grid starts up front all season, in that he later continued to use it to pass the two cars infront. As expected Kimi went around the outside for turn 1 as Heikki had a terrible start, so one job was already done, to pass that McLaren. But that was not all – Kimi wanted to pass everyone. He ran wide out of turn 1 and loved to use the extra tarmac area in the run up to Eau Rouge, as he gained a lot of speed, while Massa who stayed on the right line exiting the corner didn’t have as much speed as Kimi. Kimi already planned the night before to sort his teammate out once and for all, well at least for today, and he did it. Great move on Felipe and it was actually the first overtaking between the two on equal measures. I was clapping, and I’m sure all of you were too!

Then Lewis was next, and yes, oh yes, Kimi looked so scary in Lewis’ mirrors that it caused Lewis to spin on the second lap at turn 1 I guess! Kimi was pushing hard and ran wide at the exit again using the extra run off area, but I have a feeling that he liked to use it to gain more speed as he knew he was a lap lighter than Felipe, and so Kimi did everything he could to get as far ahead as possible. He’s a smart lad and a great racer.

Lewis pitted first then as we all expected, and I laughed. But oh no, Kimi pitted just a lap later! So yes indeed Kimi was lighter than Felipe in qualifying but by only one lap as Massa pitted in the next lap. By the time Kimi pitted though, he built up such a lead that he still came out infront of Lewis with also Felipe later behind. It was close the whole race between the Ferrari and McLaren infront but Lewis consistently showed he was quicker but Kimi drove like a bat out of hell to stay in front. It’s not the first time I’ve used that phrase, perhaps Batman can be another name for Kimi! He had a good lead of 5 seconds from Lewis and it all seemed okay. There was a long way to go so I still wasn’t predicting a Kimi win just yet.

I kept chanting, talking to Kimi as if he was there with me, “Hold it, baby, steady…fly, keep flying…”. He had a brilliant start, just exactly what he needed and what we all were waiting to see for a long, long, long time. I had completely missed the fact that Kimi had a new chassis this weekend at Spa. Since Friday I could see how much better he seemed with it. Obviously! It’s a damn brand new chassis. It took months for Kimi & co to sort his problems out, first we thought it was just qualifying like last year but then Domenicali revealed it was understeer. So bucket loads of understeer as well as qualifying issues really put Kimi in the gutter this summer. And why on earth did it take Ferrari so long to fix this? A new chassis, and voila, Kimi’s flying and fighting for wins. I was so angry when I realized this. No bloody wonder, Kimi’s been suffering. I doubt it took him 5 races to realize he’s got an understeer issue. He needed a completely new chassis. I hope everyone shuts the crap up now about his motivation, retirement and all the other bollocks they can come up with for his dismal summer.

Anyway, it being Spa and all, Kimi clearly had more adrenalin than usual as we saw from the start, which is probably where the drivers get the most adrenalin. But oh man…we were in for some ending. The second round of pitstops were very important. Kimi and Lewis both pitted on the same lap and Kimi’s stop was longer. This was logical as his first stop was shorter than Lewis’s and Kimi had to make up the ground, which he did of course with 5 hand seconds. Lewis began closing on Kimi after a while on the harder tyres, and it seemed Kimi wasn’t as comfortable with these and he was on the softer tyre at the start. But some how Kimi increased his gap at some times and held in there. I continued chanting and praying “Steady baby, keep it cool, keep focused,” and being a typical die hard fan I felt it was working hahahaha!

Felipe was settling for third place by then it seemed. With Heikki’s big drop at the start and having a drive through penalty for not avoiding an avoidable collision with Webber earlier, no one was there to stop Kimi. Only Lewis was. But the sun was shining and Kimi was flying…no one could have stopped him, even Lewis couldn’t have despite having a faster car as the sector times kept showing. Kimi and Spa together is like magic. The Iceman showed today that he owns this place and always will, even if he crashes out, he’ll take the fastest lap with him. Kimi was flying today and despite Lewis being quicker than him as the sector times showed, Kimi made it work. Until the rain came obviously.

There were some great battles meanwhile down the field, with Heikki taking most of the spot light climbing through and battling with Kubica. Lewis was praying for it to rain as he couldn’t catch Kimi, well everytime he did take a few tenths out of him, Kimi would just hit back going quicker again. It was really close, but God knows how Kimi pulled it off and managed to keep it. Not knowing whether to back off and conserve the engine for Monza, Lewis kept getting closer then dropping off. It seemed Kimi could win safely with 4 laps to go. Until Lewis’s prayer was answered…

The rain came and it was dancing time. Lewis closed in drastically in just one sector towards the end and my heart, as well as everyone else’s watching, was almost jumping through my chest! The McLaren was going to pass the Ferrari, it was just a matter of time. I wasn’t worried but just anxious. I knew Kimi would defend as well as he did. He did a brilliant job. As Lewis and Kimi braked towards the chicane, both locked wheels and Kimi remained inside on the racing line. Lewis had plenty of room, I do not care what more lies he says to the media (obviously the dumb viewers would believe him which is why he says it). Kimi allowed the whole kerb for Lewis. Lewis had the option to drive along the kerb. But he didn’t. He probably got worried about contact and cut the chicane. But he definitely had room. Kimi’s the most fair and decent racer out there, never ever been involved in cheeky tactics or incidents or penalties, so Lewis can waffle all he likes to justify cutting the corner.

At the time, I was fuming and believed he cut it and gained an advantage. Then the replay was shown and Kimi actually re-passed Lewis, it was just for one second before Lewis immediately passed Kimi gain before getting to the next corner. Kimi hardly had a chance to take his position back. I do not know the rules very well, but a reader here named Soren mentioned a ruling that you cannot re-pass until the next corner. We’ll find out about this, and see whether that’s why the FIA penalized Lewis. There’s probably more to it, we’ll found out soon enough as McLaren typically appeal against the decision.

But oh my goodness, my heart was thumping like mad even more. I’d love to hear what you guys were doing! I kept chanting “Steady Kimi, hold it hold it hold it…” and Kimi and Lewis were at it like we haven’t seen in ages! Absolutely brilliant! Only a track like Spa could give that entertainment. Opportunities were written all over the place between the two fighters. Kimi took his usual aggressive outside line again for turn 1 and tried to get Lewis back, his front wing touched Lewis’ rear right wheel it seems but it no major contact and they continued on up to Eau Rouge. The rain was getting heavier and I nearly had a heartattack! Imagine the adrenalin between the actual racers!

