A true 50-50 fight that know one can truly predict

At Bramall Lane this Saturday Kell (Special One) Brook will make his fourth defence of his IBF Welterweight against the young American Errol (The Truth) Spence Jr and in what is a mouthwatering 50-50 fight that has most of boxing talking and the best thing is no one can make an accurate prediction (including me). I’ll preview the fight and pick reasons either can win.

Errol Spence Jr: The moment of truth for Americas next big hopeful: 

For the young man from Dallas Texas this is when we’ll find out when he is the real deal or just a hype job (as some fans like to say). From the the day he turned pro people in American boxing have spoken nothing but praise of Spence and touted him as the next big thing to carry the sport stateside. Spence competed at the 2012 London Olympics and got to the quarter finals in what was a shambolic showing from team USA and he was arguably their best guy. Spence carries devastating combination punches and a power left hand especially with him being a southpaw. He has taken out all his tests with near ease. His biggest wins include Chris Can Heerden, Phil Lo Greco, Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu. The last two victories were the most impressive with nobody stopping Algieri including Manny Pacquiao and then stopping Bundu early something domestic rival Keith (One Time) Thurman couldn’t do so Spence has some special about him. Under the wing of trainer Derick James, Spence seems destined for big things but must get past Brook who will bring the thunder once that bell goes on Saturday. This fight will be the biggest test for young Texas man and the fact that he’s willing to travel all the way to Brooks hometown in Sheffield tells you how confident Spence is. Everyone in boxing will be eagle eyed to this to see if Spence can sink or swim with his first title shot in front of him. only time will tell but I can’t wait.

Kell Brook: The Special one who won’t back down from anybody: 

Kell Brook should be arguably one of our best fighters having held his title for three years but things have held him back since his big moment three years ago but now he has his chance to make himself big again. Brook who is the hometown boy in this fight has always worked and trained extremely hard since he walked into the famous Ingle gym in Sheffield and watched Prince Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson and Ryan Rhoodes training. Brook is a student of the Ingle style and can bang with both hands. He has come up slowly and built a huge following in his home city and now has the an occasion to match that following. For Brook it’s been a near up and down career having always been in the shadow of domestic rival Amir Khan (with whom he shares a big rivalry with) people noticed him less and whilst with Frank Warren Brook always felt like a leftover to Khan. Since joining Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Brook has built his name through big nights in Sheffield and not being afraid to take on the avoided names in the sport. Having been IBF mandatory for a year and a half and missing his chance three times through two injuries and his opponent as well Brook took his chance when he faced (Showtime) Shawn Porter who everyone was touting as a future star (sound familiar). Brook went to California and ripped the title from Porter with a points decision victory and most people in the sport were stunned at this. Afterwards the sky was the limit for Brook until a horrific incident Tenerife (Spanish island) where he was stabbed and his career was in jeopardy. But fortunately Brook made a full recovery. Since then Brook found it difficult to get the big names in the Welterweight division to fight him, names such as Thurman, Danny Garcia, Khan, Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. After a few defences of his title Brook surprised everyone (including me) when he agreed to go up to Middleweight to take on the King of the division Gennedy (GGG) Golovkin. With this fight most people wrote him off but on the night he gave one hell and effort and caught GGG with big punces. Unfortunately a damaged eye socket meant Brook had to be pulled out in the fifth round but he got huge amounts of credit for that fight. Now Brook takes on a young hungry lion in Spence and a lot of people didn’t think he’d take the fight but once again the man with Sheffield steel proved he doesn’t back away from anyone. If Brook wins this then it will be more big fights for him lose and he could end up in the who needs him club (a term to describe boxers who are avoided). Brook will have thousands of his own fans cheering him and on Saturday we’ll if the special one can deliver a special performance.

Verdict:

This is a real tough one to predict and I’m perhaps going to guess it. The fight will be won by who wins the early rounds. I’m going for Brook late stoppage. I think Brook has less pressure on him with Spence being the favourite and Brook will wear him down and stop him between 8-11 rounds. I hope this is as good as the hype because it’s worth it we have a true 50-50 fight and I can’t wait to be there.

The Biggest Heavyweight fight for 15 years with a lot to fight for

This Saturday in front 90,000 fans at Wembley Britian’s Anthony Joshua (IBF Champion) will take on Wladimir Klitschko (With the vacant WBA title also on the line) in a fight that has been the talk of the sport for months since it was announced in December (I was in the crowd for that announcement). Every now and then we get fights that define the sport and this is one of them and in this piece I’ll break all the key points down.

The Fight that has made Boxing mainstream again: 

When this fight was announced there was immediate demand for tickets and TV. That meant one thing Boxing is truly mainstream again. Boxing has always had a maninstream appeal but never the levels sports like Football and Formula One have. You’ve had figures like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Haggler, Lennox Lewis, and Ricky Hatton who were crossover figures who when they fought everyone paid attention. In recent years it’s been more about big fights than big names such as Carl Froch against George Groves rematch at Wembley and Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquaio which dominated newspapers and TV in the build-up. This fight has many different things that make it big one is that it is a stadium fight and at Wembley which is the national stadium in England. Another factor is that it’s a Heavyweight fight and if our boxing history tells us anything Heavyweight fights appeal to the masses. The biggest factor in this is perhaps that it’s a young lion against a old lion, future big star vs current big star, youth vs experience. Everyone looks at this fight as big for one for both with Klitschko now 41 still wanting to prove he has it after being outboxed and beaten by Tyson Fury in November 2015. For Joshua many see this as the big step up everyone’s wanted to see him in since he debuted in 2013. A key point that makes this huge is that the two TV giants of boxing in America HBO and Showtime will both broadcast this. It’s only the third time that both networks (as they say in the States) have both shown a fight. The previous two being Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquaio. That shows how big this fight is and with Heavyweights your basically guaranteed a knockout which is another reason so many will buy this on PPV on Sky Box Office. This fight truly IMO will stop the country when the first bell sounds and we can all enjoy the fact that boxing is back amongst the mainstream again.

Wladimir Klitschko: A champion of many years wanting to prove himself again: 

Wladimir Klitschko is described by many as a marmite figure in boxing. You either love him for being a dignified sportsman or you dislike him for having a boring fight style when he’s in the ring. Klitschko and his older brother Vitali reigned over the division for years holding all the titles which some would say stagnated the sport. Vitali retired and is now involved in Ukrainian politics and is mayor of Kiev. Wladimir under stewardship of the late great trainer Emanuel Steward dominated the heavyweight division after Lennox Lewis retired. From 2011 he held most of the belts and was very hard to beat, some said that we would have to wait for him to retire for the division to be set free until 2015. That was until Klitschko faced British fighter Tyson Fury in Düsseldorf. In the build-up to that fight Fury got into Wladimir’s head with numerous antics and mental games. During the fight Fury outfoxed, outboxed and outfought Wladimir to the shock of many. The biggest surprise was how Klitschko barely threw a shot and seemed afraid to do so. Klitschko lost on a points decision and immediately wanted a rematch which never materialised due to Fury pulling out twice due to issues (that never materialised). Now heading into this fight with a young lion that is Anthony Joshua the biggest question mark facing Wladimir is did the defeat hurt him mentally and can he come back at 41. Wladimir will say he is obsessed and determined to win his titles back (which he has) but a big question will be can he get over the many demons he has and will he be able to cope with Joshua’s ferocious power if he lands clean on Wladimir and how will he cope with the crowd being against him having fought in Germany for a long time where he is very popular. The question mark over a great champion is how do they come back from big losses and this is another case of that. Greats like Ali, Tyson and Lewis all came back and won the title but some fighters like Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton and Marvin Hagler (who retired after losing to Sugar Ray Leonard) never really recovered once they lost for the first time and had what they had before. If Klitschko loses in a bad way or even closely then he should call it a day at his age. If Klitschko wins then he could go on but it’s perhaps best he still retires and goes out on the top and healthy. Whatever happens you don’t know what to expect from this Wladimir Klitschko who has a lot to prove but can he rise again.

