GP REVIEW: ISTANBUL '08

This season does not stop to amaze one. Just when you feel you’ve seen a race which can’t be bettered, you’re immediately proven wrong the next race. Experts have often rated the Herman Tilke designed circuit in Turkey as one of the best in the F1 calendar – with ample overtaking opportunities to boot – and certainly it lived up to its reputation by dishing out an edge of the seat race. That the top three drivers finished within 5 seconds of each other is ample proof of the close race that we witnessed this weekend.

Everyone was expecting the Ferraris to dominate on what traditionally has been their circuit in its short history. That was vindicated till Q2 with Kimi topping the timing sheets. Timo Glock put in a good cameo with some scorching laps and the red bulls again impressed with both Mark Webber and David Coulthard making it to Q3. And Q3 it was that jumbled things up. The McLarens suddenly seemed to be coming out on top and it was only due to some last moment heroics by Massa that he salvaged pole for the Maranello based outfit. Kimi admitted making a mistake in the second sector of his hot lap, which resulted in him qualifying a disappointing fourth – but what must have been more disturbing was the fact that he was behind the two McLarens.

Kimi’s disappointing run continued to the start of the race, when in trying to get the better of Hamilton, he ended up losing track position to both Kubica and Alonso. Behind him Giancarlo Fisichella misjudged his braking going into the first corner and ran into the rear of the hapless Kazuki Nakajima. While Fisichella was immediately out of the race, Nakajima managed to limp to the pits, but the rear wing damage was too much for his engineers to repair and he too had to call it a day. This also got out the safety car (of which we saw a lot in the previous race) on the very first lap, albeit for a brief stint of two laps. Somewhere in the rumble poor Heikki Kavalainen picked up damage to his tyres (there was some indication of a contact with his compatriot Raikkonen at the first corner), which dropped from second to seventh and eventually he had to pit for new set of tyres, only to rejoin at the rear end of the grid. He spent the rest of the race battling with the back markers trying to get into the points. But his valiant efforts went in vain as the best he could manage was 12^th.

Meanwhile as the race resumed Massa could manage to get a clear get away from Hamilton, who kept him on his toes for the pretty much the entire race. Kimi got the better of Alonso after a couple of laps and the meek way in which Alonso let him pass displayed the sea of difference in the two cars. Thereafter the top four comprising of Massa, Hamilton, Kubica and Raikkonen traded some fastest laps and remained close to each other. The McLaren of Hamilton was the first to pit, implying he was light during qualifying. This meant that his qualifying performance was poor considering he was beaten by the heavier Ferrari of Massa. But what transpired ahead was even more surprising. The McLaren was stationary only for about 6 seconds which implied he would have a long third stint.

This seemed a very interesting gamble by the British team, as this was probably the only manner in which they could challenge Ferrari, and showed the faith they had in the young Brit’s driving capability. However it all seemed to go amiss when Massa pitted. Despite speculation that the astute Ferrari crew too will opt for a short stop to get Massa ahead of Hamilton, they opted for a normal stop and were vindicated when Massa could still make it out ahead of the McLaren. However armed with a lighter car and his unquestioned commitment, Hamilton closed in on Massa in no time and passed him in a beautiful overtaking maneuver. While all this was going on Kimi was the last of the front runners to pit and maybe his low qualifying can be partly attributed to his considerably heavier car. He came out of the pits ahead of Robert Kubica courtesy some stonking laps he put in while leading the race briefly.

Hamilton had to pull a big gap in order to make his short stop strategy work and was ably doing it by pulling a second a lap over Massa. By the time he came into the pits he had a 10 sec lead over the Brazilian, impressive but unfortunately not enough. He went in for another short stop which confirmed a three stop strategy (Ron Dennis later attributed this to their worry about tyre damage and the linked safety concerns). Raikonnen too had got ahead of Hamilton and was trying to stretch enough gap between the two so as to come out of pits ahead of his main rival.

In the middle of the pack there were some pretty interesting overtaking and side-by-side scenes courtesy the ever entertaining Coulthard and a desperate-to-score Kovalainen. Also Nick Heidfeld had run a quiet but brilliant race to rise to a comfortable fifth from his ninth place start. It is also pertinent to mention Rubens Barichello here, who made his 257^th start, making him the driver with most F1 starts under his belt (or should it be under his helmet!). He was duly congratulated by his team at the start, but unfortunately could not produce as memorable a result as he would have liked as he finished out of the points.

In the final round of pit stops the Ferrari team showed some slick work getting both their drivers in and out in a jiffy. Now the onus was on McLaren to out do them. As Hamilton entered the pits, all eyes were on the far end of the pit lane. The team was upto it and took under 6 seconds to get the car out. It was not enough to get him ahead of Massa and for a moment the Tifosi felt it would not be enough for him to come out ahead of the flying Finn either. That was not to be as he came out just ahead of the reigning world champion. Thereafter the last 12 laps or so went in a dizzy as Raikonnen tracked down Hamilton, who in turn was pulling in Massa.

Massa was may have been content with cruising as the 5 second cushion would be enough to get him safely to the chequered flag if he did not commit a mistake. Also he must have wanted to pamper his engine as he’ll have to race with it in Monaco. Hamilton however did not have that luxury, as Raikonnen – who then was clearly the faster of the two – was breathing down his neck. But the Brit has enough experience by now and comfortably held back Raikkonen in the end. Behind them were the two BMWs of Kubica and Heidfeld. Alonso and Webber finished an impressive sixth and seventh respectively. Both these drivers have impressed this season with their exceptional performance in a car that is not among the best. The final point went to Williams’ Nico Rosberg.

Overall a very thrilling race courtesy some ingenuity from the McLaren team in terms of strategy and spirited driving from the top three. Though Massa led from pole to finish on top, it certainly was not an easy race and Ferrari were kept on their toes. It’s a very encouraging sign for the rest of the season. The points table is also getting pretty crowded and it’s anyone’s title yet. Though Ferrari have gained a slight head in the constructor’s championship, the next two tracks generally favour the Woking based team. As we head next to the glamour capital of F1 – Monaco, Raikonnen will be keen not to let his lead slip down further while the McLarens would want to get on the top. Sadly the ease with which Raikonnen got the better of Kubica, it seems that the BMWs still are some way off from challenging the top two. But below them it’s all mixed up and only a brave man would have the heart to single out a team from Williams, Renault and Red Bull to come out on top. Finally I hope I’m proved wrong (yet again) and we have an even keener contest the next time the cars hit the tarmac.

GP REVIEW: CATALUNYA ‘08

Yesterday’s race could be termed as one of the more bizarre races in recent history of Formula 1. Why do I say so, well for starters the qualifying was pretty jumbled up. It’s been long since we’ve seen four different cars on the front two rows. And the way qualifying ended was just beyond anybody’s imagination. The last four cars to cross the finish line after the chequered flag - that signified the end of Q3 - all were on pole for an instant, only to be bettered by the car that followed. In the end it was the Iceman for Ferrari who broke many a Spanish hearts and silenced the cacophony raised by the pole setting time of Alonso just seconds before. However the most disappointed was his team mate Felipe Massa who was just not good enough on the given day. The McLarens were never too highly rated over the weekend, but still their lagging behind the Renault was being attributed to different fuel loads (as Hamilton later clarified in the post race conference). Force India had another forgettable qualifying, finishing only ahead of the miserable Super Aguris, who probably were jubilant just to be there, considering conditions prior to the race.

The race start itself was exciting. As expected, Kimi got a good start and everyone had also expected a light Alonso to hold off everyone. But probably the disappointed Massa was too charged up to prove he is not second fiddle to his World champion team mate and hence got better of the Spaniard before the first corner itself. Hamilton too jumped Kubica (who has been really messing up his starts despite good qualifying performances) and Heidfeld was a big gainer behind them. But in all this somewhere things went wrong for Adrian Sutil as he crashed with Sebastian Vettel putting both of them out of the race while also causing some damage to the Toyota of Timo Glock. This got the safety car out immediately and the race was held up behind it for three laps.

