What does the future hold for British talent?

There is no doubt that there are more competitors in motorsport than ever before, and with many new racing series arriving on the race calendar across the world, the opportunity for future young stars to shine in front of the media and more importantly potential employers is greater than ever.

However, it is also true that motorsport, like no other sport relies solely on funding. Even in karting, it is the large race teams that dominate and with the exception of the occasional scholarship drive, the only possible way to join these teams is to be a paying driver.

Nigel Leonard, former kart team owner said: “Without the financial backing, it is unlikely that races will be won. Race teams are a business, fathers pay for their sons and daughters to be part of a team and run by the mechanics of that team, but ultimately, they must still provide their own race equipment. In reality, all they are paying for is the psychological boost their child feels by being a member of an outfit with a good reputation, and at the age of seven that makes all the difference.”

Neil Doran, former British Formula Ford competitor said: “All my life, my father has been paying out huge amounts of money to allow me to race and even having finished second in the British Kart Championship before an upgrade into cars I was offered no drive and this pattern is being replicated across the country."

There are many young drivers out there who have the talent, but not the money, and unlike thirty years ago drivers are no longer given the opportunity to race based on their talent, but more on how much money they are prepared to sacrifice to get to the top. The harsh reality is that modern day motor racing is a machine in which the team owners are the only winners.

MC

Copyright ©: Michael Chen, 30th April 2007

Lewis does the business in OZ

It has been a successful day for British motorsport with Lewis Hamilton finishing third in his McLaren on his Formula One debut at Melbourne, Australia. As expected Lewis was super quick from lap one and managed to outbrake his Mclaren team-mate and twice World Champion, Fernando Alonso going into turn one. Hamilton drove his Mclaren on the limit throughout the whole race and as a consequence was lapping quicker than his team-mate and only lost second place to him due to a slightly weaker pit stop strategy.

He said: " I want to thank the team for all their hard work this weekend, the car was perfect. To finish third and on the podium in my first Grand Prix is fantastic, I'm really happy with the result. Ferrari were a bit quicker than us (McLaren) this weekend but I'm sure we will be able to close the gap to them."

Anthony Davidson in his Super Aguri Honda was surprisingly quick this weekend and after a promising qualifying session putting the car tenth on the grid, ahead of Jenson Button in the newer car he was unfortunate to struggle in the race. The car did not get off the line well at all and left him in 21st place at the end of lap one.

However after an impressive afternoons work Anthony brought the car to the finish in a creditable 16th place. He said: "I am happy to have finished the race, that was the objective, there is some more work to do with the car so I am confident we can get quicker. He continued: "Today has really worn me out, my back aches and I am looking forward to relaxing."

Anthony Davidson's performance in qualifying will undoubtedly have left sister team, Honda, wondering whether they have made the right decision this year regarding their driver line up after a less than spectacular performance.

Jenson Button struggled to achieve a setup on the car which he was happy with and suffered major oversteer in qualifying leaving him a poor fourteenth on the grid. Whilst in the race the car suffered from severe understeer. After adding a lot more front wing for his third and final stint the car remained virtually undriveable and consequently well off the pace.

Jenson said: "The car was understeering everywhere, it is not good enough. I think something was causing the front wing to stall which we can fix as Rubens (Barrichello) was not struggling with it. It is just a pity it happened today in a race situation." There is no doubt that Honda have a lot of work to do over the coming test sessions if they are to be running on the pace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in three weeks. They have been the team which has been the biggest underachiever relative to expectations so far and will be keen to turn that around.

The father of British motor racing, David Coulthard, was impressive all weekend running on the pace of the Renault's. However an uncharacteristic mistake from DC saw his 2007 debut race finish in the gravel trap having ripped off the front left suspension after an extremely late lunge on Alexander Wurz's Renault.

Although it is not the start the team wanted to this years campaign they can be happy with their performance. The car proved quick and with experienced members like Adrian Newey on-board as this years technical director, expect the car to get much quicker and become recognised as a regular points scorer.

The driver of the afternoon was without a doubt Lewis Hamilton however. His mind has been on Formula One from the moment he stepped into a Kart fifteen years ago at Rye House. He is mentally and physically the fittest driver on the grid and more importantly the "hungriest."

There is no doubt that Lewis will win races this year and go on to win a World Championship within the next three years depending on his circumstances. He has a trait which few people and even fewer racing drivers have, and that is his ability to constantly want to win and improve without allowing outside distractions get in his way. In Formula One, that is a massive task.

Lewis has been trained by his father, Tony, from the age of seven to speak properly and focus on what he wants and as a consequence is not fazed by the media pressures on him at all. Michael Schumacher was the last person to have this trait and before that Ayrton Senna could also make a claim. There is no doubt, Lewis has it. Schumacher's Formula One records are going to get broken. Formula One has a new star in Lewis Hamilton and without a doubt will be the next British World Champion.