Both guys were wobbling and dancing and Kimi was just going mad, running on the run-off areas everywhere! Lewis ran off onto the grass somewhere and that seemed the only chance Kimi could run off with it. But as they moved on, the track became harder and harder to stick on. Lewis and Kimi both slipped and with the backmarker Williams just ahead, Kimi took evasive action to avoid hitting Lewis by just inches! Kimi got back infront and then spun but managed to get back on track without losing too much ground. Oh dear. Lewis was ahead and Kimi was not going to settle for second, no bloody way. Settle for second with Lewis next to him on the top step of the podium? No thanks!

That’s Kimi for you. The same Kimi that we all adored since his younger days at McLaren. Risking it - all for the win, or nothing. That’s the kind of passion you can never get bored off. People said he had changed, he is lacking. No. Just no.

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/6155/xpb0cxdl6p099dhxd0s1m2dfd7.jpgThe corner where Kimi ran wide and spun and then crashed – Lewis also had a tiny moment there as the videos just barely show. The puddles and no traction control just caught Kimi out, this time. He was too eager on the exit to get back to Lewis before the finish and no TC meant he was off. He crashed into the wall and, oh, my heart sank with the thousands of other fans watching. Head in my hands! “Oh Kimi….Kimi……damnit, damn you all to hell!” Just joking, I didn’t really say the last part. But yeah, it’s just the fact that Kimi didn’t get to the finish in P1 and hold that trophy, see his smile, which hurt the most. The main thing, and the only thing we should be happy about is that Kimi is happy in his car finally. He was going to win at Spa again. He won it. Don’t worry about the points or whatever, he won this one, and just because the results won’t give credit to him, doesn’t mean he didn’t perform as he should have. He did what he is made for. Gotta praise it. Would you have rather Kimi settle for second? And what if he did, and Lewis being penalized and all, would you liked Kimi to inherit the win like that? Nah. His instincts were right. Oh my word…I love you Kimi. Love you so much. Never ever change! You did the right thing. Massa inherited victory in the end; he was a good boy to play it safe in that rain, good boy, don’t want to ruin it all by spinning off and Ferrari are lucky he was there. It’s kind of funny how after all that, with Kimi owning the field at Spa again, Massa ended up winning it.

And should Kimi back Massa for the title now? No! They both have chances. Instead of being 23 points off Lewis in the title, Kimi is now 19 compared to Massa’s 2. As soon as it’s mathematically impossible for Kimi to win the title, then Ferrari can ask him for a favour. Just as they did with Massa last year, who was actually out of contention by Monza. I expect Ferrari to treat Kimi with the same respect, and at least let Kimi have the chance to fight Lewis one more time. Kimi is happy with the car, it’s a bit late (thanks for helping him out Ferrari, could have done it sooner though you think!) but it’ll be just cruel to take it away from him so soon. I don’t know how Heikki can put up with it at McLaren, being Lewis’s bitch. It was satisfying to see Heikki hold Lewis up in the race, hehe. Kimi for sure won’t as long as it makes no difference to Massa’s situation. And damn right, Kimi said after the race he’s going to try and win all the races. I can’t help feeling the FIA just penalized Lewis to butter up the championship drama. Nothing more, nothing less. The biggest winner today was Heidfeld who was in 9th position before the last 3 laps! He must be pretty chuffed.

With Lewis’s prayers for rain being met, my prayers of course were kind of answered in the end afterall. I just wanted Kimi to go mad and have fun on his favourite track. He looked like he did, didn’t he? So I can’t complain. It had been such a long time, but there was the Kimi we’ve been longing to see. So I couldn’t be happier. He was there all along, it’s just that damn car of his held him back for months. He even said to ITV before the race that he knows he’s fast, it’s just been difficult getting everything working together. Today was proof that he was indeed held back and he just let rip today. Awesome! And you see what happens when Kimi lets it all out? He flies, and his teammate, and the faster McLaren, don’t have an answer. Not at Spa at least. I’m going to go to Spa next year, I’ll try my hardest to go and to see the magic in real life, just once at least. Every Kimi fan should experience it. I'll admit that I really wanted to cry once Kimi hit the wall. I can't be positive about it all. It really, really, really hurt. Even more so than the hard days at McLaren. It felt a bit like Nurburgring 2005. But this one hurt the most, simply because it took a lot of time and effort and courage. Kimi wasn't lacking confidence today, he's that guy who pulled off the last lap win in Japan 2005 remember. It was just...jinxed I guess. I'll be going through all the pictures tonight, and having already seen one of Kimi with what looks like tears on his cute cheeks, I'll probably cry to be honest!

Let's get on with it. What's has happened, nothing can change it. It’ll be a great battle for Kimi to fight in the next two months, now going to Monza next weekend. He had a new engine today at Spa like Hamilton, and Massa had his Valencia one. I think Monza will be hard to win for Kimi, unless he changes his engine. He might aswell just go for it and have fun as I said. That’s up to him and depends on whether he feels he can qualify decently at Monza. Kimi took pole at the Italian circuit in 2006 with a win-less McLaren car. He finished 2nd behind Schumacher. Last year of course Kimi had a big accident in practice at Monza and his neck injury affected his race but he still came 3rd. It’s going to be exciting.

I hold a toast to Kimi for what he did today – may he always be happy and content with his instincts and have all the fun he can in the remaining 5 races of 2008. He kept his word by going pedal to the metal this weekend. He’ll keep his word about winning the next races. So cheers and...http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a188/SaimaAzam/Misc/krsevenstarsmall3.png KEEP FLYING KIMI!!!!!!!http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a188/SaimaAzam/Misc/krsevenstarsmall3.png http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a188/SaimaAzam/Misc/krsevenstarsmall3.png

Aug 25, 2008

Time to refurbish for Kimi


Yeah, we have seen enough. Right from some dismal tyre strategies, getting bottled up behind traffic, engine blow up, exhaust failure, people ramming from the back i.e all Kimi has managed this season apart from 2 storming wins, were some nightmarish outings. One more fiasco in his resume and he'll be out of contention. And we Kimi fans hate to say it but there's every possibility now that Ferrari will clobber around one driver and that's not Raikkonen. What a disaster. What a shame. Are we missing something here in giving a clear cut analysis? Indeed we are

A Kimi basher would never hesitate to write Kimi off when trailing Lewis by 13 points with just 6 races to go. And a Kimi lover would point to 07 and say "it's not over until it's over". Actually, it's a bit of both this season for my man. He has made some uncanny mistakes this season and his performance on the whole has been a bit disappointing. I have to stress that 'bit' a little bit more cos for all we know, KIMI RAIKKONEN is not a happy man driving that Ferrari. Let's do a time travel to July.

