So this weekend the time had finally (finally!) come to indulge in one of my all time favourite past-times; formula 1 racing! The winter wait has been long and cornered with lively speculation about the radically new regulations that F1 governing body FIA put in place for the 2014 season. Gone are the days of V8 and V10 engines as we now enter an era with turbo charged 1.6L V6 engines with vastly advanced energy recovery and electric hybrid systems. Ever since the testing sessions from Bahrain and Jerez earlier this year when we first got to hear the new F1 power units the internet has been lively with opinions about the sound of this new page in Formula 1 history. Many seem to think that the new sound isn’t loud enough, or that it’s just plain wierd. I for one do like it, and above all i like the way the cars are now a handful to master with high level of low-end torque that the turbo provides. You have to know how to drive in order to succeed in these new cars, there is no doubt about it.
The season opener in Melbourne, Australia yesterday was a fantastic race altogether. Sebastian Vettel’s dominance since last years was broken swiftly with engine troubles (retired) and in the front we instead saw Mercedes and McLaren, although Redbull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo managed a 2nd place (later disqualified on technical gounds).
What makes me happy on a personal level is that the Williams team look strong for this season. I’m a long time Kimi Räikkönen fan (being a finn and all), and it’s really nice seeing Valtteri Bottas being competitive in the Martini Williams this season. In the end he had to settle for the 6th spot after having an encounter with the concrete wall resulting in a right-rear puncture.
F1 has never been as thrilling as it is now. Can’t wait for the Malaysian GP in two weeks time!
A run down of the results from Melbourne this weekend:
2014 FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
Note – Ricciardo originally finished second but was excluded after his car was found to have exceeded the maximum permitted fuel flow rate
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