Kansas City – I’m writing in particular to those amongst you who follow in particular the Formula 1 section of my blog. As you probably do know, official track testing began today in Jerez in southern Spain. I had a fairly good time reading through the BBC textual feed on the day’s exploits, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants specific minute-by-minute details on what has happened thus far in Jerez. Here’s the short of today:
Hamilton (GBR) crashed at T1 when his front wing fell off.
Räikkönen (FIN) had today’s fastest lap
Only 9 teams tested today. Lotus will join the pack in Bahrain and Marussia’s car had some troubles in the factory.
So on that note, now to the public service side of this post. I have decided to start my in depth commentary on the pre-season (beyond my initial season predictions article) with the testing in Bahrain (19 Feb – 2 Mar). I believe that my commentary will be better founded if I start with Bahrain rather than Jerez as that will be when NBC, the broadcaster for Formula 1 here in the United States, will have their very own Will Buxton at the scene. I’m not sure yet if any of it will be televised here, but the hope is that by Bahrain the teams should have their feet under them to the extent that I can offer some reasonable commentary beyond the 3 points I’ve already mentioned.
So, keep your eyes open, especially to my Twitter feed as the testing in both Jerez and Bahrain continue.
Lake Michigan frozen by the Polar Vortex on 7 Jan.
Kansas City – We’ve all seen (or felt) the extremes in weather that have affected the US, Canada, and Australia so far this year. Between my hometown of Chicago reaching a record low of -16F (-26.7C) and the Australian Open having to be postponed because of record heat in Melbourne of 109F (43C), it seems like the English colonists picked the short stick in terms of extreme weather compared to the Spanish and Portuguese (who have their own problems as well.) With the extreme in weather freezing us in North America and scorching our friends in Australia, I thought it’d be a good idea to help with the introduction of Celsius to the general public here in the Fahrenheit-using United States.
In the summer of 2011, as I was preparing to leave for my first year at university, I thought it was as good a time as any to make a few changes to my life. No, I didn’t take up any nasty habits, nor did I decide to stop going by Seán and ask everyone to call me George. Rather, I decided I was going to forgo the Imperial system of measurements that I’d been accustomed to up until then, and join the rest of the world (except the United States and a couple of other countries) and take up the Metric system.
I know, I know, it’s not the average life change for an 18 year old (as I was at the time), but it seemed like a good idea. I began switching things about, alongside the switch to metric I changed my digital clocks from 12 hour to 24 hour, and began switching the working language of my then new computer (I was off to university, remember?) from English to Irish. But the biggest problem remained, just how to rework my mind to where I would stop thinking 32 degrees and start thinking 0 degrees. It took me a few years, in fact I only really figured out a good working conversion a couple of days ago, but at long last I have one to offer:
The heat has also caused some concern for England in their Ashes tour of Australia. -Courtesy of the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
So, we all know that 32 F is equal to 0 C aka, the freezing point. That’s a good place to start, but coming from thinking in Fahrenheit, I found this basic introductory conversion to not be entirely useful, except to know when I need to wear a scarf. So, I had to find a way to sort out the Celsius equivalent of the bases of my understanding of Fahrenheit: 0F and 100F. This past summer, in part because I spent a fair bit of time in the UK, I ended up using Celsius more than Fahrenheit in general conversation. As a result, when I returned to humid Kansas City, I found myself confronted with the infamous Midwestern summer heat. One afternoon as I was driving along in my car, the thermometer hit 38C. I knew this was very hot, but I honestly hadn’t a clue what 38C converted to in F. So, I switched the thermometer over to Fahrenheit, discovering that it read that long-sought-after number: 100F.
So, for the next few months after that, my understanding of Celsius was simply this: 38C = 100F, 0C = 32F. Going on from there I knew at some point I’d have to figure out what 0F was in Celsius, a fact which I only discovered a couple days ago. And the funny thing is that there’s a bit of an obvious pattern here. We hit 0F a couple of nights ago here in Kansas City, and not for the first time this year mind you. I had a look at my thermometer and found it read -18C (0F). So, there is a distance of 58 degrees Celsius between 100F and 0F. From there I figured the best thing to do was to work on reteaching my mind to think of temperature on a Celsius-based scale rather than on a Celsius, but Fahrenheit based scale. So, my new scale for saying those sort of maximum and minimum endurable temperatures run from -20C (-4F, which really isn’t too bad compared to what has been hitting us in North America) all the way up to 40C (104F, though to be honest I’d rather stay indoors when the temperature goes above 30C [86F]).
Now two main points to make about these numbers: 1. Yes, members of the scientific community, I know that these aren’t totally, minutely, accurate numbers, after all 0F is really -17.8C, and 100F is 37.8C, but let’s be honest with ourselves that if we’re not dealing with materials flammable at the tenth of a degree, I think we’re fine with just rounding up. And 2. In the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand you’re generally not going to have to deal with these extreme temperatures, as the weather is fairly moderate compared to the other main English speaking countries (Australia, Canada, and the USA). So really, this is a sort of total-scale, whose extremities relate primarily to those of us away from London, Dublin, and Wellington.
