Roland Ratzenberger - 24 Years On, by Ibrar Malik

Here is the latest guest blog posts by Ibrar Malik, about his forthcoming book 1994 – The Untold Story of a Tragic and Controversial F1 Season. This book will aim to offer much additional insight into this turbulent season and much else besides. You can find much more detail on this on his website at: www.1994f1.com.

F1 is filled with irony, but the hand it dealt Roland Ratzenberger on 30th April 1994 was a particularly cruel blow - even by the sport's standards.

Ratzenberger was popular among other F1 drivers and drove to that fateful San Marino GP with JJ Lehto.

The Austrian, just weeks into his dream job, was attempting to qualify for his second Grand Prix with the new and underfunded Simtek team. During a fast lap he had a minor off-track excursion and instead of coming into the pits to check for damage he weaved the car, perhaps trying to judge for himself. Believing the front wing was OK, Ratzenberger carried onto another quick lap. That would prove to be a fatal error.

Azerbaijan GP Report - Baku pain

Baku eventually did its worst. A Lewis Hamilton victory really shouldn't seem incongruous - even with Mercedes incongruously going three rounds without a win - but that it did says a lot about this latest Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "Lady luck was on our side," as Lewis's engineer said in summing up. But this race takes a lot of summing up.

Lewis Hamilton incongruously came thorough to win
Photo: Pirelli Media

A lot like the Chinese Grand Prix last time out this one swung. As in China Sebastian Vettel appeared initially to have the race well under control out front with a drive redolent of his Red Bull pomp, including clearing the chasing Lewis by three seconds in the first lap of green flag racing.

From then it was nip and tuck for a while, and it appeared Lewis was the one to blink. On lap 22 he locked up egregiously and went down the turn 1 escape road then pitted immediately due to his flat-spots. It was another one-stopper as a default, and the new tyre effect on the soft compound wasn't up to much. Seb pitted himself nine laps later to stay ahead of Lewis comfortably, but in that seemingly inoffensive move he lost the race.

Interview with F1 commentator Ben Edwards about his Heritage FF1600 debut

At the inaugural Heritage FF1600 meeting at Donington Park last weekend there was a familiar face, or voice, among the drivers - that of F1 commentator Ben Edwards.

There's much more to Edwards than being a commentator - among other things he had a budding driving career of his own and he still races whenever he can. At Donington he was bang on the pace too.

For the FF1600website I spoke to him about his day, what attracted him to the Heritage series and what's next for him.

You can have a read here: https://ff1600website.com/2018/04/28/f1-commentator-ben-edwards-makes-a-competitive-heritage-debut/

What You Need to Know Before Purchasing Your First Motorcycle

Whenever people decide to purchase a motorcycle, they think of all the ways a bike can enrich their lives. From saving money on fuel to enriching their overall physical and mental health, they cannot wait to reap the rewards of the bike life. However, while motorcycle ownership does come with many unarguable benefits, it also comes with a great deal of responsibility. For this reason, one should never just jump into bike ownership - rather, they should make the proper considerations and shop smart. Before you purchase your first bike, there are a few things you need to consider if you want to make the most of your bike ownership experience:

By jimmyweee (GP Motorcycles Showroom) [CC BY 2.0
 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

1. Know Your Abilities 

Owning a motorcycle is not like riding a bike, and even if you were a champion BMX racer when you were a kid does not that you'll take well to a motorcycle. Novice bikers should purchase a first bike that is practical. Yes, that may be boring, but it's also safe. Steer clear of crotch rockets and anything with an engine larger than 600cc. Once you develop the right skills, you can upgrade.

2. Choose a Bike That Fits Your Body 

Bikes, like humans, come in all shapes and sizes, and just like the armored motorcycle jacket you're bound to purchase, your bike needs to fit you. When shopping for a bike, sit on each one to try it out for size. If possible, take it for a spin. You may discover that the chopper you thought you wanted is too heavy and that a newer cruiser is more your style.

3. Consider Your Needs 

Consider how you'll be using your bike them most. Will it be a commuter vehicle or a weekend warrior? Ultimately, your needs should dictate what type of bike you end up purchasing.

There are dozens of factors to consider before purchasing a bike, but your abilities, body size and needs are the top three. Once you pull the trigger, head on over to BikeBandit.com to shop their collection of affordable street jackets for men, unisex riding pants and motorcycle helmets for women.

Articles on WEC for Speed Chills

I'm very pleased to say that I'll be writing about the World Endurance Championship for Speed Chills.

By Wonker Wonker from London, United Kingdom (Rolling
Start) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

And my two debut articles for the site are published for your reading pleasure.