As the race resumed Raikkonen got the perfect slingshot and started reeling in some pretty fast laps to build up a comfortable lead. His team mate on a race old engine could not match his pace but was comfortable to hold back Alonso. Meanwhile Hamilton was just not able to get the better of his ex-team mate despite being clearly faster and settled down after closing up. He could afford the luxury considering Alonso was expected to pit early and till then he had no reason to damage his tyres by driving in the dirty air. But Alonso did not pit quite as early as expected, probably helped by the safety car period and the first to pit was the BMW of Kubica. Among the top two Massa was the first to dive in, making the pole setting performance of the Finn even more remarkable, as he had qualified on pole despite having carried more fuel than all the top runners.

As the cars emerged out of the pits both Hamilton and Kubica had gained track position over Alonso. There was some drama during the pit period, however unlike the norm where it is in the pits, this time it was on the track. Heikki Kovalainen was leading the race as the top runners dived in the pits and was hot on his “in” lap when he suffered a rare puncture on his front left tyre at a high speed corner. The car rammed into the tyre wall close to 180 miles an hour. The impact was so bad that the car was lodged into the tyre wall, unable to be extracted by the marshals. This raised concerns over Kovalainen’s condition and the safety and medical cars were immediately scrambled. While all this was happening the BMW team was preparing to get their second driver Nick Heidfeld into the pits, who was on a strong late stop strategy. Sadly for him this would prove to be a bane rather than a boon. Just before he could dive into the pits, the safety car was deployed and he did not have enough fuel to go round for a couple of more laps till the pit lane was officially opened. This earned him a 10 sec stop-go penalty, when he was cruising in fifth position.

I really cannot understand this stupid rule, which denies cars which were all set to enter the pits, not to do so just because some bloke crashed his at the wrong time. Poor Heidfeld who had raced a brilliant race from 12^th on the grid to fifth was painfully pushed to the back of the grid for no fault of his. But the relief came as Kovalainen was extracted from his car and gestured to the cameras showing he was conscious and no major damage was done. It is a tribute to the stringent safety standards of F1 that drivers can come out healthy out of such a horrifying crash. The safety car bunched up the grid and nullified the lead Raikkonen had built up. But again at the restart he had no problems whatsoever to break off comfortably. The top four, though breaking away from the rest of the pack, were quite not in position to challenge each other. In all this mayhem the Super Aguri of Takuma Sato was the only one who did not dive into the pits as he was on a one stop strategy.

Things again took a processionary note till the second round of pit stops. Heidfeld as committed as ever to finish among the points - despite his bad - luck was reeling in the back markers and was the first to pit from among the top teams. Thereafter followed almost everyone else. The dominance of Ferrari was there for all to see when they held up Raikkonen for a couple of seconds just to give him a clear exit from the pits. There was no risk of losing track position and Kimi emerged back out ahead of his team mate despite the “leisurely” stop. There was drama in the pits this time however. As Barrichello was slightly slow on the exit in the pit lane Fisichella tried to get the better of him, clipping the front wing of the hapless Brazilian in the process. The Honda had to drive an entire lap with the front wing lodged beneath the body work and this did enough damage to enforce retirement.

There was more action on the track. A determined Coulthard was trying hard to get into the points and executed a tight overtaking manoeuvre on Timo Glock’s Toyota. The German however did not give up easily and touched the rear of the Red Bull. This resulted in the Toyota losing its front wing and a puncture for the veteran Brit. Just as this was happening at the back end of the grid we had two glorious engine failures in the mid-field. First it was Alonso’s Renault which ended his good race in smoke. However the crowd was backing him still and he was waved off to a rapturous applause which he duly acknowledged before leaving for the pits. This brought a sad end to Renault’s race (as Piquet Jr. had already retired and continues to disappoint) which had promised so much. A couple of laps later it was Nico Rosberg’s Williams which ended what seemed to be a strong points scoring finish for the German. Both these engines were on their second race bringing reliability issues to the fore.

One team which has impressed with its reliability is Force India. Leaving apart accidents, they’ve finished in all the races, and at this position looked set to be in for an unlikely points scoring finish. The car is yet to have a mechanical failure and due to this they have managed decent positions where others have failed to finish. This was duly reminded by the team to Fisichella, who certainly has impressed all by his tenacity in the car. He even held off the highly charged up Heidfeld for more than five laps purely on experience and skill, as the BMW clearly was much faster than the Force India. Finally though, the Italian finished 10^th, unfortunately out of the points but still the team’s best finish of the season so far. This is certainly encouraging as Force India is getting the better of more experienced teams by means of decent finishes and impressive reliability.

At the head of the pack though it was Raikkonen all the way, who had a textbook perfect race and took the chequered flag with no drama. This made it the eighth consecutive race at Catalunya where the pole setter has gone on to win the race, thereby vindicating the belief that the track is not conducive for overtaking. Therefore the win can be attributed to the Finn’s excellent performance in qualifying, a fact recognized and appreciated by his team on the radio after the race finished. Behind him Massa came second reigniting his season with a second consecutive podium finish, while also making it a second consecutive 1-2 for Ferrari. He was followed by Hamilton, who seemed to be closing in on the Ferrari in the closing stages, but never too close for comfort. Kubica again brought home the BMW in fourth, and had it not been for some unfortunate timing would have been followed by his teammate (who eventually finished 9^th, painfully out of the points). Mark Webber was pretty happy in bringing the Red Bull in fifth and scoring important championship points. The Australian drove an event free race and hardly figured in the limelight as he finished some way off the leading pack. The final three positions were taken up by Jenson Button, Kazuki Nakajima and Jarno Trulli, in that order.

The race has further strengthened the buzz that Ferrari is the team to beat this season and that the McLarens really need to rethink. BMWs still are not quite there yet, though they are vastly superior to the rest of the pack. As to the driver’s championship, it is all much too close here to place a call. A couple of good or bad races here and there and the entire equation changes, as we saw all to well last season. But if the season continues like this it will certainly prove very entertaining, specially for the Ferrari and Raikkonen fan. As of now the Iceman is the marching ahead confidently and with the next race at Turkey, which has been hitherto a Ferrari dominated track, things look good for the scarlet team.

Drivers Championship:

Kimi Räikkönen - 29

Lewis Hamilton - 20

Robert Kubica - 19

Constructors Championship:

Scuderia Ferrari - 47

BMW Sauber - 35

McLaren Mercedes - 34

GP REVIEW: SAKHIR ‘08

The season’s turning pretty interesting now. This weekend’s race at Bahrain was a treat to watch and generally satisfying for most of the teams. It was pretty interesting that a circuit (in)famous for being hard on the tyres, engines and drivers entailed the minimum number of retirements this season till now with 19 of the 22 cars reaching the chequered flag safely. The biggest message to come out for the race was that BMW are in Formula 1 big time. If there were any naysayers left to this argument before Sunday, they surely would have been forced to rethink their stand on the topic. A team leading the constructors’ championship – even though the season is only three races old – cannot be taken lightly.

Qualifying didn’t bring up any big surprise, other than for those who would not have given the BMWs a chance. Ferrari were strong throughout the weekend, and going by that Kimi would have been a tad disappointed. Massa was pipped to the pole by the talented Kubica, but as would be seen in the race on the next day, he was running lighter that most top contenders. This however did not take any glory away from either the Pole or his German team, both of which scored their maiden pole which was long coming.

The race however didn’t start as spectacularly for them. Kubica got caught by Massa as the light went green, as a result losing his position before the first corner itself. Maybe the lack of launch control on a dusty track proved to be more of a challenge to him than his more experienced rival in the scarlet car. But this was nothing in comparison to the disaster that hit championship leader Lewis Hamilton. It seemed as if he was driving a car from a lower rung of motorsport, as all and sundry overtook him at the start. By the end of the first corner the Brit was down to 10^th place and to make matters worse for him, ahead of him was his old nemesis Fernando Alonso. The biggest gainer in this melee was undoubtedly Felipe Massa. Behind him the two Finns who got better of the hapless Hamilton were in a battle for third place. This saw them exchanging positions twice before half of the first lap itself, with the Ferrari driver coming on top finally. It would be two more laps until Kimi pulled off a remarkable overtaking manoeuvre on Kubica, making a Ferrari 1-2 at the head of the pack.

