4/09/2009
2009 F1 Drivers appreciation list
Part two of two...
1 Felipe Massa (BRA, Ferrari) - He was one turn away from a driver's championship. Daym.
2 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN, Ferrari) - Which leads me to the disappointment I felt with then defending champion Kimi underperforming last year.
3 Fernando Alonso (ESP, Renault) - Lewis Hamilton have been stepping on too many toes lately, whether intentional or not. I have to take sides.
4 Sebastien Bourdais (FRA, Toro Rosso) - Because I have no one else to put here, might as well put someone who is driving a Ferrari engine.
5 Sebastien Buemi (SUI, Toro Rosso) - Same here.
6 Kazuki Nakajima (JPN, Williams) - With Japanese teams leaving left and right, it is good to know that the Samurai is still represented. Samurai? Oops, wrong sport.
7 Nick Heidfeld (GER, BMW Sauber) - Heidfeld is the only few that has remained active since the 1990s. The only other significant driver will be mentioned below.
8 Nico Rosberg (GER, Williams) - A lot expectations was heaped on him upon his entry. Then came better skilled drivers who had better fortunes like Robert Kubica and, ahem, Hamilton.
9 Robert Kubica (POL, BMW Sauber) - His performance last year caught me by surprise. I expect him to pull off more surprises.
10 Mark Webber (AUS, Red Bull) - In his past lifetime, I recall Webber driving a Minardi. Look where he is now. Still alive and kicking.
11 Timo Glock (GER, Toyota) - Weird that I have not written anything yet for this driver moments before posting this.
12 Jarno Trulli (ITA, Toyota) - Same here.
13 Sebastian Vettel (GER, Red Bull) - This season sets an unusual record for having the most people with near similar first names. As for Vettel's skills, it is there, not just noticeable.
14 Nelsinho Piquet (BRA, Renault) - I did not know Piquet has a cool first name reminiscent of cool football players coming from that country. It never occured to me he is Brazilian in the first place.
15 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA, Force India) - Because he could not deliver, he got 'demoted'.
16 Adrian Sutil (GER, Force India) - The Schumacher may have been gone but there is no lacking of German blood this season.
17 Jenson Button (GBR, Brawn GP) - He is a good racer, methinks. Just his luck that he got overtaken by another Brit. Anyway, there is still a lot of future ahead for the young guy.
18 Rubens Barrichello (BRA, Brawn GP) - How does it feel to be the resident senior citizen now, eh?
19 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN, McLaren) - Just because.
20 Lewis Hamilton (GBR, McLaren) - He is F1's version of Kobe Bryant. I have nothing but seething words for you, mate.
1 Felipe Massa (BRA, Ferrari) - He was one turn away from a driver's championship. Daym.
2 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN, Ferrari) - Which leads me to the disappointment I felt with then defending champion Kimi underperforming last year.
3 Fernando Alonso (ESP, Renault) - Lewis Hamilton have been stepping on too many toes lately, whether intentional or not. I have to take sides.
4 Sebastien Bourdais (FRA, Toro Rosso) - Because I have no one else to put here, might as well put someone who is driving a Ferrari engine.
5 Sebastien Buemi (SUI, Toro Rosso) - Same here.
6 Kazuki Nakajima (JPN, Williams) - With Japanese teams leaving left and right, it is good to know that the Samurai is still represented. Samurai? Oops, wrong sport.
7 Nick Heidfeld (GER, BMW Sauber) - Heidfeld is the only few that has remained active since the 1990s. The only other significant driver will be mentioned below.
8 Nico Rosberg (GER, Williams) - A lot expectations was heaped on him upon his entry. Then came better skilled drivers who had better fortunes like Robert Kubica and, ahem, Hamilton.
9 Robert Kubica (POL, BMW Sauber) - His performance last year caught me by surprise. I expect him to pull off more surprises.
10 Mark Webber (AUS, Red Bull) - In his past lifetime, I recall Webber driving a Minardi. Look where he is now. Still alive and kicking.