In conclusion, I do hope these basic conversions help if you decide to come over to Celsius. Don’t worry Fahrenheit loyalists, I’ll be using both, especially in my Formula 1 articles. One thing I will say in positive for the cold weather hitting us in North America: it’s good hockey weather!
“It’s good hockey weather!” -Courtesy of the “New York Times”.
Kansas City – Last night I finally finished a short story that has been a joy to write for quite some time. Abducted and Abandoned is about a man who finds himself alone, bare, in a unfamiliar hotel room in some city in the world. He must find the truth as to who he is, where he is, and how he got there. It certainly has been a fun piece to write, and I hope you all get a chance to buy a copy. It is currently available for Kindle only for $2.99 USD, £1.99 roughly in the UK. Click on the article title for a link to the Amazon page, or click here.
Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart. Courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons.
Kansas City – It was funny to me that last night as I finished watching Season 1 of Netflix political drama House of Cards, one of its leading stars, Robin Wright, won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her part in the hit series. I was first introduced to the Netflix series through its inspiration, it’s daddy so to speak: the BBC’s 1990 miniseries of the same name. The BBC’s version was based upon the novel by Michael Dobbs in a script adapted by Andrew Davies. It starred acclaimed Scottish Shakespearean Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart, MP a Machiavellian Tory chief whip and is set in the years following the fall of Thatcher’s government in the 1990s.
I was first attracted to Richardson’s House in large part by the leading actor’s grandfatherly charm, which prevailed over his on-screen persona for the majority of the original BBC miniseries (it had two sequels, To Play the King, and The Final Cut). Also I am a bit preferential to the parliamentary system over its presidential counterpart, which added into my interest in the British series. Richardson’s Urquhart is a charming aristocratic MP, who feels cheated by the Conservative Party when he was not chosen as her successor for the leadership. What follows is a reign of vengeance that easily rivals that of Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard III. In fact, another area in which I was drawn to the series was in the subtle, though sometimes verbal, references to Shakespeare, with Urquhart being based upon Richard III whilst his wife rings more true of Lady Macbeth.
Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood. Courtesy of Salon Magazine.
In comparison Kevin Spacey’s Congressman Frank Underwood (D-SC) lacks the charm that Richardson so gracefully portrays. What the two characters do share is a dramatic penchant for ruthlessness and determination to do whatever it may be that is on their minds at any given moment. Thus far, considering that only half of the American version has been broadcast, I would say the character closest to their British original would have to be Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), Underwood’s Chief of Staff. He shares many traits with Urquhart’s Junior Whip, Tim Stamper, MP (Colin Jeavons). Both are loyal at first to their superiors, but as time goes on Stamper, MP begins to see how truly evil Urquhart’s intentions are, a plot development which I will be sorry to see missing from the second season of Netflix’s rendition.
Likewise in the Netflix adaptation, I will say that thus far my favourite characters in the Netflix series are Congressman Peter Russo (D-PN), played by Corey Stoll, and his Chief of Staff and girlfriend, Christina Gallagher (Kristen Connolly). They seemed the most personable of the entire cast to me, and after all it’s nice after a while to find a love story that is very honest and quite beautiful in how human it really is. To counter this I was left rather confused by the relationship between Frank and Claire Underwood, the leading couple, who frankly (pun intended) seemed, perhaps more so than Francis and Elizabeth Urquhart (Diane Fletcher), like having Gen. Patton and Field Marshal Rommel living happily married together. Both characters are outwardly kind and considerate, but inwardly ruthless and willing to go to any lengths, yes any lengths, to see their goals achieved.
At the same time as Robin Wright was accepting her award in LA, I found myself mostly thankful that the first series of this all-too interesting show was at last over. One major complaint that I have about American television is that there can at times be too much of it. Consider that the average British season will run for about 6 to 8 episodes, whilst the average American one runs for about 10 to 20. After a while, especially in the context that I was watching it in, to review it in comparison to the BBC’s original, I found myself emotionally exhausted by the many bumps in the road that Netflix’s House of Cards has to offer. For a programme like this, 13 episodes per season is just too long to watch in as short a span of time as I did (in about half a week).
And yet, I am looking forward to seeing how Season 2 carries on the threads from Season 1, hopefully bringing them together for a good conclusion. In short, Netflix’s House of Cards is good in its own right, but I would still prefer to listen to Francis Urquhart’s asides mixed with a sense of laughter at the world than here Frank Underwood’s complaints and Machiavellian strategies on how he’ll make his next move.
Kansas City – Happy New Year to all! 2014 officially began about 9 days and 13 hours ago here in the Midwestern states. With a new year comes new excitement and new opportunities, and as every other year since 1950, a new season of the Formula 1 World Championship! Though the season doesn’t properly begin until the Australian Grand Prix (14-16 March), the teams and many press writers (myself included in a freelance capacity) are hard at work preparing for the lights to go out and the race to begin in Melbourne.