Even before the mayhem of the start could settle down and the field could consolidate, Hamilton could not contain his urge to fight back to the top before his title contenders gained a healthy advantage. This cavalier attitude seemed naïve when his urge overtook sensibility and he ended up driving into the rear of Alonso. For a moment it seemed as though the Spaniard had braked a fraction too early, thereby causing the mishap, but neither did McLaren, nor did the stewards found any fault with it. However the loss of the front wing in Hamilton’s car meant a painful trip to the pits and his race lay in shambles. His stop though suggested that McLaren may have fuelled him enough to finish the race on a single pit stop (as they did with Räikkönen at this track when he raced for them) and salvage something out of it. Rest of the field could get away cleanly with the order now the Ferraris leading the BMWs followed by the McLaren of Kovalainen.

Meanwhile Massa was driving at the front with vengeance like a man possessed with a mission. The opening two races had been a nightmare for him and he had to score a strong finish here for his title aspirations and also to prevent Ferrari from totally shifting focus to his more illustrious team mate. Räikkönen was being kept busy by Kubica whose pace was good enough to match the Ferraris and certainly better than the McLarens. Behind them Fisichella made yet another positive start that saw him leap ahead of his dismal starting position. Meanwhile it just didn’t seem like a day for Brit drivers. Both Coulthard and Jenson Button had to pit early following punctures. Later they were to clash courtesy an ambitious overtaking move by the Honda diver, which also ended his race. In all this Jarno Trulli was again putting up a determined show for the Toyota team as his team mate struggled to keep Alonso off.

First round of pit stops put forth no drama other than confirming the fact of the light BMWs. Kimi seemed content to follow Massa for now (though he did some fast laps, only to be replied in kind by the Brazilian). Somewhere in this period Kovalainen was overtaken by the other BMW of Nick Heidfeld further confirming the difference in pace of the two cars on the given day. There was enough advert for the Force India as Fisichella showed off his experience when he held off the charging Hamilton for three laps. The belligerent gesture by the young Brit as he finally passed Fisichella – though not very sporting – showed just how frustrated he was. However if he was expecting any mercy from a driver ahead of him on track on the basis of he being in a superior car, then he is grossly mistaken. However his benediction did not bring about any epiphany on the given day.

The remainder of the race was prosaic, with the second round of pit stops also not bringing any untoward incident. However for a while Kimi did put in some stonking laps, but his car had a race old (and probably detuned) engine compared to Massa’s fresh for this race. Hence he judiciously backed off to assure a second placed finish for him, which would be enough to catapult him to the top of the driver’s table. Behind them the BMWs followed unchallenged and their nearest car was of Kovalainen who was never involved in any action but for the first lap. Trulli again finished among the points being sixth to cross the flag and this already looks to be a much better season for the Japanese team when compared to the catastrophe of 2007.

Final two points were notched up by the impressive Webber and Nico Rosberg who certainly are driving much better than their car probably deserves. In ninth and tenth were Timo Glock and former world champion Alonso. By now Alonso must have figured out just how big a task lays ahead of him and the difference between his cars and the top contenders. But atleast he has been finishing races, a fact which sadly can’t be said of his team mate Nelson Piquet Jr. Force India’s Fisichella finished in 12^th and ahead of forlorn Hamilton who could neither have a single pit stop race, nor had the pace to challenge anyone even in the mid field. Behind them the Super Aguris had a nice little battle among themselves (as they too are in a class of their own!) with Davidson getting the better of his senior.

So it was an uneventful race one might say (though I feel the destitute Team McLaren would beg to differ) however one that makes the title race even more open. Certainly I’ll wager this season will be more open and emancipated than last years. Though the BMWs may eventually not be able to sustain the momentum and challenge for either championship, but they sure will make the season interesting, and then who knows what can happen. Did anyone give Hamilton much chance at he beginning last year, or for that matter Kimi just before the last couple of races. Either way there is much to look forward to and think for one and all in the three week break before we head to the European leg of the season, starting at Catalunya on 25^th of this month. Till then let Kimi and the BMWs bask in their glory.

Drivers Championship:

Kimi Räikkönen - 19

Nick Heidfeld - 16

Lewis hamilton - 14

Constructors Championship:

BMW Sauber - 30

Scuderia Ferrari - 29

McLaren Mercedes - 28

MATCH REPORT: ARSENAL 3 BOLTON 2

Harsha Bhogle recently said that the thrill and excitement of unscripted drama can never be replaced by scripted drama. There was abundant proof of that in this weekend’s clash between Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers. In the see saw battle one was moved from tears to hysteria and vice versa (depending on which side of the pitch your allegiance laid). What was to be a very important match for both the teams – albeit for different reasons – started off as a disaster for one and ended as the same for the other. What came out of it was the never-say-die spirit of the Gunners and the restoration of their self belief – which many may say has come a little too late, but I would rather say better late than never.

To begin with the absence of Adebayor in the starting 11 raised some eyebrows, and questions were raised as to if Arsene Wenger had given up title aspirations in the Premiership with an eye on his (elusive) first Champions League trophy. Nevertheless the match started with Arsenal in perfect control of the proceedings. Robin Van Persie had a good chance taken away due to some determined defending by Al Habsi. But there were more to come, with Nicklas Bendtner was a little profligate missing two good oppurtunities. There was no doubt as to the intent Arsenal had come out with. However intent alone is sometimes not enough in football.

Bolton meanwhile hardly had a sniff of the ball. But in the 14^th minute Gretar Steinsson sent a sublime cross from the right wing to find Matthew Taylor who powered an unstoppable header past the hapless Almunia from six yards out. If Arsenal had not woken up to the fact that they had not won at the Reebok since April 2002, this was a rude awakening call for them. But things were to detiorate further for the visiting team. In the 31^st minute Abou Diaby lunged studs up, not reaching the ball and catching Gretar Steinsson on his ankle. It was a dirty and mistimed challenge and referee Chris Foy had no second thoughts on dishing out the red card. Things were really getting bad now, but Arsenal replied in the best possible fashion. Just after play resumed, Bendtner had a real good opportunity to score but could only fire wide.

More hell was to break lose before the interval though. As the match settled and Arsenal looked for the equaliser before the break, their worst fears came true. Mathieu Flamini lost the ball in the penalty box to McCann, which duly went to Taylor who could not have put a foot wrong on the day. His strong shot took a deflection of William Gallas leaving Almunia to make a last minute change of direction, which went futile as the ball found the back of the net. All the fears of the previous four matches came rushing to mind. And the only thing that seemed probable then was that the impeding defeat would end the Gunners’ title challenge for sure now. The fifth consecutive Premiership match without victory also might have a bad flow on impact considering the next 10 days entailed three meetings with Liverpool.

As the players and staff left the pitch at half time the body language of both squads showed the mental state they probably were in. Whatever Arsene Wenger said in the dressing room – though would have been significant – did not immediately seemed to show any results. Arsenal were still being tied down by the Bolton defence who believed they were now in sniffing distance of an unlikely victory. The astute manager though still had a move or two in his repository and made two crucial substitutions. He brought Adebayor and Theo Walcott on for Bendtner and Senderos, thereby having a strange yet attacking 3-5-1-1 formation. This had an immediate impact as Walcott the worked his midas again, troubling with his pace on the right side.

The goal when it came was a little bizarre. A corner whipped in by Fabregas found the adroit Gallas at the far end who was shockingly unmarked and should not have missed from 5 feet with the goal at his mercy. And he did not. The defensive howler from the Bolton backs showed that they had forgotten to do their homework well. This was the shot in the arm for Arsenal and then they came in waves. A second goal never looked a distant possibility if they could sustain the momentum. And they finally were rewarded for their incessant efforts in the minute. Alesander Hleb was brought down by Cahill in the box and the referee again had no doubt in pointing to the spot. One would have expected Van Persie to be under tremendous pressure considering the importance of the goal and his lack of match practice compounding the difficulty. But even if he was under pressure, neither his demeanour, nor his coolly taken penalty betrayed it as he easily sent the Bolton Keeper the wrong way to score the equaliser.

