The 2008 season - A Review

The season ended with a nerve cracking finale having our nerves in jitters until the last moment. But then this is the culmination of the work done throughout the whole year. Massa drove superbly and but for Glock whose last lap looked very suspicious even though they say that his dry tyres gave up on him, the championship would have been his. The satisfying part is Ferrari romped home with the constructors again making it a 7/9 seasons. Just have a look at the constructors and drivers standings race by race as shown below.

Driver Standings:


Constructors standings:


The pre season testing was very close with Ferraris and McLarens matching each other but the Red cars entered with what looked like a slight advantage with various improvements on the F2007 with a narrower chassis and a less wider wheel base to cope up with the streets. Then came Australia where it began with a disaster with Kimi scoring a point and Massa failing. The Mclarens capitalized on it and Lewis began with a bang. In Malaysia, they qualified in the 1st row with Massa throwing away his 2nd place during the race. He score was zero after 2 races. Then came Sakhir, Barcelona and Turkey wherein the Red cars were in their element especially Massa who was dominant in Sakhir and Istanbul. THen came Monaco wherein the Ferraris showed their strength qualifying 1-2. But then due to rain and due to a lucky strategy for Lewis wherein they gambled on dry tyres due to no rain paid off as Massa and co had to pit once more. Kimi right royally fouled up crashing on poor Sutil's rear. A great dissappointment for Force India as Sutil was 4th. Hamilton fucked up the Montral race by not heeding the red signal and took Kimi out of the race which he would have won. Kubica took up the left pieces and won. Silverstone Hockenhein were normal races most affected by rain and the Silver arrows capitalized. Hungary- Felipe was in his element but an engine failure 2 laps from the end dashed his hopes. Reminds of 2006 Suzuka wherein MSc's engine failed in mid race which cost the championship. Massa was in great in Valencia and in got a lucky win in Spa wheras Kimi had a series of DNFs. Monza- the home of the tifosi was a bad weekend with Kimi failing once more and Massa picking up the remaining points. But Vettel who had a poor beginning to the season reminded of the great Rain Master, driving the half Ferrari to victory. Singapore - A slew of errors by Ferrari and Kimi in the pit lane cost them dearly and Alonso took the 1st place for Renault. The Mclarens Failed in Fuji whereas Alonso capitalized with a better Renault to win the race. Then came China with Lewis winning and Massa 2nd due to team tactics having Kimi 3rd so as to boost Massa's chances. Then came the finale wherein Massa was in his element before his home crowd. Whatever be the condition rain before teh start or whatever, he dominated and Alonso came in 2nd with Kimi 3rd. Vettel drove an excellent race matching the pace of Massa throughout. Hamilton looked to clinch the title but then after the final rain, looked to loose it until the last corner of last corner wherein Glock slowed down. The Ferraris however won the construtors and we saw an emotional and crying Massa.
A summary: The Ferraris had some great races and some ver very poor races wherein the Mclarens even though they had some wins, finished in the middle in the remaining and hence got the drivers title. Lets see what next year has instore for us with the slew of changes from slicks to change in downforce levels.

PS: This may look as if it is a totally biased opinion but then Ferrari is Ferrari! Orgoglio Ferrari!
Imagine what MSc would have done had he seated in the f2008, especially in places like Spa in the rain! Reminds of 1998 Spa eh?

Frustrated after your exams??? Try this!

1. Why are people of the opinion that when they throw garbage out of their house on the road the stench leaves? Isn't it their surroundings and environment? Within the house or on the road surrounding the house, ain't garbage garbage?
2. Why are people addicted to networking sites?
3. Why do people use their scrap book more than IMs?
4. Why do people leave everything to the last minuite? (PS including me)
5. If you say drug addiction is bad, what do you say about television serials?
6. IF u have 500 messages does the company force you to utilise all of them?
7. Why is it that the people nowadays can't step outside without ear phones plugged in their ears?
8. Can't youngsters remain for sometime without using no handling their cellphones?
9. Where has the value of money gone? Why do people call the person upstairs using their cellphone?
10. Movies can be an entertainment but do you justify it being a religion?
11. Is there any politician who works for the welfare of the people without any kind of vested interests?
12. Why is it that people craze after higher pay checks after which they try on ways to evade income tax and pondering over investing it?
13. Is money the only thing people are after?
14. Why is it that people find it difficult to remain without doing anything? I mean literally doing nothing.
15. From where do people get abbreviations that people can't understand? Are people crazy? (Eg: 5yn for fine.. overa terila?? tp guess what? time pass! Ouch)

Rate yourself and see where you stand!

Are we following the right track?

Read the following news item... Courtesy www.formula1.com

Let there be light - illuminating the Singapore Grand Prix

This September’s inaugural Singapore Grand Prix will represent a major milestone in the history of Formula One racing. Not only will it be the first race to be held in the Asian city, it will also be the sport’s first-ever night-time event.

Drivers and viewers are set to make a journey of discovery together around the Singaporean streets during what will be a unique experience for all concerned. Behind-the-scenes, the realisation of the race, which will begin at 2000 hours local time, will also mark the culmination of months of preparation.

