The second night race in Formula One history was missing that intangible that the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix had. Maybe it was the initial spectacle that wore off. Or it could have been the fact that we didn’t have an unexpected winner as Lewis Hamilton held on to the lead from pole and was never really challenged. We did have two unexpected cars on the podium with Lewis and one was quite ironic. Meanwhile, the story of the race was brakes as drivers were forced to retire or back off massively. Continue reading
Sports
Gretzky Resigns From Phoenix Coyotes
In a move that has been anticipated since he went MIA at the start of the Phoenix Coyotes’ training camp, Wayne Gretzky resigned from his position of head coach of the team.
Gretzky’s departure was a near certainty given the ongoing court case over the future ownership of the franchise. Neither Jim Balsillie nor the NHL has included Gretzky in their bids for the team. Gretzky’s current contract is rumoured to be worth up to $8.5 Million per season and neither party wanted to take on Gretzky’s contract going forward. In Balsillie’s case, Gretzky did not want to move from the Phoenix area to Hamilton under Balsillie’s proposed plan.
It’s interesting to note that only the proposed bid of Ice Edge Holdings included keeping Gretzky on board in any capacity. Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t get far enough in the process to indicate whether he would keep Gretzky on board or not.
There is a historical irony that will come out of this, though. The greatest player in hockey history has been forced out of the NHL by the worst franchise in hockey history. You think that a smart business man like Balsillie or someone in the NHL would try to keep Gretzky on as an ambassador. I guess the NHL isn’t that forward thinking.
Ulf Samuelsson was originally rumoured to be getting promoted from associate coach to head coach. However, recent rumours have former Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett stepping into the hot seat.
Formula One 2010 Schedule Announced
Slightly lost amid the World Motor Sports Council hearing about the Renault Crashgate, the FIA announced the 2010 Formula One schedule. As has been rumoured for several months, the Canadian Grand Prix will be on the schedule. Despite being left off the previously released provisional schedule, the South Korean Grand Prix is listed on this version of the 2010 calendar. There will be a total of 19 races in 2010 starting in mid-March and running through to mid-November. The full schedule and analysis after the jump. Continue reading
Formula 1: Renault Given Two Year Suspended Ban
The latest in a series of controversial events that have damaged the reputation of Formula One appears to have come to an end. Earlier today, the World Motor Sport Council found Renault guilty of charges of race fixing. That didn’t come as a surprise because Renault did not contest the charges brought against them. What did come as a surprise was the punishment (or lack there of) that Renault was given. The team was given a suspended two year ban. Continue reading
Chase For The F1 Championship
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been pushing hard to get a medal system implemented to determine the winner of the F1 World Championship. His proposed system has the driver winning the most race being named the champion. His proposal comes despite the fact that the last two seasons have seen the title decided in the final race of the year and by a single point each time. The points system changed back in 2003 to keep the championship race alive for longer. This system works but what if Bernie still wants to make a change? What if he was to borrow an American idea? Continue reading
Formula 1: Renault Accepts Crashgate Charges
The whole F1 world has been very nearly turned on its head. Today, Renault F1 announced that they would not contest the charges brought against them that they told Nelson Piquet Jr. to intentionally crash his car in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Additionally, team principal Flavio Briatore and director of engineering Pat Symonds resigned from the team effective immediately. Continue reading
F1 Italian GP: Barrichello and Brawn Triumph at Monza… Again
They may be at different teams than when they had their best years but Rubens Barrichello and Ross Brawn were winners again at Monza. Both were very successful at the historic Monza Circuit when they were with Ferrari. A few years after parting company with the Scuderia, they replayed the familiar scene of Ross on the pit wall guiding Rubens to the top step of the podium. The Brawn 1-2 allows everyone back at the factory to breathe easier after Red Bull had an atrocious day. Atrocious is also how we could describe the last couple of weeks for Renault, too. Continue reading
Nelson Piquet Statement About Crash-Gate Leaks
The problems for Renault F1 seem to be far more serious than anyone might have first thought. As I had first predicted after the Belgian Grand Prix, it was Nelson Piquet Jr. who informed the FIA that Renault told him to crash to put Fernando Alonso in a position to win. In a four page statement made to the FIA, Piquet gave details of a pre-race meeting between himself, Flavio Briatore (Renault team principal), and Pat Symonds (director of engineering) that outlined their plan for the race. Piquet’s full statement and analysis after the jump. Continue reading
Monday Night Raw Live Blog – September 7, 2009
WWE’s Monday Night Raw comes live tonight from Chicago. The big news heading into tonight’s event is that coming on down to Raw tonight is guest host Bob Barker. The greatest game show host of all time will try his hand at hosting the bitter contestants on Monday Night Raw. Will someone leave Raw with a new car? Will someone leave Raw with some new gold? Only time will tell.
We’ll be live blogging tonight’s edition of Raw starting at 9:00PM with the preview show. Raw itself kicks off at 9:15PM. Continue reading
Fisichella to Replace Badoer at Ferrari
The most recent worst kept secret in Formula One has been confirmed. Giancarlo Fisichella has been released from his Force India contract and has signed with Ferrari for the remainder of the 2009 season. Continue reading
The Lowdown 