Arsene Wenger was very candid of the fact that he had told the team a draw would just not be good enough today. And it was very true as they had already extinguished their quota of drop points, and any more now would be akin to comitting hara kiri. Hence the eagerness and desperation showed by Arsenal in the final minutes in hunt for the winner was pretty understandable. But what was more significant was that Bolton maybe had lost the very belief which they had in abundance less than half an hour ago. Still the manner in which the winner finally came was not the prettiest. Cesc Fabregas took a shy at the goal from the edge of the box, which ping ponged between two defenders to finally somehow squander into the net, sending the entire Arsenal contingent into hysteria.

Wenger later said that this has to be the best comeback game he remembers – though I still feel Liverpool’s epiphanous comeback in the ‘05 Champions League final was much more extraordinary. Nevertheless it was a remarkable achievement, and frankly no one had expected that a team 2-0 down, away from home, a player down and which has not been in the best of form lately could rally back to draw, let alone steal a win. Considering one (or maybe both) among Chelsea and Manchester United will drop points when they go head to head, then it will be upto Arsenal to beat United at Old Trafford, which though is no mean feat, but maybe just the kind of finish the season (and the eventual champions) deserves. So concomitant of this match the title is still pretty much alive (as the re-inspired Arsenal are much more lethal than a couple of games ago). For me it just further implied how right Bhogle was when he spoke out the above statement.

Lot was written over the course of the Super Sunday last week. Steve McMahon wrote that the Gunners lack a good leader (and the prima facie evidence at St Andrews may have suggested that). Though I am not denouncing his statement, but I feel it’s ostensible, as more than the leadership they needed to come out of the Eduardo incident. There are many leaders on the pitch for them, each leading in his own way. But after the Birmingham match it was their free flowing football which was questioned. It was the faith that the teams would not get dirty to break down their “beautiful football” moves that was broken. And when that happens, the only person who can succour you is – you yourself. It has taken some time for the young Gunners to realise that, but now that they have, it will be interesting to watch how their hunger for the title and angst against their several critics drives them towards the title(s).

GP REVIEW: SEPANG '08

Well this weekend was a classic case of “When it rains –it pours”. For starters there was a four day holiday and to top it off we had a weekend of Formula 1 and the top four teams of BPL going head to head. I will not speak of the football (as I am yet to come out of the trauma of what Arsenal have done to their Premiership challenge), but with F1, fortunately it was a different story (as it was much more satisfying for me).

It can be safely said the status quo has finally be restored (both on and off the field). Ferrari after a short hiatus, was back with vengeance during qualifying and the McLaren drivers forgot to read the rule book – again. That they were driving on the “wrong” side of the track was vindicated by the contrite reaction of the team that they did not even appeal to the stewards’ punitive decision. I really wonder how they were so oblivious to their surrounding when everyone else was driving opposite to the racing line and they were warned by the team on the radio. Whatever the case may be, it took out a little sheen from the clinical performance of the Ferraris.

They were on top for most of the weekend, but then so were they in Australia too a, week ago. However this time they made it count by occupying the front row of the grid. But with Massa outpacing Kimi by almost half a second, there were some questions as to the fuel load they were carrying. Same goes for the remarkable qualifying by the Red Bull of Mark Webber. BMWs impressed yet again and though it could be said that Nick Heidfeld missed out due to the McLarens, he was partly compensated by the silver cars being pushed five places down the grid. This “potpourri” grid set up for a mouth watering race. As for Force India, Fisichella agonisingly missed Q2 by 0.045 second right at the end of the first session. But the biggest disappointment had to be Williams who could not make to Q3 despite their strong showing at Albert Park. Also Jarno Trulli had a good session and finally after the McLaren penalty, started 4^th, a position few would have expected.

The race got of to an uneventful start as the Ferraris made clear headway, though for an instant it seemed that Kimi would get the better of his team mate at the first corner. However Massa shut the door and Räikkönen was more prudent this time. The biggest gainers were the McLarens and Trulli and Heidfeld had to pay the price for being caught napping. Mark Webber too improved on his a starting position and in due course of the race showed that the qualifying was not a fluke. He held off the McLaren till the pit stops and was strong with the car supporting him too. But at the head of the pack the Ferraris went clear of the field followed by the BMW of Robert Kubica and Red Bull of Mark Webber.

The race was bland till the first sequence of pit stops. Räikkönen smelling his chance started to put in some strong laps and so did Hamilton (despite the wear on his tires). Massa was the first to enter the pits among the Scarlet cars while Räikkönen stayed out a little longer (maybe due to the marginal fuel difference that had been anticipated). This gave him enough opportunity to burn some real fast laps and that coupled with slick pit work by the Ferrari team saw him emerge out of pits just ahead of Massa (who probably was fuming in his car). Though the same sadly could not be said for the McLaren team, as Hamilton’s pit stop went chaotic with some problems on the front right wheel. This cost him ten seconds and more importantly got him stuck behind Webber again.

This disappointment did not hinder the efforts of both Massa and Lewis. But maybe Felipe went a little too hard and this levity caused him to spin, dumping the Scarlet car in the gravel trap on lap 30, thereby ending his chances for a strong 2^nd placed finish. His chagrin was pretty palpable when he indicated towards a problem in the rear end of the car to which Ferrari’s riposte was of denial as no abnormality reflected in the data from the sensors. Meanwhile behind the Williams were having a torrid time with Nico Rosberg involved in a first lap incident that required a nose cone change that placed him dead last and fighting with the backmarkers while being lapped by the Ferraris. The BMWs, ever the silent killers were on a strong strategy and seemed to be carrying more fuel than everyone else at the start. Kubica was comfortable in second (thanks to Massa’s benevolence) while Heidfeld was in fighting range with Hamilton through out. Kovalainen also had a good run with the strategy pushing him up to third.

The second round pit stops did not entail any drama, but for an instant it looked like Williams had goofed up in calling both their drivers almost together. Eventually they showed stupendous reactions to send the cars out without any delay within seconds of each other. Hamilton too had a much better stop this time round that got him ahead of Webber, who also lost his position to Heidfeld. Thereafter there was hardly any doubt as to the top 3 finishers. The engine failure of Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari powered Toro Rosso on lap 39 might have caused some tension among the Tifosi, but they were not to be disappointed this time round. Kimi led Kubica to take the chequered flag followed by Kovalainen in third. Such was the domination of the top three that (the generally stoic) Räikkönen and Kubica mentioned in the post race press conference that after the final pit stops they went easy on the engines and the car as they had a comfortable gap behind them. But behind them Hamilton drove the wheels of his McLaren to dissimate the 5+ second gap between him and Trulli within a very short period. However the experienced Trulli was not to give up easily (especially with time on his side) and held out the strong charge by the rookie to take 4^th ahead of Hamilton. They were followed by Heidfeld and Webber - who certainly should be pleased with this strong finish despite the disappointment of missing out to capitalise on a good start – with Alonso taking the final point.

This turned out to be a pretty good race with all the podium finishers being from different teams and also none of them was there in the previous race. While this confirmed the theory of the battle being predominantly between Ferrari and McLaren, there were much more to be gained out of it. For starters the Williams team that looked so strong in Australia were the biggest losers here and now have to again start burning mid night oil. BMW only keep strengthening the belief that they can challenge for their first GP victory this season with strong drivers and strategy (though the championship may still be out of their reach, for now). Red Bull also seem to have what it takes to be strong in the mid field over a race distance. However Toyota was the team which has shown the biggest improvement and we hope it is not a flash in the pan as a couple of seasons ago.

As for our very own Force India, they will (pragmatically) be pleased with a 12^th place finish in a tough race and can look forward to a top ten finish with confidence now. And finally Honda again find themselves where they would not like to be. But in all this conspicuous by their absence was team Renault with Alonso finishing 8^th and Nelson Piquet Jr. yet again failing to impress. They really are struggling and despite Alonso driving at the top of his skills, maybe the team requires a little more than just an exceptional driver. They need their car to be much better in race pace for him to be able to challenge - if not the big two then – atleast the BMWs. Looking forward to Bahrain now in a couple of weeks time. The roller coaster rides seems to continue there too.

