test2wa

Paula Malai Ali

Seventeen races, a new team, new rules and regulations - we say Salam to a new circuit and Au revoir to another two.

With F1 fans lying dormant over the last 4 months they are slowly but surely making themselves heard again.

All I needed to do was check my profile on Facebook and read various postings with musings my "friends" had written in regards to the start of a new season. My Uncle in Brunei - who I truly never, ever hear from - had even challenged me to make the call as to who would be the first pole sitter come Melbourne.

Ahh F1, bringing estranged families closer.

But for now Facebook takes a back seat, so let's have a look at what we're dealing with, shall we?

With the banks going belly-up, the big question was how the very expensive business of the pinnacle of motorsports would fare.

Where there's a Will(iams) there's a way. Things may have looked precarious for Nico and  Kazuki with RBS pulling the sponsorship  plug come 2010, but Sir Frank is "confident they are in a position to ride out the challenges over the next two years".  But confidence is one thing, podium finishes quite another.

With the Williams Team approaching KERS technology in a slightly different way, employing a fly wheel we have 17 races to see if they are on to something.Another team to say goodbye to the big bucks is Renault as they part ways with ING at the end of this year.

Things really did look very bleak not so long ago on many levels, particularly if your names were Jenson and Reubens as they looked to be out of a job. But The ‘Artist Formerly Known As Honda' rose like a phoenix from the ashes.

Enter SuperRoss and whaddya know...Team Brawn GP was born. The curious case of Jenson Button no more, the only curious thing being how Reubens will not be getting younger throughout the duration of the season.

In much the same way we anticipated lack of traction control this time last year, for 2009, we can now get our KERS on. Who will be ‘Kers-ed' and will that be the defining factor for this season?

Drivers can get an added push of power for 6.6 seconds but with this new technology we have the added complication of weight distribution in the car, resulting in some drivers following a closely monitored KERS diet (because Atkins is so 2004).

As you can imagine Christmas may not have been fun for our bigger drivers having to calorie count like Bridget Jones. BMW seem to be at the front of this new technology which is just as well seeing as Robert Kubica is one of the tallest drivers on the grid and ironically paired up with one of the smallest. We'll have to ‘weight' and see.

Testing times have thrown up some interesting results with both McLaren's seemingly off the pace and Team Brawn GP putting in extremely fast times.  Bottom line: Ross Brawn and his new team really look like a very strong outfit and one of the most exciting prospects for a new season. Only time will tell if Lewis can defend his championship.

With only one rookie on the grid we shall see the same old faces for the most part. As Sebastian Vettel takes over from DC for Red Bull, Team Toro Ross welcomes Sebastian Buemi, because you understand that the new rule for Toro Ross is to have drivers of the same names?

With no Magny Cours and no Montreal we do have the excitement of a brand new introduction in Yas Marina circuit as the season closer. Oh habibi, it looks beautiful!  But we have 16 races before the final showdown and plenty to get through.

And last but not least - the rule change that got all the teams and drivers up in arms, and nearly flipped the sport on its back. It meant that drivers with the most wins will become the new champion. If this was the case last year Lewis would have been pipped by Felipe as he was one race shy. As you can imagine, this would have brought about much discord in F1 circles between fans and drivers alike. It's something that we shall definitely be looking into on Race Day and Chequered flag and weighing up the pros and cons.

Lots of questions that need to be answered, and lots more judgment that will be passed on the new look of this season's cars. Silly or snazzy...let's see how these mean machines look on the starting grid come the last weekend of March.

Till then, throw another shrimp on the ‘barbie' and let's say G'day to the Melbourne Grand Prix!

Catch Paula Malai Ali host STAR Sports' first F1 preview show ‘Race Day' this Sunday at 1pm, before the Melbourne Grand Prix

Some individuals that live here may have their facts slightly wrong and may not know exactly all there is to know about the world of F1 but one fact we can't deny is what a buzz there is in the Lion City!

Even if you're not a petrol head, the excitement is tangible. How can you not have F1 fever?

Sexy Singapore GP buntings line Orchard road, the ING Renault F1 car parked outside the Marriott calling out to have its picture taken, invites to this party, meet and greet with that driver. Things have been a bit mad at the office, but it's a wonderful crazy.

We get to be right in the thick of things for the first ever night race in history and all eyes will be on The Marina Bay Street Circuit.

