I'm so glad I managed to catch the qualifying. In fact this weekend in racing was full of thrills and spills:

1) Three massive pileups in the NASCAR Daytona Sprint series race, in just the last twenty laps.
2) Casey Stoner, trying to grab the lead from Danny Pedrosa in moto GP, overcooks it and crashes out on the penultimate corner.
3) The first five laps of Silverstone.

Consensus seems to be that the highlight of the race was Webber and Alonso battling in the closing stages of the race, until Webber pulled off another daring pass (the insane side-by-side move through Ear Rouge last year was alluded to) with five laps to go. Alonso's tyres were shot, but Webber's move was simply faith in his car. Based on the last half a year or so, my respect for Alonso has gone up tremendously, as he's shown ability not just to get as much as he can out of the car, but also knows when not to push it too far.

Other highlights include:

a) Maldonado taking out Perez... and Perez's subsequent comments on Maldonado.
b) Kobayashi taking out a few members of his pit crew.
c) Grosjean having to pit on lap 2 for a new nose and somehow managing to finish 6th behind Raikkonen.

Plus many running battles throughout the race. A shame for McLaren, whose fortunes and pace were both lackluster. Jenson in particular is having a bad time of it, which is strange as I thought he was one of the best when it came to tyre management and finding traction, the very things he's struggling with right now.

I thought the 2012 Spa GP was a exciting and fitting start for the second part of the F1 season! =)

Button had a flawless race at Spa! He clearly deserved to win, but I'm hoping that it's not another win and then nothing for him, just like the Australian GP win and then nothing... =/

Vettel did an amazing job in gathering points for his second place position in the championship, but he did make (yet) another ballsy-but-really-annoying move on his teammate when he was a little quicker and passed him with clear signals that they should all move whenever he comes... Webber doesn't deserve that...

Raikonnen lacked the speed and power during the last couple of laps to try and catch Vettel for 2nd, which he was constantly shouting to his team over the radio: "Gimme fulle power!!". LOL But the fact that he was able to take 3rd place with a car that wasn't a 100% shows how much potential he has for winning a GP.

Schumacher did a fenominal job on a 7th place result at the Spa GP if you ask me, especially if you consider that he only started in 13th position and lacked a little speed on this speedy circuit! His car failed him again and the rumours about him retiring kept resurfacing this weekend... I really hope that he makes it to a win this year! He clearly deserves it!! =)

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A different subject is the fact that I noticed again how the older and more experienced drivers in F1 were able to show their immense and true quality in a better way than the younger ones and the rookies did!
I mean, look at the starting position and results for Alonso, Raikonnen and Schumacher?!
If you take the Lotus team for an example, it's even more clear! Raikonnen and Grosjean (yyyyuch... *spits*) have a car that is virtually the exact same, but still Raikonnen drives it way better than Grosjean does, who keeps making these stupid, Stupid, STUPID mistakes! This guy is a disaster for F1 on the long haul if you ask me! And I haven't even started to talk about his character...
For that matter... if you were to swap Grosj...yahthatguy -'s name with Pastor Maldonado, you wouldn't have that much of a difference if you ask me! That guy has a marbel in his head that goes left on some occasions and -without warning- suddenly goes right and does the exact opposite! He's equally dangerous, if not more! (o.O)

Now... if you really want to see an F1 driver who's constantly laughing and enjoying his days in the highest class of motorsports and besides that even makes the best of the situation with his medium speed Toro Rosso car (a 9th place result at Spa says it all!) then I suggest you keep your eyes on Daniel Ricciardo! That guy is what racing should be about! Ha! =)

Onward to the upcoming Monza GP! No double DRS for Lotus there either, so I hope Kimi can show his qualities once more! Always nice to see the "Iceman" drive instead of talk! LOL =P

Monza was a roundabout of impressions with Hamilton as a dull winner and Perez the cherry on the cake, but enough said about Monza, because some sad news will be added to this great thread...

Professor Sid Watkins, the Formula One doctor who tended to Ayrton Senna after his fatal crash at Imola in 1994 and who saved the lives of countless others through his work on safety, has died at the age of 84....

As word spread around Formula One of his death late on Wednesday, confirmed by a source close to the family, tributes poured in from drivers and all whose lives were touched by the wise-cracking neurosurgeon with a love of cigars and whisky.

They included Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who suffered a huge crash on the same San Marino Grand Prix weekend that claimed the lives of Senna and Austrian Roland Ratzenberger.

"It was Sid Watkins that saved my life in Imola 94. great guy to be with, always happy...tks for everything u have done for us drivers. RIP," Barrichello said on Twitter to 1.7 million followers.

"RIP Prof. Sid Watkins. Sad news for us who stay behind," said Senna's nephew Bruno, who now races for the same Williams team that triple champion Ayrton was with when he crashed on a sunny afternoon in May 1, 1994.

Senna remains the last driver fatality in a Formula One race and much of the credit for the survival of others can be laid at the door of Watkins, known simply as 'Prof' by paddock regulars and 'Sid' by closer friends.

Northern Ireland's Martin Donnelly, Finland's double champion Mika Hakkinen, Austrian Gerhard Berger and F1 team founder Frank Williams all owed much to his quick response and care after life-threatening accidents.

Triple champions Jackie Stewart, another safety pioneer before Watkins came along, and Austria's Niki Lauda counted him as a friend.
"Today the world of motor racing lost one of it's true greats," said McLaren chairman and former team principal Ron Dennis, whose cars took Senna to all of his titles, in a statement.

"No he wasn't a driver. No he wasn't an engineer. No, he wasn't a designer. He was a doctor and it's probably fair to say that he did more than anyone, over many years, to make Formula One as safe as it is today.

"Many drivers and ex-drivers owe their lives to his careful and expert work, which resulted in the massive advances in safety levels that today's drivers possibly take for granted."

Watkins was brought in to the sport by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone in 1978, shortly before the death of Swedish great Ronnie Peterson at Monza in September of that year.
The Briton worked closely with former International Automobile Federation head Max Mosley to improve track and car safety, stepping down as medical officer only in 2004 but continuing to play a role at the governing body as first president of its foundation.

In his book 'Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One" Watkins wrote of Senna's final days and how distraught the Brazilian was at Ratzenberger's death in qualifying.
Advising Senna not to race, he added: "In fact, why don't you give it up altogether? What else do you need to do? You have been world champion three times, you are obviously the quickest driver. Give it up and let's go fishing".
Senna's reply, the last words he spoke to Watkins, was simple: "Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on."

Formula 1 has lost one of it's safety pillars and true icons from a previous decade. One of the reminders of it's current safety is no longer among us...

Hamilton takes pole, retires during the race with gearbox problems, Senna needs a pair of glasses, Massa loves to rally-race and skid, Vettel jumps 2 places and looks awesome for the championship again and Schumacher gets a 10 position grid penalty at the Japanese GP for crashing into Vergne... WHAT?! (o.O)
When did it happen that they appoint morons to sit down with the race officials?! It was said officially that he had a mechanical problem and he stated that to the press including the fact that he hit the brakes, the car locked and all he could do is ride it out? Come on F.I.A... this smells like a revenge for the missed opportunity last year where they wanted to punish him (which would have been fair to some point), but ended up not doing and now they suddenly do when it's not his fault?!

I'm at a loss for words... *growls*