Drivers Championship:

Lewis Hamilton - 14

Kimi Räikkönen - 11

Nick Heidfeld - 11

Constructors Championship:

McLaren Mercedes - 24

BMW Sauber - 19

Scuderia Ferrari - 11

GP Review: Albert Park '08

So the clique circus is back. And we’ve started right where we left off last year. The inaugural race of the 2008 Formula 1 season threw up a lot of surprises, and while the roles from the last race were reversed there was much more to it too. It was now the turn of McLaren to laugh, while the Maranello team has lots of brainstorming to do. Also in the wounded list is our very own Force India F1, while they were not expecting miracles, but that none of their cars made it to the end must certainly be disappointing. Considering only six out of the 22 cars made it safely to the end, it certainly was a bizarre race.

Things started going wrong for Ferrari right from qualifying with Raikkonen’s car stalling before the pit line (thereby technically on track), disqualifying him from the qualifying session ahead. Perhaps the fact that had the car even rolled a couple of inches more, they could have pushed it back and prepared it in time for the next round of qualifying, should have given them the hints of things to come. Though Massa did make it to the final round, but even he would not have been happy with starting from the second row of the grid. The person most happy was Robert Kubica. He certainly gave Hamilton a run for his money with a scorching lap, and but for his excursion on the grass, he would have claimed his first pole. Alonso also got the taste of where he stands when the best he could manage was 12^th, certainly poor by his standards.

The race start had lots of anticipation and apprehension attached to it with people talking about smoking tyres, stalling cars, et all. They got their money’s worth as even though the front two made a clean start, behind them it was complete chaos. As Kimi made his way from 16^th to 8^th almost in the first corner itself, his team mate had to suffer an off track excursion followed by a bump in the tyre wall, forcing him to pit in the first lap itself. Meanwhile somewhere behind poor Giancarlo Fisichella was sent flying on his debut with the team having the flying kingfisher logo! Ok, bad one that. But this called the safety car out and things stabilised. As Massa joined the tail of the pack and racing resumed Hamilton was clearly pulling away from the chasing BMW and the rest of the pack. Even as people jostled behind, the Briton was determined to prove that today he would be in a class of his own.

Felipe Massa was giving everything to get back into the points and he certainly had the pace for it. But then he should not have expected mercy from any rival and that was what happened when he overtook Coulthard. The British veteran was having a good race on the Red Bull and would have none of the bossing by the Scarlet car. And in the process somewhere his passion overtook racing sense and he clipped the overtaking Massa ending up in a heap on track to trouble the safety car again. This also cluttered up the grid and reduced the 12 sec cushion that Hamilton enjoyed then. Almost immediately the adroit Ferrari team informed Kimi not to enter the pits, who just about aborted in the nick of time. This certainly saved him a punitive action from the stewards (which incidentally later Barrichello had to face for the same offence as what appeared initially to be the failure of his team boss in not being able to show the split second decision making as of his former team).

As the safety car went in Raikkonen was up till third (though with a stop less than the rest, but then he was on a one stop strategy), a remarkable achievement considering from where he had started. However the allure of a further two points seemed to take over even the stoic Finn and he went for insouciant move to overtake Kovalainen. Kimi did overtake the McLaren, only to out brake himself at the approaching turn, just about avoiding the tyre wall in the process. He retuned on track dead last feeling very chagrin, and in hind sight had he been a little more patient, maybe he could have gained the track position later with more ease and kept his ego intact too. However it would not matter as this would the beginning of the end and things exacerbated. The Ferrari dramatically lost pace after this, eventually grinding to a halt while entering the pits (oh Kimi not again!). Felipe Massa also suffered a similar fate while a points scoring finish seemed within reach. Eventually Raikkonen did earn a solitary point though, courtesy the disqualification of Rubens Barichello, thereby opening his and Ferrari’s account this season, though not in a way they would have liked to.

There were a few more disappointments. Most notable was Sebastien Bourdais, who was having a great debut till his (Ferrari powered!!!) Toro Rosso’s engine gave up painfully in the final stages of the race. Robert Kubica also despite a good start failed to finish courtesy an unintentional knock from behind by the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima. Meanwhile Timo Glock had a bad crash forcing the safety car out yet again (hey, guess the SC logged more track miles than some of the teams here!). This spelled disaster for the hapless Barichello, as what followed this was a comedy of errors (though his team won’t see it in the same light). Firstly he entered the pits just after the deployment of the safety car. According to the rule book during this period the pits are technically “closed”. Though the Honda team said that it was not deliberate/ignorance of rules, as they had no other option because there was no fuel in the car. This entailed him a 10 sec penalty and as he was moving out of pits he dragged a pit crew with the fuel hose. To top it all off he exited the pits under red lights which led to his disqualification. This series of mistakes apart, the Honda team had lot of positives to take back from this race, and they certainly seemed to have moved ahead from the debacle of the previous season.

The team which was most pleased certainly was McLaren and it seems that they have buried the demons of the previous season for good. But more than that was the performance of team Williams that impressed. Not only were they the only other team whose both cars made it to the end, Rosberg also earned his maiden podium finish in the process. Certainly they looked very strong in the entire race with regards to reliability, team strategy and most of all race pace. Toyota however impressed to deceive with both of their cars also not making it to the finish. Renault, though had a troubled start with Piquet Jr crashing out early, but things improved for them and Alonso recorded a strong finish albeit losing out on a fascinating duel with Kovalainen. BMW had a mixed race and Heidfeld was perhaps the most subdued in the entire race, hardly figuring in any excitement at all. One could have felt that he was racing alone in some forlorn part of the track. But he won’t mind that certainly for a second place finish.

If this race is anything to go by, then we are in for another thrilling season. That Ferrari will return with vengeance is a foregone conclusion, but presently the McLaren team and driver combination looks potent. Also teams like Williams and BMW (not to mention Renault and probably Honda) look set to put the cat among the pigeons more often this season. Another positive sign to emerge out is that Toro Rosso and Red Bull have shown more promise than most had expected. Toyota and Force India though need to improve a lot, and fast, lest they become a partner in Super Aguri’s malady. While it’s too early for anyone to start celebrating or mourning (and considering the last season, even the penultimate race is too early for that), but certainly the times for mourning at McLaren seem to be over.

THE KING OF GOOD TIMES IS BACK

So, it’s that time of the year again. The intelligentsia have spoken, the “oh-so-secret” stallions have been launched amongst much fan fare and the final link in the chain, the jockeys have been finalised. But while almost every team on the grid in busy issuing loquacious statements about their preparations and prospects, the average follower of the game is as ambivalent as ever. Certainly all of them cannot be true. The convoluted statements and data aim to obfuscate the truth and cocoon the team and its supporters. But then again, its that time of the year, when all the talking ends (well nearly) and the real fun begins – both on and off the track. So here I attempt to make some sense out of the potpourri of statistics, data jargon and the many soliloquies that we’ve been bombarded with in the past couple of months.

Firstly as respect to the winter testing results of all teams. Well certainly Ferrari seem to be ahead of everyone at the moment, with Kimi setting some scorching times in his low slung scarlet rocket ship of a car. McLaren Mercedes are not too far behind though with Hamilton leading the way. But will they be able to remain close over a race distance is the question that everyone is asking. They are certainly quick, and will stay right up there in qualifying, but in the race it’s slightly circumspect. And with Ferrari having settled with their drivers (and with their amazing team binding) the job looks ominous for McLaren. Oh the same old storey, so boring.....yawn. But here is where things start getting interesting. The enormously under achieving Toyota team has everyone talking in hushed tones what with the Jarno Trulli’s stunning lap at Barcelona which matched the timings of Ferrari and McLaren. However the complexity of different configurations used in winter testing makes comparison of teams just based on lap times a bit erroneous. And more often than not a team that set the timing charts on fire during testing, disappears into oblivion during the course of the season. Anyways just one good lap (or even one good race for that matter) will not be enough to get the Cologne based team out of their predicament.