We have been gobbling up stats and facts like a kid in a candy store. Total power required to light the track - 3.180,000 watts. 240 steel pylons, approximately 61 laps driven at speeds topping 300kph. Who knew numbers could be so sexy?

Valencia hosted their inaugural street race in August which brought with it its own buzz and it really was a gorgeous setting for round 12, but for Singapore we have a whole new animal.

His name is the moon and night fall. We know that many a discussion has taken place between drivers and their teams and their concerns regarding the lighting issue, which has been talked to death - and rightfully so.

The lighting and the luminosity has taken on a life of its own. We know it has to be bright-it will be four times brighter than that of a sports stadium's lighting to be exact. It sounds impressive but on my way to the Oriental Hotel (which of course is part of the track) the other night I got a real feel of what that means.

From normal street lighting to hitting part of the circuit the taxi lit up like a magic ball. I remember involuntarily saying out loud "Wow uncle, it's beautiful".

I got a glance back through his rear view mirror and my taxi driver very proudly replied "Yah, right- it's because Singapore is hosting the first night race. Got a lot of lights one".

I think I got his drift...

I've lived in a host city of a race having spent many years in Malaysia and F1 week is truly one of the most fun of the year.

To be living in Singapore now and working on shows like STAR Sports' ‘Race Day' and ‘Chequered Flag' at such a historic time is "butterflies-in-your-stomach" straight-up exciting.

I've become like a magpie drawn to the shiny, glittery aspect of a race at night. Our producer, Sanjeev Palar and I were on the 70th floor of a hotel overlooking the city skyline this week and it was too spectacular for words. Part of the track in all it's luminous glory, the beautiful Singapore flyer, a view of the paddock and pits. We were so excited I'll admit it bordered on being dorky.

If it means I'm a nerd over this next weekend then so be it. There is no other place I want to be come 26th September as drivers take to their first practice.

I've always loved sun downers - they are going to be all the more delicious as we get to hear the roar of engines as we sip our cocktails as the sun goes down on Singapore.

And guess what? No sun block needed.

And I also have no idea who Shoe Michael is.

Catch Paula Malai Ali on STAR Sports' pre and post-race coverage of the F1 Singapore GP on Race Day and Chequered Flag this Sunday, starting at 6.30pm.

After a mini break, the F1 circus was back in full swing with round 12 of the 2008 season.

The spanking brand new street circuit at Valencia made its debut with drivers driving on virgin territory as they zoomed around the Spanish Port for 57 laps ... and what a track it was.

It was beautiful and yet slightly off beat . Some parts of the track ran past the most stunning buildings - architectural works of art. It snaked its way around the port and the marina where yachts were moored and beautiful people frollicked a la Monaco. And then for some parts of the track you could see huge industrial type cranes ... albeit in pretty shades of sunshine yellow - but eye sores nonetheless, although I kind of liked the incongruity.

This race was highly anticipated for a number of reasons. Firstly it is the first new street circuit in 12 years. St Alberts Park was the last to be constructed in 1996. It also preceeds the Singapore GP, yet another street circuit but one that can boast of hosting the first night race in the world.

Qualifying on Saturday brought with it a drizzle of rain so many speculated that thunderstorms would be present at Sunday's race proper. Many also  thought the safety car would make an appearance or two due to the nature of the course and the drivers  driving so close to the wall.

Niether of these things happened and quite frankly the European Grand Prix for the most part was relatively uneventful. With Massa claiming pole the weekend looked very much to belong to him following his icky Hungarian GP.

The Toro Ross's clinched their best qualifying position with Vettel grabbing P6 and both finishing Sunday in the top ten.

But what a crapfest Kimi had...and what on earth is going on with him?? A horrendous pit-stop which saw him bring a pit crew member down after mistiming his departure and then an engine blow out. Not that the blow out was his fault but still - he hardly seems to be a ball of postive energy at the moment. Is it time for him to say adios amigos and open up a nightclub?

Lewis drove a very steady race and clinched his 7th podium finish.  During the post-race press conference, the Chequered Flag team commented on how he didn't quite seem himself and yet sure enough, it turns out Lewis was feverish and suffered from neck issues. He said he'd slept wrongly. (How very pedestrian and normal...love it!!)  But it has to be said- 2nd place having had injections in your neck that morning is not something to be sniffed at.

So, the fanfare of Valencia is over. Yes, it was a breathtaking track but as races go it wasn't a sit on the edge of your seat race.

