Turkish delight

Went round to one of my best mate's house on Sunday to watch the Turkish Grand Prix, and what a race it was.

Turkey has one of the best circuits in the world, with lots of overtaking opportunities, the longest, hardest right handed turn in the business and some truly vicious corners. Lewis Hamilton acquitted himself well, with a classic overtake on Massa and hard driving all the way. His second place was the best he could have hoped for given Ferrari have a faster car and he can be proud of his race.

But it made me miss the good old days when teams were allowed more leeway in design and tyres. Today's Formula One cars are so tightly controlled it takes a lot of the fun out of it. Ken Tyrrell just wouldn't be allowed to produce the P34 six wheeler these days and the lack of slick tires and proper downforce means there's less overtaking and most races are won by refuelling strategies. It doesn't make for good viewing and harms innovation.

Maybe I should take R's recommendation and switch allegiance to the Moto GP series. You see more overtaking in a few laps than you see in an entire F1 race. Bike riding also requires a lot more skill, since the entire machine's contact patch with the track is the size of a credit card. But I've been following F1 for so many years it's hard to contemplate switching allegiances.