11 Timo Glock (GER, Toyota) - Weird that I have not written anything yet for this driver moments before posting this.
12 Jarno Trulli (ITA, Toyota) - Same here.
13 Sebastian Vettel (GER, Red Bull) - This season sets an unusual record for having the most people with near similar first names. As for Vettel's skills, it is there, not just noticeable.
14 Nelsinho Piquet (BRA, Renault) - I did not know Piquet has a cool first name reminiscent of cool football players coming from that country. It never occured to me he is Brazilian in the first place.
15 Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA, Force India) - Because he could not deliver, he got 'demoted'.
16 Adrian Sutil (GER, Force India) - The Schumacher may have been gone but there is no lacking of German blood this season.
17 Jenson Button (GBR, Brawn GP) - He is a good racer, methinks. Just his luck that he got overtaken by another Brit. Anyway, there is still a lot of future ahead for the young guy.
18 Rubens Barrichello (BRA, Brawn GP) - How does it feel to be the resident senior citizen now, eh?
19 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN, McLaren) - Just because.
20 Lewis Hamilton (GBR, McLaren) - He is F1's version of Kobe Bryant. I have nothing but seething words for you, mate.
2009 F1 Constructors appreciation list
As years go by, it seems that I get to watch live F1 races less and less. Which sucks. Considering how exciting last season was although the ending was not exactly to my liking.
And look at the current season zoom by. With two races down and little consideration to the already concluded grand prixes, here my are appreciation lists for this year.
1 Ferrari - Sure, Michael Schumacher is now just a footnote in the history of the storied team. Nevertheless, I am still seeing red even with all the flak they are getting and despite that, Ferrari still emerged as the constructors' champion last year.
2 Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari - The only other team being run with a Ferrari engine this season. Because of that, Scuderia Toro Rosso gets second dibs.
3 Williams-Toyota - With the exit of Honda, only one Asian team remains. Yes, this is blatant geographical bias.
4 Renault - The only non-Ferrari team I like the most and the only non-McLaren team I despise the least. Based on that statement, you will know where this list is headed.
5 Red Bull Racing-Renault - The two Red Bull teams have been dark horses and middle of the pack teams ever since. Which makes them fun to watch because they never went through the rough learning curve of new teams.
6 BMW Sauber - Based on the wins they got last year, BMW Sauber is this year's third wheel depending on how Renault would perform this season.
7 Williams - They had a rough stretch midway this decade but they are catching up. Now, it is up to Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima to deliver.
8 Force India-Mercedes - The default last place team ever since Super Aguri packed its bags. Which makes for good underdog stories.
9 Brawn GP-Mercedes - Ross Brawn, the brains behind Ferrari is actually using Mercedes engines to power the former Honda team. Pffft.
10 McLaren-Mercedes - For some weird reason, the rivalry of the scarlet horse and the silver arrow continue to this day. And they have been at each ever since I started following F1 with much more regularity late last millennium.
And look at the current season zoom by. With two races down and little consideration to the already concluded grand prixes, here my are appreciation lists for this year.
1 Ferrari - Sure, Michael Schumacher is now just a footnote in the history of the storied team. Nevertheless, I am still seeing red even with all the flak they are getting and despite that, Ferrari still emerged as the constructors' champion last year.
2 Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari - The only other team being run with a Ferrari engine this season. Because of that, Scuderia Toro Rosso gets second dibs.
3 Williams-Toyota - With the exit of Honda, only one Asian team remains. Yes, this is blatant geographical bias.
4 Renault - The only non-Ferrari team I like the most and the only non-McLaren team I despise the least. Based on that statement, you will know where this list is headed.
5 Red Bull Racing-Renault - The two Red Bull teams have been dark horses and middle of the pack teams ever since. Which makes them fun to watch because they never went through the rough learning curve of new teams.
6 BMW Sauber - Based on the wins they got last year, BMW Sauber is this year's third wheel depending on how Renault would perform this season.
7 Williams - They had a rough stretch midway this decade but they are catching up. Now, it is up to Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima to deliver.