When the idea of a night race was first tabled, one of the biggest issues the organisers faced was that of lighting the 5.067-kilometre circuit. With over 40 years’ experience under their belt, specialists Valerio Maioli S.p.a. were handpicked by Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, to take on the challenge.

In next to no time, the Italian firm set to work designing a bespoke, state-of-the-art system to deliver optimal visibility for night-race conditions. The system they came up with fits the brief perfectly, minimizing glare and reflections from wet surfaces or spray from cars, by using lighting projectors strategically positioned around the track.

In terms of numbers, the logistical set up is understandably vast. During the event, 108,423 metres of power cables, 240 steel pylons and around 1,600 light projectors with a total power requirement of 3,180,000 watts will be used. With an illumination measurement of around 3000 lux, the lighting will be four times brighter than the lights at sports stadiums.


For the last couple of years we have seen oil prices hitting the deck in the US. All natural resources are getting exhausted at a rapid pace.... We are talking about green fuels, bio fuels and so on.. but practical implementation??? As of now nothing. We read statements that in the so called earth summits etc etc and all other so called international conferences that sustainable development is the order of the day... But then we can't help it if we exhaust all the resources can we?? Considering certain things everything has it own drawbacks.... In a sport where technology is the only thing that matters.. what if there is no fuel for the cars to run? Well it may be an extreme case but it is bound to happen soon ain't it? Every team have a limit of 30000km testing limit per season. Look at the amount of fuel spent on that. Even if we ignore all those as it is necessary for the sport is having a so called night race necessary? The reason "European television timings". More than 3 million watts of power to be wasted. What is wrong if a race is held in the day time.. Flood lights to cover the entire track and that too a temporary arrangement. If there is a race there will normally be a tourist influx no need for it to be a night race to attract crowds.. 12 twin power generators generating so much power. Many face power shortage and here we are spending millions of watts of power for a couple of days. And then what will they do with all those special bulbs etc after the race??? Put them in cold storage? And other countries are eagerly welcoming night races.. Atleast Australia opted out of it.. Also Bernie's efforts to bring F1 to many developing markets... Yes, it sounds fine but then what about those places with alread established tracks?? Won't they go waste? Spain already has Barcelona and Jerez tracks yet they are building a new street track at Valencia.. What a waste of money when there are so many people who are unable to even have square meals!!!

The face of Indian politics

Gone are those periods where the leaders work for the welfare of the people.. Indian politics is riddled by "Communal forces". The fact is those who are communal are calling others communal and hence diverting their attention elsewhere.. Elections have become more caste based and the so called mantra of the politicians these days "Minority appeasement". This so called upliftment of the minority has been going on for 60 years and our leaders are there as always standing tall to ensure that it continues even after the earth is completely destroyed.. :P The so called "secular" UPA consisting of the Congress and the Left claim that BJP which is basically a communal party based on Hindutva.. Are they forgetting that around 80% of the Indians are Hindus... Even those so called minorities are mostly Hindus. The thing which is hard to comprehend is are the people's mind so fickle as they aren't able to judge the fact.. When a party allocates seats to candidates immediately the news channels cling to the fact that the no of candidates belonging to the other religions is low.. Are the people out there interpreting the constitution like we have those Vyakyanas??? When the constitution said all people should be treated equally irrespective of their caste, creed and religion does it mean that on the basis of equality the percentage of the people belonging to the other religions should be equal to that of Hindus in a Hindu dominated nation?? The so called funds allocated and priviliges given by the govt for the appeasement of the minority muslims.. Well, they are a minority no one can deny that face but isn't it the so called secular parties who are dividing the people on the basis of religion? When election times comes no one thinks of the society as one consisting of upper class, middle or lower but on the basis of their castes and how to garner the votes of a particular caste... Yes, there are some religious fanatics.. You take those people who wage the so called jihad.. don't you term them as extremists?? There are also religious extremists.. But they don't take up a majority of the population. Immediately when a few extremists clash together.. they blame goes to the VHP and thus the entire Hindu community. The Tamil Nadu CM claims that he has obtained 69% reservation for all those minorities which is a so called great achievement and is proud of it.. Are our standards so bad?? Or are our situation still worse like the Gujjars fighting to recognise their tribe as a ST instead of SC.. What is the state of those so called upper caste brahmins who work as toilet cleaners in the Public toilets of Delhi?? Why don't the politicians fight to make India a Backward country and fight for seats in other foreign institutions claiming reservation for their backwardness?? Most of the politicians come from backward classes.. Aren't they the money makers?? no churners??? Are they still backward?? Or do they eat the money which gets allocated for the so called minority appeasement?? Providing television to the poor... They then have to pay for electricity and cable charges etc.. Isn't it worthwile to provide them proper means of sustenance?? No wonder they sell the TVs.. TAMIL NADU - The only state which thrives and runs on money earned in selling licqour. Be proud to be a tamilian. And in Karnataka are the leaders so power hungry that they can't keepup to their agreements???

I don't know my name....

