Three wins in three races - it almost looks like a repeat of the 2004 F1 season as Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa made it a Ferrari one-two at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on Sunday. It was a dream win for Schumacher at his home Grand Prix in front of thousands of Tifosi supporting the Scuderia Ferrari team. With this win, Schumi has further eroded Alonso's lead in the driver's championship this year and is now only 11 points shy of the world champion. Alonso suddenly does not look like the calm, invincible juggernaut he was at the start of the season. Ferrari have put a sudden stop to Renault's & Alonso's quest for a second successive world championship. The Ferrari 1-2 has brought back memories of the era when the two scarlet cars of Schumacher and Barrichello used to race alone, far ahead of the rest of the pack. The second place result for Massa has also robbed Renault of precious points in both the drivers' and constructors' championships.
The Renault team looked a pale shadow of itself with a fifth and a sixth place finish for Alonso and Fisichella. Alonso did not look comfortable in his blue-yellow machine and never looked like challenging Schumacher. Renault will have to do some serious brainstorming and out-of-the-box thinking to stop the momentum that Ferrari have built up over the past three races. Renault top-boss Flavio Briatore seemed to be doing just that as he was seen discussing animatedly with the Michelin guy after the end of the race. It will take them more than just sheer speed to topple Ferrari's combination of speed, strategy and skills.
Another outcome of the Hockenheim race was the return to form for Kimi Raikonnen. Although a two place drop after a pole position in qualifying, he atleast managed to appear on the podium after almost a month. Raikkonen, although a brilliant driver capable of beating the world's best on his day, seemed to have been blessed with rotten luck as his McLaren Mercedes failed him on more than one occasion. Now, the battle for the third place in the driver's championship would get hotter if Raikkonen continues to finish amongst the leaders. I just hope that McLaren gets their act together and allow Raikkonen to be competitive over the remainder of the season, so that it does not end up being only a Ferrari-Renault battle.
With three successive race wins under his belt and able support from Massa and the Ferrari team, Schumi has all the momentum on his side to win more races going ahead. The action now shifts to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lets see if Ferrari makes it four in a row and further dents Renault's chances or will Alonso rise from the ashes (or should I say the pitlane?) and stop Schumi in his tracks?
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Blocking the Blog
State of the art! This is the response you would get if you asked any of the Indian ISPs about their technology & equipment. But this term surely does not apply to their management and employees. How else would you justify the blanket blockage of the blogspot, geocities and other domains?? The recent ban on the blogging sites show that they have gone totally overboard and blocked entire domains instead of specific blogs. How difficult is it to block a handful of URLs mentioned by the Government? It looks like the ISPs have employed worthless idiots who either do not know their job or are too lazy to take the effort and have taken the easy way out. I remember another incident more than a year ago when, acting on Government instructions, they blocked Yahoo Groups in India. The motive was to block a few offending mailing lists! No lessons seem to have been learnt from that episode, it seems!!
Of course, at this point I must also invove the honourable Government of India which is so much like the police in Bollywood movies - showing up after a fight is over, to pick up the pieces. If the Govt. was really serious about preventing inflammatory and communal messages from being spread around, the blockage of the offending sites should have been done long ago! What is the point in going into a paranoid mode now and banning things left, right and center? What would be blocked next? Email? Cellphones? the Internet?? It is really strange that even though we are in a democracy, we are beginning to see Government censorship and control on the lines of China and North Korea!
The need of the hour is to use these technologies to spread the word of peace around and not to ban things! Instilling confidence in the people in times like these would be more constructive rather than adopting a defensive posture and showing that we are running scared from a handful of madmen.
Of course, at this point I must also invove the honourable Government of India which is so much like the police in Bollywood movies - showing up after a fight is over, to pick up the pieces. If the Govt. was really serious about preventing inflammatory and communal messages from being spread around, the blockage of the offending sites should have been done long ago! What is the point in going into a paranoid mode now and banning things left, right and center? What would be blocked next? Email? Cellphones? the Internet?? It is really strange that even though we are in a democracy, we are beginning to see Government censorship and control on the lines of China and North Korea!