Anthony Joshua: A star on the rise who needs a win to validate his stardom:  

For Anthony Joshua he has had a perfect career so far 18 wins all by KO and all within 7 rounds. Since capturing gold at the London Olympics in 2012 this man has had a huge rise in the sport with massive exposure on Sky Sports and Box Office since joining Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing in 2013. This man perhaps has hundres of endorsement deals and and sponsorships you see him on billboards magazines and shop posters. But this Saturday at Wembley Joshua must be focused on the task in front of him Wladimir Klitschko. This is the biggest fight of Joshua’s career so far and the big step up all boxing fans in this country have wanted to see him in. Some questions about Joshua (that’ll hopefully be answered in this fight) have been some usual ones “can he take a punch” “can he box cleverley”. These are just some of the many of questions that we should get an answer to after Saturday. Joshua can become arguably the biggest star in British sport with a good victory and no doubt the biggest start in boxing as well. Joshua has everything to be a huge star youth, power, speed and a likeable personality. One of Josnua’s best assets will be his calmness in big occasions and his ability to somewhat control a crowd by his every punch (I’ve known I’ve been to four Joshua fights). We know for a fact that on fight night Joshua will have steeliness and focus on one thing victory. In terms of future a victory for Joshua should lead to a future showdown with fellow champions American Deontay Wilder (WBC) and New Zealander Joseph Parker (WBO). Other options will be a rematch with domestic rival Dillian Whyte or a huge showdown with Tyson Fury if he ever comes back and gets his boxing license following suspension for drug test failures. All this can happen but Joshua knows he has to win to make this all happen in the immediate future. One other key fact in this will be the 90,000 fans that’ll be pro Joshua and some fighters sometimes feed off crowd support and Joshua is definitely one of them. The sky is the limit for this young British Heavyweight but he must win to validate those heights and his superstardom.

Verdict: 

This verdict could be hard to predict as they say in Boxing “one punch changes everything” with this fight there is one word that sticks out TIMING. I’m going for a Anthony Joshua KO in 6 rounds because I can’t see how Klitschko copes with his power and speed. Klitschko will be in this fight and it might be a cagey start but once Joshua starts landing shots cleanly I think Klitschko will backtrack and that’ll work for Joshua and he likes to be the hunter. I wouldn’t be surprised if Klitschko finds a way to win but I think this is Joshua’s fight to lose and it’s why I think he’ll win with KO.

A game that the world will stop to watch and a game with a lot on the line

This Sunday at the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid two of the world’s biggest teams clash in a match that’ll be watched by millions around the world for many things including star players, the occasion and the spectacle. There are also a lot of other things that make this Sunday’s game massive on and off the pitch and in this edition I’ll mention all of them.

Ronaldo vs Messi:  

Ok let’s start with this because it’s what most fans will be tuning in for. One of the many reasons this game will be watched is this fascinating player battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Ronaldo for Madrid and Messi for Barcelona has been the main attraction to this match for eight years since Ronaldo came to the Bernabeau. These two have been the best players in the last ten years and dominated the Ballon D’or since 2008. Ronaldo at 32 is still scoring vital goals for Madrid and has won everything for club and country (including the Euros for Portugal last year) and is arguably still at his best. Having become more of a finisher Ronaldo still finds the vital space to get into and get the important goals for Madrid. For Madrid Ronaldo is the spine and heart and soul of this side, leaving him out is unthinkable and makes people question your decision immediately. Ronaldo has been one of the best big game players for years, his presence scares defenders and his ability with feet, body and head makes him one of the best all round players we’ve ever seen and whether you like him or not you can’t underestimate his talent.

For Lionel Messi the last twelve months have been challenging not just for club but country. Messi is still a vital piece of Barcelona’s way and system but questions have been asked. Messi turns 30 this year and is now reaching the point of his career when he has to make the adaptation to his game Ronaldo has. Messi still has scored goals in big numbers this season but at times when Barca have struggled his impact on a game has been less than it used to be. He has also had a hard time for country as well with Argentina losing a second Copa America final in a row to Chile and in the aftermath supposedly retiring and the. U-turning on that decision to go for another World Cup but the campaign hasn’t gone well and now he faces a ban for the rest of the campaign after abusive language to the ref. For Messi this game is a chance to redeem himself and remind everyone of why he has been such a fantastic footballer for the last ten years.

Barcelona: A crazy season which can saved with this one game:  

For Barcelona this season hasn’t been their best and they’ll perhaps admit it. The Catalan team have been at times underwhelming this season and a shadow of their old selves. They have lost a lot this year and drawn more which put so much pressure on boss Luís Enrique that he’ll be leaving at the end of the season. Most people (fans/pundits/journalists) have pointed to some of the problems as being too reliant on the front three of Messi, Neymar and Suarez and being too reliant on Andreas Iniesta in midfield and the defence leaking too many goals and not properly replacing Dani Alves at right-back. Messi this (as I’ve already pointed out) hasn’t been on his absolute best this season, Neymar has been practically shifted out wide (despite being a striker) and has socred less. Suarez has not socred in the last six games which is surprising from a player of his stature. But with all of this criticism you can’t underestimate the firepower of this side and with them now out of the Champions League they only have the league to fight for which will be their inspiration to win this game. With all the criticism and being told they are finished by many supporters you wouldn’t be surprised If Barca completely wowed everyone again and played some their football of old and with this being their biggest game of the season the Catalans would want nothing more than to upset their rivals in their backyard.

Real Madrid: A solid team that is grinding out results: 

Under manager Zinedine Zidane Real Madrid have become a real solid unit this season and have gone from a team that would always go for the spectacular win to a team that now knows how to grind out results. It is intriguing how Madrid have worked and played this season with the team from the capital going all the way to January unbeaten and getting a lot of last minute results. Real Madrid have also found ways of finding other people to score goals other than Ronaldo which always helps a team pushing for the title. For Zidane who spent most of his career winning multiple trophies it was interesting how he would approach his first full season as manager having made no galactico signings people (including me) were asking questions as to whether he wanted to move the team forward. For the first few months of the season Madrid tied down key players such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Ronaldo to long term contracts which showed how much Zidane had faith In his squad. Another key thing for Madrid this season has been the extra striker in Alvaro Morata and midfielder ISCO. These two have scored countless goals to rescue Madrid when they needed it badly and yet still there is speculation about their futures. Even fringe players like James Rodriguez have still played well when called upon which shows the willingness of the players to work for Zidane and that has been vital this season. Real Madrid go into this game knowing that a win practically all but guarantees them the title (unless they capitulate massively) so for Madrid and Zidane they’ve got to keep their composure, knowing that it is their rivals who need a good performance. The extra good news for Madrid is that Gareth Bale who has had a few injury troubles this season is fit and available for this game so imagine he’ll be starting. Expect big players like Ronaldo and Benzema to play a big part along with Kroos, Modric and Casimeiro. Defence wise captain Sergio Ramos will lead the line (unless he gets red carded in this game again) in what will be a spicy encounter at the Bernabeu

Verdict: Real Madrid 4-2 Barcelona: 

When you think of this game you think of one thing goals. I’ve gone with this scoreline because the momentum right now you’d say is with Real Madrid and with their knack for having loads of goalscorers in the team you can see a goal coming from anywhere. I think Barcelona will be in the game but I just think that Real Madrid will have too much for them.

