OK, the dust has settled and the first Grand Prix of the new season is over. So what did we think of it? A friend of mine, who reports on these events and witnessed it live, described it as “bloody good, frankly” and pointed out that “Brazil last year and Australia this made sterling back-to-back Grands Prix”. And he suspects the status quo will be maintained in Malaysia, where he is headed right now. The Read more…

One of the major talking points in the run-up to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix has been the confusion over how the drivers’ title will be decided this year. We talked exclusively to 1996 World Champion Damon Hill about his thoughts on the proposed, but now discarded, ‘winner takes all’ system. The background Ten days before the start of the season, the FIA, the motor racing’s governing body, announced that it was ignoring a proposal Read more…

The 2009 Formula One season kicks off in Melbourne this weekend and there’s plenty of changes for the F1 fan to get their head around. Wing and a prayer First of all, there’s a raft of new rules designed to make the racing better and overtaking easier. The most obvious to the casual observer is that the cars look different. Gone are the wide, low rear wings, replaced instead by much narrower ones, mounted higher Read more…

Just a few short weeks ago, much of the UK was covered in a blanket of snow. It was very picturesque, looking out over the fields with the sun glinting off the ice. And it was peaceful, because there was not much traffic around. The main roads were free of snow, but the country lanes had to be approached with a degree of caution and when I went out in it, the traction control on Read more…

The Independent honours us At any company, in any field that you’re working in, and unless you’re this guy below, you think that your company is the best in its field and the competition can’t touch you. This tends to keep you going and be smug. But what’s even better than knowing that you’re the best? Being told by someone else that you’re really, really, really good. And we’re not talking about just anyone here, Read more…

This year’s Formula One season kick-offs this month and all of the leading teams have now revealed their 2009 challengers and it’s perhaps time to consider who is likely to deliver the goods. Remember the last lap? Well it starts up again at the end of the month! The new regulations: It’s not just a question of the regular suspects carrying on where they left off last year either, as a whole raft of new Read more…

To understand a man, you must first walk a mile in his Reebok Classics or drive a mile in his Nova/Metro or Cavalier. I’ve never done either, so just can’t understand the thoughts behind anyone who would buy, purchase or intend to own a Burberry suit. It’s not on. And quite rightly it’s going to get burned this Friday. And we’re helping. Clive Boddington is that man with the suit. Clive is an associate of Read more…

The snow season is still very much with us, and a perfect time to attempt a Skiing World Record. Pietro Simonetti, USA Editor of the Good Ski Guide and two other Good Ski Guide employees, Gideon Reeves and Karen Wilmer are going to be skiing in 10 European countries in 5 days. So what’s this got to do with cars then? Well apart from dogs, using a car is the only way to make the Read more…

So, against all odds, the Formula One team formerly known as Honda will be on the grid this season after all, renamed Brawn Grand Prix. The on-off-on saga of whether or not a buyer would be found for the team has dragged on for months, with all sorts of people, including Richard Branson, rumoured to be involved. As it’s turned out, the outcome which always seemed most likely, that of a management buy-out led by Read more…

I would love my next car to be electric. My dream car is the Tesla. When I tell people that they often assume I am in the habit of cuddling forestry, but in fact while the environment is of course an important factor, I actually think they are just really cool. Problem is, everyone I speak to seems to disagree with me. The inevitable reply is “Yeah, but …”. What is stopping the electric from Read more…