The most interesting aspect of this new circuit is - how the heck do you say "Valencia"...

Velenthia, Ballenthia or Valensia...?

The Shanghai Grand Prix was the penultimate race of the season and I secretly nursed thoughts of how smug I would be to all the people I had made air bets with as to who would win the Drivers Championship 2007.

Never mind the Constructors Championship - that was a done deal with McLaren no longer in the running and Ron Dennis's cheque-writing skills left for the finest of fines.

At that time, Lewis Hamilton was leading the pack by a comfortable margin of 12 points over team mate Fernando Alonso. Kimi Räikkönen needed seven points more than the rookie to stay in the hunt for the championship title. Otherwise, the Finn would be out of the running, should Hamilton finish better than 6th place in Shanghai.

Yes, it was all about the math that weekend and it was what everyone in the paddock was talking about. That, and where on earth Toyota's Ralf Schumacher would go next season.

My final onsite assignment saw me shimmy my way to Shanghai and I was cockily confident that we would have a Champion by the end of it, and that I could say: "I told you that Lewis would make history!" to everyone I knew.

I mean, come on. It seemed inevitable. All Lewis needed to do was not finish, and there was no way that was going to happen.

Looking around the paddock there was a definite "end-of-term feel." The close of a season was looming and the F1 circus was looking forward to a well-deserved hiatus. You can be sure that everyone in the Formula One fraternity was daydreaming delicious thoughts of sleeping in their own beds, no longer living like nomads and donning the same four outfits as they travelled from city to city.

Journalists were hoping that there would be a Drivers Champion at the end of the race as Shanghai International Circuit was a better paddock to work in terms of getting sound bytes from drivers as opposed to Brazil. It was something about the space being more controlled and workable in terms of grabbing the drivers and having the post-race interviews in front of the garages.

(It was interesting to hear various reasons as to why people wanted a champion that weekend.)

The race had started and the producer, cameraman and myself had gone to have lunch at Red Bull's hospitality room, and we were enjoying our caffeinated cans of wonder juice whilst looking at our tiny "Kangaroo TVs", which are these insanely cool portable televisions that shows a feed of the race proper.

My cameraman needed the microphone, which was in my bag stored away in my Press Room locker. I was the only one who had access up there and I was the idiot who'd left it.

The press room is where all the magic happens. Rows and rows of TVs and computers, frazzled, sun-burnt journalists hunched over laptops keeping an eye on lap times and clickety-clacking away on their key boards, eating, commenting on the race and generally looking very important. I made why way to the back where the lockers were at, and also acting like I was on an important mission too.

And then it happened.

A gasp filled the entire press room, followed by a second of deafening silence, and then exhilarated whoops.

The room was clearly divided into Ferrari fans, who were over the moon; and shell-shocked McLaren supporters in a state of disbelief.

Then the entire press room rushed to the window overlooking the track.

Right there, under and in front of us was the precise place Lewis Hamilton ended his dream of clinching the Drivers Championship in Shanghai.

The Silver Arrow beached on a bed of gravel. Totally un-dramatic. Done and dusted. Just stopped. Just tired old tyres calling it a day.

I mean come on! Who wrote this script?

Little old Lewis was flailing his arms trying to get assistance, needing to get back out on the track. The world wondered what was rushing through his mind.

Peering down, he looked so helpless. A little boy with a big helmet ushered towards the pit. Head down and tail miserably between his legs. The first time I had ever seen him walk alone all season. No Dad, no posse, no press officers, just a young man and his walk of shame.

I felt a lump in my throat and my eyes welled up. To see it up close, albeit through a glass pane, you couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Hamilton fan or not, he was close to having an immaculate season and in this second to last race, he bums out on dud tyres and loses his comfortable cushion of points.

Life really has a funny way of not letting you take anything for granted. Lewis was the first person to say that he may very well not take the championship that day but I'm sure he didn't think his day on the track would end the way it did.

With a season like 2007, petrol heads all over the world thought they'd seen it all in the 15 races leading up to Shanghai. That was obviously not the case.

What a horrible reason to retire from a race and it was a situation that really could have been avoided. Driving on bald tyres on your way to the supermarket is already pretty silly. Racing on Shanghai International Circuit on balding intermediate tyres on a dry track at neck-breaking speeds is just plain wrong.

If there was a book for F1 teams called "Things I learnt from 2007" this could well be chapter 1. God really is in the details, and God knows how important good rubber is.

