In better news the calendar will at the moment contain 21 races next year with the addition of the United States Grand Prix and nothing else falling off the calendar, however the Turkish race is subject to confirmation. Also the FIA announced a new world endurance series centered around LeMans and a combined GT world championship, both good steps for fans of those series. Furthermore the Monte Carlo rally will return to World Rally Championship after 3 years in some other minor rally series.

Finally there was some rumblings that the FIA may delay the new 2013 rules, I dont really see why. The manufactuers already in the sport dont want it to change because its extra money but no-one new is going to enter the sport as we’re expecting the engine rules to change. (Theres also the new LIFE engines in development for 2013)

Theres been lots of people saying this or that about Lewis Hamilton and whether he should be penilised. Its hard to say, there has been some analysis shown that Maldonado did turn in on Lewis however I think the overtake attempt on Massa at the hairpin was always going to end in tears. In my not very educated opinion it was simply a lunge from too deep much like the Paul Di Resta attempt, who did try and run Force India out of spare parts.

The race saw great drives from Kobayashi and Adrian Sutil (5th and 6th respectivly) which will earn them some decent points. We were also robbed of a proper ending due to the red flag, although I do agree with red flagging an event rather than run 6, 7, 8, 9 laps under the safety car which is a bit pointless. It was the first appearnce from the Safety car all season which actually brings the point that the racing afforeded by DRS and the Pirrelli rubber makes the sport safer as drivers are taking less half-chances (although thats about the best you can get at monaco.

Next up is montreal which has pretty much always delieverd a great race regardless of the F1 rules. Its mix of long straights, tight turns and street/permenant course provides a real set-up challenge. Also for the next two races there will be two DRS straights, which at Valencia might work great but Montreal could be mesmerising.

Elsewhere Davide Valsecchi picked up a maiden win for Team Air Asia (Run by Tony Fernandes of Team Lotus fame) in the GP2 feature race and Charles Pic picked up the sprint race hounours, which throws the GP2 title race wide open with Grosjean and Sam Bird tied at the top on 23 points and only 2 points seperating the top 5 drivers in the series. GP2 standings

Britian Dan Wheldon won the Indy 500 on a big weekend for motorsport, his second victory in the iconic race (the first being in his 2005 title year).

But its not just Formula 1, scotsman (and cousin of Paul Di Resta) Dario Franchitti starts his Indy Car title defence. Along with some other action after the break:

For all the action this weekend remember the time change on saturday night!

• Formula 1, Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne. (with V8 Supercar) – BBC all weekend with repeats
• IndyCar Series, Grand Prix of St Pete, St Petersburg, Florida. (with Indy Lights) – Sky Sports 4
• WRC, Rally Portugal.
• GT1, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• NASCAR, California Speedway, Fontana. (Cup and Nationwide)
• World Superbike, Donington Park. – British Eurosport

I dont really follow any of the other series (this info is from sidepodcast – which is great by the way!) so im not quite sure whats on where.

The Canadians played a nearly perfect game. Getting the first goal with only 30 seconds left in the first proved to be a great advantage for them. But the real stars of the game was Halak and the Canadians defense who was once again able to stop and block many shots the Capitals sent their way. Washington had a goal early in the third period, but it was taken away due to goalie interference. Then a similar call was made for the Canadians – a goal was disallowed for them also. Yet, Montreal was able to get the next goal which gave them a 2-0 lead on the Capitals.

The Capitals scored late in the game to give them a chance of tying the game, with the help of a penalty taken by the Canadians. Still, the Capitals were not able to score on a 6-4 man advantage at the end of the game. The Capitals are now eliminated - with the 2-1 loss at home – from the playoffs and the Canadians move on.

Sabres vs. Boston - Boston beat the number three series 4-2 in their 4-3 victory over Buffalo. Boston scored the only goal in the first period while on the powerplay, and scored again early in the second on a powerplay as well. Buffalo was then able make the deficit only one goal, but Boston once again able to score to give them a two goal lead. 22 seconds after Boston scored their third goal, the Sabres once again made the game a one-goal game difference. Still, Boston was able to take another two-goal lead over the Sabres. The Sabres were able to get another goal late in the game to make it 4-3, but were not able to defeat the Bruins. The Bruins now move on to the second round of the playoffs.