The need of the hour is to use these technologies to spread the word of peace around and not to ban things! Instilling confidence in the people in times like these would be more constructive rather than adopting a defensive posture and showing that we are running scared from a handful of madmen.
Insanity in the name of religion!
Place: Mumbai - 11th July 2006
Time: 6:24PM - 6:35PM
7 bombs explode on suburban trains during the evening rush hour.
Around 200 people are killed and hundreds more are injured.
Only people with absolutely no trace of emotion, compassion or humanity would think of doing something like this!
This ain't no jihad or religous war as claimed by some mindless terrorists but a cold blooded massacre. A war takes place between two armies - not between armed men and unarmed, innocent civilians. No religion would condone killing of innocent people in the name of religion. This is terrorism at its worst! Planned & executed to create the maximum impact on people both physically and psychologically.
It is time for us to forget our petty differences and disputes and unite against this insanity. Let us educate and enlighten people about the need for peaceful co-existence as this is the only way we as a nation can progress and re-claim our position as the most admired country on the planet.
Time: 6:24PM - 6:35PM
7 bombs explode on suburban trains during the evening rush hour.
Around 200 people are killed and hundreds more are injured.
Only people with absolutely no trace of emotion, compassion or humanity would think of doing something like this!
This ain't no jihad or religous war as claimed by some mindless terrorists but a cold blooded massacre. A war takes place between two armies - not between armed men and unarmed, innocent civilians. No religion would condone killing of innocent people in the name of religion. This is terrorism at its worst! Planned & executed to create the maximum impact on people both physically and psychologically.
It is time for us to forget our petty differences and disputes and unite against this insanity. Let us educate and enlighten people about the need for peaceful co-existence as this is the only way we as a nation can progress and re-claim our position as the most admired country on the planet.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The clash of the Titans!!
The semi-finals are over and the battle-lines for the final are drawn!
After fighting through against lesser and on occasion better opponents, Italy and France have managed to enter the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The way these sides played throughout the tournament has been contrasting - Italy playing good football consistently whereas France starting slow and picking up their game during the knockout stages. However, if their performances during the semi-finals is an indicator of things to come, the final promises to be one hell of a contest...
In their semi-final clash against Germany, Italy came across as a determined and focussed team. Their tackling was superb and passing was immaculate. The way they snatched the ball from the Germans showed that the side meant business and set the tone for the entire match. The Germans on the other hand were playing a safe and subdued game. It looked as if they had set their sights on a penalty shootout right from kick-off. All seemed to go well for the Germans when suddenly during the 119th minute during the second extra-time a brilliant goal by Grosso left the Germans shell-shocked. Before they could even recover from the goal and think about scoring an equaliser in the last couple of minutes of the match, Del Piero sent another one to the back of the net to hand Italy a 2-0 victory over Germany and a place in the finals. After dominating throughout the tournament it was sad to see a good side lose in the dying moments of a closely fought match. The German team and the fans however took it in their stride and showed that they weren't bad losers like Argentina!!
The second semi-final saw a resurgent France taking on a charged-up Portugal. Portugal having got the better of England during the quarter finals looked eager to take on the former world champions - a side filled with ageing players. Of course, a point to note was that France had Zenedine Zidane amongst their ranks, who showed that age does not matter in their previous encounter against Brazil. Zizou as he is popularly called played sublime football and his passes were as good as they come. The match was evenly contested till the 33rd minute, when Zidane scored through a penalty and put the Portugese on the back foot. France had drawn first blood and they held their nerve through the 90 minutes and put an end to the Portugal dream run. Les Bleus as they are called were on their way to Berlin for a clash against Italy on Sunday - August 9th.