Why it’s a case of when, not if he’ll join Madrid one day 

Right now Real Madrid are linked with Chelsea forward/winger Eden Hazard. Through strong media outlets it seems Madrid are keen on the Belgian and manager Zinedine Zidane really wants him. When a player gets linked to Real Madrid it’s hard for any player to turn them down. Hazard is having a phenomenal season for Chelsea but now they face a huge challenge to persuade him not to leave but judging by past experience it’ll be hard for them to do that. In this I’ll give five reasons why Hazard will eventually wear the white shirt of Real Madrid one day.

1. The lure of Madrid: 

When it comes to players and Real Madrid the one thing that they all have in common is the lure of the white shirt. Real Madrid are one of the greatest clubs of all time and are a team every young kid dreams of playing for. There is a special draw that Madrid possess to any world class player. For Hazard he might not be tempted right now but down the line he will be when people mention to him the icons of the game that have worn the shirt in the past. The only way you can describe the draw Real Madrid have is like describing how a dog is drawn to a ball when you hold it above it’s head. Hazard might feel like he gets less recognition at Chelsea because they aren’t one of the true big teams amongst the elite this means he gets less talk apart from England or Belgium. The saying in sport goes ”you only get one career and it can be short” in terms of that he could think that he’ll only get once chance to play for a team with the history and prestige of Real Madrid. Whether it be this year or after next season Hazard will eventually succumb to the temptation of Madrid and will wear a Real Madrid shirt one day.

2. To Win the Champions League: 

Another reason why Eden Hazard will go to Real Madrid is to win the Champions League. Despite the fact that Chelsea will be in the competition next season there are no guarantees that they’ll get to the semi’s or even the final. With Real Madrid you can almost guarantee that they’ll be in the latter stages of the Champions League which again is enough to tempt Hazard away. For Hazard he will have grown up watching the competition and seeing great players and teams winning it. A player of his skill and flair will want that medal around him and with a team like Real Madrid he can be closer to doing that. Hazard will also want to socre in the final and cement his status as a big time player and have a defining memory and more fans will remember something you do for Real Madrid rather than Chelsea which is another reason he’ll end up in Madrid one day. Another example Hazard can look at is another player is his position Gareth Bale. Bale plays in a similar position to Hazard but didn’t have a global recognition until he went to Madrid and now everyone knows who he is and he has won nearly everything. Despite the fact he’ll win the Premier League for a second time with Chelsea Hazard will want that Champions League medal a lot more and he’ll see Bale as an example of going to Madrid and achieving his ultimate dream of Champions League immortality.

3. Zidane: 

This bit might be the most interesting and biggest reason why Hazard will end up at Real Madrid. Hazard was born in 1991 and throughout his childhood he’ll have been growing up watching Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane wow football fans with his own skill and flair. For Hazard you can imagine Zidane was one of his footballing heroes as a child and now a fully fledged player himself the chance to play under one of the greats of the game might be a challenge to hard to turn down for him. Hazard is a player of exceptional quality and Zidane will be in Real President Florentino Perez’s ear to tell him to pursue this and get the deal done. Another key factor in this is that Zidane was a world class player during his career and Hazard might think that to get better and be even more world class working with someone he admires like Zidane might help him become an elite level player of his generation. If Hazard joins Madrid then one of the main reasons will be to link up with a player that he admires hugely and will want to get better under.

4. Worldwide Recognition: 

This could be one of the factors that might not get mentioned but I thought I’d mention it. Another huge reason why Hazard will end up at Real Madrid will be the worldwide recognition that comes with it. Chelsea are a big club in Europe and England but Madrid have triple the recognition worldwide and if you play for them you are a star all round the world. People think with the Premier league being the worldwide phenomenon it is that every team is known and every player is a star. But when you see these clubs go on tour you never see Chelsea get the huge fanfare that you see when Manchester United and Liverpool will bring when they are on tour. Chelsea have never struck me as a team with a massive global appeal like United, Madrid or Barcelona. Maybe Hazard doesn’t feel like he gets bigger talk about himself because he doesn’t play for an elite club. That could be a big factor In him going to Madrid to achieve global superstardom he craves. What I mean by this is that when you play for a team like Real Madrid you are instantly recognised and more people talk about and watch you if you. So if more people do this you are more marketable across the world and more known to football fans worldwide.

5. Style of play\Ballon D’or 

When you watch the Premir League one thing it’s noted for is it’s fast style of football and Wild West action. It’s definitely helped Hazard’s game whilst he’s been here but with Real Madrid and the Spanish style of play that could suit a player of Hazard’s skill really well. Spain tends to edge towards a technical side of the game and better passing which is perhaps one of the reasons they are admired and respected. For Hazard less fast paced games would help him when to press forward and there is less on attacking players to track back like in England. If Hazard joins Madrid then he’ll have more possession with the ball and make more opportunities and play less of and counter attack system. If in a Madrid team Hazard would most likely play between a supposed three man formation with Ronaldo up top and Bale on the other flank. Another reason Hazard will be in Real Madrid will be his desire to win the player of the year award (Ballon D’or). A lot of players in the last twenty years have won the award whilst either playing for Madrid or have played for them like Ronaldo (Brazilian one), Figo, Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo. That might be another catalyst for Hazard to go to Madrid at some point to be amongst those elite players. A damming stat that could make him go to Madrid is that not a lot of England based players have won this award in the last twenty years and Spain has somewhat dominated as well as Italy. Hazard might think that to win this award he’ll have to be at a club like Madrid, which would be unfortunate for the Premier League but for Hazard he’ll care less.

Verdict: These are the main reasons I think Hazard will be a Real Madrid player at some point. It might not be this year but he’ll go there eventually because Real Madrid and Perez always get what they want.

Extra reason; To play with Ronaldo, money, fans, legacy.

What to expect from an exciting new season  

This week marks the start of the 2017 Formula One season in Melbourne Australia. There a lot of things to look forward to ahead of this season with lots of topics being discussed. In this edition I’ll break down what are the taking points and what Petrolheads will be looking out for this season.

 New bosses New Era: 

This season brings about something we haven’t seen in the F1 for a long time a new boss. After 40 years of running the sport Bernie Ecclestone was removed from his duties when Chase Carey who worked for Liberty Media took on Ecclestone’s job in January as head of commercial rights. Carey also hired Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches with Brawn being Managing Director (Sporting) with Bratches being Commercial Operations Director. For F1 this is a huge step in the history of the business because it now enters the post Bernie phase and will be interesting to see how Carey and Liberty Media handle such a huge sport like F1, the hope is that these guys can take the sport forward and make it more popular. One aspect that is hoped for in progression is social media, Bernie made it clear he was anti social media and some will say it held the sport back now under new ownership most people would hope that this form of coverage can be tapped into and used to grow the sport. Another aspect would be how the sport is promoted, critics will say F1 has lacked the cut throat promotion like some of it’s adversaries such football, boxing and UFC. So with a new look fans will wonder how the sport is sold around the world, the hope is that these guys will take the sport to a new level and have it be on par with other sports. Another thing that’ll be interesting is how Carey, Brawn and Hatches deal with the teams. It’s well known that the F1 paddock is a political jungle and there loads of lions around. With Bernie now gone some teams will want to protect their interests and some teams will want a better deal than what they have. Having Ross Brawn onboard is vital to this as he knows this side of the sport very well having been a key figure in Benetton, Ferrari then a team principal at Honda, Brawn ( his own team) and Mercedes. The belief will be that Brawn can advise Carey and Bratches on how to deal with the teams and get them onside whereas Bratches is known for working in commercial businesses so will help on how to do deals for races and negotiate new deals for any potential new circuits. The real hope is that this new step makes Formula One bigger and more attractive to a worldwide audience which if we are being honest we all hope for.