Race at Silverstone. At one point, Kimi took precious seconds off the then winner Hamilton before stop 1. Then, disaster struck Kimi n Ferrari when the team chose to keep Raikkonen on the worn-out tyres there by making a complete misjudgment of the weather. There went out of the window the victory hopes and ultimately, Kimi finished a lap down to Lewis. A pity but indeed we knew that Raikkonen was qualifying well and also had phenomenal race pace. Ferrari did mid-season testing in Hockenheim where everyone expected them to go one step higher. Instead, during the race in Germany, Ferrari slumped to 3rd and 6th. Then came Hungary, Kimi again failed to qualify in the front row, bottled behind Alonso forever and ultimately finished 3rd thanks to Massa's engine blow up. In Valencia, picture became much clearer. Kimi just couldn't put heat on tyres for a single lap run which is very crucial for Q3. On the other Ferrari, Massa who is known to be a better qualifier is winning races from pole. Grey hair!!!

As I mentioned, in the Hockenheim test, Ferrari picked up some aero developments which looked good but soemtimes look can be deceptive. Whatever developments Ferrari has put in F2008, have played into the hands of Massa. Wait a min. There isn't any conspiracy involved here. All I say is Massa was the beneficiary for his 'hard on tyres' kindov approach. Kimi's natural instincts and smooth style doesn't seem to pay off with that trolley. Okay, this is my analysis. I don't give a fuck if people think blaming the car is all I can do. Raikkonen is serene and under-estimate him at your peril. Kimi is down but nobody can stump him that easily. There's a test awaiting Ferrari post Spa and let me assure you, we'll see Kimi coming out from the ashes and winning races again. Whether it will be good enough for a second successive title or not, time will tell.

Request to Ferrari : Don't make it a cake walk for Lewis by demoting Kimi to a supporting role. You will pay a hefty fine not only in WDC.

Aug 11, 2008

Hunga'boring' : Race 11 review

I'm really happy for Heikki and seen myself applauding to his maiden victory though I think that's all due for him this season. It was clearly looking like another Lewis triumph over Heikki. The saying goes like "There's nothing like luck, u have to be at the right time n the right place to be lucky". How true! Heikki was there at the right place to gain from Massa's heart braking engine blow up just 3 laps away from what looked like a thumping Ferrari win. People who think that this will be a come back by Heikki wud be disappointed sooner or later. But on the given day, he closed a gap of 24 secs after Lewis blew his tyres to mere 6.7 secs to Felipe. So, Heikki was fast and would have definitely made Felipe push. Having said that, Ferrari's engines are looking worse than MP4-20's :) Massa, u have got a case.

Kimi on the other hand was fast as always but was bottled up behind Alonso for the lion's share of the race. Well, it's Hungary after all. Kimi, u too got a case. Let me defend Kimi by inclining to the technical aspects of that track. U can't afford top lose downforce in Hungary due to it's demand on aerodynamic grip. The problem following a car and being in the dirty air is that the car behind lose grip and tyres start to grain inturn reducing grip. Well, Ferrari or any other car for that matter would struggle to keep the gap so as to get into the slipstream of the car in front. That explains why Raikkonen was stuck behind Fernando.

Now, if I do a postmortem of Steve Salter's gumptious commentary for Star Sports, I might end up harebrained. Let's see why

After quali "Kimi is 6th, well, there shud be Qs asked abt his motivation"
After lap 10 "Just look at the crash helmets of Raikkonen n Alonso, Raikkonen I have to say is as aggressive as it cud possibly get"
After lap 20 or so "I think Raikkonen is a demotivated driver, where is the old Kimi?"
After 2nd stop "Now, we are seeing the Raikkonen we know"

Just understand the basic conflicts of opinions coming from the same person. Steve slater is an energetic guy and is a Kimi admirer but let's face it, he's magnifying the mistakes made by Kimi and trying to make the whole episode a bit dramatic just because Kimi's the WDC now. In Germany he said "I can see only two men fighting for WDC" n now in Hungary"I can see only Massa n Lewis".....gosh, spare him!!! Now, why I brought Steve in here is cos that's what some of the pundits and some neutrals are thinking, that Kimi has got attitude problem, he's defied of hunger, motivation yada yada yada......But let me stress this, Kimi's same attitude is praised by the same people when he wins a race n they don't have any right to cum n criticize it now.Lucky? To be honest, he was but only because of Massa's engine failure but we need to understand that he was lured of the same thing so many times. Let him for once be at the sending end. He deserves it. His charge on Glock reminded many critics that he's not f****** lazy out there, neither a sissy as some think n he has the balls to be fast. His determination didn't go anywhere for fuck sake.

Now coming to Massa, he surprised some of his leading bashers like me with a superlative move on the over-confident Lewis. His best drive so far but let's see whether he can continue this. What was Lewis thinking by taking a tighter line into turn1??? I think he's overdue of some curse for this dialogue in Hockenheim "Massa didn't defend too well and if it wud have been the other way around, blah blah blah"......Now he knows. Infact, Lewis had the right statement but was wrong in him saying that about his rival. The fact remains the same for Lewis. He's still a rookie in managing his tyres on a hot track. Remember Turkey, Brazil! I have seen McLaren's argument that there was debry on the track. Oh god, when are they gonna stop bullshitting? Lewis was lapping 0.5sec slower than Felipe before the screw up and it's pretty sure, he ate his front left. There is only one guy who had a puncture and that's Lewis. Bridgestone had warned Lewis in Turkey if u remember. So, there u go.

Kimi needs to get the qualifying right from now on cos we all know he has the pace to beat the hell out of everyone else out there for the race. Modern F1 brings more reliable chassis n less excitement and that only
means, u have to be at the front row before the start. Having said that, u have to question the Ferrari strategy again for fueling Kimi 20 liters (4 laps) more than Massa. None of them got it right on Saturday n stupidities like these are bound to be punished in Monaco n Hungary. Massa was simply outstanding but one has to look at his consistency from now on. Lewis would try his level best to mask his mistakes by blaming debry for which I have no other say but to let him hear "get a life". Meanwhile, Heikki can have a sigh of relief after some lackluster races.


Next race : European GP , new track in Valencia : Aug 24th

Jul 21, 2008

Ferrari bite dust in Germany : Race 10 review

It's all out in open. McLaren has put in some worthy changes into the MP4-23 to make it work even on the high-aerodynamic circuits like Hockenheim n when they found the sweet spot, Ferrari yesterday found no answers. It's hard to believe that they took a wrong route midway into the championship, where they actually should have bettered the performance advantage possessed in France. Lewis Hamilton was flying and was unstoppable on the raceday piling up a huge gap over the struggling Massa but was proved a worthy winner yesterday when Macca made a strategic blunder. They kept Lewis when the pitlane was open during the SC period, n Lewis had to struggle his way up there after.

