F1 fun is just around the corner

Whilst that impossibly young German chap Sebastien Vettel won a 3rd straight title in his Red Bull rocket-on-wheels last year, he had his toughest battle for the title so far, which sets us up really rather nicely for a high octane blast around Melbourne on Sunday.

2014 sees seismic changes to the F1 rulebook, involving much smaller engines, dramatically less fuel available, all sorts of clever-clogs energy recovery shenanigans, turbos, and the possibility that the familiar scream of the cars flat out might sound more like as asthmatic wasp in a particularly large tin.

Before that, we get to see if Fernando Alonso can finally get a title in his Ferrari and tame his eyebrows, if Jenson Button can do the same as the main man at McLaren whilst continuing to be extremely laid back, if Lewis Hamilton has a chance now he’s swapped to Mercedes and started getting tattoos and dressing like a ‘gangsta’, or if any of the other peddlers of the world’s most expensive go karts can do the same.

They won’t have to worry about Michael Schumacher any more – he’s called it a day (again), but they do still have to contend with accident-magnets Grosjean and Maldonado. The former got a ban last year but showed his brilliance at other times, whilst the latter drove a perfect race to score his first win during the season, but blundered on an industrial scale at other times.

Then there’s the flying Finn, Raikkonen. His levels of natural grumpiness make me look like Mr Happy after a snort on the laughing gas, and his return to F1 last year saw consistent speed in a not quite on the pace Lotus, a win, spectacular grouchiness on the radio, plus some bizarre off-roading. Hopefully the team will be gluing a map of the circuit to his steering wheel this year.

The BBC have a new main presenter in Suzi Perry, after Jake Humphrey popped off to BT for some footballerist punditry, and they’ve even secured coverage of the practice sessions for the nine (out of nineteen) races they’re showing live. This is great news, especially if your paint has now dried under scrutiny, and you’re unexpectedly short of something to watch. The other races will be highlights only, whilst Sky once again have enough coverage to make you beg them to stop, please God, it hurts now, and even flirted with 3D coverage during winter testing.

Who will win? Who cares! I will once again be bouncing around in my seat, shouting at cars, berating overpaid blokes I’ve never even met, and telling them how they should be driving.

And when I get home, I’ll put the F1 on. See you on the sofa – bring crisps. It’s going to be epic.

This post first appeared in my 'Thank grumpy it's Friday' column in the North West Evening Mail on Friday, 15th March, 2013. You can read the version used on their website here Apart from a slight change to the title (They went with 'Formula 1 is just around the corner') is was identical this week.

I did have another column already written, but decided the day before submission deadline to go with an F1 preview instead. For a rare change, I have a column banked, but already have a idea for another column bubbling around noisily in my head... or it could be the central heating. Hard to tell sometimes.

(Tunes today courtesy of Paul Rogers' "Muddy Water Blues".)

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