The BBC’s coverage of Formula 1 is great, but we have become highly accustomed to seeing the same people being interviewed time and time again. Multiple interviews with Martin Whitmarsh and Christian Horner are guaranteed. And the BBC appears to have a curious obsession with Lotus. It feels like they have been given ten times […]
As if the real Kate Nash wasn’t bad enough
I do enjoy the Eurovision Song Contest. I can’t stand other Saturday night television extravaganzas, but there is something different about Eurovision. Probably the fact that it’s actually a contest. I like trying to work out what the countries are trying to achieve by entering the songs they enter — the strategic element is a […]
Remember remember… Woolies would be 100 today
As regular readers may know, I worked for Woolworths until it closed down in January this year. You can read the series of articles I wrote in the aftermath of its closure. In one of my articles, I wrote about the poster that appeared in the staff area this time last year. It announced: Remember […]
Sayonara Toyota
The day after Bridgestone announced that they would be leaving Formula 1, it emerged that Toyota were poised to do the same. This was not as much of a shock as Bridgestone’s exit, but it is nonetheless major news. Toyota are the third major manufacturer to leave F1 in just twelve months, and now rumours […]
Barrichello will be the perfect partner for Hülkenberg
Perhaps the worst-kept secret in F1 this season (apart from Alonso’s move to Ferrari) has been that Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hülkenberg will be driving for Williams in 2010. Today it was finally announced. Historically, Williams has been a team that has been all too happy to dispense with even their best drivers. The fact […]
The toughest job in F1: being Luca Badoer
In my review of the European Grand Prix, I didn’t mention Luca Badoer, who made his high-profile Ferrari début at the race. It was always going to be a tough ask, because the odds were so heavily stacked against him. For one thing, he had to get used to the car, which he had never […]
Woolworths as it was known and loved, and neglected
In 1982, the British arm of Woolworths was separated from the American parent when it was bought by retail consortium Paternoster, later to become Kingfisher. It changed the direction of the company forever. According to the Woolworths Virtual Museum, BBC News reported on Woolworths being under British ownership for the first time against a backdrop […]
Bluffer’s guide — Part 5: Other motor racing series (continued)
This is the second part of my two-part series looking at other motor racing series. Read the first part here. Entry-level series (yellow boxes) These series are — as the heading suggests — ideal for those drivers who have just finished karting and are racing cars for the first time. Formula Renault 2.0 The most […]
The people who want control of the blogosphere
Last week I was in the pub talking to a friend and we were talking about blogging. This person doesn’t know much about it, but he knows that I’m heavily interested in it. (NB. This person is a Labour Party supporter, which explains a lot.) He asked me a really strange question. “So, who is […]
Bluffer’s guide — Part 3: teams and drivers
At last, bluffer’s guide makes its return. For the past couple of months I’ve been too busy to continue the series, but now I have some more free time. Previous bluffer’s guides have looked at the rules and aspects of strategy. This guide will look at issues around teams and drivers: how they enter, why […]