Ferrari on the other hand were indeed at a loss for explaining what got screwed up in the F2008. Taking Kimi's issues into account, Kimi for once screwed up his setup and was suffering from a lot of understeer which inturn caused oversteer while correcting. On top of this debacle, the F2008 was struggling for aerodynamic grip which is supposedly one of their strengths. Massa simply couldn't find the pace which he promised after qualifiers. How on earth wud u loose 0.7 secs a lap to Lewis while starting alongside him? Massa needs to explain this and maybe one more. A piteous attempt to take back the lost position from Lewis saw him taking a tour to the grass. Ferrari boss would have been wondering "The way he blocked Lewis in the first place won't win him championships"..........how true it is.

Back to my man, Kimi did pretty well on Sunday considering his fiasco earlier on qualifiers. Starting from sixth and on the dirty part of the track, he had to struggle to keep up with the BMW of Kubica. Trademark Kimi showed us his strength at the end of each stint. Even that pitlane pile up didn't let him down. Rather, from 12th position after second stop, he came back to grab a well deserved 6th. Post race Kimi had this to say "I was struggling for grip all day.....only during the end, I was able to manage the car" n with this limping Ferrari, he got past Kubica as well. Nice one Kimi but concentrate more on the setup now cos we all know u are a great racer but things should fit into place before that. Let me excuse him anyways for his very first technical drubbing in Ferrari. Happens :)

Coming from a home victory, Lewis looked the man to beat on the fast roaring MP4-23. His drive from 5th to finish on the top step of the podium after Macca's lame attempt to optimize their strategy, was indeed worth watching. I have been blabbering till now about Macca's team orders and none listened. Heikki Kovailainen in the same car with no problems at all, simply let Lewis pass as if his life depended on providing the platform for a Lewis victory. I swear to all Macca fans yet again that there's no "absolute equality" bullshit in McLaren and they have simply gathered to put all their money on one man. BMW though would wish to see their qualification woes end cos otherwise, they no longer wud be able to split the Ferraris n the Maccas in the WCC.

On the whole, it was a good drive from Kimi but clearly nowhere near he wanted to be in the end. Massa lacks the spark when he face adversities which was always the case right from the moment he stepped into Ferrari shoes. Lewis is proving that he can indeed control his chuntering and drive when it matters and will be a pain for us in this rest of the season. Next stop is Hungary, traditionally a Macca track. Ferrari needs to sit down n trace back the flaws in their developments which made them clobber by McLaren in the German wave. I'm aggrieved by Kimi's winless streak but sometimes, I have to live with it.

Standings:

Lewis 58
Felipe 54
Kimi 51

Jul 14, 2008

JTYJN review - Retrospective yet Adorable

When most of the over-hyped extravaganzas become colossal flops by failing to connect a chord with the audience, JTYJN has come out as a big relief. Introducing Imran Khan bearing the nephew tag of two famous filmy names, Abbas Tyrewala who apparently did make his debut as well, is fully justified. Aamir Khan n Mansoor Khan financed this flick under Aamir's own banner. The film opens big and is reportedly doing great business in all the multiplexes . Let's see why!

The story of Jai and Aditi is told by a group of friends to a newcomer in the gang just for the sake of killing time when they wait for someone's arrival in the Chatrapati Sivaji Airport in Bombay. Initially being skeptical about the boring love stories, Mala the stranger gradually finds herself hasty and eager to know more as it goes. Jai and Aditi are mates from college who are close to each other so much so that they don't need anyone else to share their feelings. Everyone including their friends and their parents think they are deeply in love and will get married if urged. Aditi's parents invite Jai to her home and start talking about his future plans. That's when they realise neither Aditi nor Jai are interested in getting married and they didn't even consider they are in love.

Now having revealed what's their relationship is all about, our protagonists think of finding a better half for each other. Aditi helps Jai to find the sizzling Meghna on a party but only to find herself in disarray and in a sea of jealousy. Meanwhile, Aditi is also hooked up with Sushant by her parents and expectedly, this brings a tiff b/w Jai and Aditi. Gradually, they realise how desperately both of them need to get back on terms. Knowing Jai to be soft and kind-hearted soul, his mother is relieved the fact that he is not following his father's way. Apparently, Jai is from the Rathore family of Ranchaur whose men are known for being virile and daring. The rest of the film is all about how the couple eventually sort out the problems and also how Jai manages to break her mother's heart :P

Okay, I'm not being soft here cos JTYJN doesn't dare to be different. Infact, the story is a rehash of KKHH, Ishq Vishq and many of the pot boilers from the south including Niram. But what makes the film work is the novelty in screenplay and some stellar performances from the lead pair. Watch out for the scene where Aditi motivates Jai to fight her enemy or that scene where Jai's mother talks to her 'husband on the foto' n expressing her despair over her son's current dilemma. Nasserudin shah plays his hilarious 'dead' father and is a treat to watch. Imran is presented well while the director is careful enough not to expose his weakness which is undoubtedly a chocolate boy attire. Genelia has continued from where she left in Santosh Subramaniam. Pranky, bad tempered, bubbly antics along with the spontaneity she brings in her character, add to the highlights of the film. The rest of the cast have all done their part well.

Rahman's music is a rage. 'Pappu can't dance saala' is well choreographed and oozes the whole atmosphere as long as it lasts. I won't be surprised if u feel like dancing to it's ever-so peppy tune. 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi' is refreshing where we see the Rahman we know. Abbas Tyrewala has done a commendable job in his first venture. On the downside, the climax is very filmy which we are seeing for the umpteenth time. It's lengthy as if we are onto an endless voyage with no U-turns in the ride. There are some sleazy dialogues mouthed by all the characters the stupidity of which is credited only to Bollywood. Yet JTYJN is a breezy entertainer which doesn't promise to be something which it's not n also it succeeds to achieve the target, which is to satisfy the youth.

Rating : 3.5/5.....Go for it

Jul 9, 2008

Kimi & Photographer - The altercation

Some cockeyed arm-chair experts have a lot to say about Raikkonen's crude behavior towards the photographer when he pushed him to the ground. The latter was desperately taking a close snap of the Iceman believe it or not, leaning onto Kimi's race stuffs and that too just before the race (see the controversial snap below). I'm throughly amazed by the anti-Kimi press and others who consider Lewis is a saint and Fernando no loudmouth, making a fuzz about this incident. Well, all I have to say is Raikkonen like any other human being in this world has every right to show his emotions no matter whether he's living upto the nickname Iceman or not.

