Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
That’s right, we’ve reached that point of the F1 season where we’re at top gear, full throttle-and whatever other motoring metaphor you wish to use-with just two races of the season left. This weekend Formula 1 heads to Brazil, where if we’re lucky we might just be treated to shots of glamorous girls at Brazilian beaches, strictly in the name of providing context to the Grand Prix location.
The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo is draped in Formula 1 history: one of the longest straights of any F1 circuit leading to its famed ‘Senna-S’ corner, named for the late, great Ayrton Senna. Hamilton (2008), Alonso (2005 and 2006), and Button (2009) all enter the race with misty-eyed memories of being crowned champion at this circuit, but this week someone’s memories of Brazil are going to be made that little bit less glorious.
What are the big challenges at Brazil? We tend to hear a lot from commentators about how the Brazilian GP boasts the peculiar novelty of being one of the only Formula 1 circuits to be driven anti-clockwise. This puts unfamiliar strains on the bodies and especially necks of the drivers, who are trained to accommodate the G-forces generated in a clockwise track. I look forward to the day when a driver retires from a race due to neck ache, but still it does remind you of the physical demands put on these drivers which can often be forgotten when we view them as Stig-like automatons. For what it’s worth, the average Formula 1 driver seems to have a thick enough neck to deal with it.
The Brazilian GP has played host to Championship victory for the last five years. If we look at the standings, a repeat seems quite possible:
1. F Alonso..........231 pts
2. M Webber..........220 pts
3. L Hamilton..........210 pts
4. S Vettel..........206 pts
5. J Button..........189 pts
Ostensibly, the title looks like a two horse race between Alonso and Webber. Our statisticians at the Yorker inform me that should Alonso secure a victory at Interlagos and Webber finish fifth or lower, then the Championship will be won by Alonso in Brazil, just as it was in 2005 and 2006. However, the 2010 big-scoring points system, quite apart from making you feel like you’re working on a Countdown numbers round, can make that same lead disappear very quickly (with 25 points for victory, 18 for second, 15 for third, with points being scored down to tenth place). As much as I feel like I’m imparting as much original insight as a football commentator talking about ‘a game of two halves’ in saying it, the importance of finishing the race for the contenders cannot be overstated.
For the neutral’s sake, please let’s not have Alonso steamroller to victory in Brazil and leave us with a tame conclusion at Abu Dhabi. There is hope to be found in Webber’s obvious fondness for the circuit, having won in 2009, which could see us at least have the title come down to the final race. As for Hamilton, is to too hopeful to imagine that the McLaren, which has lain dormant for much of the season, can finally awake? Hamilton insists this is so, saying in interview: "Generally in any sport, and even in football if you are running up the field and you have the ball, it's worse being chased than it is to chase". The analogy falls at the fact that the man he’s chasing, Alonso, has been sprinting away from him with the ball at quite a rate. A man can dream though, a man can dream.
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