Blackhawks vs. Predators - Another series has come to an end in game six. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-3 in game six. All but one of the goals in this game was scored in the first period; by the end of the first period the score was 4-3 Blackhawks. Both goalies, after a somewhat sloppy start, were then able to stop all the other pieces of rubber that would be shot at them. Chicago only got its fifth goal when the Preds’ goal tender was pulled for an extra attacker.

Canucks vs. Kings - Another series has ended; this time the Canucks have won their series over the Los Angeles Kings. Being tied at two goals a piece going into the final minutes of the game, Daniel Sedin of the Canucks was able to score a late goal which won the series. In desperation, the Kings pulled their goalie, which only resulted in an empty net goal by Vancouver. The Canucks won the series 4-2 with the 4-2 win in game six.

Sharks vs. Avalanche - The San Jose Sharks were able to do what they normally cannot – win the first series of the playoffs. After going down 2-1 early in the third period, the Sharks were able to take a lead and then get two empty net goals to win the series in game six with a 5-2 victory.

Bruins vs. Sabres – Once again, another team had a chance to win a series, but the other team was capable of extended the series to game six. Boston, with a 3-1 lead in the series, lost 4-1 to Buffalo who scored quickly and stayed ahead the whole game.

Kings vs. Canucks - Vancouver and Los Angeles were tied at two games a piece until this wipe-out by the Canucks. The Canucks scored first in game five, and the Kings were able to tie it, but after that Vancouver took over. The Canucks were able to score four more goals before the Kings could muster another one. After the second goal by the Kings, the Canucks were able to get two more goals before the end of the game. The final score of this high scoring playoff game was 7-2 Canucks who take a 3-2 lead on the series.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes - After a solid 40 minutes of play, the Red Wings took over the last period of play in game five of this series. Going into the third period, the game was tied at one, but the Wings scored three times in the last 20 minutes of play to give them a 4-1 victory over the Coyotes. Detroit now leads the series 3-2.

Blackhawks vs. Predators - This was the second game of the night with the score of 3-0, but this time, the Blackawks defeated the Preds to tie the series at two games a piece. Chicago scored once in the first period, twice in the second, and the third period was scoreless for both teams.

Avalanche vs. Sharks – Still, another shutout would happen in tonight’s games. The San Jose Sharks were able to finally show their known offensive talent and score five goals, but also show a great defensive game by winning the game 5-0. After a close one-goal games, a difference has been made in the scoring which gives the Sharks a 3-2 lead over the Avalanche.

Sabres vs. Buffalo - This was the first game to go past first OT; after 80 minutes of play, no winner had yet been decided. Going into the first OT, the game was tied at two, with Buffalo looking to tie the series and Boston looking to take a two-game lead in the series. After 60 minutes of play, the game was tied at two, as with 80 minutes of play. At 7:41 of the second overtime, Satan of the Bruins was able to finally end the game, and give the Bruins a 3-1 lead on the series.

Canucks vs. Kings - Vancouver was able to tie the series at two games a piece in another high-scoring playoff game. After trailing 3-2 going into the third period, the Canucks were able to score four times in the last 20 minutes of play to win the game 6-4.

Devils vs. Flyers - The Flyers have taken a 3-1 lead over the New Jersey Devils, so the Devils cannot lose another game without getting knocked out of the playoffs. After taking a one-nothing lead on a two-man advantage, the Devils were not able to hold a lead. Even though the first goal the Flyers could have scored was taken away due to a penalty on the play, the Flyers came back to beat Martin Brodeur. The Flyers scored two goals in both the second and third period. Carter, Briere, and Carcillo scored for the Flyers, with Carter getting two powerplay goals. The final score was 4-1 Flyers, and now the Devils face elimination.