I never knew that Kimi should not wilt under such frivolous act by a pass-by photographer.He was not sane enough to let the race driver have his 'personal space' n all Lewis fanatics say "Kimi is insane n doesn't deserve the Iceman tag". I'm speechless. Kimi is the people's champion and was given the Iceman tag in 2003 due to his sheer raw pace and ofcourse his 'never mind' cool composure on/off the track. In those days where drivers were seen busy lamenting bad races, cursing their own teams, chiseling others out of glory, there stood a man called Kimi Raikkonen from the tiny country of Finland doing less talking and more driving.

It's not the first time Kimi lost his cool and involved in a brawl. The famous 'push' of the race Marshall (I don't remember which GP) is still somewhere in the back of my mind and also the late-night wrangle in a Spanish pub was no different. But it's his private life n Kimi himself had a tiff with McLaren boss Ron Dennis for interfering in his training regime and preventing him from having fun. From what I saw all these years, Kimi is the fittest man around.

So let's face it, Kimi did hurt a photographer. As Ferrari mentioned his behavior was completely understandable because a driver goes through the turmoil and needs to get into the groove minutes before racing to incur undisturbed concentration. And Kimi was deprived of the most important thing in an F1 driver's life, concentration. They die for it, they calculate the minutest lapse in the car by only having it and they would do any harebrained antic to get it back. I mean absolutely anybody.

Martin Brundle can relate to the above statement better than anyone else. Whenever he's in the middle of ITV's famous grid walk, I have seen that lots of drivers just ignore him. Do u think the drivers are shy to have a say about the race or even about their strategy? No way! That's where u see dedication. I'm a lover of this sport purely because there is no other sport in which one experiences 4G of pressure and a weight loss of almost 5 Kgs in 90 mins. But pls let them drive!

Having said that, let's rehash Brazil 06 gridwalk by Martin
Martin : Kimi, u missed the speech by Pele on Michael?
Kimi : Yeah
Martin : Why?
Kimi : I was having a shit!!!!!!!
Martin (shameful laugh) : Thank u for that


The impassive Manmohan Singh would have laughed at it. My point is, Kimi is known as Iceman for what he's on track and for how he handles the media. Take a look at this statement while addressing the British media
"I don’t mind what people think too much. If they ask nice questions then yes, but for sure if they ask stupid questions, I won’t answer and they will think I’m a dickhead"

He's also the insane party animal, he's the Iceman and we all love him for what he is n we don't hate him for what he just did cos that's the way it is :)
U have any probs???

Jul 7, 2008

Lewis won it but did Kimi lose it? British GP review

The answer is probably Yes cos I have to take a dig at Ferrari's tyre strategy or a tyre-poker for Kimi during the first pitstops and I'm afraid they did a poor job. Kimi was closing in on Lewis lap after lap to almost 1 sec just before the stop and we expected a tyre change for Kimi. Down in McLaren, the pit crew rightly changed Lewis' intermediates while in the far end, Ferrari decided to keep the already worn-out intermediates in Kimi's F2008. They would have expected the rain to stop but I think that was a logical error as it was getting very dark as if the heavens was just about to open. From then on, Kimi lost 2 secs and even 4 secs at times to Lewis. Infact, he had to give way for Heikki and Heidfeld after some time. Let's have a driver analysis of the British GP

Lewis Hamilton - I hate to say it but it was a good show from him after some "no shows" in Canada and France. The indisputable beneficiary of the chaos in the Ferrari pitlane. He was fast after the second stint as well but had a spin just after hitting the standing water on the track. He has been OK in wets considering his mess up in China and Europe last year.

Kimi Raikkonen - I feel for this unlucky man who had a scant consolation in the fastest lap times but he couldn't have done any better given the circumstances. He too had spins and it was no easy after the pitstop with worn-out intermediates. Having said that, his pass on one of the best wet weather drivers Alonso was something spectacular. I say so cos just after Kimi got past Alonso, we saw Heikki in a superior McLaren struggling to get past the double world champion for 3 laps or so. Kimi collected 13 points from two unfortunate races and I think it's a sign - a sign for more to come.

Heikki Kovalainen - He had a good start holding up Kimi and making Hamilton's life easy through the inside of turn 1 but that was just about it. I think he's struggling to overtake an evenly matched car and like Canada where he lost a place to Massa, Heidfeld overtook him while he was trying to get pass Kimi. McLaren say we should not underestimate Heikki but from what we saw till now, Heikki is very much a back-up driver to Lewis unless proved wrong.

Felipe Massa - Probably he has gone into the record books for the most number of spins in a race. He just couldn't control the car on the wet conditions and was struggling for grip even on the straights. How many races have u seen Massa spinning unconditionally? I think 3 Australia, Malaysia and now Britain. I would say without TC, life is getting one big fuck for the Brazilian and it's a big surprise that he didn't hit anything after all these spin cycles other than chasing down a rabbit.

Okay, Lewis is back with a victory and I believe he would have read my previous blog which might have been a wake-up call :). Wait a min, with this win, he's back on the limelight and I wouldn't be surprised if he screws up yet again in Germany. Kimi bemoans the tyre strategy but is ready to move on. We would have never known how much pressure would Hamilton had to soak had Kimi put the right tyres. We would never know and the Hamilton fanatics compare him with greats...........let them. The season is long!

Standings

1. Hamailton 48
2. Massa 48
3. Raikkonen 48
4. Kubica 46

Next race : German GP, Hockenheim Sunday, 20th July

Jun 25, 2008

The bragging rookie in trouble

McLaren victimized! Lewis conspiracy theory! I wonder how much more shit the British press can throw on themselves by claiming to question FIA's integrity. Lewis Hamilton suffered his 3rd penalty of the season for cutting short the only chicane in Magny Cours in the middle of his pass on Vettel and it has understandably irked the Lewis' baby (aka ITV) n many more of the arrogant and self-opinionated English media. Let me clarify something for all you "little bragger" followers. The stewards are not blind and they could have had only one call for this entire incident and that's to penalize Lewis for not making a pass but keeping that advantage by straight-lining the chicane. I don't know how else you would want the FIA to react especially when the McLaren team seemed uninterested in letting Lewis to back-off nor to have a talk with the FIA seeking a clarification. Unfortunately, the team was seen busy trying to bypass the rules and there they are doing a 2007 all over again.

The problem with Lewis is that he's bathed in the glory of an unexpectedly good rookie season but fast he has to understand that with limelight come shadows. Time and again, he claims that he's mentally tough and is ready to face any uphill task in the pinnacle of motorsport. Well, it doesn't look like he's doing one after the French GP and it looked worse when the darling of the media simply refused to comment on the race when he had a bad day at the office. Also, Lewis doesn't understand what to say when. When the team stumbled in one of the previous races, Lewis seemed to have taken the responsibility by saying "Yeah, I let the team down". Those who think that he has gone one step higher are on the wrong side. Infact, it would have been much better had he came in front of the Canadian press and admitted "Yeah, I made a mess and ruined someone's race". The contrasting opinions may call for a psycho-treatment but that's not the case. When the things are going well, people tend to over-react and the opposite happens when they understand that it's not the things alone but u urself haven't done the bit correctly.

