BLOGMAS DAY 6: CARLOS IS ON THE MOVE

If you follow me on Twitter, you're probably wondering "where are the Carlos Sainz posts?!" Well, fret no more! Day 6 is Chili Day!

When Daniel Ricciardo announced he was leaving Red Bull, I thought my dream was coming true. My favourite driver; Carlos Sainz, driving for my favourite team; Red Bull Racing. A partnership I always wanted. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Instead the Spaniard signed with McLaren for 2019 whereas Red Bull snapped up Frenchman; Pierre Gasly. It was at this point I knew that next year I'd have to take out a vodka subscription.

I first started supporting Carlos in 2012 during his Formula 3 years. He was from a rallying background and preferred single seaters, I was from a rallying background and preferred single seaters. It was from then on I found myself supporting him throughout the years, Formula 3, GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5. You can imagine my excitement when he was finally announced as a Formula One driver for the 2015 season, taking up a permanent residence in the Toro Rosso alongside Dutchman; Max Verstappen.

Sainz's time at Toro Rosso was a good one. The Spaniard was consistent and matched his teammate throughout the years they were partnered together. But when Verstappen was promoted to the main Red Bull team over Sainz, I was disappointed. Not surprised. Just disappointed.

Finally, mid-2017, Sainz got called up to a more established team. This time in the form of Renault. He was partnered with Nico Hulkenberg and just like with his previous teammate, Sainz matched him from the get-go. And this was despite many people stating that the Spaniard was underwhelming in 2018. Something I 100% fail to agree with.

This leads me to now. It's the end of 2018 and Carlos has kissed goodbye to Renault and started his duties with McLaren.

In recent years, McLaren have struggled. It's no lie nor secret. Their time with the Honda engine had been disastrous and things haven't been much better since switching to Renault power.

I worry for Carlos. With a car that under-performs, a less reliable engine and a more than half decent teammate; Lando Norris; Sainz needs to do something special in this upcoming season. When it comes to dropping drivers, McLaren can be just as savage as Red Bull. Just ask old McLaren "stars" Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Luckily for Magnussen it's all worked out well. As for Vandoorne? We'll soon see.

As biased as I seem, Sainz should be at Red Bull for 2019 but due to his history with Verstappen, this is impossible. So here we are. McLaren Renault. 2019.

Things may turn out ok. 2019 see's the introductions of new rules and regulations as well as technical regulations. The cars will be very different compared to the ones as of late. Who knows, McLaren could become champions in 2019. Carlos will outshine Norris and Red Bull will regret letting him go. Until then we wait. Testing is soon and we can get an idea then. Stay optimistic kids!

BLOGMAS DAY 5: READY, STEADY, LECLERC

Day 5 of Blogmas and I am yet to give up!

With the news that Kimi Raikkonen would be replaced at Ferrari from next season by young Monegasque; Charles Leclerc, I started thinking. Again.

My initial reaction was not a good one. Career suicide, comes to mind. At only 21 years of age, with only one years of Formula One experience under his belt, I believed this was not a good move for the Ferrari prodigy.

Born on 16th October 1997, Charles has been a racing superstar from an early age. A good friend of the late Jules Bianchi, Leclerc won his first karting championship in his first year of competitive kart racing. In 2010, he went onto win the prestigious "Junior Monaco Kart Cup," just like many Formula One drivers before him. The future was looking bright.

2014 and the rising superstar got his first taste of single seaters, by racing in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship, in which he eventually finished as runner up. Since then he has participated in series such as Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the world renowned race; Macau GP.

In 2016, Leclerc made his official GP3 debut with ART. After claiming three victories that season, he took the title in the final round in Abu Dhabi. The first title in his single seater career.

2017 arrived and the Monegasque moved onto Formula 2. A season which outlined Leclerc as the real deal. For example, round one, Bahrain, Sprint race. An unusual decision by his then team; Prema Racing, to pit Leclerc mid race. Something which is almost unheard of in a sprint race. Ultimately, dropping him down to 14th. No other cars were to pit and with that Leclerc had work to do. However, this didn't stop the then 19 year old and with fresher tyres he overtook the field, taking the chequered flag in 1st. A stand out performance. One we are yet to forget.

And then, there's his move to Formula 1. Confirmed in December 2017, Leclerc would race against Swede; Marcus Ericsson.