New Rules and what they mean 

 This year brings new rules and regulations which for any fan of F1 is great because we all want to see who is best at winning under a new system. The main talk is that the focus of the regulations is around aerodynamics which means areas around the car and front wing and back wings. The first thought of this has you thinking Red Bull will kill this because of them having Adrian Newey onboard plus he is known to be an aero designer but Mercedes have brought in James Aliosn from Ferrari who is also a very good designer so will add a load of experience to his position. Anyone could become better under new rules, look at Brawn in 2009 they introduced the blown diffuser which blew the whole pack away that year and led to Jenson Button winning the title. One of the other new rules is bigger tyres, this year sees the old big fat tyres back as part of a new ways to make the tyres more durable and last longer which some people think could lead to only one stop races which would be interesting. One thing you can guarantee is that these new rules will add to the excitement of the new season.

Hamilton vs Bottas: Can Lewis win again: 

For the first time since 2013 Mercedes have a new driver pairing. Valtteri Bottas joins the Silver Arrow replacing world champion Nico who retired last year in a move that most fans (including me) liked. After three years of the craziness of the Hamilton-Rosberg feud you would hope that this is a new start for the world champions of the last three years. For Bottas this is now the time for him to step up after four years at Williams. In those years he grabbed everyone’s attention with some really good laps and podiums (which could have been wins). Bottas to some degree reminds me of Mika Hakkinen in terms of his complete focus and ability to produce blistering laps out of nowhere. It’ll be worth watching how Bottas deals with Lewis Hamilton as his teammate. Hamilton is known for being a hard teammate and most of his teammates don’t last long with him or can’t hang with him. The hope will be that Hamilton and Bottas can be be a good pairing and not have many ill tempered moments like Lewis and Nico did. For Lewis Hamilton this year is all about reminding everyone that he is the top dog and the best driver out of everyone. He won’t admit it publicly but losing to Rosberg last year will have hurt him mentally and wounded him which could be a bad sign for Bottas and the rest. At his best Hamilton is a fiercely driven driver and blisteringly quick over a course of a race. Many people will say Hamilton is the best driver out of everyone on the track but sometimes he can be distracted by off the track activities (which I’ll say is perhaps not true at all). For Lewis to win a fourth title will put him amongst the true elites of the sport and there could be more. All you can say about Lewis this year is that he is definitely the favourite for the drivers title but it’s about putting in the performances during qualifying and the race which we all know he is capable of and can do but it will be interesting to see if he is consistent with it.

Max Verstappen: Will this be his year: 

Max Verstappen is one driver I’m 100% looking forward to watching this year and I think we’ll all agree on that. After two breathtaking season seasons in the sport Verstappen has become one of the most loved drivers amongst fans pundits and journalists. For a young man of only 19 Verstappen has taken everyone by storm with fearless driving and his mind blowing overtaking manoeuvres. The young Dutch driver sealed his first win last season during his Red Bull debut at the Spanish Grand Prix and that was when we knew this young man was capable of something. Since then he has mixed with the big boys including Lewis Hamilton, Sébastien Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen at some points ruffling the feather of the Ferrari drivers which I enjoyed a lot. He reminds me in a lot of ways of Michael Schumacher in terms of his will to do anything and his unapologetic way of how he drives and when people get annoyed at it some people say he’s more Senna but I’ll say Schumacher. If he can become better this year then we are in for one hell of a season because this guy excites fans whenever he gets in the car and when he’s chasing someone. This season will be huge for Max with Daniel Riccardo as his teammate once again this year there’ll be an intense pairing in the Red Bull garage with Riccardo being a very stealy driver and one who can push you. It’ll be interesting to see how they both handle each other if they’re competing for the title. One thing we can all say about this young driver is that he’ll have us all hooked to our televisions whenever he is on or whenever he is driving. It’ll be very exciting to watch a great young talent shine even more this year.

Ferrari: Can they be the wildcard: 

Another team that we’ll all be keeping an eye is Ferrari. The Prancing Horse is potentially the wildcard for this season. For Ferrari this has to be the year they properly challenge Mercedes after a firtation with challenging in 2015 then regressing massively in 2016 which was a surprise after a lot of hope from the previous year. For Sebastian Vettel this season will be about proving his doubters wrong, that he can win a world title without a well known designer making the car. He has four titles to his career but never really had the plaudits like Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton which would perhaps frustrate him a bit. Vettel will want to also win a title with Ferrari to put him up there with his hero (The Great) Michael Schumacher who won five titles titles with Scuderia. For the other driver Kimi Raikkonen he is entering the final phase of his career after 16 years in the sport. Raikkonen had a fairly decent season but not one of a former world champion who seems to be alright just finishing wherever (which he wouldn’t have years ago). For the Finnish driver who surprisingly got an extension to his contract last season, this year has the feel of maybe being the final one and you’d wonder will he try and push Vettel this year to remind everyone of what he was once capable of. The main task for Ferrari this season will be to win races and be competing along with Mercedes and Red Bull which for them and the sports sake they need to. The hope for Ferrari will be their testing form after a decent spell in Barcelona. But we can only know the form once they reach Melbourne but for now Ferrari will be the wild cards this year.

McLaren: can they ever be great again:  

It definitely frustrates me to write this part like it would any F1 fan. McLaren go into this season once again with loads of doubts and negativity surrounding the team mainly regarding their Honda engine. This season sees a new pairing with Fernando Alonso once again onboard but this time with rookie Stoffel Vandoorne who a lot of people will watching this year to see if we have another new big talent or just a hype job. Vandoorne has done his apprenticeship among the smaller leagues of motorsport and has been junior driver in McLaren for a long time and this year he receives his opportunity after impressing in last seasons Bahrain GP whilst standing in for Alonso who was carrying an injury. Vandoorne from Belgium will want to take advantage of this chance otherwise he could be kicked to the kerb like some other drivers have been if they haven’t impressed but the hope is that he thrives at this. For Fernando this is his sixteenth year in F1 and after 2 titles he is still hungry for more. Since his last title you could argue that he has been the most unlucky man in the sport after numerous close title attempts he has finished second or and could have had more titles to his name than the two he has. At 35 the Spanish driver is in the final year of his contract with McLaren and if performances with the car don’t improve there is a rumoured escape clause where he could leave if he doesn’t think the team are improving which judging by his history and nature you wouldn’t be surprised if he did. The biggest talking point though has been the change in management personnel with long time boss Ron Dennis being removed by the majority stakeholders Mansour Ojjeih and Bahrain fund which did not come as a big shock but still a small surprise after all the years Ron had been in charge. Dennis was replaced by Zak Brown who had been in charge of trying to bring sponsorships to the sport and teams and was offered a job amongst F1 management but chose McLaren which might be an eye raiser. The other massive taking point has been the engine which in testing has been diabolical and I’m being fair on that. In Barcelona McLaren achieved the lowest amount of laps out of every team and the longest distance they got was 11 laps which is utter shambles for this fantastic team. The main blame seems to be with Honda who once again seem to have made a dreadful engine again and for Honda who have been renowned for cutting edge development seem to have fallen behind their rivals in terms of making a competitive engine. If results don’t get better McLaren might struggle for a very long time to get back to the top which is incredibly baffling for a team with McLaren’s history but you live in hope but very little at this time of the season which hasn’t even started.

Williams, Force India and Renault: Potential battle for fourth:  

This could be interesting. When looking at who could finish fourth I saw a potentially interesting battle that might be a good one and could have a lot at stake for the team’s involved.