Unlike Lewis, you don't see the other rookies Kubica, Piquet, Heikki endlessly courting fame because they just keep their heads down and drive. It's not over yet. In an interview for ITV, Lewis claimed he doesn't give a damn about the media and that the media always bring u up and pull u down. Oh, I didn't know that! If he doesn't care much about the media then why on earth there was a pity monish in front of the camera "To all my fans, please don't believe what these guys are saying. Nobody can crack me". Can't crack u? Well, u just got a big hole in your heart, a hole much due to blustering and chuntering and that too right in the middle which looks uglier than the one Raikkonen bore in his Ferrari's exhaust last weekend.

Jun 23, 2008

Kimi 'exhaust' ed while Felipe rejoice : Race 8 review

Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!
Just when it looked Kimi was gonna beat the hell out of everybody in Magny Cours, there came the reliability demon in the form of a broken exhaust on lap 35. Not so long before that, Kimi piled up a gap of 6.7 secs to his fellow teammate Massa and was on a class of his own posting the quickest lap time as well. The right rear body work of the F2008 was completed burned causing a big hole in the exhaust region (see pic) preventing Kimi from getting the full HP. As per the commentators, he was losing atleast 40 HP to Massa on the long straight. Being the Iceman, Kimi didn't crumble under pressure and nor did Ferrari when they asked him to stay on track with "let's see what's gonna happen" manner. Balls of Ice :) He did stay on and finished the race in second some 18 secs behind, after letting Felipe pass him. Heartbreak, one has to say when u see a sure shot win slip away but I'm relieved(so does the Iceman) to see him grab some points after a 2 race drought, which might prove precious when the counting's done in Brazil.

You can't get enough of Hamilton and his love affair with the FIA. He is one of the very few to be handed penalties in back to back races. Bearing the 10 place grid penalty from Canada for hitting Iceman, his task was far from over when he started on P13. On lap 2, Lewis got past Vettel on the straight leading to the Nurburgring chicane but was adjudged to have gained an advantage by straight-lining the chicane (see pic) and was given a drive-through penalty which ultimately wrecked his race. Not a pretty sign for the McLaren team after they felt that he had already passed Vettel before cutting chicane. I can't comment on the fairness of the penalty cos like many other TV viewers, I too saw only Lewis' onboard view of the incident. The stewards claim that they have had info from the hidden cameras on track (which are unavailable to the outside world) and that Hamilton was issued the most lenient of the 3 forms of punishment. Having said that, his driving was not that aggressive and was a letdown with a stupid 3-stop strategy.

Massa though conceded he was "lucky" to win after admitting that Raikkonen was too quick for him in the early part of the race. The drive of the day came from Toyota's Jarno Trulli who finished on the podium behind the two Ferraris. His experience and never say die attitude paid off when he saw through challenges from Alonso and Kovalainen for the fight for podium.

Now we head back to the classic Silverstone circuit for the British grand prix. Kimi most likely will change his engine but will not be penalised as per the new rules which allow u to change one engine in the season with no grid penalty. It's Lewis' home track but I can't see him having any chance of winning a race before Valencia or even Monza. Massa has leap frogged Kubica for the lead of the WDC, 4th different driver to do so this season. Are we in for a fierce battle? Yes we are!!!

Standings after race 8/18

1. Felipe Massa 48 points
2. Robert Kubica 46 points
3. Kimi Raikkonen 43 points

Next race : British GP, Silverstone

Jun 18, 2008

Kimi brands 'big mouth' stupid

Raikkonen, the man of few words finally caught in the off-race politics. I can't say he was cribbing but he definitely was seen pissed off in the Ferrari paddock post Canadian GP. This is what he said about the pitlane shunt with Lewis "Maybe I'm not the best person to say about anybody hitting from the back after the mistake I made in Monaco. I also understand that these are two different situations one on the racing speed, loosing car control and hitting somebody and the other under speed controlled circumstances. It's a bit stupid to see someone ramming into your back in a pitlane. I didn't expect this."

Wow! The irony is that Lewis made even Kimi speak :) The 'big mouth', as we Kimi fanatics mercifully call Lewis, just cannot stop talking. I'm afraid, he's on the Alonso way just ranting about what he did and what he didn't. As in the previous blog, I have pointed that he spoke a lot about the MP4-23's pace and that he was breezing to victory. I'm gutted to see such an arrogant shameless self-obsessed F1 driver, I mean u can't just keep boasting when u have just ruined someone's race. Look at Kimi, he always shuts his mouth and drives and he's still winning. F1 is the only sport where the so-called "mind games" never work and I don't see any point in Lewis blabbering like a kid when he hasn't won anything in the sport. Well, all I can say is barking dogs won't bite.

Time to get a life Lewis

Jun 8, 2008

Lewis screwed Kimi's bid for win : Race 7 review

Kimi Raikkonen, who looked the likely winner of the Canadian GP and who clocked the fastest lap of the race, was reduced to disgust by a spoiled brat from Briton. Just when it looked the race was gonna be interesting, in came Hamilton who rammed his McLaren on the back of the halted Ferrari of Kimi who along with Kubica was waiting for the red light to go off in the pitlane exit (see photo). It was such an amateurish maneuver from an F1 driver who not only spoiled his but that of his main title rival as well. Schoolboy stuff!!! It's interesting to see that the Hamilton family has now completed the trifecta of destroying aPorsche, a Ferrari and a Mercedez :)
Watch the mess which Lewis made
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ap--XNi5sak

I was so annoyed that the situation was all set for a good race with Kimi n Kubica on the same line, Lewis on 3rd and it would have been a good fight but for Lewis' self-obsession. He keeps saying "I can adapt to any situation" "I let the team down".....I would ask him to adapt to the basics of F1. We all accept that the pitlane exit rule is stupid but if a 21 year Robert Kubica, let aone Kimi, can have the presence of mind to see that it's RED, why can't Hamilton after winning 6 races in his career, see that. If everyone else is following it, no matter how stupid it is, u have to follow. Inspite of all these, there came Lewis again posing for the itv camera n saying "It looked like an easy win for me....I was breezing".........haha......I came to know how much self-obsessed one can get after seeing this spoiled brat

Now coming onto Kimi
People say that his cool gesture of letting Hamilton hear "hey dumb boy, look it was RED n not GREEN" reminded them of Senna. Some drivers would have just went on and slapped Hamilton but a gentleman he is, Kimi didn't use a foul word but a sarcastic gesture. Hats off to u Kimi.....time n again, u proved that u are the Mr cool. And for those who say, Kimi deserved this after hitting Sutil in Monaco, I feel really sorry to say that u cant compare a racing incident with a silly incident. I too feel bad about Force India team not to win any points but during a race, someone just lost braking and that too not deliberately......hey, these things happen!