A team with real potential and expectations from everyone is BMW Sauber. They were certainly in a class of their own last year, though behind the front two, but also far clear of the chasing pack. This year have they improved on it is tough to say. This because their entire pre season schedule has been under such thick wraps that even Mr. Stepney would have found it tough to get something out of there. Their biggest virtue is that they’ve probable the most affable and committed pair of drivers. And the tenacity shown by both of them last season (more so by Robert after the horrendous crash) was the single biggest reason for their consistent strong finishes throughout the season. However, they’ve not been without problems from whatever little testing data has come out, and speculations exist about their (in)ability to save tyres over a race distance. That they will be strong is certain, but its the top step of the podium that is their aim now, and for that they need to be better than just strong.

Coming to what many believe can be the surprise package of this year – Renault. The biggest change certainly is the return of Fernando Alonso and that has taken the entire team in a different level of self confidence. But just this cannot be certainly enough, and the car has also not shown anything that could cause an upset. I guess Alonso will just have to get used to fighting in the mid-field on track this year, and that is certainly better than fighting with your teammate off the track. Rest of the pack is probably the toughest to suggest. Williams seem to down in the rut, though with two good drivers and the history they’ve got, one can never take them for granted. Red Bull, Torro Rosso and Force India will pretty much slug it out among themselves. The winner here will feel as if it has won a championship in itself, and it is these drivers with their occasional cameos who can jumble up things and leave the top teams fuming at times. As for Super Aguri, with their present troubles anything above a start and few good laps would be bonus for them.

Now coming to the enigmatic Honda. No one really seems to understand what is wrong here. A team with an illustrious history, experience, money and two race winning – not to mention quite experienced – drivers, was the biggest disappointment last season. With all due respect to their novel “green” campaign, just fancy marketing ideas don’t get you glory in the cut throat world of Formula1. And the car that Jenson Button called the “dog” last year looks just as troublesome in its new incarnation too. However they’ve hired the mercurial Ross Brawn as the team principle this year, and they don’t come any better than him. There is no question about his virtuosity and that he will lift the team up, but when even he starts talking about 2009, the rules it’ll bring and their effects on his team, you know something is really wrong. The season’s not even started and already Ross is pinning his hopes on next year. You really got to feel for Button and Barrichello, they know that they’ve got the talent to fight with the best but are driving a raucous (otiose) beast that listens to no one, not the engineers, not the drivers and not to the steering either!

All said and done, this season is bound to throw a few surprises, as there is hardly any driver on the grind who has raced in F1 without the electronic wizardry to bail him out in sticky situations. Hence rest assured we’ll witness smoky starts, lots of oversteer and drivers losing it at times. Though again this is expected more from down field rather that the top guns, who should by now have accustomed to these new uncontrolled beasts. Coming to the off field spice, well what’s Formula1 without a little controversy to keep us interested, but it certainly does not seem to be touching last year’s levels. The biggest reason being the change in the driver line up of McLaren. Also this year we all get to see the first ever night race is history of the sport, which I personally believe is going to be a stupendous success. I watched the season opening MotoGP race in Qatar under lights, and what a spectacle it was. The track looked like a picture of heaven with an uncanny halo all over it, and did the bikes GLEAM. WOW!!! I just can’t wait for the Singapore round. That it is a new track for everyone, is the icing on the cake.

All said and done its good that we get now to see the action and then comment on it, rather than build castles in air and ogle over them, reviewing our reviews more than what is actually on the ground. In short if you ask me I don’t see the Kimi-Ferrari combination being beaten. However I would love to see BMW constantly pestering the top two. But then there is something much more this season for us Indians. Yes Force India, and the reason I’ve refrained from commenting on it is, that the team has gone under so many changes (three owners in as many years in unsettling to say the least) it is virtually hazardous to even talk about it. Got to watch it – with fingers crossed – over the first couple of races. They certainly have a fighting chance with probably the best driver among its direct rivals, in the form of Giancarlo Fisichella, and an extremely committed owner. Let the good times roll then...........

LONG LIVE SPIRIT OF THE FA CUP

Well, well, well, the FA cup is back. And how!!! The oldest tournament in football has long been known for its illustrious history of upsets and is dream come true for the perennial underdog supporter. But what’s been happening this year has left everyone dumbfounded and the BIG ONES ducking for cover. Though some people may say that this is down to the managers of top teams not fielding their best 11 in the tournament considering rest for their star players so that they can focus on the “more important” matches, this statement certainly was thrown into oblivion with the Man U – Portsmouth match yesterday.

Sir Alex certainly surprised everyone by including his crème de la crème, namely Ronaldo and Rooney among other big wigs. But this was not to be the last in the series of many that followed. The second was again courtesy to the flamboyant manager. He substituted Van Der Sar by Tomasz Kuszczak between posts, a switch seldom seen in any league. And this when Van Der Sar was hardly having any trouble patrolling his goal. Or maybe this was precisely the reason that instigated him to make the change in the first place, maybe he wanted to give his reserve keeper the chance for some match action. But the question that begs itself to be asked is, that if it was so why did he not start with Kuszczak in the first place? Why risk a substitution and be left with no reserve goalkeeper? Was he initially circumspect of having his reserve keeper face a tem that they had humbled just weeks ago? Whatever the reason, the fact is that this decision of his backfired, SPECTACULARLY at that. Kuszczak brought down Milan Baros in the box from what was a potential goal scoring opportunity, and I feel the referee got it right when he gave the keeper his marching orders. This left Man U without a goalkeeper, not a mention a man down. With all due respect to Rio Ferdinand, frankly he never stood a chance of denying the goal.

But this certainly did not prevent Ferguson from whining as usual, which he does after every defeat, no matter how bad his team played. And nowadays he is joined in this façade by his favourite player, Ronaldo. Their post match comments just went on to show how frustrated and blind to facts they get after being defeated. Yes, I certainly agree that Man U was on top in most of the match, and had they won, they would have certainly deserved it. But having said that, just making moves and creating chances isn’t enough. At the end of the day you’ve got to put them away for them to matter. Sir Alex has this innate belief that he can bully anyone, referees (and Beckham, pun intended) included, which sadly isn’t true (see what happened in the Beckham fiasco). And as to Ronaldo saying that he is afraid of tackles and thinks this will force him to change the way he plays, then he better start to look for another job. I mean you got to live with defenders pouring on you if you are the real danger. That I think is something to be proud of and not afraid and blame the officials for. I for one didn’t see even a single tackle that was dangerous or even close to what happened with Eduardo couple of weeks ago.

Well at least Chelsea took the defeat in their stride, accepting that yesterday, they were just not that good. In fact John Terry walked up to congratulate the rival manager and captain, praising them and wishing them to win the cup. That is how you deal honourably after being defeated by a smaller team. But then they really were very poor yesterday. Barnsley were in the match always and never got totally dominated. Maybe a lot had to do with the self belief that Barnsley had after dumping Liverpool (at Anfield at that) in the previous round. And also maybe they wanted the cup that much more. Chelsea on their part tried, but there was a touch of that urge, that hunger, amiss. John Terry missing from 5 yards out at the death is not what we see of Chelsea.

One has to look back to as far back as 1987 when it was last that none of the “big four” made it to the semi finals of the FA cup. And will we have to look ever further back to 1980 (which was the last when a team not from the Premiership won the title) well this only time will tell. But what’s for sure, is that Portsmouth cannot be complacent that they possibly are the strongest team left in the draw now. Because from what we’ve seen till now, its anybody’s cup (I for one would like to back Barnsley, not because they have beaten two Goliaths, but because this David has shown the most juvenile hunger to achieve something that no one considered they should even be allowed to dream). Oh, also one more thing for sure, the FA Cup its back to its glory and may it stay that way.

MILAN GUNNED DOWN

Arsenal-2, AC Milan-0. WOW!!! What a score line. The significance of it takes gigantic proportions when one realises that this is at “the San Siro”, a fortress at which NO English team had got better of the “Rossoneri” EVER. On watching the match it was clear that what was being touted as the biggest weakness of Arsenal, proved to be the difference among the two sides. I am referring to the “young” team that Arsene Wenger put against the might of an experienced Milan, boasting names such as Maldini, Kaka, Inzaghi etc. But it was the pace of these young guns and maybe also their hunger to win and prove the critics wrong that brought about the convincing win. The way Gael Clichy outpaced and got round Inzaghi for a crucial block early in the game, and at the opposite end of the clock, Walcott’s pace to outrun Milan’s backline and set up Adebayor for the second goal is ample proof of the above statement.