Williams this season go into this year having lost Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes but have gained their technical director Paddy Lowe in exchange. This prompted Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams to call Felipe Massa back from retirement. Massa had only just retired and was perhaps looking forward to a few pizzas and normal food but has come back to help the team when they needed him which had some 50-50 views. His teammate this season is the rookie Lance Stroll who’s father is billionaire Lawrence Stroll. For Stroll from Canada and 18 there will be a lot of questions asked about why he got the seat until he proves himself to be a talent rather then a budget driver. What we know about him is that he has done well in the junior formulas but we still wonder if his talent will prove us all wrong (which I hope for). Williams regressed a lot last season with the resurgence of Red Bull and perhaps not taking advantage of when they were competing with Mercedes and Ferrari. Through a deal with Mercedes (their engine supplier) they have had the charge for the engine cut down £10m less which means they can do more with it and it could help them push forward and push them back up the grid. For Williams they’ll need to be back in the top four this year otherwise any hope of coming back to past glories might fade if they don’t show progress this year.

Force India last season achieved fourth their best finish since they entered the sport in 2008 after taking over from previous groups that led back to when Eddie Jordan owned the team. Force India have slowly risen up the grid and it’s been a joy to watch. Under Team Owner Vijay Mallya and Team Principal Bob Fernley the team have become one of the best in the midfield on the budget they have. This season with a bit more money behind them through new sponsors (including pink livery) they have openly stated that they aim to finish in the top three which is bold but at least they are ambitious. Driver wise they also have a new pairing. Sergio Perez after a brilliant season is with the team for a fourth season and after his departure at McLaren he has definitely come a long way and hecome better. He is joined by Estiban Ocon who is still basically a rookie after a season with Manor. For Ocon this will be a big learning experience but he is perhaps with the best team to do it. TBF( To Be Fair) we don’t know how good Ocon is because we didn’t pay attention last season but we’ll look forward to seeing how he does this season. For the Silverstone based team they’ll want to progress rather then regress but with bold ambitions for top three they better live up to that.

Renault this season are a wildcard in terms of this potential race because of them still being a new team. For the Enstone based this year is a bit of less pressure with it being only their second year as a team. They are another team that have a different driver pairing with Nico Hulkenburg joining this year alongside Jolyon Palmer now in his second season with the team. For Hulkenburg he is believed to be the best talent on the grid without ever getting a top team drive. With him getting older each year he perhaps sees this as his best chance at making it big with Renaults potential if they get it right. I’ve always considered Hulkenburg a talent and confused as to why he hasn’t had a big drive but for his talent you’d hope under this team we finally see it shine. For Palmer this season is his second chance to prove he has talent to make it in the sport. The first season was basically not worth anything with all the change late on before last season started. You can imagine Palmer will be hugely motivated to make an impression this year with more time to get the car right and a decent budget the team can maybe look for a decent finish this year to look forward. For Renault everyone knows what they are capable when they get it right but as I mentioned earlier they’ll need to look at this season as just to progress up the grid and solidify their place in the sport.

Predictions: 

Now this is difficult but let’s give it a go. In the twenty races we have this there could be a lot happening or it could be the status quo. In terms of teams I predict that Mercedes will win 11 races Red Bull will win 6 races and Ferrari 3 with Mercedes winning the Constructers by 30-20 points. For drivers I predict that Lewis Hamilton will win  8 races and his teammate Valtteri Bottas will win 3 races. For Red Bull Max Verstappen will win 4 races and Daniel Riccardo will win 2. For Ferrari Sébastian Vettel will win their races but Kimi Raikkonen will win none. For the Drivers Championship my pick for this year is Lewis Hamilton. I think he’ll be in a kind of battle until after the summer break and then he’ll seal it four or three races before the seasons over.

Those are my predictions for this season and let’s hope for a good season and one to remember.

A Grand Slam party for England or Ireland’s chance to once again ruin the party 

This Saturday at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin England who are looking to do a double Grand Slam, head to Ireland in what will be a nerve racking game for the Red Rose in what could be defining game for England and Head Coach Eddie Jones. Standing in their way will be Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team who will love nothing more than to spoil an English party in their backyard. It’s a game all rugby and sports fans in both countries will watch and in this edition I’ll break down the key points.

England’s double Grand Slam a side on the verge of history: 

For England’s Red Roses this is a game that could put them into sporting history. Victory for England will make them the first side in the Six Nations era to win double Grand Slams which would be a remarkable achievement from what England have come through in the last eighteen months under Coach Eddie Jones. Jones from Australia has completely revitalised an England side that was at the lowest it had ever been following an early exit in the World Cup at the group stages. Since taking over Jones has transformed England into one the best teams in the sport with one Grand Slam already and multiple victories over Australia and South Africa, he has made Billy Vunipola the bulldozer he should be, and has turned Owen Farrell into an undroppable player when people (including me) were asking questions of him. Jones has also turned Dylan Hartley and James Haskell into core members of the team when they were both like a dirty secret to previous regimes. If England and Jones can deliver another Grand Slam on Saturday in Dublin then it makes England strong favourites for the World Cup in 2019 but most importantly it puts them on par with New Zealand which will ask a lot of questions for all Rugby Union fans.

Ireland a team with nothing to play for but nothing to lose: 

Going into this game with two defeats you’d think Ireland couldn’t care what the result was but oh how wrong you would be. For Ireland this game falls on St Patrick’s weekend the biggest holiday in all of Ireland; a time for nostalgia and looking back at how Ireland is pretty much liked in the world compared to England. With England coming in under the pressure of the Grand Slam and passing New Zealand’s 18 match unbeaten run which Ireland if I remind you ended. For Ireland nothing would be better than ruining England’s party and sticking it the English once more. So that even if England they do lift the trophy they’ll lift it with smudge on their face. In terms of key players Jonny Sexton is vital to Ireland’s game along with Keith Earls and Rob Kearney. Ireland will want to make it tough for England to get the ball out quickly and Captain Rory Best and Coach Joe Schmidt will be working on that to ensure England get frustrated.

Verdict Ireland 21-31 England:

I’m going for this because I’ve seen England win matches when they aren’t at their best and with the backs they’ve got you wouldn’t bet against them. Ireland will cause them loads of problems but you can’t bet against England right now. I hope for a really pulsating game to end what has been a great championship this year.

A fight with so much intrigue and so much on the line 

This Saturday at the 02 Arena David Haye and Tony Bellew will meet in a Heavyweight grudge match that has gripped the fight game and the nation. This fight has been building for nearly a year and there is so much fascination to it that will all have us glued witn the first bell ring this Saturday.

Why this fight is worth watching 

With Bellew (WBC Cruiserweight champion) stepping up to fight Haye some will wonder why is this fight so intriguing to many fight fans then let me tell you why.

This fight is worth watching because over the last year a heated rivalry has bee flaring up between these two from Bellew winning his title in front of home faithful at Goodison Park (home of his team Everton) to his first defence when after beating Haye’s friend BJ Flores he came through the ropes and jumped out of the ring and taunted Haye who was doing work for Sky TV. Things then got heated after the fight was made official when they came face to face at a Press Conference and afterwards at the face off Haye went up in his face and Bellew pushed him back and Haye threw a shot which just missed. The seed for this also stems back to a sparring session they had years ago when Haye was just starting and Bellew was still an amateur, Bellew claims he got the better of him in that session to which Haye will say different.

Another reason to watch this is that it’s another grudge that the sport of boxing delivers us. We have seen many over the years but they always seem special when it’s an all British affair and with these two there is definitely no love lost at all, you wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t shake hands afterwards because of the dislike between one another.