One clear comparison from 2007 and 2008
Lewis then had Alonso to guide him how to set his car up even when they were enjoying "absolute equality" (thanks to Ron Dennis for preventing me from searching the dictionary) but now with the whole team backing only him and using Heikki as a back-up driver, Lewis is still struggling to compete with Ferrari (that's where absolute equality crap can be found). Just because of him, they lost a former champion n now McLaren is limping in 3rd position in constructors championship. One thing Lewis has to do from now on is just forget all these cameras n start thinking about how you can win races. Though hes not a great driver, he has the potential of winning races

Finally,
I'm really happy for Robert that he could win a race after all these struggle. He had a chance and he grabbed it with both hands which is a sign of a good driver. Nick Hiedfeld seem to enjoy playing second fiddle to his younger teammate. I'm sure BMW are gonna beat the crap out of McLaren for the Constructors championship.

Standings :
1. Robert Kubica 42 points
2. Felipe Massa 38 points
3. Lewis Hamilton 38 points
4. Kimi Raikkonen 35 points
5. Nick Heidfeld 28 points


Next Race : French GP Magny Cours Circuit, 22nd June

Jun 2, 2008

Lewis broke the jinx : Race 6 review

McLaren and Lewis Hamilton put an end to the winless streak in the streets of Monte Carlo even after a start from row 2 on the grid. After loosing the first 2 positions in the qualifiers to the two Ferraris of Raikkonen and Massa, Lewis looked good right from the start to clinch a surprise. To add more spice to the matters, it rained. A wet race in a tight circuit like that of Monaco is the last thing a driver would want considering the fact that a little mixup can make your title chances go for a toss. That's exactly what happened to Kimi when a badly timed safety car and a drive through penalty along with some not-so-common mistakes ruined his whole race. The same is somewhat true for Massa as well as he had to settle behind the BMW of Kubica for a 3rd.

Raikkonen was driving more like a world champion. Hold on, what I mean is he was not so much worried about the victory but just tried to drag points out of the Ferrari which lacked pace at the right moment. I really hope that the 'Alonso' demon won't come and influence the Iceman inturn making him a defensive driver. But knowing Kimi, I doubt whether he will continue to drive like a champion rather he'll enact a Suzuka 05 or a Spa 03 or even a Shanghai 07. Massa though is the clear beneficial from his team mate's downfall. He is now a point adrift from Kimi who trails Lewis by 3. The championship fight is already exciting and I'm sure there will be more to see when F1 goes to Circuit Gillles Villneuve in Canada.

Next race: Canadian GP, Montreal Sunday 8th June

May 19, 2008

Felipe rules Turkey : Race 5 review

It all fell into pieces for Felipe Massa as he completed his Turkey hat-trick in round 5 of the World Formula1 championship in Istanbul. Though the drive was nowhere near a superlative one, he did manage to pull off quite a few seconds from the fast roaring McLaren of Lewis Hamilton for whom he "gave way" in lap 35. 3rd place was the best Kimi could hope for in an uneventful weekend with a second race engine. So, it's again scarlet vs silver for the top step of the podium or will it change when F1 returns to Monaco in 2 weeks time?

Lewis went with an unfamiliar 3stop strategy in an otherwise bumpy long sweeping track of Istanbul. I use the word unfamiliar cos he did had his troubles in the same track last year caused by some hard act on the tyres, credited only to Lewis' driving style. After the warning from Bridgestone, McLaren rightly added 1 more stop in his strategy book which eventually shaded a win. Massa had pace but I wonder there were some grey hairs in the Ferrari pit when Hamilton overtook him quite "easily" but that we better assume is a 'knowingly let through' as he was aware of Hamilton's plans. The Iceman lost some places in the start but soon made it up and eventually finished on the podium but more importantly, defends his lead on the championship.

So, let's leave Turkey behind and move to Monte Carlo to a circuit where the average speed is as low as 180 kph. McLaren usually have the upperhand in those so called street circuits but can Ferrari triumph for the fifth time in a row? That's the big Q.........let's wait n watch


Standings Drivers

1. Kimi Raikkonen 35
2. Lewis Hamilton 28
3. Felipe Massa 28

Standings Constructors

1. Ferrari 63
2. BMW 44
3. McLaren 42


Next Race : Monaco GP Sunday 25th May

Apr 28, 2008

Milestones reached by Kimi after Spanish G.P!

276.jpg image by _KRS_Kimi Raikkonen gained his second hat-trick (pole, win and fastest lap) of his F1 career after last year's Australian Grand Prix, equalling the score of his teammate Felipe Massa, who recorded his two hat-tricks last year, in Bahrain and Spain. At the top of the all-time chart, with the most number of hat-tricks, is Michael Schumacher, with 22.

Kimi is set to possibly be the most successful Finnish F1 driver in history. With his 51st podium finish, Raikkonen equals his countryman Mika Hakkinen at the ninth all-time spot. Next stop is Niki Lauda, with 54 podiums.

Kimi's total number of fastest laps reached 26 - he has set more fastest laps than any other driver except Michael Schumacher with 76, Alain Prost with 41, Nigel Mansell with 30 and Jim Clark with 28.

Kimi recorded his 15th pole position, and he is now in the 16th spot on the all-time records. Raikkonen didn't start from pole since Belgium last year.

Kimi is 9th in the highest championship points ranking, having passed Nigel Mansell:

264.jpg image by _KRS_ 1369 Michael Schumacher
798.5 Alain Prost
614 Ayrton Senna
527 David Coulthard
519 Rubens Barrichello
496 Fernando Alonso
485.5 Nelson Piquet
485 Kimi Räikkönen
482 Nigel Mansell
420.5 Niki Lauda
420 Mika Häkkinen

Apr 27, 2008

Race 4 Barcelona : Kimi's perfect treble

POLE, WIN & FASTEST LAP : It looks like nothing in the world can stop the Iceman for the time being. Right from Friday's free practice session to the flag, he couldn't have done any better in the Circuit de Catalunya. Kimi had a superb start going through the clear part of the start-finish straight chased down by the equally quick scarlet of Massa but since they were no way interested in racing any harder, the positions remained the same through the first corner. Earlier, Massa made a great pass on Alonso who didn't had a clear run and had to live with the constant pressure from the quicker McLaren of Lewis in the fourth place. So, Ferrari did eventually had a 1-2 but the lap times look a bit deceptive. Maybe, they didn't want to push too much when there was no necessity of doing so or maybe the 'safety car touring' for 10 mins would have enabled the likes of McLaren n BMW to close down the gap a bit. Nevertheless, no reliability woes anymore nor any grey hairs seen in the Ferrari pitcrew.

