The F1 2011 season starts here

It should have started a couple of weeks ago but what with one thing or another, today saw the first race of the Formula 1 world championship. To be honest, I always thought Australia should have hosted the first race because, for me, it always has. Just as Brazil should host the last race. (Abu Dhabi, grumble grumble. Even though it looks stunning, grumble)

I hadn't realised how much I missed the thrill of the race. The new rules, DRS, KERS and new tyres from Pirelli, have shaken things up a bit. The top teams, Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, etc, are all performing at full steam, though, so we still have the big guns fighting it out for points. Meanwhile, the smaller teams, Sauber, Lotus, HRT, etc, have been having their own problems. HRT didn't even get to start the race due to the 107% qualifying rule!

There was plenty of action in Melbourne, right from the moment the lights went out. Vettel had a clean getaway and led to the finish, Hamilton lost a place to Webber then regained it at the first corner and Alonso went wide, allowing three cars to pass him.
During the course of the Grand Prix, there were battles aplenty. Button passed Massa using an exit road, after being held up by the slower Brazilian for several laps, and got hit with a drive through penalty.
The Saubers of Kobayashi and Perez scythed their way through the field finishing 7th and 8th, Perez pitting only once for a tyre change, to everybody else's two and three stops.
Congratulations to Vitaly Petrov who made it onto the podium, finishing in 3rd place, driving in his 2nd season with Renault, now Renault-Lotus (don't ask).
And no safety car was deployed at any point in the race :)

With such a thrilling start to the season, I can hardly wait for the next race in Malaysia. And I'd like to make a small prediction for 2011. Keep an eye on Toro Rosso and Force India. That's all I'm saying. Just keep an eye.




Unfortunately, I have since learned that Sauber have been disqualified for a breach of the aero rules. It remains to be seen whether the team will appeal or not.

Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami

It's been over a week since the Japanese earthquake/tsunami and the biggest problem facing the country, apart from keeping most of it's population housed and fed, is the threat of meltdown from a badly damaged nuclear reactor.




Shit happens and then some.

I really feel for these people. Firstly, their country is shaken by one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history. Then, with aftershoocks still taking place, a tsunami sweeps along the east coast, rearranging everything the quake had already disturbed. The figures keep changing but about 20,000 people are missing or dead. The survivors are only just managing to remain so. And if we're not all very lucky the nuclear fallout from the damaged reactor could wipe out untold more. Certainly, much of Japan could be a toxic no-go area and who knows which way the wind will blow?




But amidst the chaos, brought about by this disaster, there is still hope. Where help arrives, the Japanese people have formed orderly queues. There has been very little, if any, fighting. They have remained a proud race, calmy coping with their dire situation. My only concern is that the Japanese government seems as calm regarding the threat of nuclear meltdown. If it was me, I'd be begging for help. The consequences of failing to repair the reactor could affect us all.




Chernobyl still glows...

Science fiction double feature

When it comes to books and movies, science fiction is my genre of choice. Not that I won't read or watch anything else, because I will, but ever since I first saw Star Wars (long, long ago) I've been hooked.

That set the standard for all Sci-Fi to come, and very few movies have come close, but what about pre-Star Wars? Well, as it turned out, there's absolutley loads of old black and white B movies rarely seen by today's kids. Fortunately my nan used to let me watch them on BBC2 at 6:00pm, weekdays (she helped look after me while my mum was at work and a damn fine job she did, too).

This Island Earth, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Forbidden Planet immediately spring to mind (I know FP wasn't B/W), along with such classics as War Of The Worlds, The Time Machine and The First Men In The Moon. I would disappear for an hour or so each day to another reality, my horizons broadening, possibilities without end. Thank you BBC2.

As I matured, 1950's Sci-Fi found it's way into my life through such authers as H G Wells, Jules Verne, Harry Harrison and the great Phillip K Dick. Who? Well, you may not recognize the last name but I'm sure you've heard of the movies made from his books. Remember Total Recall? Minority Report? Blade Runner? All were written many years before they hit the silver screen.

I think what I find so exciting about these stories, is that they were being written about the time we live in now, 2000 and beyond. Often, I would find myself reading about some futuristic device that I now have at home or even carry around in my pocket! But, somehow, owning the equivilant to Star Trek's Tri-Corder isn't quite enough.

The future isn't all I was hoping for, which is why I still read these books and watch these movies. Don't get me wrong, I think we are living in very interesting times. It's just not a patch on the dreams planted in my head by my literary heroes.

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