There's the indelible image of a stunning black and gold liveried Lotus Formula One car with the driver donning a striking yellow helmet that was not only an intimidating site in fellow competitors' mirrors, but the remarkable beauty captured our immediate attention. That was 1985 and Ayrton Senna in his Lotus was what first ignited our interest in F1 and we've scarcely missed a Grand Prix ever since. It's now been 30 years today since that horrific weekend at the 1994 San Marino GP where we lost Simtek driver, Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and 3 time champ Ayrton Senna, then driving for Williams. We are unashamedly huge Senna fans. An uncompromising racer who also had an enviable qualifying record, yet was deep thinking and wore his heart on his sleeve. He would not hesitate to send his car up the inside only to let the other driver decide whether or not to capitulate. We often wondered how many Senna simply frightened out of the way. His masterclass in the Donington wet, or his 6 Monaco victories, or his obvious passion when backed into a corner at a press interview are some of the traits that have inspired countless future race drivers. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has often quoted Senna as his greatest influence. His generosity with his home country of Brazil would result in the whole nation uniting behind him. In fact 3 days of national mourning was observed after his passing. The passing of Roland and Ayrton and also the sad passings of Australian GP marshal Graham Beveridge in 2001 and Jules Bianchi in 2014 have all left a legacy that has improved safety. We now have the HANS device for helmets, the cockpit halo, Tecpro barriers, the doubling of safety catch fencing height with photographer's openings effectively caged in and an increased use of the Red Flag to stop races so heavy machinery and marshals can clean up incidents safely and quickly with no chance of a subsequent incident. Whether that yellow helmet was piloting a Lotus or a McLaren or a Williams, time has not diminished those memories. They remain as vivid today as they did over 30 years ago. On a different note, fast forward to now. Hamilton to Ferrari. Hulkenberg to Sauber/ Audi. Whispers of Vettel also joining Audi. Alonso racing into his mid-40s. Race winner Carlos Sainz still unconfirmed for 2025. Now, arguably F1's greatest ever designer Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull after 19 years. Crazy eh?
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A Ferrari 1-2 at Albert Park! The last time Ferrari have secured the top two positions at the Australian Grand Prix was way back in 2004 in the Schumacher heyday. A visibly still ginger Carlos Sainz climbed into his Ferrari on Friday for Free Practise 1, only to execute a masterful performance all weekend to claim a dominating victory on Sunday, thus vanquishing any ill effects from his recent surgery for appendicitis. Team mate Charles Leclerc had to work slightly harder to despatch the highly competitive McLarens, but picked up the extra point for fastest lap on his way to second place. Despite the fact that reigning champ Max Verstappen's Red Bull expired early, you can't help but suspect that Ferrari would have prevailed anyway. Congrats to Ferrari. Would've been a massive night in Lygon St. The fashion of which Ferrari engineered their weekend at Albert Park is the type of meticulous thorough approach needed GP after GP to mount a successful championship assault. Everyone knows that they have the capability and resources to achieve this, but there are some that would imply Ferrari have squandered opportunities in the past. Can Ferrari deliver on their undoubted potential by sustaining that form over the course of the entire season? Already after only 3 rounds, the championship standings have closed up enticing us to anticipate the materialisation of a closely fought campaign. Is it just possible that 2024 could be the year of the Prancing Horse? Lastly, on a slightly different note, plaudits must be given to Williams' driver Logan Sargeant for the mature way he handled having his car handed over to team mate Alex Albon, after Albon's crash on Friday rendered his car unrepairable. A true team player who's confidence consequentially must of suffered a body blow. Australians love an underdog story, and we'd love nothing better than to see Logan Sargeant bounce back and score points at the next GP. Roll on Japan. Oh, and how did we celebrate Ferrari's 1-2 at Albert Park? By eating pasta of course (with a few pints). Ciao. |
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