Some snippets to chew on till August 9th
1) Italy have made the World Cup finals every 12 years from 1970 and are three time winners
2) France have won once - on home soil in 1998
3) Italy have Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni in their ranks
4) France have Patrick Vieira, Thiery Henry and the grand old man - Zidane in their ranks.
5) Buffon looks like a better keeper than Barthez
6) Its almost time for Zidane to hang up his boots and he would love to make a mark in his final World Cup.
7) On current form, Italy look a better equipped side but on their day France can get rid of even the best sides - ask Brazil!!
I can hardly wait for the grand finale to begin; and with Germany eliminated I will root for both the sides :-) May the best team win!!!
After fighting through against lesser and on occasion better opponents, Italy and France have managed to enter the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The way these sides played throughout the tournament has been contrasting - Italy playing good football consistently whereas France starting slow and picking up their game during the knockout stages. However, if their performances during the semi-finals is an indicator of things to come, the final promises to be one hell of a contest...
In their semi-final clash against Germany, Italy came across as a determined and focussed team. Their tackling was superb and passing was immaculate. The way they snatched the ball from the Germans showed that the side meant business and set the tone for the entire match. The Germans on the other hand were playing a safe and subdued game. It looked as if they had set their sights on a penalty shootout right from kick-off. All seemed to go well for the Germans when suddenly during the 119th minute during the second extra-time a brilliant goal by Grosso left the Germans shell-shocked. Before they could even recover from the goal and think about scoring an equaliser in the last couple of minutes of the match, Del Piero sent another one to the back of the net to hand Italy a 2-0 victory over Germany and a place in the finals. After dominating throughout the tournament it was sad to see a good side lose in the dying moments of a closely fought match. The German team and the fans however took it in their stride and showed that they weren't bad losers like Argentina!!
The second semi-final saw a resurgent France taking on a charged-up Portugal. Portugal having got the better of England during the quarter finals looked eager to take on the former world champions - a side filled with ageing players. Of course, a point to note was that France had Zenedine Zidane amongst their ranks, who showed that age does not matter in their previous encounter against Brazil. Zizou as he is popularly called played sublime football and his passes were as good as they come. The match was evenly contested till the 33rd minute, when Zidane scored through a penalty and put the Portugese on the back foot. France had drawn first blood and they held their nerve through the 90 minutes and put an end to the Portugal dream run. Les Bleus as they are called were on their way to Berlin for a clash against Italy on Sunday - August 9th.
Some snippets to chew on till August 9th
1) Italy have made the World Cup finals every 12 years from 1970 and are three time winners
2) France have won once - on home soil in 1998
3) Italy have Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni in their ranks
4) France have Patrick Vieira, Thiery Henry and the grand old man - Zidane in their ranks.
5) Buffon looks like a better keeper than Barthez
6) Its almost time for Zidane to hang up his boots and he would love to make a mark in his final World Cup.
7) On current form, Italy look a better equipped side but on their day France can get rid of even the best sides - ask Brazil!!
I can hardly wait for the grand finale to begin; and with Germany eliminated I will root for both the sides :-) May the best team win!!!
Schumi wins again!!
It finally happened!! And I thought that the champion in red had forgotten how to win a race. And what better place to win than the scene of the biggest fiasco Formula 1 has seen in recent times - The U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis. And a Ferrari 1-2 finish was the icing on the cake!!
Prelude: After four wins on the trot by Fernando Alonso, Team Renault were looking as if they would run away with the drivers championship in a hurry. One race after another - Alonso drove like a man possessed and looked like he was in a world of his own right from the start of the race right till the chequered flag. It was common to see him open up a huge gap over his opponents in the first couple of laps itself. Schumacher's performance in comparison was mediocre to say the least! The best he could manage in the last four races was a second place in the Spanish, British and Canadian events. There was no way the 37-year old champion was going to take this lying down. At the start of the weekend, no one would have given Ferrari even an outside chance of winning. However, the qualifying results on Saturday proved everyone wrong. Schumacher and team mate Felipe Massa qualified 1-2 to put Ferrari on the front row for the race on Sunday. I couldn't have been happier and hoped Schumi would break the monotonous Renault bull-run that we have been seeing this year.