Antoher reason to watch this is these two are ferocious punchers and their fights tend to end early. They don’t tend to go beyond the sixth round a lot and have rarely been the distance. Haye can knock anyone out with his right hand and Bellew carries a devastating left hook, so if you like knockouts this is definitely the fight for you.

Why Bellew has to win: 

When you look at a big fight you have to look and see why both need to win.

When you look at Tony (The Bomber) Bellew and the reason he has to win it’s simple he has to back up what he has said. For Bellew he has talked the talk and now has to walk the walk. Bellew from Liverpool has worked incredibly hard throughout his career for this moment, after beginning his career at Light-Heavyweight and having failed at two attempts at a world title he finally won it against Illunga Mukabu at Goodison Park (as I mentioned earlier) and right from the off he’s stated his desire for Davd Haye and has been on about it non-stop. A big reason he has to win is because he needs to back up his reasons for calling Haye out for a year and not be known as the guy who called for a fight and then lost. Most people would say Bellew has less to lose because he can go back down to Cruiserweight and defend his title and unify down there but knowing Bellew he’ll want to win this badly and yet let everyone know against the odds he won it. Under trainer Dave Coldwell Bellew has improved a lot since they linked up in 2014 and Coldwell who used to work Haye’s team alongside his old trainer Adam Booth so he’ll know how Haye works and thinks which could be big plus for Bellew or his biggest downfall. There are many reasons why Bellew has to win but you’d say his biggest reason is to prove he belongs amongst Britain’s best right now.

Why Haye has to win: 

For David (Hayemaker) Haye this is his biggest fight for five years since he fought Dereck Chisora and he’ll really want to win this if wants more big fights in the future.

As someone who has followed David Haye for 9 years and been a fan for a long time this his big fight since his comeback last year after a three year layoff. Haye posses freakish power and explosiveness with his punches and his fights don’t tend to go on for long. Haye has always been one of Britain’s best fighters of the last years and always been a big draw to hardcore’s and casuals, he unified the Cruiserweight division in 2008 after stopping Enzo Maccrinelli in two rounds in what was another domestic dust up Haye set his eyes in the Heavyweight division and within a year he beat then champion Nikolai Valuev in a decision victory which surprised a lot of people due to Valuev’s size but Haye found a way to win. Haye has alway lived off big fights and thrived under big occasions, one of the reasons he has to win is due to his desire to become Heavyweight Champion again and hopefully meet the winner of Joshua-Klitschko later this year he’d prefer Joshua perhaps due to the all Brithsh dust-up. Haye also has to win to prove any doubters wrong about his ability to still fight amongst the big names and be the big name again among the other heavyweights. Among the many reasons Haye has to win you could say is that he wants to win another grudge match and prove that he’s the king of hill amongst our fighters having loads of big fights against fellow countrymen this is arguably his big challenge and one he must prevail in to prove all the doubters wrong once and for all.

How I see the fight going and Verdict: 

I don’t see this fight going long especially with their punch power and explosiveness. I can see ways both can win and at times it’s been a hard to predict. I’m going with my head and say Haye wins by KO inbetween the 4-6th rounds because he is the more accurate puncher and better boxer but wouldn’t be surprised if Bellew lands big and rocks him. But as I said I’m sticking to my verdict and going for a Haye victory.

Rugby’s most pulsating rivalry with so much on the line  

This Saturday in the Principality Stadium (formerly Millennium Stadium) will see the two best sides in the Rugby Northern Hemisphere collide in the Six Nations In the second weekend of the championship in what is always an encounter that all Rugby neutrals watch.

England’s Grand Slam mission: 

England the current Grand Slam champions and undefeated for the last year head to Cardiff coming off a very gritty win against France which coach Eddie Jones will privately admit wasn’t their best performance. England haven’t had luck on the injury front with the Vunipola brothers Billy and Mako both out injured as well as Chris Robshaw and George Kruise, but in the midst of that England and Jones have still managed to win and still look great so that’ll be an encouraging sign to fans that England aren’t reliable on certain players. What England will want in this game is to up the tempo which was at times against France slow and lethargic until Danny Care replaced Ben Youngs in the second half, England will need to have a strong mentality especially when the Welsh crowd sing their anthem Land of my Fathers they’ll also need to face up to Wales physically as well with Wales known over the last few years for their physicality. For England a win in Cardiff convincingly would help bring more confidence to the squad and the rest of the teams would take notice if Jones’s team can win but not look bad doing then it will set a precedent for the rest of the tournament. The key players for England and Jones will most likely be Dylan Hartley (Captain), Maro Itoje, Nathan Hughes, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, George Ford and Elliot Daly. If these guys can all kick in the big game then the Welsh will have a lot to fear in their backyard.

Wales big game that they don’t want to lose: 

For Wales a nation built on the sport of rugby, this is the game that every Welsh rugby fan waits for on the calendar. The Wales team is a bit different this year with coach Warren Gatland taking a year away from the team to focus on his British & Irish Lions duties this year with Rob Howley once again taking the reigns temporarily.  One thing that Howley has changed is his captain after a few years in the job Sam Warburton hands over to Alun Wyn Jones who has been a regular in the team for years so he ain’t a new guy who has to get to know the team. In their last game Wales struggled in the first half against Italy and it could have been worse had it not been for the boot of Leigh Halfpenny, it wasn’t until the second half when Wales came alive but that was after Italy went down to 14 men so Wales had the advantage and took it as they ran the tries through but struggling until Italy went down to 14 men will have questions being asked about whether they can beat a 15 man team but we’ll see. The key players for the Welsh side will be George North, Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb. If these players can be on their game then England will be in for a hard one in Cardiff which isn’t an easy place to go for any side.

Who nees to win more?  

In terms of who needs to win this game more it’s a near hard one to argue but we can try and answer this. If you look at it from Wales perspective ending the old rivals unbeaten run would put a marker down for the tournament and send a few shockwaves through the Rugby world and with England also chasing the New Zealand record of 18 straight wins whilst on 15 wins. For Wales they’ll also want to cement their championship credentials and what better then a win over the old enemy.

For England a win would be another huge step for them in terms of building more belief that a second Grand Slam can be achieved. Coach Eddie Jones will want this a lot as he has been using his words to get under the Welsh camps skin so a win will make him think that his words worked. England have been on a wave of momentum since winning the Grand Slam last year and dominating every team in their path since. England will also have a point to prove that they can do what the best teams do by winning big in a rivals back yard which would put a marker down for the the rest of the championship.

The Verdict:  

In terms of how I see this game because it’s in Wales I can picture the Welsh side coming out the quicker side in the first 25 minutes but after that I can only forsee an England domination but Wales will hold strong. I see this being a close game but I’m going for an England victory.

Wales 17-26 England

The Ups and Downs of one crazy season.   

It started in Melbourne (Australia) and ended in Abu Dubai. This season is one of the most fascinating and craziest I’ve seen in my 16 years being an F1 fan, it witnessed a title fight till the end, a new star emerging, a few disappointments and new powers taking over. In this edition I will review the ups and down of one nerve wracking season for us all.