McLaren came up with a mixed bad as Heikki Kovalainen survived a puncture half-way through the race causing his McLaren to kiss the tyre wall at 140 mph (see photo) but luckily, no serious injury is reported as the Finn was taken for premilinary medical check-up. Lewis Hamilton was all over Felipe Massa's Ferrari just after the safety car went to pits but considering Catalunya is a Ferrari track with long sweeping corners n a long straight, there was nothing more he could do other than maintaining the gap to just 1 sec. Robert Kubica was also in a chasing mood all the way from lap 1 where he lost a place to Lewis but McLaren and BMW looked on par. The team though didn't had to worry too much as not a lot is expected from them even now. Alonso with a surprising front row start failed to finish after his Renault engine gave up in lap 22 much to the horror of the raucous Spanish crowd.

Apart from the Heikki's shunt, the Spanish GP wasn't an eventful one but can't take anything away from what Heidfeld did to Fisichella after 7 laps of frustration. That infact was the one and only overtaking maneuver in the whole race. Ferrari will travel to Turkey with a big smile on their face after second consecutive 1-2 and bagging a lead on both drivers' and constructors' championship. McLaren would be exhausted after following the scarlets for 66 laps with not much hope either. Kimi Raikkonen, as lots of F1 fanatics say, is enjoying a single horse race to the championship and it's his title to loose now without doubt but let's wait n watch whether Massa or Lewis can come up with some goods or not.

As they stand after race 4 of 18:

1. K. Raikkonen 29
2. L. Hamilton 20
3. R. Kubica 19
4. F. Massa 18
5. N. Heidfeld 16

Next Race : Turkish GP - Sunday, May 11th

Apr 7, 2008

Race 3 Review : Bahrain GP

Till Bahrain, Ferrari and McLeran had a win apiece which clearly showed how much preparations they did during the winter testing. Wait a min, before jumping the gun let me tell you, there is one more team who had true pace and that's none other than BMW. They clinched their third consecutive podium of the season. As Kimi rightly said, it's a three way fight for the crown. Robert Kubica's maiden pole glory however didn't help him too much in the race when Massa swift pass him before the first corner. Then in lap 2, he probably had his biggest challenge in an F1 car till date and that is to keep the current World Champion Kimi Raikkonen behind him. Well, he couldn't do that understandably but the way Kimi went pass Robert through the outside of turn 1 (see photo) had a glimpse of the Iceman's 2005 suzuka victory where he overtook Fisichella in the last lap in the same fashion. On the whole, Kimi didn't had a spectacular weekend having failed to qualify in the front row of the grid and at times struggling to get the right balance in his F2008 but nevertheless, clinching second on a bad weekend is actually pretty good.

Massa though had a flawless race but having said that it's nowhere near an emphatic one cos he almost started from pole when Kubica failed to gain advantage earlier in the race. As we know a clear air in front of the leader is always an advantage and you can easily pull away from the rest of the field. Massa did answer his critics eventually but another DNF would be one too many as Kimi is already leading the World Championship with 19 points. The big loser however was the most over-rated driver in F1's history, Lewis Hamilton. How on earth did he fail to engage the engine setting before a grandprix start? This boy needs to keep his feet firmly on ground before he starts aiming for more than what hes capable of. Later in the race, he was given a run for the money by our very own 'Force India's Fisichella' for almost 3-4 laps. I was so pissed off with Hamilton's antics and his "dismissing wave" of Fisichella, that I desperately wanted to land in that McLaren cockpit and tell him "dude, rather than you lapping him, hes also fighting for positions. Why the f*** are you complaining?"

One thing is clear from Bahrain, McLaren are only 3rd fastest in circuits which have long straights and sweeping corners. They have their work cut out before F1 moves to Europe in 3 weeks time. Ferrari is on the moon with a 1-2 finish and how well they managed to keep Raikkonen's '2nd race' engine serene all through the weekend. BMW and Marrio Theissen would be smiling now after grabbing their first pole in 50 years. The 2008 season is actually unfolding in the most bizarre fashion. Lets wait and see in Catalunya!

Bahrain Results
Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
1. Massa Ferrari (B) 1h31:06.970
2. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 3.339
3. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 4.998
4. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 8.409
5. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 26.789
6. Trulli Toyota (B) + 41.314
7. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) + 45.473
8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 55.889
9. Glock Toyota (B) + 1:09.500
10. Alonso Renault (B) + 1:17.181
11. Barrichello Honda (B) + 1:17.862
12. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
13. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 1 lap
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 1 lap
15. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 1 lap
16. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
17. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) + 1 lap
18. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 1 lap
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) + 2 laps

Fastest lap: Kovalainen, 1:33.193
Drivers' Standings

1. Raikkonen 19
2. Heidfeld 16
3. Hamilton 14

Next Race : Spanish GP, Barcelona : Sunday, 27th Apr

Mar 24, 2008

Race 2 Malaysia : Kimi triumphs


He was rampant all weekend and it almost looked like he'll walk away with it until Felipe claimed pole by a staggering o.4 sec margin. But then you have to rely on the iceman to get pass his teammate sometime during the race especially when the latter is struggling big time with loss of TC. I am very much pleased with the way the world champion drove precisely just before and after Felipe went to the pits. In the first stint, Kimi was able to hold onto a 2 sec gap with his teammate but after that the real Kimi stole the limelight with a scorcher of a lap.

McLarens though were clearly off the pace with Hamilton struggling to get temperature on tyres during the first stint and Kovalainen enjoying a race of his own. BMW was again throwing some surprises with jaw dropping pace just when it mattered. Kudos to Kubica and Heidfeld. Trulli is upbeat after an unexpected 4th.

Force India finally finished a race with Fisichella on 12th position. Let me tell you, Vijay Mallya with all the money in the world would be ecstatic after this result as he is aware of the fact that a point finish is not too far away. On the whole, Malaysian GP wasn't a great race but was definitely a come back one for the champions from Maranello

Keep flying Kimi!

Drivers' standing after 2 races

1. Lewis 14 points
2. Kimi 11 points
3. Nick 11 points
4. Heikki 10 points
5. Robert 8 points


Next Race : Bahrain GP, Sunday April 6th