Blackhawks vs. Predators - The Nashville Predators were able to take the lead in the series with their 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Preds were just a step ahead of the young Chicago team, who were only able to score on a powerplay chance late in the first period. A main highlight of the game was in the thrid period when Byfuglien of the Blackhawks hooked Martin Erat on a breakaway. This gave Erat a chance on the penalty shot, which he buried behind the goal tender. This was the last goal to be scored in this game – the Predators won 4-1 and lead the series 2-1.

Sharks vs. Avalanche - Once again, these two teams battled in a close game that wasn’t decided by the end of regulation. After scoring a goal a piece, the Sharks and Avalanche went into OT to decide the winner. Unlike the last game, the Sharks were able to put it into the correct net to win the game for them and not the Avalanche. The final OT score was 2-1 and the series is now tied 2-2.

Sabres vs. Bruins - In another close game by these two hockey teams, tempers were easy to flare. With numerous roughing penalties, fights, and two game misconducts, this game was filled with anger, but low and close in goals. Buffalo scored first, but the Bruins were able to tie the game before the end of the first period. The second period was uneventful in goals, but 12:57 into the third Boston scored the goal that would be the game winner. About a minute later was when the hockey fights all began. At 13:47, two roughing penalties, two fighting majors, and two separate game misconducts were handed out. The final score remained the same though – 2-1 Boston with a 2-1 lead in the series.

Canucks vs. Kings - The Kings were able to defeat the Vancouver Canucks with the help of their three powerplay goals. Despite Vancouver scoring the first goal, the Kings then scored three powerplay goals, followed by a regular strength goal,  in a row to give them a 4-1 lead. Vancouver almost recovered from this deficit, but did not recover fully. The Canucks scored the next two goals, and had a goal that was determined to be intentionally kicked in taken away, to make it a one goal game, but the Kings scored once again to secure their 5-3 victory over the Canucks. The Kings now lead the series 2-1.

Devils vs. Flyers - Going back home, the Flyers took advantage of their home ice in OT. After two periods of tied play, and many penalties on both teams, Daniel Carcillo of the Flyers was able to beat Martin Brodeur on a wrap around attempt in over time. The Flyers won this game 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead over the Devils.

Predators vs. Blackhawks - The Blackhawks continued this year’s playoff trend and evened up the series at one game a piece. Only the Hawks did it with a shutout. Scoring a powerplay goal in the second period and another goal in the third, the Hawks were able to take a two goal lead over the Preds. Despite the Predators efforts to score, they were not able to beat goal tender Niemi on any of their 23 shots. The final score was 2-0 Hawks and a tied 1-1 series.

Sharks vs. Avalanche - In a game where the numbers just don’t seem to make much sense, the Avalanche overtook the Sharks in a 1-0 victory in OT. Even though the Sharks were shutout, they had 51 shots on goal compared to the Avalanche’s 17 shots on goal. The winning goal in OT is the most bizarre part of the game though. Going into the corner by the side of the net, a Sharks’ defenseman went to play the puck, but O’ Reilly of the Avalanche was said to get a stick on the puck to send it into the net, but it appeared the Shark put it into his own net.  The Sharks’ goalie, because of the position of the two players, wasn’t expecting a shot, and the puck went wide of him and in the net. The Avalanche now have a 2-1 lead on the series with their 1-0 OT winner.

Canadians vs. Capitals - Once again, the game in this series wasn’t decided after 60 minutes of play. However, the winning team this time was switched. The Canadians scored on both of their first two shots against Theodore, who was replaced with Varlamov. The Canadians had a 4-2 lead over the Caps going into the last 20 minutes, but the Caps came back to tie them, then tied them a second time when they took the lead again. Then in OT, Backstrom scored his third goal of night 31 seconds in to give the Caps a 6-5 win over the Canadians that tied the series.

Kings vs. Canucks – The second to last game 2 to be played, the Kings followed the trend to even the series. Once again, a playoff game was unable to be decided after 60 minutes of play. Vancouver took a 2-nothing lead over the Kings in the first, but the Kings rallied back in the second period to tie it. Then after a scoreless third period, the Canucks took a penalty in OT that gave the Kings a man advantage. And they took advantage of it! The Kings scored on the powerplay to tie the series with a 3-2 victory over the Canucks.