The next thing I knew, an instant message beeped through on my mobile saying "You lost, sucker!"

Thanks Mum.

There's nothing like "First Times" - your first kiss, your first love, and for me your first Grand Prix.

Circuit: Sepang, Malaysia. Date: 6- 8th April2007

The start of a brand new season and for me the beginnings of a romance with speed, danger, sexy lifestyles and full-on glamour. Precisely the type of love affairs our mothers warned us about and pray we'd never fall into.

Producer, camera man and myself arrive at the circuit having checked and double checked that we have everything we need. Camera, microphone, and the all important media pass giving us access to media room, paddock and the pit. This pass always brings to mind the same amount of cache as a backstage pass at a rock concert.

My first time in a paddock on race day and I know I have "rookie" all over my face as I look around in wonderment. It's about noon with still a couple more hours before the cars are out on the track. It's hot. Super hot and I wonder how the drivers cope with this heat once they're all kitted out.

The who's who is out about and there are pockets of terribly important people doing their terribly important things. There is this incredible energy; it's pulsing with mechanics, journalists, TV crews, beautiful wives and girlfriends and let's not forget the drivers.

Barely ten seconds in and I spotted Kimi Räikkönen looking relaxed chatting to a reporter, nearly bumped into Fernando Alonso and practically got run over by Lewis Hamilton and his entourage as they hot tail it to their motor home- a blaze of silver and orange t shirts intent on not getting caught in a media net.

The curious thing about being at the race as "media" is that you actually don't get to see a lot if it. You have to be ready and waiting outside the garages to grab a sound bite from drivers who retire or spin out of their qualifying session or the race. Getting to the respective garage exit is one thing- hustling your way to the front is another - all the while making sure you know exactly what is happening out there on the track.

Suddenly life in the paddock is no longer glamorous but good ol' fashioned hard work. You have to be bullish and ballsy and get your mic right in the face of the sweaty driver, who is probably not in the best of moods. "What happened out there" "Did you have problems with your gear box" are some of the things that have to be asked, as opposed to "what's your favorite color, Ralf".

It's intimidating being in the middle of a media scrum and you can tell the veteran journos from the newbies. The old timers are familiar faces in the paddock and the driver's media reps know who's who and will make a beeline for them. It certainly helps being a smaller Asian who can squeeze under and between the big boys.

What's bizarre is that when you attend a number of races, you get used to the bells and whistles about this F1 bubble. It is an insular world - almost like a circus that travels.
Each team has their own motor home, chefs, waiters and waitresses and the journos that accompany them on every race.

Circuit: Monaco. Date: 23-25 May 2007

I was so very lucky in that my next GP was at Monaco. On a completely different continent, it is the holy grail of Formula One.

The paddock overlooks the Marina and it's quite breathtaking. A billionaires playground with yachts so stunning and cars so ridiculously beautiful you feel like you're in a Bond movie.

The crowd in the paddock is a mish-mash of Eurpoean celebs, orange ladies with their fake tans and the biggest silicon breasts and the highest of stilettos.

One of the events of the whole Monaco Grand Prix weekend is the Amber Lounge party. If you want a sexy, glitzy, celeb studded event to don your Christian Laboutin pumps to, then this is the event you want to be seen at. Provided you can get your hands on one of the all-exclusive passes to go through the Swarovski studded velvet rope.

It took place at Le Meridien hotel in Monte Carlo around the pool. Guests were treated to a choice of one of many flavored martins as well as an eyeful of plunging necklaces and dangerously short skirts on the most toned, tanned legs any virile man could hope for. Our camera man didn't know where to start!

Beautiful models such as Petra Nemcova took to the stage to emcee the charity auction as well as model in the "Women Of Formula One" fashion show. The whole event was a charity gala and it has to be said that the evening was a resounding success in terms of proceeds raised. Even Bernie Ecclestone got in on the act and bided for something for thousands and thousands of Euros.

No event is complete without a lick of royalty and when you think of the principality of Monaco Prince Albert (for all those single, young women ) is the next image that comes to mind. No chauffeur driven limo for this blue blooded gentlemen. He makes his grand entrance from the jetty of the hotel "swanning" in on a boat blowing his receeding hair(line) in the wind. It was really a very novel way to make an entrance. In Monte carlo no one thought twice about it.