8 Force India-Mercedes - The default last place team ever since Super Aguri packed its bags. Which makes for good underdog stories.
9 Brawn GP-Mercedes - Ross Brawn, the brains behind Ferrari is actually using Mercedes engines to power the former Honda team. Pffft.
10 McLaren-Mercedes - For some weird reason, the rivalry of the scarlet horse and the silver arrow continue to this day. And they have been at each ever since I started following F1 with much more regularity late last millennium.
3/15/2007
2007 F1 constructors ranking
Now that F1 is just around a corner (what an overused cliche), it is that time where I place the constructors and the drivers in their respective starting grids.
1. Ferrari - this spot is reserved. Duh! It is interesting though cheering for Kimi Raikkonen after berating him almost his whole career. Does that mean Felipe Massa is still the designated number two driver? Upward mobility in Ferrari is hard. I could feel Reubens and Eddie Irvine now.
2. Honda - with McLaren as the default heel and Renault expected to fall, it would be no surprise if Honda continues their rabid rise this season. Jenson Button is the man.
3. BMW Sauber - I like this team. I mean who would? Kubica has a bright future. And I always favoured the perpetual Sauber driver, Nick Heidfeld.
4. Toyota - any team with a Schumacher is fine by me. Jarno Trulli needs more pushing though, in more ways than one.
5. Williams - I have a feeling that they just got the raw end of the stick last season. Mechanical failures that led to unforeseen driver substitutions. They had to revise their tv ad big time when Villenueve suffered head injuries. What is important is I like both Wurz and Rosberg.
6. Renault - I am an optimist for Fisichella, but Kovalainen have been reportedly outpacing him in their recent runarounds. Still, that bodes well for Renault.
7. Super Aguri - Takuma Sato cool, even if the car sucks. I do hope they could improve this season though.
8. Toro Rosso - for some strange reason, even if he is American, and Americans in general disdain F1 for their sucky NASCAR, I like Scott Speed. It has a nice ring to it.
9. Spyker - another name change. Third in the last few years. There must be definitely something wrong now, don't you think? I am for underdogs, but not this under.
10. Red Bull - any team with David Coulthard or has the same name with my most hated PBA squad deserves the bottom of my list.
11. McLaren - really now. Prove to me that you could win with Alonso when you are as inconsistent as rainfall in the Sahara. It was Renault who made Alonso.
1. Ferrari - this spot is reserved. Duh! It is interesting though cheering for Kimi Raikkonen after berating him almost his whole career. Does that mean Felipe Massa is still the designated number two driver? Upward mobility in Ferrari is hard. I could feel Reubens and Eddie Irvine now.
2. Honda - with McLaren as the default heel and Renault expected to fall, it would be no surprise if Honda continues their rabid rise this season. Jenson Button is the man.
3. BMW Sauber - I like this team. I mean who would? Kubica has a bright future. And I always favoured the perpetual Sauber driver, Nick Heidfeld.
4. Toyota - any team with a Schumacher is fine by me. Jarno Trulli needs more pushing though, in more ways than one.
5. Williams - I have a feeling that they just got the raw end of the stick last season. Mechanical failures that led to unforeseen driver substitutions. They had to revise their tv ad big time when Villenueve suffered head injuries. What is important is I like both Wurz and Rosberg.
6. Renault - I am an optimist for Fisichella, but Kovalainen have been reportedly outpacing him in their recent runarounds. Still, that bodes well for Renault.
7. Super Aguri - Takuma Sato cool, even if the car sucks. I do hope they could improve this season though.
8. Toro Rosso - for some strange reason, even if he is American, and Americans in general disdain F1 for their sucky NASCAR, I like Scott Speed. It has a nice ring to it.
9. Spyker - another name change. Third in the last few years. There must be definitely something wrong now, don't you think? I am for underdogs, but not this under.
10. Red Bull - any team with David Coulthard or has the same name with my most hated PBA squad deserves the bottom of my list.
11. McLaren - really now. Prove to me that you could win with Alonso when you are as inconsistent as rainfall in the Sahara. It was Renault who made Alonso.