The downs:  

Disapointing Ferrari:

Where to start. When I wrote my season preview back in March I bigged the Scuderia up hugely and expect them to be the main challengers to Mercedes after a great 2015 season only to be left hugely disappointed. This season drivers Sebastián Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have underperformed massively and at times looked like they didn’t want to be there. Ferrari looked knowhere near the times of Mercedes and even slipped under a resurgent Red Bull team, TBF (to be fair) to the red team they did achieve some podiums and at times looked competitive but when you are expected to be the main challengers to the Merc’s you have to deliver no matter what. The odd thing about Ferrari this season was giving Kimi Raikkonen another new one year contract when like many other Petrolheads expected them to go after guys like Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez only to hand Kimi another go but I’ll give Kimi credit at times he has done well and been on par with Vettel and been close to him in the championship so if he continues this then he deserves a crack. On Vettel what can you say. I expected him to challenge Lewis Hamilton and do for Ferrari what my hero Michael Schumacher did but to no avail this season. Vettel spent more of this season whingieng and swearing on team radio when things weren’t going his way in a race which left a sour taste in fans mouths. If Vettel wants to be champion again he needs to look at what his hero Schumacher did for the Scuderia and not presume that it will all be there for him but I doubt that’ll happen, at times Vettel has looked competitive but never enough to believe that he’d win the race which wasn’t surprising. Looking back at Vettel this season he needs a serious attitude change if he wants to win at Ferrari and spend less time telling Race director Charlie Whiting to F*** Off, if he wants to emulate Schumacher he needs to start treating people with a bit more respect in interviews and not act like a spoiled brat but that is only my view. For Ferrari to want success again next season they’ll need to be clear to Kimi and Vettel of what they expect at this team and need more authority figures at the team and maybe bring back a certain Ross Brawn if they want the success I grew up watching.

McLaren and Williams two titans underperforming:

From Ferrari to two phenomenal teams who badly underperformed this season and really need to get their act together for next season. When you think of McLaren and Willams you think of success, greatness and Championships but that has been the absolute opposite this season.

To start with I’ll begin with McLaren. When this season began I also mentioned that this had to be the year that the team based in Woking had to show signs of progress to make fans and viewers believe they were on the way back to the top and this season they at times showed signs but still lag far behind the others. Whe you have two world champion drivers in Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button you’d expect better from McLaren but again they could only do well as fifth and sixth place finishes which just isn’t good enough for fans, team personnel and the sport. Another thing you have to start questioning is Honda the great engine manufacturer who returned after years of absence but are really behind the likes of Mercedes and Renault in terms of how they have developed their engine, when you hear that noise it still sounds like an engine that still hasn’t adapted to the hybrid regulations which is astonishing for one of the greatest manufacturers of all time. Honda over the winter really need to get their act together as long as they have this works deal with McLaren because the hierarchy at both McLaren and Honda will start questioning why they are working with each other and might sever ties sooner rather than later. In terms of the drivers Button and Alonso at times did better than last season and managed more points but again looked nowhere near like challenging the big boys at the front and racing against Toro Rosso and Force India drivers who lets be fair shouldn’t be mixing it with two world champions but are because of how the car has been and the lack of competiveness in it. Alonso has one more year left on his deal and at 35 will want signs of an improved engine otherwise he might wonder why the hell he even returned to the team. For Jenson Button this will be his last season after 16 years in the sport. Button announced at Monza that he would be taking a year sabitical to make way for young team driver Stoffel Vandoroom who socred points at his first race in Bahrain which perhaps made the team hierarchy move fast. I’ll miss Button a lot and will further address his career in a later edition but the way his last season went it will perhaps be one he won’t look back on with great fondness, he had some good races but always lagged behind Alonso and at times looked demotivated perhaps why he wanted a break. In another point of McLaren’s crazy season we saw a power struggle behind the scenes which saw long term Chairman and Team Principal Ron Dennis removed in pretty spectacular fashion. There had been rumours for a while that Dennis had fallen out with long time business partner Mansour Ojjeih and had been looking for a while to buy his share back while also trying buy the majority stake hold of the Bahrainian sovereign fund but this didn’t end well for Dennis. After getting together a Chinese consortium to bid £1.5bn the bid was rejected and the powers that be tried to put Dennis on gardening leave or relinquish his position as Chairman, in the end after a high court bid was rejected Dennis decided to step down but still retained his stakehold and is still on the board but rumours are that he is stil plotting more legal action and could go for unfair dismissal which could get ugly for the team so watch this space.

Now on to Williams. For the Grove based team I had slightly bigger expectations this year mainly due to how highly I rate Valtteri Bottas and believe he can be a world champion in the future. This year Williams really went backwards, some say that was due to Red Bull’s resurgence but with two top drivers in Bottas and Felipe Massa you would expect better, in races the best place that Williams cars could finish was outside the top four the only podium they managed was Bottas in Canada which after the last two seasons was underwhelming for the team. Deputy team Principal Claire Williams (daughter of team founder Sir Frank Williams) has always said that with the team’s budget they operate on they can’t constantly compete with the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari who have huge budgets to operate with so already the team is at slight disadvantage. Some big news to come out of Williams this year was that after fourteen years in the sport Felipe Massa was to retire which wasn’t a huge surprise, his replacement was announced as 18 year old Canadian driver Lance Stroll (son of billionaire Lawrence Stroll) it was also revealed that he will bring around £20-30m of sponsorship money on board which might be seen as what Williams need to compete with the bigger teams but my hope is that he’s talented and will prove it next season. As for Bottas he 100% needs to improve next year otherwise he might never win and he might not get a big team looking at him unless he shows more signs of the driver that has impressed me and fans all over.

TV Coverage (Mainly Sky):

Throughtout this season one thing I have been frustrated with was Sky’s coverage this year. I barely watched Channel 4 so I can’t really comment on that but with Sky when big moments happened especially with Hamilton and Rosberg when interviewing Toto Wolf and Niki Lauda they didn’t seem to have the nerve to ask the questions that fans wanted asking. Through many conversations I’d have with my dad he would be the more frustrated of the two of us because he just couldn’t understand why they would back off when we wanted questions. Two people that would normally frustrate people would be Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert. Hill most times would be seen to be fence sitting which didn’t sit well with me, when something big happened that seemed to be someone’s fault. Hill most of the time didn’t take sides not that I’d want to him to be biased to someone but when another driver was clearly in the wrong he just seemed to not say it. One issue that I wanted addressing was why Mercedes switched Lewis Hamilton’s mechanics to Nico Rosberg and Rosberg’s to Lewis, out of the many interviews they had with Wolf they barely mentioned it which I thought was crazy. On a positive side of things I still think Martin Brundle does a good job and continues to share his incredible insight into the sport and it would be terrible if Sky thought he was expendable. Simon Lazenby still does a good job as the main presenter plus Anthony Davidson is brilliant with the Sky pad and showing the time differences in a lap and making sure you understand how a vehicle works. Paul Di Resta has been a good addition at times bringing a modern knowledge of the cars to our screens, maybe when he retires from racing altogether there’ll be a job for him at Sky.

The Ups:

Max Verstappen What a year: 

 When I think of the one single standout thing this year it has to be one man or should I say young man and his name is Max Verstappen. In the preview I did earlier this year I talked about how after a spectacular first year Verstappen needed to raise his game and start doing things his car wasn’t capable of, little did I know that two months after I wrote this he would be driving a Red Bull and winning his first race for them in Spain. Every time I see him about to line up someone for an overtake I’m just in awe of this guy, at only 19 years young Verstappen just takes all of our breath away with just how fearless he is inside a race car and this year he has been more daring then ever. When it was announced after the Russian GP that he would be replacing Daniil Kvyat and Kvyat would go back to Toro Rosso the first thoughts at the times especially from me were thinking that Red Bull and Christian Horner had made a terrible mistake and it could ruin the young Dutchman. But boy were we all proved wrong. At the Spanish GP after the two Mercedes had taken each other out and teammate Daniel Riccardo had messed up the strategy Verstappen held off Kimi Raikkonen who had fresher tyres for around 40 laps to win his first GP and on his Red Bull debut. Since then Verstappen has proved to everyone including me that 100% he’ll be world champion and an exciting one. His moves past Nico Rosberg at Silverstone and his breathtaking drive in the wet at the Brazilian GP to claim third place having been down in fourteenth at one point was just absolutely spellbinding. What I’ve liked a lot about Max Verstappen this year is his carefree attitude when whinge bags like Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel have moaned and complained about his way of driving he hasn’t cared one bit about what they think and express it in post race interviews. I have throughly enjoyed watching Max Verstappen this year and next season will only get me more excited at the thought of what this young driver could do if he’s in a world title hunt next especially against Lewis Hamilton oh boy wouldn’t we all want that.

