Formula One: Alonso to BMW Sauber?

Its a possibility. Rumors were confirmed to the Spanish media that BMW Sauber and 2 time Formula 1 World Champion, Fernando Alonso of Renault have talked about the chance of having a ride with BMW for 2009. This year has been a bit of a disappointment, since he has suffered from 3 DNF's, and no podiums or wins, but nothing probably compared to the nightmare of his time spent in the McLarren stable (a.k.a. "Mclarri" for how silly that season went down) When asked about future commitments in formula one, he said he will not announce anything after the Singapore GP. So in other words, we'll have to wait & see. oh, and a bit of a tip to know? He's been highly praised by Honda Team Engineer Ross Brawn as a driver. Who's the last driver Brawn Praised? Miachel Schumacher, when he and Braun himself worked for Benneton & Ferrari, earning 7 world championships.

Sebastien Who?...

No, it's not Sebastien Bourdais, but his teammate - Sebastien Vettel, of Team Torro Rosso, won Sunday's Italian Grand Prix - the last European stop on the Formula One World Championship calendar before heading off to Singapore for their inaugural & historic night race.

Vettel, therefore became the youngest winner ever in formula one, at 21 years - the previous record holder being Renault's Fernando Alonso (22 years). He lead entirely outright from pole position, earning the top spot in bad weather conditions during Saturday's qualifying session, and has never relinquished the lead from the start, leaving second place Heikki Kovalainen's Mercedes McLarren 12 seconds back. His teammate Sebastien Bourdais, almost claimed a podium, but was passed near the end by BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeild.

Points leader & Kovalaninen's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, continues to struggle going into Singapore, as his lead has been reduced to a single point. Its obvious that the penalty he received at the last round in Belgium took a huge chunk of his lead away.


Photo Courtesy: Speed Channel / Formula One Management

The Dark Side of Formula One: Exposed

I gotta be honest...every time I head out to a professional event on a racetrack here in the Unites States, its so amazing, wonderful & fan friendly. I have gone to an IRL event recently in the past few years at Homestead Miami Speedway, and everyone in the paddock was so nice - it was almost scary & shocking at the same time. I even got Max Papis, who was running a Grand Am Rolex Series race the night before, to sign a piece of his race car that broke off in an accident.

Former Indy Car Series driver Robbie Buhl, signing autographs for kids during the 1996 Indianapolis 500.

But this totally irritates me, on how Formula 1 and their drivers can be. how can anyone still be a fan of drivers like this, I wonder? :

Kimi, I respect you as a driver, and champion, but all she wanted was an autograph most likely for her daughter, and you knocked down her child?, although it was inadvertent, and all you did was keep on walking like nothing happened? World champion or not, you should have some sense of decency for what happened, seeing that kid cry. I've seen drivers here in my part of the world actually go to children's hospitals to bring joy to the faces of kids - Racing for Kids, is a pretty good example. To add to that, some drivers here race for charity events - Tony Stewart, and the Prelude to the Dream event at his racetrack- Eldora Speedway. The driver behind the machine isn't supposed to be a machine all the time. Have a sense of feeling & care, Kimi.

Also, Juan Pablo Montoya, back when he was in F1 for the Williams BMW Team. As much of a fan as I am of Montoya (I've followed him since his days in CART for Target Chip Ganassi Racing to his recent stint in NASCAR for that very team) I gotta disagree with this incident, because he didn't see where he was going, and walked straight into the camera:

My opinion? I doubt that Formula One Management will ever release this type of footage on their broadcasts because they want to keep as many fans in the seats, spending as much money as possible. Bernie Ecclestone - of "Formula One doesn't need America" fame, considering he's nearing his 80's in age, just might have a heart attack on the spot if this ever did get out onto a broadcast. maybe fans overseas might look at the sport a little bit differently.

Photo Courtesy: The Auto Channel
Video Courtesy: You Tube