Formula 1 - 2012 season
and a fired-up Kimi.
Can you say fired-up and Kimi in the same sentence 
You sure can, in this context:
Despite having a 2012 contract with Caterham (formerly Lotus), Jarno Trulli will not be driving for the team this season - his drive has been taken by Vitaly Petrov, formerly of Renault (now Lotus) team. It seems the Russian's money is more than enough to buy Trulli out of his contract and have some dosh left over. More info here.
I found out via Rubens Barichello's reaction on Twitter:
"Sad to see that Trulli won't be on the 2012 grid...money is dominating everything"
Contracts don't appear to mean very much in Formula 1. Can't say I'm sorry to see him go, if I'm honest, his best years were firmly in the past, and even then he was a one lap wonder, mobile chicane sort of driver - apparently teams used to plan strategies on the off chance that they were stuck behind him!!
I do, however, feel sorry for the way he's been unceremoniously dumped out of F1, that's just not right.
Trulli's F1 career has been/was something of an enigma.
As a kart-racer, he was the best in the world and won everything going as a junior. Then as an official works (ie pro/paid) TonyKart factory team driver, he was a multiple world champ in 125cc gearbox and Formula A/Super A (100cc fixed-gear).
He then bypassed the trad 'learner' single-seater formulae - eg Formula Renault or Formula Ford - and went straight from karts into Formula 3, and won the title in his debut season, which was very unusual.
Then after just one season in F3, he was testing in Formula 1. From karts to F3, to F1 within one year - it was unheard of and, to date, never repeated.
During his debut F1 season, with Prost GP, he had plenty of decent races - and was on the verge of winning the Austrian GP, on merit, until his engine expired. Promising stuff, a 'star in the making', similar to Prost and Senna et al.
Bu then after a few seasons in lacklustre Jordans and Benettons/Renaults, he seemed to stagnate, never to recover. Odd, very odd 
About time we got rid of a few others Schumacher, Massa and Kovalainen for starters.
About time we got rid of a few others Schumacher, Massa and Kovalainen for starters.
And I've just found out that there'll be no Italian drivers in F1* for the first time since 1970.
*apart from the odd reserve driver... but they don't count.
About time we got rid of a few others Schumacher, Massa and Kovalainen for starters.
*apart from the odd reserve driver... but they don't count.
Does Paul di Resta count?
Of course, if when he gets into a decent car and starts winning, he'll be described as 'British driver Paul di Resta' but if he remains in the mid-field or starts making on-track errors, he'll be known as 'Italian-Scot Paul di Resta' 
Heikki's not one I'd get rid of.
Heikki's not one I'd get rid of.
He had his chance at McLaren the other season and didn't take it. Time to move on.
Heikki's not one I'd get rid of.
He had his chance at McLaren ... and didn't take it. Time to move on.
Or perhaps Kovalainen's a sensitive soul who didn't perform at his best because he felt like an outsider in the McLaren/Hamilton marriage?
After all, the same deep-rooted, and long-standing, McLaren/Hamilton relationship ultimately rattled/unsettled Alonso.
It's a different story re Button/Hamilton/McLaren, because there's a long-standing friendship/respect between the Buttons and the Hamiltons - Rocket Motorsport (aka John Button) supplied its specialist prepared/tuned engines gratis when Hamilton raced Cadet karts (8-year-old's category), which was a big deal for the then-inexperienced and under-funded Hamilton father and son team.
Have to confess I like Kovalainen, he's a personable chap, but I don't think he's got the last 1% needed to be a great F1 driver. That said, I didn't think Button had it until 2009 either - I thought he was a waste of a race seat - but he's well and truly proved me wrong and rubbed my face in it. So what do I know?!!
...That said, I didn't think Button had it until 2009 either - I thought he was a waste of a race seat - but he's well and truly proved me wrong and rubbed my face in it. So what do I know?!!
Never undersetimate the effect that driving for a Flavio Briatore-run team - ie, Benetton/Renault - had on a driver's self-esteem/psyche and, in turn, their performance.
A coincidence maybe, but it's curious that 'nice guys' didn't flourish at Briatore-run Benetton/Renault - just ask Johnny Herbert, Roberto Moreno, JJ Lehto, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Martin Brundle, and Jenson Button.
In other, more technical news, Sky today confirmed its HD coverage will be backed by a Dolby 5.1 sound feed 
In other, more technical news, Sky today confirmed its HD coverage will be backed by a Dolby 5.1 sound feed
Ooooh 
and a fired-up Kimi.
Can you say fired-up and Kimi in the same sentence