Force India: 

This one might be a bit of a surprise to you but i thought I would include it because I have been very impressed with this team this year. For the last few years now Force India have been on the outside in terms of racing with the big boys due to a small budget but that didn’t stop them this year as they clinched fourth in the Constructers championship for the first time in their history since they became a team eight years ago. Formally the Jordan team who are still based at the same Silverstone headquarters of there predecessors the team who are owned by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and run by team principal Bob Fernley and designer Andrew Green have slowly climbed the ladder and are that small team that any racing neutral would root for if they had a chance to win a race. With drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenburg Force India had a stellar year with Hulkenburg getting big points and Perez getting on the podium twice which is a huge boost for him after being dumped by McLaren three years ago after being deemed reckless and would never learn he has definitely come a long way since then. During the mid-season when Ferrari announced Raikkonen’s extension a lot of people were surprised that Perez hadn’t even been looked at after his great performances over the years. In that time he has learned more about tyre management and fuel saving which you wouldn’t have thought would happen three years ago but hey we can all learn something every day. For Hulkenburg some would say that it was another underrated year for the German driver whilst fellow countrymen Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel were at the front of the grid and racing for the lead Hulkenburg was coming outside the top 5 and later on in the season stunned a lot of people by announcing that he would be leaving Force India to go and join the works Renault team which even surprised me but I did understand it. What this didn’t stop was Hulkenburg helping out his team to get a 4th place finish ahead and Williams which will secure the team a bit more prize money to operate with in their budget for next season which I think is great for them.

Title fght till the end: 

One positive this season was a great title fight till the last race of the season in Abu Dhbai. A great season IMO is when you get to the last race and you don’t know who’ll be champion when it’s over. This seasons title fight was once again between Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and boy was it enthralling, at one point you thought it wa going to be an easy ride for Rosbeg then Hamilton came back, then had a few bad races and then Rosberg took it back. This kind of fight will draw any kind of sports fan in including new ones, every great title fight is one that goes the long distance and keeps us glued to our TV and that’s what we got this year. Other factors in this were the two incidents between Hamilton and Rosberg in Spain and Austria plus the backstory of them knowing each other since they were kids, all that roles Into a title War and you are hooked. Even at the last race in Abu Dhbai I had scenarios in which Hamilton won or if Nico encountered problems or got stuck behind someone for ages. As a fan this is what I wanted and enjoy as a wannabe Journalist and fan and if this continues next season wiith more drivers added Formula One will be more watched next season.

Looking forward to next season: 

As I finish this I’ll be pumped for next season when it all begins again in March at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. A few things I’ll look forward to is the new rule change which will focus more on aerodynamics which could put Red Bull back at the front with the technical genius of Adrian Newey at the helm. Ferrari could suddenly rise again after an underwhelming season with the rule change with a talent like Vettel we could see the Scuderia on the top step again who knows. Another thing to look forward to is whether Lewis Hamilton can rise from the ashes and reclaim his title, Hamilton will be fiercely competitive next season and will want a fourth title to further validate himself as an all time great and a ultra competitive Hamilton is the worst enemy you can face. One of the last things I’m looking forward to is whether Max Verstappen can win more races and challenge for the championship which would have all fans drooling. I’ve already stated how big of a fan I am of Verstappen but the thought of  him in a title battle with drivers like Hamilton and Vettel will have my eyes on my TV, I think he’s ready for a title push and he is attracting new fans to the sport and is great to market and has an inner steel in him that people like me are in awe of. The last thing I’m looking forward to is the new season as a whole. Nothing for a Petrolhead beats the buzz of that first race week and reading loads of previews and exclusives in newspapers and magazines when the new season is on the horizon. By then winter testing is done and we start getting an idea of who looks good and who are the front runners and with that I look forward to previewing the new season when we get close to it and watching all the races.

Duel in the Desert 2:  

Today at the Abu Dubai Grand Prix in the Yas Marinas circuit the Formula One World Championship of 2016 will come down to two drivers with only twelve points the dividing them. Both drive for Mercedes and that’s what makes it spicy.

Hamilton and Rosberg year long fight:  

Throughtout this year this title fight has been between reigning champion Lewis Hamilton and potential champion Nico Rosberg who both drive for Mercedes and have dominated and wrapped up the Constructers Championship so the only thing left is the drivers championship which will be decided soon. This tussle hasn’t been without incidents with both having a few Senna-Prost moments, including taking each other out at the Spanish GP and colliding at Austria in the final lap and a few near incidents. Some will say Rosbeg has had it easier with him having less trouble with his car and engine like Lewis has this year which enabled him to build a big lead into the early half of the season but Lewis came back and by the summer break looked comfortable but again some unfortunate starts and engine issues especially the engine blow out in Malaysia put the title back in Rosberg’s hands. As we head into the final race you can’t predict what will go down fans will be wondering if we’ll get something at the first corner but after all the incidents this year it would be annoying for the title to be decided this way but don’t be surprised if something crazy goes down.

Rosberg chance to make history: 

For Nico Rosberg this might be the best chance he has to make history as the second son of a champion to become champion aswell. Born in Germany but raised in Monaco, Rosberg has had racing in his blood from the start, son of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg he spent most of early childhood inside paddocks and having world champions at his house. Rosberg speaks six languages and holds a Finnish and German passport the Finnish one being because his dad is from Finalnd but chose to represent Germany some say for commercial reasons. For the last few years Rosberg has won races but never been good enough to win the big prize whilst being teammates to F1 icon and seven time champion Michael Schumacher and four time champion Lewis Hamilton Rosebrg has had to see Lewis have all the glory and agitation of being champion now it’s finally his chance and he will know that this is his best chance as Hamilton is clearly the better driver of the team if Rosberg is to triumph it’ll most likely his only one and if he blows it you can imagine the devesstation he’ll feel.

Lewis Hamilton a chance to become a British icon: 

For current champion Lewis Hamilton all he can do is win and hope for the best. Having won the last two championships Hamilton won’t be feeling the same pressure as his teammate Rosebrg but will still feel pressure. For Lewis a lot will dwel on his mind as he prepares for the race. Would he be champion if It weren’t for engine troubles, did the Malaysian GP play the biggest part. Will he one day be a four time champion. These are all questions Hamilton will be asking of himself before he gets into his race seat for the race only time will tell, he has had a bit of bad luck this year and what some might say is a double standard in terms of car quality. The major incentive for Lewis to become champion again is that if he does he’ll become the first driver from Britain to win the F1 title four times surpassing the legendary Sir Jackie Stewart’s three titles and would put him amongst our greatest ever sportsmen and a huge contender for BBC SPOTY (Sports Personality of the Year). Even if he doesn’t win tomorrow you can bet Hamilton will be champion and break that record at some point but it could be tomorrow.

Other factors that could play into this could be a safety car if there is a big crash or the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Riccardo who could play a massive factor if they are behind Rosberg for long periods. Whatever happens at Abu Dubai we’ll have a champion and we can’t wait for the final battle between these two rivals when the lights go out for the last time this season.