Monaco was made for F1. The weather was perfect and the drivers seemed different. Fisichella could be seen have a press interview on his yacht, cleverly named Fisi. David Coulthard was spotting whizzing about on a tiny scooter. (Monaco is hilly and apparently it enables him to get around faster.)

The race in Monaco...? Well, it started, it ended, and as we know in Monaco you can forget about any sexy overtaking.

It seems all the fun happens when the sun goes down in the South of France.

In the lead up to various important events in our lives, we all have our way of preparing and getting "psyched" up.

Before a wedding a bride( and groom) may cut back on their carb intake to produce the desired chiseled cheekbones effect for their wedding pics.

Before a marathon, a huge detox may take place where booze is a thing of the past and 10 mile daily runs become the norm.

Before a hot dog contest, Kobayashi no doubt swigs water and shoves mysterious meat in membranes down his throat whilst his best friend stands by with a stop watch eagerly egging him on. Or should I say sausaging him on.

You get my drift...

We are a day away from the start of a brand new Formula Season. It's been about five months since the drivers have raced proper and no doubt the season opener in Melbourne on March 16th just can't come quick enough for them.

It got me to thinking what the drivers are all doing in the lead up.

Their winter break was probably too long and they have no doubt been hiting the gym and trying on their safety suits just one time too many possibly even practicing the "helmet take off" to get that move just right.

It's all so exciting! At our ESPN Star Sports office, retrospective snippets are being edited from the 2007 season, we keep track (no pun intended) of practice times and attend regional events in preparation for the new season and The Race Day and Chequered Flag team are busily booking us off for our respective races that we will be on site for.

A lot of the time, the preparation for something big can outdo the actual event but in this case it's just not possible.

2007 was an awesome year for petrol heads, but this year will not let us down either. Eighteen Grand Prix', a sexy, sultry night race right here in The Lion City and new rules to get our head around and watch how our favorite drivers deal with them.

Last I heard David Coulthard was still most upset about the new traction control rule. Change can be a hard thing to deal with.

Exciting new teams like Team India with the gregarious Vijay Mallya at the helm and Fisichella's move from Renault which in turn brings us to Alonso back to his old stomping ground and comforted in the fact that Nelson Piquet Jr will always be his number two.

And what a handsome number two he is.

Heikki and Lewis will bring a new flavor to the silver arrows. We shall miss the drama that Alonso and Lewis provided but I'm sure we'll get a sniff of team rivalry somewhere else. Oh I hope so!

Timo Glock in his Toyota will be watched with interest after F1 showed him the door three years ago. I shall miss stroppy Ralf Schumacher though.

The team mates I like to call "the married couple", are Kubica and Heidfeld. They had a great season last year and are a joy to watch. There is a healthy sense of competition between these two, but there is a lot of respect toward each other both on and off the track.

There are definitely moments from 2007 I am more than happy to put behind me.

• Kubica's horrific crash in Montreal brought a tear to my eye as I thought the unthinkable - the studio gallery went silent with no one daring to breathe. But God bless our STAR Sports race commentator Steve Slater - he didn't miss a beat in his commentary and kept a positive spin, while the whole time reiterating just how safe these cockpits and safety helmets are. Both of which saved him from more than a sprained ankle!

• The woes between Ferrari and Mclaren. Although a hundred million pound fine could account for more than a mere "hiccup" in the financial scheme of things.

• The weather the world over changing the course of a race in the blink of an eye, and the usual reliability problems causing drivers to use language colorful enough to make you blush. If you could only hear them through their helmets.

Everyone needs a break from a good thing but I'm ready to get my F1 engine started. Bring on the ear plugs and let the race begin!

With a new season comes new onsite assignments.

The Bahrain International Circuit was our home away from home as producer, cameraman and myself readied ourselves for the third race of the season. Having spent a few days in KL in the lead up to the Malaysian Grand Prix it was inevitable that comparisons be made between the two race venues and being a first timer to the Middle East made it all the more fascinating. I have to say Malaysia won hands down in terms of pre race buzz, sexy parties and glitzy gala events. Bahrain had all the buntings and billboards in place but was lacking in the cosmopolitan crowds that Malaysia enjoys every March.

As always when we attend any race, the early part of the week is spent putting together the color story for our Pre race show, Race Day. It's a chance to get a feel of the country, the colors, the people, the food and the culture and is one of my most favourite things to shoot. We play tourist and get lost in our rental car and make social faux pas along the way which is all part of the experience.