With Fernando Alonso to make his Le Mans 24 Hours bow this year for Toyota I have looked at the times serving F1 drivers have won the famous race: http://speedchills.com/news-and-views/486-the-pull-of-la-sarthe

Here also for Speed Chills I preview the unique WEC 2018/19 Super Season, at the time of The Prologue a couple of weeks ago: http://speedchills.com/news-and-views/481-prologue-kick-starts-the-wec-super-season

Speed Chills is the UK's largest provider of Private Camping at the Le Mans 24 hours and Le Mans Classic. Speed Chills is an official agency of the ACO, the organisers of the Le Mans 24 hours, and a member of ABTA.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Ferrari Should Be Scrutinised For Ruining Raikkonen's Races

The FIA has put Ferrari under scrutiny for various reasons. We think, the FIA should also scrutinise Ferrari for ruining Kimi Raikkonen's races in 2018. Maybe for 2016 & 2017 too?

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal tell you why Daniel Ricciardo should leave Red Bull Racing. Has Mercedes lost out to Ferrari in the race to sign Ricciardo? Will Ferrari's stepchild treatment of Kimi Raikkonen make Ricciardo wary of signing with the Scuderia? Will Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 career go even more backwards if he signs up to race for Renault in 2019? Well, thank God that Minardi shut shop when it did! Tune in.

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and on audioBoom (RSS feed) for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour

Azerbaijan GP Betting Preview - That perilous stuff

Betting on F1 in 2018 is a perilous business. A towel can be thrown over the 'big three' teams Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. Adding to the confusion the Pirelli tyres are knife edge - this has manifested most noticeably with Mercedes dropping off the pace in Bahrain and China qualifying, but Merc insists others have had rubber related variation too such as Ferrari being off it in Melbourne.

Potentially madcap Baku presents problems,
and opportunities, for the gambler
Photo: Pirelli  Media

Adding further to the confusion the claustrophobic Baku street race for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix is one that could more generally go either way. On the basis of its inaugural race two years ago it could be a soporific demonstration run. On the basis of last year's it could be raucous with incidents, safety cars and jumbles of the order aplenty. Demonstrating as much Daniel Ricciardo won it having been 17th after an early unscheduled stop while the unlikely Lance Stroll finished on the podium.

If it remains quiet then this weekend seems a good time for Mercedes to bounce back from its woes. It dominated in Baku last year on the stopwatch particularly in Lewis Hamilton's hands - he took pole by half a second and was over a second clear of the nearest non-Merc. Dodging acrobatically between walls is just his thing.

Bookies still seem to like him and Merc but with the recent failures their odds to prevail are a bit longer than usual and may be worth your wager - 5/4 for a Lewis pole and 13/10 for a Lewis win.

Baku Preview: Contrast and potential

In 2016 F1 rocked up to a new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan, told to expect something "not like anything we've seen before in F1".

The Baku street circuit's challenges are unique
Photo: Pirelli Media

A lot of things have been seen before in F1 of course, but in fairness this track's challenges are somewhat detached from the modern norm. Not least in their contrasts.

A real downtown circuit. Plenty of near-to-hand walls. Much of the track claustrophobic with a twisty narrow section around the old city walls redolent of Mirabeau-Station Hairpin-Portiers at Monaco. Yet there's also a 2.1 km straight longer than anything at Monza. Appropriate for a city that likes to say it blends old and new; east and west...

Appropriately also on the basis of the two F1 races here things can go either way. We expected frolics aplenty in the first visit - safety cars and trips down narrow escape roads. Also an ultra generous DRS zone leaving even quick cars vulnerable to being overtaken, particularly on restarts. The GP2 rounds indeed gave us all of that.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - Max Verstappen Should Get A Sports Psychologist

There we said it, well someone had to. We know Max Verstappen has been smug about working with a sports psychologist, but maybe it is time that he does? Some of the world's top athletes do so and Verstappen is on his journey to becoming one - this is one vital support system that he should definitely consider as we all wait for his temperament to come on par with his talent!

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Mithila and Kunal talk of Mercedes' multiple errors in the opening three rounds of 2018. Despite their shortcomings and lack of performance, how is it that Mercedes are still the favourites for the season? They celebrate Daniel Ricciardo's win while also hailing Red Bull Racing's impeccable team work. Also, would you rather that Formula 1 be a sport or a spectacle or both? Hear our views, tune in!

(Season 2018, Episode 13)

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and on audioBoom (RSS feed) for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour

New Motorsport Week article: Why drivers still make a difference in Formula 1

Photo: Octane Photography

There are many common modern F1 laments. And common among them is that the driver doesn't make a difference, not like back in the day at any stretch.

In my latest for Motorsport Week I put the claim to the test.

Point one: do we overstate the extent that in previous eras drivers could make a difference over and above their equipment? Point two: even these days are there not plenty of examples of drivers making a difference? A driver's impact is not always in the ways we may expect either.

You can have a read of my thinking via this link: https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/17758