The match started much to the expectations of the home fans (who had come in hordes, packing the stadium to its full capacity of over 80,000)with the first 20 minutes completely belonging to the defending champions. Kaka and Inzaghi gave the Arsenal backs a tough time. But as would have been expected, led by Gallas, the defenders were concentrating well to deny their rivals any clear opportunity to have a shy at the goal. After the initial phase as Arsenal got their feet in it, the confidence soared. Fabregas was at what he does best, weaving in and out of the midfield, and Willy Sagna was showing why he is regarded so highly by his manager. Still the Milan defence is formidable and they showed it. That Adebayor was not at his best (actually he does not much relish the Champions League, having yet to score there this season), certainly did not help matters. Nevertheless Kalac was troubled and called upon to make some good saves. The game took a slightly controversial turn as Alexander Hleb went to ground just outside the box. Though replays showed clearly that he was brought down unfairly by Allesandro Nesta, the referee thought otherwise, instead showing him a yellow card for diving. However Arsenal should have been ahead going into the break, as Senderos had only Kalac to beat in the dying seconds, only to shoot straight into the hands of the huge keeper.

Second half again started in balance with both teams trying to maintain possession to create moves. As no team could get any significant breakthrough, it became more of a mid-field battle. With Adebeayor still not able to find his touch, Arsene Wenger brought about the much awaited change, substituting Eboue with Walcott. This immediately infused a fresh pace into the Arsenal team as he combined well with Fabregas. Walcott almost immediately had a great opportunity to open the scoring and add to his impressive tally in the Champions League, but Kalac made an equally good save, and Adebayor slipped when he could have scored on the rebound (this pretty much sums up the kind of day he had been having). With both teams in a gridlock and the defence of either not yielding an inch, frustration began to rise. Even a staid player like Kaka could not hide it, throwing the ball in disgust at an outline decision, only to be booked for it. At this time it was clear that a solitary goal may just be enough to decide the outcome and that it would more likely come out of a moment of inspired individual brilliance rather than some wonderful team play. And that brilliance did come in the 84^th minute.

Cesc Fabregas got the ball just inside the Milan half. He goside stepped Gennaro Gattuso, and still off the box from about 30 yards, pulled the trigger. This sudden shot even took Zeljko Kalac (who till then had been having a good day) by surprise and maybe he was just a fraction too late to dive to his right and stop the ball from finding the back of the net. Actually it was so unexpected that even my initial reaction was that he had palmed the ball out and it had struck the net from the outside. Only when I saw the wild reactions of the Arsenal contingent (and what relief showed on their faces), did I realise what had happened. But that takes nothing away from the quality of the kick. It had just the enough curl, placed right at the extreme edge of the net, and had the power that beat the Milan keeper in the first place. The absolute silence at the stadium (yes for a moment even the Arsenal fans were just as dumbstruck as the Milan fans, and also me) aptly showed the seriousness of the situation. The holders now needed not one, but two goals to go through, and that too in just over 5 minutes. This was in no way an easy deed, but one can never write off Milan till the final whistle, more so at the San Siro (and all of us saw what Liverpool did to Milan in the 2005 final in a madness filled 6 minutes).

However Arsenal were now totally on top (having buried the demons of the previous two weeks) and were determined to go through the “clean” way. As Milan poured bodies forward, they were always going to be vulnerable to the famed Arsenal counter-attack, and deep in stoppage time it happened. Walcott outran the last Milan defender (the tired legs of the older team were now showing against the young talent) as he chased a clearance from among his lines, got the better of another block and selflessly slid the ball to the poaching Adebayor, who (no matter however bad a spell he would have been in) could not have missed from 5 yards out. This killed the match for good, and even the Milan team and fans realised this.

The celebrations at the end were more of relief than ecstasy considering what the club has been through the past two weeks. More than the disappointment of registering no win in the past four games, or being knocked out of the league and FA cup; it was the horror injury to Eduardo that had shaken up the club. And this will certainly do much much more than just keep them alive in the Champions League. This will infuse a fresh confidence in them, give them the self belief that just maybe had started to diminish, and above all show all the critics and rival clubs that this team can go all the way. But as Wenger put it in the post match conference, they have to balance now between belief and humility, a quality required to be sonsistent at the top.

It had been billed as the sternest test of the “Young Gunners” this season, who had already proved everyone wrong by what they have achieved till now. But with this convincing win (no one expected them to score more than a goal at San Siro, if they score at all) the warning bugle has been sounded louder and clearer than before for all to hear and take heed. Beating the most successful team in recent history of the competition away, and dominating so much possession in the game is no mean feat. Arsene Wenger, or “The Professor” as he is known, has proved to be a master of nurturing young talent and shown yet again (how many times will he have to do this before people start accepting it) that its not just BIG NAMES that make a team great, team spirit and motivation can also win trophies. Having said this, there is still a long way to go for this team to be considered among the “Wenger’s Invincibles”, but if they are able to maintain what they showed yesterday, the omens are really good.

THE CAR THAT NEVER WAS

They say that music drives the world. But in this age of digitization even music has not escaped. While listening to a walkman is blasphemous, even diskman has become passé. Now is the age of downloaded music (more illegal than legal) and of tiny swanky mp3 players. So I too decided to grace myself with one. But as I looked for advice from my friends, as to which one to buy among the many to choose from, almost all had only one name to suggest, iPOD. This, when there were many other players that were much cheaper, offered additional facilities like FM and voice recording, and were much more user friendly. But none of my friends would even, so much as listen to these “excuses”.

This just reminded me of the Honda NSX (chances are you’ve not even heard the name). There are several reasons that the Honda NSX was a great car. It was fast, had lots of F1tech in it, was loaded to the brim with additional features and maybe the coup de grace was that it was tuned by the late F1 maestro Ayrton Senna; the list actually is pretty long. But still no one bought it and the car held the dubious record of being one of the biggest (and indeed rare) failures of the marquee. This was basically due to three reasons (ironically, the very three reasons which the company expected would be the biggest scoring points of the car):

1. It was pretty cheap (by supercar standards). Now no one wanted to associate himself with a supercar that your milkman came in (well slightly over the top, but then u get the point, right).

2. It was pretty easy to ride and did not demand all of one’s skill to keep him/her alive at the end of the day. How boring!!! Supercars are supposed to scare u, take the breath out of your lungs, send u into orbit, etc. In a tad oversimplified statement, they r supposed to thrill u beyond measure, and exist just on the fine line of being dangerous (we all love 007 type stunts, don’t we).

3. It was a Honda (coz in this category band image is everything). And before all u fans of the big ‘H’ start shouting “bloody murder” let me elaborate on my previous statement. I mean that Hondas are meant to take kids to school (and other such routine chores), which they ARE brilliant at. But they’re certainly not known to be great for straight lining corners, or power sliding out of them (track day tools that is). You take them to the mall, not “The Ring”.

Well, some may still challenge the third reason, citing the Nissan GTR and Chevrolet Corvette, as examples to prove it wrong. While I agree to the GTR being a cult car, it still is not counted in the hallowed realms of the Ferraris and Lambos. And in any case one can always count it as an exception rather than the norm. Oh, and as for the Corvette, less said the better. Tell me does ANYONE outside the US of A buy it? The answer as we all very well know is that none do; and as to the taste of the Yankees in cars, it can only be described (conservatively) as being, well………….strange. If you observe closely, many big manufacturers like Toyota and Ford have not even bothered to try (please please don’t name the GT40 and embarrass one and all). Actually the supercar (the real true blue supercar) still pretty much remains an exclusive European domain.

And this I put entirely on the culture and how automobiles have developed in the continents over a period of time. It’s same that the Europeans can never make a good muscle car unlike the Americans, and none can master the art of simplicity and space utilization like the Japs. So guys leave the experts to do their own jobs. Any effort to try and beat the other at his own game is more often than not going to end in tears, damaged egos and a gaping hole in the annual balance sheet. And when someone does venture into such a specialized field, the manufacturers sometimes get ambivalent, causing such disasters to happen. Also I think with several things you have to just ignore plain logic and listen to just the allure of the thing. A classic case then, of listening to your heart, rather than your head. So, I guess I too stuck with the times, ignored logic, listened to my heart (or maybe to the constant pestering of my friends) and the voice was clear, go get urself an iPOD.