MC

Copyright ©: Michael Chen, March 18th 2007

Melbourne 2007...What to expect.

The start of this years FIA Formula One World Championship is upon us with qualifying this Saturday afternoon in Melbourne and extremely early, Saturday morning for us Brits in the UK . Mclaren has an obligation to put new man Lewis Hamilton near the front but former World Champion, Fernando Alonso ahead of him. However, expect Lewis to be quicker than Fernando whenever the opportunity arises. Lewis is very good and the last thing on his mind will be the pressure from his team-mate or from the media, he knows how to cope with that.

Ferrari in pre-season testing have proved that the package they can produce is the best on the grid, so expect new driver Kimi Raikkonen to put up a major fight to current, and last years driver, Felipe Massa.

BMW have also been super quick throughout winter testing and they will also be running at the front. Robert Kubica proved himself last year with the team and will be a certain contender in qualifying but may not have the race pace that his more experienced team-mate Nick Heidfeld may have.

From a British point of view, we have David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson and Hamilton flying the flag. A fine selection of British drivers but expect Hamilton and Davidson to be the real surprises this year. Davidson will certainly be as quick as Jenson Button, if not quicker, he is hungry to do well and Honda will ensure that this years Super Aguri will be on the pace. A good performance from Anthony and he is likely to outqualify all of his Honda team-mates this weekend in Australia, including Button.

The lacklustre performance of the Red Bull team in pre-season testing has been disappointing and as a consequence it is unlikely Coulthard will be on the pace in Australia and in the points come Sunday afternoon.

Jenson Button in his Honda is by far expected to be the top Brit in Australia, after qualifying on pole for the team last year (2006). However, the Honda has been off the pace in testing and Jenson will have to provide the team with a stunning lap to see the car in the top six.

However, the British driver who will start in the top six and, if the Mclaren is reliable, will finish in the top six will be Lewis Hamilton. From the age of seven he has been a winner and is not used to running second. I know Lewis and am confident that he will be consistently at the front in Melbourne and throughout the year and, if I am wrong this weekend, will get better and better as the year goes on.

The FIA have said it and I agree: "This year will be like no other, enjoy it!!"

My tip for Sundays result:

Raikkonen (Ferrari)

Alonso (McLaren)
Hamilton (McLaren)
Massa (Ferrari)
Heidfeld (BMW)
Kubica (BMW)

MC

Copyright © : Michael Chen, Friday 16th March 2007

The Truth about Lewis Hamilton

The following article will be of interest to everyone who has heard of Lewis Hamilton......

It is so frustrating to see and hear the media describe Lewis as the first black Formula One driver and use this as the main angle to sell their stories. WHY?? It is all true, Lewis is the first black Formula One driver but there is a much better story to be had from him, not that he is black but that he is actually very good at what he does. Lewis Hamilton

Many of you will have followed Lewis' progress throughout the 2006 season of GP2, but unless you are a serious motorsport fan you may not have heard of him before that. It is what went on before GP2 that is important and how Lewis conducted himself then that set the foundations for his career in motor racing.

I raced with Lewis for eight years in Karting and from the age of seven he has been winning races. He has always had the right attitude and drive to be at the front and this extended way beyond motor racing. What set him apart from others during the Karting days was that he very quickly realised, a lot quicker than others, is that motor racing is all in the head. He believed he was the best and was able to mirror this thought on the track.

I remember when I was 10 and Lewis was 11, at a Super One Kart meeting held in Huntingdon where we were both racing. I was speaking to Tony (Lewis's Dad) on the dummy grid and after the conversation he looked at my dad and said: "Mike will go far, he knows how to speak properly." He continued: "If you don't know what to say at the right time and conduct yourself in the right manner, it doesnt matter how good you are, the people you need to show interest in you will not." Lewis has been brought up with this in mind and is one reason why he is so good in front of the media and has won over the hearts of the British public. He has been brought up to know how to behave towards people around him. It does not matter whether these people are fans or the World Media, Lewis knows what to say.

With regards to this year, the media are suggesting that all the presure is on Lewis to perform, when actually this is not the case. The pressure is on Fernando Alonso to outperform Lewis. This is a point which has not been picked up on and is how Lewis will be looking at it. The truth is, Alonso knows, McLaren knows, the people who know Lewis know and most importantly, Lewis knows that he is going to be far more impressive this year than the viewing public are expecting. How it affects Fernando throughout the year will be interesting to watch.

For those of you who like a safe bet, I would suggest popping along to your nearest bookies and putting a hefty sum down on Mr Hamilton for a top three finish in the 2008 World Drivers Championship. Believe me, the boy is good.

MC

Copyright: © Michael Chen, Monday 12th March 2007