Raceday: Thankfully all eleven teams finished the warm up lap and lined up on the starting grid successfully unlike last year. The five lights illuminated and went off and the race started. Schumi made a slow start allowing Massa to take the lead. Alonso made a rapid start as well & challenged his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. Meanwhile, at the back of the grid, there was utter chaos as cars rammed into each other at the first corner to create a pile-up that took atleast half a dozen cars out of the equation including the McLarens of Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. The ensuing safety car period meant that Schumi had to be content driving zig-zag behind Massa. Once the safety car was in, Massa showed that he is no minnow and pulled away from the rest of the pack. It looked as if Schumacher would have to play second fiddle this time to his own team mate. However, a clever pit strategy and a flying lap after the pit-stop allowed him to regain the lead. From then on, it was vintage Schumacher as he set one fastest lap time after another. Never in the entire race did Alonso look dangerous enough to challenge the Ferrari ace. Both the Ferraris kept up their pace and finally after 73 laps, Michael Schumacher crossed the chequered flag to win the 2006 US Grand Prix. Felipe Massa came in second and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was third.
Thus broke Renault's four race domination which frankly was becoming really boring. I can now imagine how it must have been for the other teams and their supporters during Schumacher's continuous reign over Formula 1 before Alonso took over last year! I hope Ferrari remain competitive and give Renault a real run for their money. As far as Mc Laren, Honda and the other teams are concerned, it looks like they will have to watch to watch the battle from the side-lines or should I say the pit-lane??
Prelude: After four wins on the trot by Fernando Alonso, Team Renault were looking as if they would run away with the drivers championship in a hurry. One race after another - Alonso drove like a man possessed and looked like he was in a world of his own right from the start of the race right till the chequered flag. It was common to see him open up a huge gap over his opponents in the first couple of laps itself. Schumacher's performance in comparison was mediocre to say the least! The best he could manage in the last four races was a second place in the Spanish, British and Canadian events. There was no way the 37-year old champion was going to take this lying down. At the start of the weekend, no one would have given Ferrari even an outside chance of winning. However, the qualifying results on Saturday proved everyone wrong. Schumacher and team mate Felipe Massa qualified 1-2 to put Ferrari on the front row for the race on Sunday. I couldn't have been happier and hoped Schumi would break the monotonous Renault bull-run that we have been seeing this year.
Raceday: Thankfully all eleven teams finished the warm up lap and lined up on the starting grid successfully unlike last year. The five lights illuminated and went off and the race started. Schumi made a slow start allowing Massa to take the lead. Alonso made a rapid start as well & challenged his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. Meanwhile, at the back of the grid, there was utter chaos as cars rammed into each other at the first corner to create a pile-up that took atleast half a dozen cars out of the equation including the McLarens of Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. The ensuing safety car period meant that Schumi had to be content driving zig-zag behind Massa. Once the safety car was in, Massa showed that he is no minnow and pulled away from the rest of the pack. It looked as if Schumacher would have to play second fiddle this time to his own team mate. However, a clever pit strategy and a flying lap after the pit-stop allowed him to regain the lead. From then on, it was vintage Schumacher as he set one fastest lap time after another. Never in the entire race did Alonso look dangerous enough to challenge the Ferrari ace. Both the Ferraris kept up their pace and finally after 73 laps, Michael Schumacher crossed the chequered flag to win the 2006 US Grand Prix. Felipe Massa came in second and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was third.
Thus broke Renault's four race domination which frankly was becoming really boring. I can now imagine how it must have been for the other teams and their supporters during Schumacher's continuous reign over Formula 1 before Alonso took over last year! I hope Ferrari remain competitive and give Renault a real run for their money. As far as Mc Laren, Honda and the other teams are concerned, it looks like they will have to watch to watch the battle from the side-lines or should I say the pit-lane??
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