Predators vs. Blackhawks - The last of the series to start, the Preds and Hawks sought to win the first game of their series. Despite being even at shots on goal, 26 a piece, the score was a bit different – the Preds won 4-1. After a scoreless first period, the Hawks scored their only goal about half-way through the second period. That would be it for the Hawks – two goals by the Preds, then their own desire and mistakes to tie, gave the Preds a three goal win. The Preds scored a little over a minute into the third, and then a little over half-way through the third to give them a 2-1 lead over the Hawks. Then in desperation to send the game into over time, the Hawks let up not only one empty net, but two empty net goals.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes - What a high scoring playoff game this was - especially in the second period. Within a time span of about four minutes, five goals were scored. Two of these goals were by the Coyotes, the other three by the Red Wings. By the end of this scoring insanity, the game was tied going into the third period (the other goal was scored in the first period by the Coyotes). Coming back in the third period, the Wings soon took the lead, but were once again tied by the Coyotes. Then Zetterberg had his second goal of the night with about six minutes left in regulation. But things got worse for the Coyotes – they got called on a penalty which allowed the Wings to get a goal on the powerplay to give them a two goal lead. In an attempt to get another goal, the Coyotes allowed an empty net goal by Zetterberg to give him the hat trick and a 7-4 win to even the series.

Avalanche vs. Sharks - The Red Wings and Coyotes’ game wasn’t the only high scoring game in the west. The Sharks and Avalanche put on a scoring race in the Sharks 6-5 victory to even the series out. Going back and forth, back and forth between scoring, neither team could get a lead on the other. The constant back and forth of goals helped the game go into overtime. In OT the fate would be met; Foote of the Avalanche was called for an interference penalty, and the Sharks’ Setoguchi scored the winning powerplay goal.

Bruins vs. Sabres - Goal tending proved to be an important aspect of this game. Ryan Miller saved 38 of 39 shots in the Sabres 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. Besides outstanding goal tending, getting the first goal tends to be an important factor in hockey, and the Sabres did just that. Getting the first goal, the Sabres denied the Bruins until they were caught on a penalty, which in return, the Bruins tied the game. Yet the Sabres were not going to allow a powerplay goal to change the momentum; before the end of the second, the Sabres once again took the lead. The third period was scoreless on both sides, despite Buffalo’s 32 shots on goal and Boston’s 39 shots on goal. The Sabres now have a 1-0 lead on the series with their first 2-1 win.

Kings vs. Canucks - Another game went into OT last night. After a scoreless first period, powerplays, including a five-minute boarding penalty against Vancouver, gave the game some action. The Kings scored first on a powerplay 54 seconds into the second period; then the Canucks scored about two minutes later on their own powerplay. Then D. Sedin of the Canucks gave them a one goal lead on his backhand shot that found its way into the net. Next came the five-minute boarding penalty, which sparked other roughing penalties, and a game misconduct was given out. The Kings took a goal advantage of this situation to tie the game. Yet despite being tied, no goals were scored in the third period, but the Canucks got the first goal on a centering pass to the high slot to win it in OT. Final score 3-2 Canucks with a 1-0 lead in the series.

Red Wings vs. Coyotes - Powerplay goals sure did come in handy this game. In fact, four of the five goals this game were scored on the powerplay. The Red Wings scored the first and the only full-strength goal that was scored. The Coyotes then received a powerplay goal, followed by a Red Wing powerplay goal to end the first period. The referees were not done with their game though; the Red Wings failed to score any more goals, but the Coyotes were able to cash in on two more powerplays. The final score – 3-2 Coyotes with the Coyotes now leading the series 1-0.

Avalanche vs. Sharks - Almost every year, the Sharks earn the most points in the Western Conference or close to the most points. And as it has played out for the last couple years, the Sharks seem to fall apart once the playoffs starts. Once again, this fate has started to repeat itself last night. The #1 Sharks lost yesterday to the Avalanche 2-1. The main highlight of this game is the late goal that decided the game. With only 49.3 seconds left in regulation, Stewart shot the puck, received a lucky bounce of the Sharks captain, and the puck was in the back of the net. The Avalanche now have a 1-0 lead in the series.