In recent years Sauber have been no where. Very little points had been scored and the team's drivers making very little impact on the championship standings. Until Charles Leclerc came along, that is. With frequent Q3 appearances and point finishes, Sauber were starting to bounce back. A sixth place finish in Azerbaijan, Leclerc's best of the season, started to turn people's heads and the rumours began. Could this kid really drive for Ferrari next season? You betch ya!

I, myself, am a big advocate when it comes to experience in Formula One. Look at Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll, for example. A jump straight from Formula 3 to Formula 1, isn't ideal. Drivers need the experience. Formula Two should be mandatory. You have to work hard to achieve your dreams, not everything is handed to one on a silver platter. Something is special about Verstappen though. Stroll; not so much. Both, I believe, could have found a trip to Formula 2 to be very handy indeed. But it is how it is.

Right now you're telling me that Leclerc did Formula 2. I know. But, in this case, an extra year in a midfield team such as Haas would most likely make the youngster's skills even more pristine.

But, you know what? The second half of the season changed my mind. Leclerc doesn't need that extra year near the bottom. He overtook a Red Bull in a Sauber at Abu Dhabi. If anything, this has taught me that experience isn't everything, if you have the talent. Being thrown in at the deep end will make Leclerc. Having 4x World Champion; Sebastian Vettel has is teammate will make Leclerc. Ferrari will most definitely be the making of Leclerc. 2019 Formula One World Champion at 22 years old? Watch this space!

BLOGMAS DAY 4: VERSTAPPEN VS OCON

Here we are again. Day 4 out of 23. And, today's post, I think, is pretty intriguing.

Let's travel back in time. Only slightly. To Sunday 11th November 2018. This was the day of the penultimate race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix. A race that was full of action, surprise and the "odd" controversy, eventually won by Brit and 2018 World Champion; Lewis Hamilton, was one of the most entertaining and gripping races of the season. It was also where Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Point Force India's Esteban Ocon resumed their Formula 3 rivalry. A clash between the two on lap 43 became the main talking point of the race. But, who was to blame for the incident? And, was Verstappen's behavior post race acceptable?

Lap 42 ends and lap 43 begins. Verstappen, who is leading, laps back marker Ocon on the start/finish straight. Both cars go into the Senna Esses almost side by side. Ocon makes a lunge to try and unlap himself but catches Verstappen in the process, sending them both into a spin. Hamilton then arrives on the scene, snatching the lead from the Red Bull driver. The rest is history.

Ultimately, Esteban Ocon was penalised for this incident. Unsurprisingly. But after reading tweets and other blog posts after the incident, I can't help but notice that many people are disregarding the fact that a lapped driver has every right to lunge in and unlap himself. What Ocon did was not wrong. It was how he executed the move in which got him stuck in hot, hot water.

I'm quite curious really. The start/finish straight has Drag Reduction System (DRS) and then the straight immediately after the Senna Esses also has DRS. Why did Ocon choose to make his move in the place that he did? The risk of a collision there is high, especially when it's unlapping yourself from the leader. Common sense would tell you wait and in that moment the Frenchman was lacking in it. Being quoted as "my team told me to do it."

I think, if the situation didn't involve a backmarker and the race leader, it would have been looked at in different light and classed as a racing incident. As Senna himself once said; "If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver." A quote that defines racing for me. And, in defense of Ocon, whether you have been lapped or not, you are still racing. So, I understand why he tried that move. It just baffles me as to why he didn't wait. At the end of the day, drivers should have respect and courtesy for one another. Something that didn't seem to exist here. Possibly due to their Formula 3 days.

As for Verstappen, could he have given Ocon room to pass? That's a difficult one. The Senna Esses are tight and overtaking can be limited; not to even mention a possible blind spot.

I think, in normal circumstances, this would have been classed as a racing incident. But, because it included the race leader and a backmarker, something had to be done. It's similar to how a backmarker gets penalised for ignoring blue flags. In this case, all the factors were pointing towards Ocon as the guilty party.

But what about Verstappen's behaviour post race? Was there any need to physically "attack" Ocon?

I get Verstappen's frustration. He could have won. But he didn't. That's life.

I'm conflicted here though. Verstappen should not have lashed out like he did. A quiet word in private? Yes. A shove? No. It just doesn't look good. All the drivers are there for the same reason after all. However, can you blame Verstappen for lashing out when Ocon stands there smirking over the incident?

Overall, point is, Ocon WAS to blame for the clash, in some regards and Verstappen shouldn't have reacted how he did.