First thing that struck me was how sandy the place was...grit in your contact lenses, gobfuls of sand and developments in the middle of dusty deserts that stretched on for miles.

I wouldn't call Bahrain the prettiest place on the earth but it was fascinating none the less. Weather was beautiful and Bahrain International Circuit was well planned and of course makes for potentially interesting races with so much dust on the track. Ladies in burkhas, some with flashes of scarlet lipstick and regal Arab men in their flowing white robes made for great photos as we roamed the "F1 village", dodging stilt walkers and mime artists all the while inhaling the scent of flavoured tobacco from the shisha urns gurgling their way into the lungs of f1 fans.

It had a distinct harem-esque flavour with colored cushions littering the way behind the grandstand and was terribly trendy without meaning to be. It was the peace of the east in all it's maroon and gold glory. And all I wanted to do was sit back and dip my pita bread into my hummus and Arab watch. But work is work and the paddock is our "office" from practice days through the rest of the weekend.

The paddock was abuzz with the Max Mosley Sexual revelations and not an hour went by without someone making Nazi or orgy references. Couple that with the face that he wasn't present due to his legal woes- or the fact that the Bahrain Crown Prince thought it inappropriate for him to be present meant it was a big white elephant.

The other hot topic was Felipe Massa simply because he has been so not hot in his first two races with Malaysia providing a truly horrendous weekend for him. He really needed to come out of this race on top but the start of the weekend belonged fully to Robert Kubica who gave BMW their first pole on Saturdays qualifying.

So Kubica was the hero on the Saturday but Massa was the man on Sunday. His victory was much needed for him on so many levels and speculation was rife that he was beginning to feel the pressure which could have had an adverse effect. But he showed em' and out came his winning smile as he beamed from the podium. The relief evident for all to see. " I've still got it"...is what he seemed to be saying.

Lewis on the other hand couldn't not have started off his race any worse. His wrongly timed use of the anti-stall mechanism at the start of the race meant he could only sit back in horror as car after car overtook him on the starting grid. Finishing in p13 is not something our English boy is used to and he was understandably bummed out in post race interviews.

All in all, the race was pretty unremarkable and after getting the necessary post-race grabs and bits and pieces needed for various news bulletins it was time to leave. A friend and I were sitting in the paddock watching the mechanics go about their jobs as the sun set over Sakhir.

The Ferrari zone still abuzz with press, and Mario Thiessen also swarmed with mics and cameras in his face and various beautiful race attendees strolling through, ladies teetering in their wedges and rich, slightly older boyfriends or husbands who almost always seem to wear navy blue blazers.

At about 5pm after a race the paddock is one of the most delicious places to be and people watch. I was given a strong shot of Arabic coffee, a sticky date and new friends who would fill me in on all the F1 gossip according to whichever personality or driver would stroll by...

A job just can't get any better than that.

Round six of the 2008 Formula One season brought us to the playground of the oh so rich and oh so famous.

Yup, it's that time of the year when F1 brings sexy back, or rather should I say sexy backs, in Monte Carlo. The girls, the glamour and, of course, the all important starting grid is what Monaco is all about.

It was an all Ferrari front row with Felipe Massa in the coveted P1 position. (Surely this start to the Monaco grand Prix would change his mind about a track he makes no bones about disliking...?)

One man who has a love affair with this street circuit is Lewis Hamilton. Having won here in GP2, an F1 victory has thus far eluded him - which is nothing to cry over seeing as this is only his second year. Going into the race he said it would "be a dream come true to win in Monaco'.

And starting from third on the grid his dream came true.

Hamilton raced an awesome race and seems to be back on form following his podium finish in Turkey. The last couple of races prior to Turkey were not good at all for him and post races he was disconsolate and dispirited...though you know it's something our PR machine doesn't like letting slip.

A stellar day for Lewis and an almost magical day for one Adrian Sutil driving his car with the Force of India. Well on his way to scoring his team's first points of the season, he held on steadfastly to his fourth place making it through just over 70 laps . It was wonderful to see the pace this team and this driver had. Having always trundled along at the back, it was heartwarming and truly exciting.

But this is racing and your story is only as good as the guy next to you, particularly on a tight and twisty track such as Monaco. The flying Finn lost control of his car and ten minutes from the race Raikkonen rear ended Sutil.

So tears of joy for Lewis and tears of pure sorrow for Sutil.

There was rain, there were crashes and there was cleavage.

And you thought the Monaco Grand Prix was boring.