ALAN SHEARER - KING OF NEWCASTLE

Yes I know, it is not the norm to write a testimonial to a living person, but when the person is as special as Alan Shearer, then he deserves something, well, special. Super Al (as he is affectionately called by his fans) was not just the ideal role model for a generation, he was the very embodiment of the perfect footballer in the 90s. his typical style to celebrate a goal, with true innocent happiness splashed across his face and one arm lifted, finger pointing towards the almighty was simple, yet heart warming. And it is this simplicity and humbleness of his (tough to find among footballers of his stature) that captivated fans not just in England, but all across the globe. This man was the reason I started watching football and he holds a very very special place in my eyes (which I don’t think any other sportsman might ever take).

Alan was born in Gosforth, England on 13 Aug 1970. He was interested in football at a very young age, but the irony was that the would be legend of Newcastle FC was rejected by the very club when he tested for their junior team as a goalkeeper at the tender age of 15 when he used to play for Wallsend Boys Club. But his talent did not go unnoticed for long, and he was soon picked up as an apprentice with Southampton, although as a striker and not as a goalkeeper. He made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on 26 Mar 1988. But it was his full debut on 9 Apr 1988 that made national headlines as he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal at an age of 17 yrs and 240 days, thereby breaking the record of Jimmy Greaves to become the youngest player to score a hat-trick in top flight football.

His performance certainly aroused interest and in 1992 Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish signed him up for £ 3.3 million (notable here is that Shearer turned down an offer from Manchester United then). Here actually started his rise. He was in prolific form, scoring 31 goals from 40 matches in the 1993-94 season, guiding his club to second position in the league. This won him the “Football Writer’s Footballer of the Year Award” that season. The arrival of Chris Sutton for the 1994-95 season led to the formation of the feared “SAS” (Shearer and Sutton) partnership. This added factor ensured that both Shearer and his club bettered their previous year’s record. Alan netted 34 goals from 42 matches, while Blackburn finished as champions of the Premiership, and this remains the legend’s only club silverware of his career. He moved up in the awards ladder too, winning the PFA Player of the Year Award. Next season also the form continued and he scored 31 goals from 35 matches, however the club could only finish a disappointing 7^th. These two seasons Shearer also got a taste of European football as Blackburn featured in the UEFA Cup and Champions League respectively, though with no success. Shearer was the highest scorer in the league for an astonishing 3 CONSECUTIVE SEASONS from 1994-95 till 1996-97

Alan was now in his prime and the poster boy of English football. In 1996 he received another offer from Manchester United, however Jack Walker would not allow this under any circumstances. So Shearer joined Newcastle United managed by his boyhood hero Kevin Keegan, and little did he know that this would change his life. He was transferred for a whopping (then) transfer fee of £15 million making him the MOST EXPENSIVE FOOTBALLER IN THE WORLD at the time. What followed, as they say, is history. This was the beginning of a very special relationship with Newcastle, Keegan and the Geordies. His first season at the club earned him his second PFA Player of the year award. Though the next three seasons were average by his high standards (as in the respect of number of goals scored). Nevertheless he guided Newcastle to two consecutive FA Cup finals, and to the semis in the third year. He was deservingly promoted to the position of captain in 1999, which he held till his retirement

Unfortunately his career in the national team was never as glamorous. He was picked up for the England U-21 team in 1989, scoring a whopping 13 goals in 11 matches. This potent spell did not go unnoticed, and the coach of the senior team, Graham Taylor gave him his debut against France in Feb 1992 (followed by his only match for England B team a month later). He impressed here too and scored in his debut with the country’s senior team. In the absence of the legendary Gary Linekar (who retired after Euro 92), Shearer was expected to spearhead the England with (another would be legend) Paul Gascoigne. However an injury kept him out of a large part of the 94 World Cup qualifiers, in which eventually England failed to progress. Though this was a big disappointment for everyone, Shearer decided to focus on the upcoming Euro 96. This would be his first major competition for his country, and he did not disappoint. Wearing the coveted captain’s armband (which he retained till he hung his boots), he lead by example, scoring 5 goals and thereby guiding England to the semi final. However, they were knocked out by (eventual winners) Germany in the penalties (though Shearer scored in that game and also converted his spot kick, but Gareth Southgate painfully shot wide). He was awarded the “Golden Boot” for being the highest scorer of the tournament, thus proving his credentials at the world stage amongst intense competition. He scored 5 times in the qualification campaign for the 98 World Cup, ensuring England qualified this time and he could realise his dream of representing his country in the World Cup finals (it was the only time he played in World Cup finals). Here again the ghost of penalty shoot out came back to haunt England and they maintained their abysmal record in it. This time the team was Argentina, and in the second round itself. Though Shearer converted, two of his teammates, Paul Ince and David Batty did not oblige. Qualifying for Euro 2000 saw him score his first hat-trick for England against Luxemborg. In the tournament his goal ensured England defeated Germany for the first time since the 1966 World Cup final. This would be his last tournament for England, as playing for both club and country took its toll, specially with age not being on his side any more. Shearer announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2000 to focus solely on Newcastle. Despite intense speculation that he would return to lead the team in the 2002 World Cup, he refused standing by his decision. In 63 appearances for his country, Shearer scored 30 goals, placing him joint fifth in the England all-time goal scorers list.

Shearer continued playing for his club, but announced he would retire at the end of the 2004-05 season. This received lots of pleas from fans and the management of Newcastle United, including his manager Graeme Souness, and after much deliberation he decided to continue in player-coach capacity till the end of the following season (a rarity in the game). However his swansong was not to be as pretty as everyone would have wanted. Playing against Sunderland on 17 Apr 06, with just three games remaining in the season (and his retirement), he suffered a tear to the medical collateral ligament in his left knee, rendering him unfit to play for the remaining matches. A testimonial match against Celtic was organised in his honour on 11 May 06 at St James’ Park which had ex-Newcastle players like Steve Watson, Gary Speed, Rob Lee and Les Ferdinand participating. Though Shearer’s injury did not allow him to play, nevertheless he initiated the kick off and scored a penalty to win the match for Newcastle. During the 2004-05 season, he scored his 201^st goal, surpassing the record of Jackie Milburn for the club. Eventually he finished with a tally of 260 Premier League goals, a record which stands till date. This brings his total tally for club and country to 422, with an average of 25 goals a season for his 17 years in professional football. These are phenomenal figures (by any standards) that any player in the world would be proud of.

Alan was awarded an Order of the British Empire for services to the Association Football in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2001. Also he was credited with Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in March the same year. There are hardly any unpleasant or controversial incidents to report in which Shearer was involved, as he generally kept a low profile and chose his football to do the talking instead. However the only incident that comes close was during the latter part of the 1997-98 season when he kicked Neil Lennon in the head at Leicester City during a Premiership match, but was not punished for the same. The FA Chief Executive Graham Kelly later claimed in his autobiography that Shearer threatened to walk out on the World Cup squad if he was punished by the FA. Shearer vehemently denied (and continues to do so) this and said that the incident itself was purely accidental.

What Alan Shearer has achieved in his career, very few can even dream of. Yet more than his football achievements, it was his sportsmanship and honesty that earned him respect and admiration from fans and rivals alike. He has been in lot of news recently, being linked to the post of the Newcastle manager. But Shearer, though not denying it at some stage, has refused to take the post presently saying he requires time with his family. While none will question his appointment as manager at any time, all respect his decision understanding the toll that professional football takes on the personal life of all those involved in it (more so the players). The fact that there is little doubt of him returning in similar capacity in the future was echoed by the present Newcastle manager (and Shearer’s ,mentor at the club) when he said in a press conference recently, “Alan Shearer is going to manage this football club one day, that’s for sure.” And when he actually does, all the Geordies and thousand others (like me) will watch with bated breath as the legend stalks the pitch again, playing his magic, albeit from the sidelines now.