So, what should we expect for 2014? If you want to start with the big question of “Who will win the 2014 championship?” odds are that that answer could be Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel (GER) for the fifth time in a row. After his strong 9 race winning streak at the end of 2013, I would not be surprised if the Newey, Vettel, Horner team outmatch all the other drivers like they did last year. No doubt the new engines will lessen the power of the RB10 in comparison to its immediate predecessor the RB9, but with the design skill of Newey, and the stamina and skill of Vettel, I would be surprised if anyone else took the crown this year.
Sebastian Vettel (GER) Courtesy of Planet F1.com
How about second and third then? In terms of constructors, my guess is another repeat of Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG-Petronas, however the prediction as to who will get second and who will get third between the pair is still up for grabs. No doubt the Alonso Räikkönen pair will be one to watch out for, as both are world champions and just fantastic drivers all around, but at the same time the Mercedes team has done quite well in their own right, with Rosberg and Hamilton performing very well for themselves throughout this past season. Considering the fact that Mercedes has lost Ross Brawn, at least only for this season if Niki Lauda has anything to say about it, I could see an off chance of them suffering from what I’d call sudden loss of leadership syndrome, though perhaps not as badly as Manchester United has so far this season. In this light I’ll go for Ferrari taking second in the constructor’s championship, with Alonso and Räikkönen both performing equally well.
Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Courtesy of Oradea Magazin.ro
With the top three out of the way, it comes down to the rest of the field. Despite their poor performance in 2013, McLaren’s acquisition of Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen could help bring them back to strength. Having won the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series with 274 points, earning pole in nearly all of the races, not to mention never finishing below second place, Magnussen could help reinvigorate the lads from Woking. Frankly though, I was sad to see the team drop Sergio Pérez (MEX), especially considering how promising the end of the season was for him in regards to his on track performance.
Whilst on the topic of Pérez, I do think he’ll has a promising career ahead of him at Force India. In fact, this could be the season when Force India takes their first win. With the combination of Hülkenberg (GER) and Pérez, they certainly seem stronger than the next competition, Lotus, who I think will be lucky to end up higher than 6th. True, Romain Grosjean (FRA) has been showing great potential with the team, especially at the end of the 2013 season, but I tend to doubt Pastor Maldonado (VEN) will do anything that spectacular this season, though I do expect him to have a few points winning finishes here and there.
Felipe Massa (BRA) Courtesy of Auto123.com
The 7th and 8th places in the constructor’s championship could very well go to Sauber and Williams. The Swiss team’s choices of Mexican Esteban Gutiérrez and German Adrian Sutil seem quite suited to the team’s strengths. Though I don’t expect Sauber to win any Grands Prix this year, they could have a decent shot at a few pole positions in the next few years plus a win or two. Williams on the other hand does seem to be on the verge of something good. Though perhaps not the glory of the ’90s so fondly remembered by their Brazilian driver Feilipe Massa, who has left Ferrari after 7 seasons driving for the Italians, Williams’ future is still quite bright. Between Massa and his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, Sir Frank’s team could very well bring in a win or two here or there. I especially admire the resilience of the Williams team, the sort of everyman of F1, who has stuck with the sport, with their passion, despite their generally dismal performance since the team’s last podium at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
Finally, in regards to the three teams that I’ve yet to mention: Scuderia Toro Rosso, Marussia, and Caterham, I’d imagine they will stay in that order. True, Toro Rosso’s new young Russian driver Daniil Kvyat did a fantastic job in GP3 this past year, especially for someone who’s only 19 years old, but honestly I don’t see him making much of a mark in Formula 1 for a couple years still. Now, if he does I’ll eat my words right away. Meanwhile his French teammate, Jean-Éric Vergne, doesn’t seem to be setting himself up for anything spectatular either, looking at his 17th place finish in the 2012 tables and 15th place the following year. In any case, Vergne could do some damage to the other teams standings, particularly to Sauber and Williams, but overall I am skeptical.
The big question remaining for the lineup is just who will take the last remaining seat at Marussia and just generally who will be driving for Caterham? Last I checked, Marussia has only confirmed Frenchman Jules Bianchi as one of their two drivers. Judging by his 19th place inaugural performance in 2013 in Formula 1, I could see him staying in about the same area. It really is too bad in that my most striking memory of him from 2013 was when his car caught fire in Germany and proceeded to roll out onto and across the track, taking out a UBS sign on the way. Caterham on the other hand is still a fairly big question. The names proposed on 8 January in an article on F1.com were Frenchman Charles Pic, Dutchman Giedo van der Garde, Finn Heikki Kovalainen, Britons Max Chilton and Paul di Resta (whose name has also come up in Indy Car speculation), Swede Marcus Ericcson, and Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi. Whatever the case, the races between Caterham and Marussia will be as enjoyable as usual.
In any case, these are all just my own musings and predictions based upon what I saw in 2013. If you want to see another angle on predicting the 2014 championship, look no further than Ladbrokes’ 2014 F1 Drivers’ Championship Odds, in which the chances for winning the crown go from Vettel’s 10/11 odds all the way down to Jules Bianchi’s 1000/1 chance. Click here to see the full listings from Ladbrokes, and do gamble responsibly.
Thats’ all for now for my F1 writing. I’ll be back for certain in a few weeks, probably after NBC Sports has their annual season preview broadcast.
Wednesday Blog by Seán Thomas Kane 