As for Dmitry, after his contribution ot the GP3 support feature at Monaco and his ongoing relationship with race officials, I suspect we have seen the last of him for while……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq5vLIjU4WA

Congratulations to Williams, and best wishes for those hurt in the pitlane fire that followed their epic victory. Racing remains a dangerous sport and we do well to remember it.

• Sky seem to have decimated the UK live audience. No surprise here since even Sky Premier League football coverage, a sport supposed to occupy the minds of men across the world, seems to attract few paying customers in the UK except the licensed pub trade. How long until the sponsors start shouting for blood ? I can’t really comment on the quality of the Sky product, since I refuse to pay a cent to any of Murdochs concerns, but I have heard that the commentary is flakey, amateur to say the least. Will it improve, will the sponsors walk into the sunset or use Ecclestones severed head for a football ? Who knows, who cares…… Murdoch and Sky sinking into the third circle of Hell itself would please me so much.
• Williams GP - Last year Williams couldn’t do anything right. They were slow every where and at years close had managed the worse season of a career that had seen them become one of the most successful teams of the eighties, earning their last championship with Villeneuve in 1997. Welcome back Frank and Co….. the new car looks ok. Actually no…. It looks like everything except the McLaren, it looks like a box of frogs, but it looks miles quicker than last years car. Maldonado ? Jeez….. Not impressed. I don’t see what Williams do, he doesn’t seem fast, he doesn’t seem safe, on that basis, get shot of him. Bruno Senna ? Would we have heard of him if he wasn’t a Senna ? Now you just need some drivers worth paying…. Which leads me to…..
• Sauber – A quick car. Kobayashi remains as combative as ever and Perez must be the “renta-driver” of all time. Strewth, the guy nearly won in Malaysia…… Pay him already.
• McLaren – The only remotely good looking car in a grid full of mechanical pigs. Winning in Australia, it seemed to be going well in Malaysia until the stoppage…. Hamilton, for once in his career seemed to fall asleep…. Button caught up in the chaos. Both these guys get the Quango seal of approval as best prospect for the year. Main problem ? McLaren managment keeping them both level headed and car development running smoothly.
• Red Bull – The new car seems to be a whole lot more compliant with the rules and devoid of the infamous hinged nose section. It also distinctly less of a winning proposition. Webber seems to be at least as quick as Vettel. Is he no longer contractually obliged to be Vettels skivvy ? We’ll see….
• Ferrari – How much money do these guys spend to participate ? Still only able to field one competitive car ? Hmmmm….. Massa still hobbled by a hideous contract ? Probably. Get out buddy, go to Le Mans….. Go to Williams. Go to Hispania….. Er… well…. Maybe not Hispania. Do anything, but don’t stay second fiddle to that goateed egotist loon in the other Ferrari.
• The racing itself – Good apparently. I haven’t even watched half of one of the BBC highlights packages for either of this years rounds, and I can’t say I’ve been bothered about missing the live coverage to be fair…. Maybe it’s the current rules which remind me too much of tv novelty game shows….. I can mentally picture Smedley staggering out to the stewards bearing an oversize cardboard cutout whilst Eddie Waring prattles about Ferrari playing their joker…… I can’t get enthusiasm together for this dumbed down formula that forces teams to run on unsuitable tyres….. Sorry Bernie, but this penguin reckons your rules stink like yesterdays herring…..

No pics for this one, as I wasn’t there, and I’m sure as hell not paying the Bernie tax.

Best Regards

Pulp Quango.