F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Dial “SC” For Excitement

f1-2014-bahrain-hamilton-victoryPeople were looking for all sorts of reasons why the first two races of the season weren’t as epic as everyone was hoping. Much blame was laid at the feed of the new engines being too quiet. Mercedes engines absolutely dominating proceedings wasn’t helping much. Pirelli tyres, as always, were blamed too.

It turns out, though, that all we really needed to get an exciting race from the new generation of Formula One was a late safety car to bunch the field together and allow people to run all over each other in order. Despite some close side-by-side racing at the end, it was Lewis Hamilton that led the race essentially from first corner to the last as he picked up his second win of the season.

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F1 Hungarian GP: Welcome to the Blacktop Parade

We knew coming into this weekend that the Hungaroring isn’t a circuit known for being passing friendly. Despite how interesting the Pirelli tyres have made this season, nothing could save the parade route known as the Hungaroring. Lewis Hamilton led away from the lights and never had to worry about a passing manoeuvre on track to win his second race of the season. Continue reading

Formula One: 2011 Barcelona Test 2 Recap

With the Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled because of political unrest, pre-season testing was extended for Formula One. All 12 teams were in attendance for the final test which was once again held at the Circuit de Catalunya, host to the Spanish Grand Prix. Not surprisingly, Red Bull and Ferrari were the fastest looking cars once again. However, a few more teams laid down some times to show that they wouldn’t be pushovers either. Continue reading

F1 Hungarian GP: Back Against The Wall

The whole weekend was dominated by Red Bull. In practice, they had the field covered by nearly a second with Sebastian Vettel comfortably ahead of Mark Webber. This race, unsurprisingly, looked like another Red Bull coronation waiting to happen. However, a critical error cost Vettel the win and forced Webber to push his tires harder and farther than anyone believed possible to pick up the win. Continue reading

F1 Monaco GP: If These Streets Could Talk

The Monaco Grand Prix is the crown jewel of the Formula One season. It’s a race steeped in history that has seen the great drivers take the checkered flag. A win at Monaco will make your reputation as much as a World Drivers’ Championship would. That just adds to the lore that is the race on the streets of Monte Carlo. And now, Mark Webber can add his name to the list of heroes that have won in Monaco as he dominated with his second consecutive lights-to-flag victory. However, it wasn’t a straight-forward cruise on the public roads of the principality. Continue reading

F1 Bahrain GP: Header Cracking Fun

For the first half of the race, it seemed as though we were in for a season-long passing of the torch. Sebastian Vettel stormed away from the field in a race that quickly settled in as a procession. Then a funny thing happened. Vettel’s car fell well off the pace and Fernando Alonso charged by to win his first race in a Ferrari. Alonso may have won the day but the big winner was Felipe Massa who finished a solid second in his first race back from injury. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished third but the result wasn’t what folks were talking about. Continue reading

Formula 1: Valencia Testing Recap

The start of February meant the end of the moratorium on testing in Formula One. Seven of the thirteen teams entered in the 2010 World Championship were at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, to shakedown their cars. All of the teams there were in the 2009 Championship. There were teams looking to build on last year’s success and others looking for a complete turnaround. There were new faces in new places and some familiar faces making their return to action. So who looks best after the first three days of testing? Times and analysis after the jump. Continue reading

Formula 1: Schumacher Returns With Mercedes

The greatest driver in Formula One history is ending his three-year retirement and returning to the company that gave him his start in high-level motorsports. Michael Schumacher has signed a contract with Mercedes Grand Prix for three years at about £20 million. Continue reading

Formula 1: Schumacher Ends Comeback Bid

After a two week long build up to the Formula One comeback of all time, the fans are left disappointed. Michael Schumacher announced that the pain in his neck stemming from a motorcycle accident earlier this year would allow him to race at the European Grand Prix at Valencia. He re-aggravated his injury while testing a privately-owned Ferrari F2007. Continue reading

The Humanoids: Leaving A Legacy

Legacy is fickle thing. So is my vocabulary seeing as I think a lot of things are fickle. You think you know what someone’s legacy will be but something happens that changes everything. I thought Michael Schumacher was overrated and a dirty driver but a few years without him made me realize how good a driver he actually was. Brett Favre was set to retire as a legend but tarnished his legacy with a trip to New York. There are some of my subjects today that haven’t set their legacy in stone yet. But is there such a thing as a legacy set in stone? Two controversial examples: 1) Steve McNair who was considered the toughest guy in the NFL but being shot by his mistress has tarnished him a bit in my eyes. Not as much as the circumstances surrounding 2) Chris Benoit who was one of the greatest technical wrestlers to set foot in the ring but he killed his wife and son before killing himself. The thing with these two is that they have tremendous professional legacies but could you ever think of them the same way (especially Benoit) as you did before they died.

Good news out of Lowdown HQ. We have one part of the Season 3 Premiere of The Lowdown radio show is in place. The kind folks at EA Sports have sent us a copy of NCAA Football 10 to review. We’ll have a preliminary review on the blog in the next couple of weeks. The big feature review will make on to our season premiere, currently scheduled on September 15th at 6:30 PM on 94.9FM CHRW in London, ON, and CHRWradio.com.

Anyway, The Humanoids will be going on hiatus next week. We’ll see what Jackie comes up with as a replacement. Maybe it’ll be the next big thing in blogging. And no, this has nothing to do with some guy on Twitter calling me a “st****** m*****f******” for not cheering the fact that Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix. I’m still not sure what he was trying to call me. I would have guessed “stupid motherfucker” but I’m short a few letters. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe it’s “Stig’s coming! Fuck yay!” about Schumacher’s return. I’m thinking of making that edition of The Humanoids a NASCAR edition because I’m heading to the Michigan International Speedway to watch the good ol’ boys of the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. Continue reading