Thunderbozz

What a fantastic start to the Formula 1 season. There's been so much hype surrounding the negative aspects of this season's rule changes , that it was great just to get to see some racing . And how. After years of dull processions, F1 looked to have made a return to the good old days, based on today's Australian Grand Prix. First corner crash? Check. Exciting overtaking? Check. Dangerous manoeuvres? Check. British driver atop the podium? Check. ▪ ITV don't have much luck with sport. After their farcical coverage of the FA Cup this year (plus a history of poor decisions - from The Premiership to ONdigital - and their involvement with (what will hopefully become known as) the "dull years" of Formula 1, today was the last time they will be showing the Oxford vs Cambridge University Boat Race. In fairness, their coverage of the event has been praised, but what you have to ask is - who cares? There's no other sporting event in the world that has such se...

Bernie Ecclestone has announced his intentions to introduce a new scoring system into Formula 1 motor-racing. In response to critics (me included) who say that modern safety regulations, dull circuit configurations and restrictions on car designs have led to "processions" instead of races. In response, Ecclestone wants to introduce a medals system to encourage drivers to attempt overtaking manoeuvres: "If you're in the lead and I'm second, I'm not going to take the risk of falling off the circuit or doing something stupid to get two points. If I need a gold medal to win the championship, I will overtake. It's just not on that someone can win the championship without winning a race." Bernie Ecclestone. What he fails to realise is that rather than encouraging everyone to try and claim first place, it will create an unworkable league in which the top five or six drivers will be the only ones able to compete for the championship. After a few...

As a kid, Sunday afternoons were all about the Grand Prix. Formula 1 had everything: fast cars and fast crashes, the exquisite mixture of danger and sporting excellence, the exciting combination of pure speed and tactical nous. The sport had character and characters - the battles were personal, the storylines of every season were more captivating than any TV drama. Having Brits leading the way helped too. In recent years, F1 has been a massive disappointment. The death of Ayrton Senna ruined the sport*, as tracks became safer, the performance of cars was artificially capped, and the opportunities afforded to drivers to manoeuvre and overtake drastically reduced. Years ago, if you missed the first two minutes of a race, you'd have missed the inevitable first-corner crash: now, you'd probably catch the Safety Car carefully guiding a procession of cars around a few splinters of carbon fibre. Which is why it was fantastic to see a genuinely exciting race on Sunday. The w...