Vaaav. Whatte story!

Great read on formula1.com: The Senna-Mansell photo finish at the Spanish GP, 1986.
(Pic bummed off same site. Couldn't find this image elsewhere, although be honest, I didn't try too hard.)

Gentlemen, start your engines.

Ta da. The 2008 racing season has begun....

And these two guys look like they're going to be sitting on top of things again. Raikkonen came in fastest during the first practice session and Lewis Hamilton took the lead in the second. Lewis should try to do this year what he lost out on in the last race of 2007. (Wow, remember that?) Looks like it'll be another Ferrari-McLaren tussle for top spot this year. It's almost sad. I like Kimi a lot, but on principle I cannot support the Reds.
One had hopes of Renault doing something what with Alonso back in the team now, but their engine is just not impressive enough.
And speaking of impressive, let's talk about Force India, shall we? Giancarlo Fisi came in 9th after Practice Session 2. The car already looks much better than what Dr Mallya acquired from Spyker last year. Particularly liked how Mallya said that F1 was "not a hobby", it was "a very expensive business." He's going about it the right way.

And so... till Sunday morning, 1000hrs, Indian Standard Time. Go, McLaren!!!!

Pic Courtesy: F1.com

Alonso goes Blue. So does Saab.

Yay! Yay! Yay! Fernando Alonso joins Renault again, and what with them announcing their new challenger -the R28, how cool!- in Jan 2008, I'm expecting a great season next year. Something that will have teams other than Ferrari and McLaren on podium places 1 and 2. [Just like I was fully expecting Pakistan to win the T20 and the following Indo-Pak series, and, unrelated to sports but a big realistic expectation: I was expecting the Amreekan public to send Bush out on his ass when he reran for Prez.] Anyway. Alonso is on with Renault for a two-year stint. I see clearly in my head a visual repetition of 2005 and 2006. (Fade to Trelawney's class and Divination...) And announcing Alonso's baby driver companion, Nelsinho Piquet. Whatte fun to see what kind of sparks fly between these two.

The dismal Indo-Pak test series also wound down to a close with a yawn-inspiring scoreline of 1-0 and two draws. Whatever happened to Indo-Pak fun. The one-day series was ho-hum as well. But that's because there is no real comparision between the headless team that Pakistan has right now and the professional setup India has got running. Where's the 'go-for-the-kill-yaar' aechichood? My love for Yo-Yo and Misbah has increased in geometric progression and inverse proportion [thank you Macro-Economic Theory] to my disillusionment with Team Pak as a whole. Hai rabba, where are the good old days when Was and Waqar used to steamroll in and destroy the furniture, when Moin and Wasim-bhai used to have hilarious stump-mic converstaions, when we had Saeed Anwars, Abdul Razzaqs, Saqlain, Ejaz, Azhar Mahmood and so much fun on the field?

Depressing.

F Briatore makes Alonso the offer

But only if the Sullen Spaniard is of a mind to stick it for the long-run. No half-hearted one year contract in the offing. Here's what the BBC has on that story.

Maybe, just maybe, Alonso will manage a third championship next year with Renault. Yay!
PS: Why was this year so lopsided? It was all Ferrari and McLaren. ALL...

Oh, and for the slow-pokes: He's through with McLaren.