I dont know my name

I dont know my fame

Even though 180 minutes is my life
I get the attention of the sport as if I'am its wife

Millions of dollors & hearts are at stake &
A slight misbehaviour of me can become a costly mistake

Like every human I breath in & breathe out air ,
I burn out the food in my stomach and spend out the enerygy
Valves close & open , lines carry fuel like to an arteries,
Strands of conduits transfer the signal like the neurons

Thousands around the globe are working on my improvement caring like doctors ,
To unravel the fourmula for success ,to be number one ,to beat the 3 pointers( Mclaren) ,

In the spirit of Formula 1 ,Hail Red.......
May the Prancing Horse FLY!!!!!!!!!!
...as written by Natraj...

Formula 1 -- Why is it the sport???

I know I have already made some comments on this in my previous posts but want to elaborate on it. Any sport has its share of enthusiasts. There are so many fanatics so many critics... A sports person's job is no joke. The face criticism to the maximum. If they don't perform or even if they are not performing to the previous standards they themselves have set they are written off by the people. Well coming to the point, take a sport like cricket. Well looking on television may be easy but then practically doing those things on the field are no joke. You see a fielder diving but the ball speeding towards the boundary. But when you look close the ball is no where near the fielder. Fielding in the hot sun for more than 3 hours and also batting for long hours is no joke. Just try running for half an hour. You'll how how pathetic you are. The role of technology here is limited. The use of cameras and stump mics are the main fields and the remaining things are just for the media. Yes, they use technology during coaching but other than that it mainly depends on the skill of the players. Take other sports like athletics etc. All those solely depend on the people involved. Football, baseball, basketball everything depends on the players ONLY. Now coming to the topic... For a person who sees a race suddenly on the TV, the first thought that would come to his mind is that what a waste people driving a car around the same track so many times... Let us start from the role of a driver. Yes the driver is important. He solely has the skill to drive the maximum out of the car. All cars are approximately the same except for time difference in tenths of a seconds. When a good driver is having a good car you can naturally see their performance. Look at Lewis Hamilton now... The same thing a driver with a poor car. Michael when he started with Jordan qualified only 7th on his 1st race but then that itself was a great achievement coming 7th with a Jordan. A driver has to know when to push the car and when not to. He has to take split second decisions while he is driving at 300k and it is no joke. All the controls jam packed in a steering wheel. Also imagine in driving in conditions with heavy rains. You don't even know where the track is with the water spraying. In the 1 1/2 hours that they drive they lose nearly 1-2kg body weight with a lot of fluid loss. It is no simple task facing the g forces. Well it doesn't end with the drivers part. The preparation starts long before the season even more than a year. It is a continuous process. The technicians at the company factory working very hard so as to gain hundredths of a second. Each and every single component has a significance behind it. They work tirelessly doing simulations and wind tunnel testing and so much depends on the aerodynamic efficiency of the car. They design parts which they implement in the car and then there is the testing of the car evaluating it for its performance and also trying for newer developments. Then on the track before the race the preparations done. Getting ready 2 cars within a week especially when there are consecutive races is no joke. You pack everything go to the other place and again start assembling according to the track configurations. Transit is no joke as nearly 7 fully loaded large sized container trucks are required to transport. They have even special planes. For every race they need all race technicians mechanics and support staff. Even a small error with the mechanic may cause a problem. When once a fueler was injured in the pit lane they had to call in for a substitute. His performance could not match that of the standard fueler. Each individual has a race. Technology is a part and parcel of the race. Split second timing everything is done with pinpoint precession. Even the tyre engineers have a large role to play as it is the source of contact between the entire car and the surface. They gather data giving information to the teams on the performance etc. Every single factor has a significant role. We can go on saying all those intricacies.. it is never ending. Each person giving their 100% and working tirelessly all for gaining a few hundredths of a second... That alone is a fact gining a thought upon...

60 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE??????

We Indians proudly celebrate Independence day and so on and so forth... Our ancestors especially those who gave their lives for our freedom... they have done so much for our nation. Let us jus think about what progress have we achieved in these so called 60 years... No one denies that progress has been made... There are many hinderances yes.. it is not an easy job but then have we utilised all our resources to the maximum??? Singapore is a nation which attained independence 8 years after us. Look at its state and that of ours.. Yes people might argue that it is a small nation and so on... but then the absolute fact is we have not done our maximum... After the era of Gandhi etc there have not been many others to hold that kind of responsibility and position... being called father of a nation is no joke... India would definitely be better if it was run by a CEO. The cause of all this starts from whom??? The politicians??? The govt officials??? or US??? Everyone has a part in this.. If we the people correct ourselves slowly things could change.. but it doesn't happen only due to us. The higher end is totally corrupt. Even if any funds are located the amount reaching the end user is not even a fraction of the total amount. If some people take a chance it is simply a waste as individuals because everything is done in parties... If there arises one positive aspect there comes in another negative aspect... After 60 years of independence and the govt working on people's welfare we fight for backwardness.... This is the quality of our freedom.. is this absolute freedom and democracy??? Our esteemed Municipal elections denote the standard of our democracy... Our President sry ex gives visions... yes they are nice to dream about but are they practically possible??? Will the so called VISION 2020 be achieved??? (shrugs)... pora pokka pathal it should be VISION 2222 :P.