Go Jenson

How pleasing to see Jenson Button win the world championship today in some style showing real flair in his overtaking and real emotion in victory.

We have a nasty habit of knocking our stars and the press have been full of those talking Jenson Button down in recent weeks, but he has become World Champion with a race to spare, and he's British. Let's be proud of him.

F1 becomes a cup tie

It strikes me as odd to change Formula One from something that means the most consistently good driver ends up as champion to a lottery whereby luck now becomes more important than consistency.

Changing from the F1 champion being the one with the most points to the one with the most wins opens up the possibility of the F1 champion next year only finishing three races, winning them all, and then beating in to second place another driver who finishes all the races, wins two and comes second in all the other races. Fair ? Hardly.

It all seems a little desperate and turns what is a league based on real results over a whole season in to one of chance more akin to a cup tie in football.

Bernie Ecclestone's excuses for racists do wash with me

I'm firmly of the opinion that making excuses for racism simply panders to it and fails to address the issue. Sadly I think Bernie Eccleston's dismissal of the racism from some Spaniards to Lewis Hamilton as "a joke", misses the point and does nothing to deal with the racists, indeed it may encourage them to do more "jokes" in the future.

If Lewis Hamilton is really that popular how come so many people tell me they don't like him ?

I was a little surprised at the weekend to hear to people, both of whom would automatically be supportive of British competitors in any event, express regret at hearing that Lewis Hamilton had won the Australian Grand Prix.

When I asked them why they were anti Hamilton when they were both very supportive of him 12 months ago, they responded that he was "up his own arse" and "arrogant". Others I have spoken to since then too have expressed their total apathy towards him citing his "running away from Britain", his "lying about his reason for moving" and the fact that he seems to listen to his management too much.

There ought to be a real ground swell behind Hamilton, but aside from real Grand Prix fans, his decision to become a tax exile at the first possible moment, citing "press intrusion" as the real reason (whilst publishing an autobiography - hardly the actions of someone seeking publicity), only to later admit that it was all about avoiding paying UK tax, was a big mistake.

So I was interested today to read that Lewis Hamilton has also been criticised by Sir Jackie for refusing to support and join the Grand Prix Drivers Association, an organisation dedicated to safety in formula one. Lewis Hamilton claims he has not got time to join. I wonder if he might have the time after he has a serious accident ?

As Jackie Stewart said "I'm surprised and disappointed. He has been badly advised," he said. "It is completely wrong not to be involved."

Again, Lewis Hamilton ought to look to his advisers and ask if they are advising him wisely. He is a great talent, but he seems to be developing a really arrogant attitude.

Is it paying less tax rather than press intrusion that is causing Lewis Hamilton to quit the UK ?

Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton has announced that he is quitting the UK because of press intrusion in to his life.

He will instead reside in Switzerland, which by strange co-incidence is also a tax haven for the super rich.

I'm not sure the press are barred from entering Switzerland and I know that the European paparazzi are meant to be even worse than the British press, so I am putting two and two together and guessing that his move is more about tax than the press.

Nice to see out so called "sporting heroes" turning their backs on the country at the first opportunity.

Conspiracy Theories

My brother said to me yesterday "There is no way Lewis Hamilton will win the world championship ... someone will see to that".

He then pointed out that McLaren left him out for too long on disintegrating tyres and they then used a second set of wet weather tyres in practise on Friday which might have seen him lose grid position. Now, for my brother and all the others who like conspiracy theories, his car spluttered away from the start line and his gear box appears not to be working seeing him drop to 18th place in the Grand Prix.

Has someone at McLaren got a lot of money on Alonso to win the driver's championship ?

Mclaren Muppets cost Hamilton

Watching the Grand Prix earlier, I could see that Lewis Hamilton had a problem with his tyres. the fact that one driver unlapped himself to overtake Hamilton was a give away, so was the fact that his times suddenly dropped by about 10 seconds a lap, and the biggest sign was that his back right tyre was started to disintegrate. As Marton Brundle commented "the back right tyre is delaminating itself", yet McLaren made Hamilton stay out for another lap. And then his tyres are in such a state he cannot get round a corner to get in to the pits.

I feel sorry for Hamilton. He was relying on his team and they let him down.