The new qualifying format for Formula One has shown that it's got the potential to make sorting out the grid positions more exciting than races often are. But it's not perfect.
The jailing of Indian businessman Subrata Roy two years ago raised its own questions for Force India for Sahara, the company whose name is plastered down the side of the cars, is not quite the sponsor it seems. Along with Vijay Mallya (See story ) Sahara owns most of the team. Roy, the Chairman of Sahara, was jailed because his company failed to make repayments exceeding USD5,000 million to investors after the investment bonds the company issued were found by a court to be illegal.
If you've been a bit bored by F1 qualifying for a while, as drivers sit in the pits until the last minute or hang around in the middle of the track after finishing a fast lap, then the FIA's new qualifying format is going to prove a revalation. Will it be edge of the seat stuff? Quite possibly.
There's no secret that brash Indian businessman Vijay Mallya's business model for Force India depended on the success of his other businesses and his relationships with other companies. Kingfisher Airlines crashed (the company, not its planes) despite Mallya's highly publicised claims that they had the best looking stewardesses in the sky. But that was not the only dark cloud in his firmament. This time, it's his own money that's at stake amid allegations of money laundering.
Whether you call the black and gold cars Lotus after their sponsor or Renault after the tech, they still have their engine manufacturer's logo proudly displayed. Caterham (which has the right to the name Team Lotus but doesn't use it) also carry Renault branding. But for the Korean GP, that's going to change and almost no one outside Korea will know why
Yes, I know it's Wednesday. Yes, I know I'm supposed to write a race report on Sunday night or Monday morning. But it's hard to do that when there wasn't actually a race. The Spanish Grand Prix 2013 was like a NASCAR race with corners and no crashes. At least it didn't last 500 laps.
Pirelli made a good decision for the Bahrain race: take two tyre compounds that are very similar. That negated pretty much all the pit-lane decisions that have led to what basically amounts to racing by remote control. But all was not rosy.
Some say that Mark Webber is the unluckiest man in F1. That's wrong: he's one of the unluckiest men in any sport. But it's also true that one makes one's own luck.
It's not the fault of the track and it's not the fault of the Formula One teams. For sure, it's not the fault of the drivers. The 2013 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai proved for once and for all that the tyres dictate the strategy and - even more ridiculously - the racing. If you thought team orders affect who races who, you need to hear the pit-to-car radios in the Shanghai race. And dust off that Scalextric that's been hibernating in the attic.
The official word from Red Bull Racing is that Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have "settled" the issue that arose when Vettel ignored team orders in Malaysia and took away Webber's victory. But as always, the devil is in the detail.
The most fun of the weekend in Malaysia was not the (rather sad) race weekend concert but when Lewis Hamilton forgot that he's changed teams and is now driving for Mercedes. The McLaren pit crew who watched him pull in between the lines - with tyres ready - waited patiently while he worked out his error and set off for his own box further down the pit lane. No one else had anything to smile about, including eventual winner, Vettel. He broke team orders to stay behind Webber but says "you know I’m not sorry to win."
Melbourne: the autumn leaves, the winter rain, the summer sun and a spring in the step of all in Formula One as they arrive for the start of the new season. Then it all went rather weird and it's difficult to feel ultra-pleased with Kimi Raikkonen's win in his Lotus branded Renault which is a shame because a win's a win, isn't it?
Given Ferrari's history of stress-testing and even breaking the rules, often with the support of stewards and the FIA, it's a bit rich that they asked the FIA to review the stewards' decision over a pass by Sebastian Vettel on Verne in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
In one of the least surprising announcements as to 2013 drivers, the Williams F1 team has confirmed Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas will pilot its cars next year. So Bruno Senna is looking for a new seat.
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There's no secret that brash Indian businessman Vijay Mallya's business model for Force India depended on the success of his other businesses and his relationships with other companies. Kingfisher Airlines crashed (the company, not its planes) despite Mallya's highly publicised claims that they had the best looking stewardesses in the sky. But that was not the only dark cloud in his firmament. This time, it's his own money that's at stake amid allegations of money laundering.