Stella McCartney Tapered crepe pants

Stella McCartney Black crepe pants with a slouchy fit and tapered ribbed jersey cuffs. Stella McCartney pants have side slit pockets, an elasticated waistband and a concealed fastening. 100% rayon. Dry clean

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry

On a barren island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, workers have dug the foundations for three colossal museums: an $800 million Frank Gehry-designed branch of the Guggenheim 12 times the size of its New York flagship; a half-billion-dollar outpost of the Louvre by Jean Nouvel; and a showcase for national history by Foster & Partners, the design for which was unveiled on Thursday. And plans are moving ahead for yet another museum, about maritime history, to be designed by Tadao Ando.

Balenciaga Body Cream

Balenciaga Body Cream

A luxury white cream made with shea butter, it is smooth yet light, and leaves a sensual veil on the skin.

Victoria Beckham's hexagonal chain crocodile bag

Victoria Beckham's hexagonal chain crocodile bag, from her debut handbag collection
for £8,950, available at net-a-porter.

Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio

Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio made its debut at Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The coupe features a 600+ horsepower twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Only 100 examples will be made with a €675,000 ($894k) price tag. Waiting list 9-12 months.

Spoon bowl by Toni Grilo for Christofle

Spoon bowl by Toni Grilo for Christofle 

Produced in Christofle’s ‘Haute Orfèvrerie’ workshops from 30 silver-plated Christofle spoons, this surprising but apparently effortless piece is one of the collection’s most charming. You can’t help feeling that the illustrious role call of Christofle’s historic clients (King Louis-Philippe, Napoleon III, the Tsar of Russia, the Emperor of Mexico, Pope Pius IX among them) would have approved.
This highly-collectible piece is available to buy only through 20ltd.com and is limited to only 20 editions

YVES SAINT LAURENT Court shoes

YVES SAINT LAURENT  Suede court shoes with goat hair fringes. If Stefano Pilati presents this season a ready-to-wear collection inspired by the religion, it is completely different for the range of shoes which reveals its punk style ! Monachal dresses but crest, leopard or patent leather court shoes and vertiginous heels!


2010-11 Fall-winter collection by Stefano Pilati

Cecil Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook

Cecil Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook

Cecil Beaton was one of the 20th century's most important photographers, and now for the first time ever, Assouline presents his private scrapbooks—personal collections of the man who helped invent the cult of personality.

Premium Tequila by DeLeon

Premium Tequila by DeLeon


DeLeon Tequila is premium tequila produced in Purisima del Rincon. DeLeon Anejo is double-distilled and aged in French barrels for 17 months to achieve its distinct “cognac-like” taste.

four new color schemes - Bugatti Veyron by Hermès

Hermès and Bugatti have developed four new color schemes for their collaboration. The color options include ‘Indigo Blue and Vermilion,’ ‘Indigo blue and Lime Green,’ ‘Black and Garance Red,’ and ‘Prussian Blue and Blue Jean.’ The new models are priced at €1.55 million without taxes (approximately $2.77 million) and will be available at the end of the year.

Bandit

Bandit is Robert Piguet's first fragrance, launched in 1944 as the perfect scent to create an aura of mischief. Provocative and sultry, this Chypre fragrance is an intense blend of exotic Leather, Wood, Spice and floral notes including Neroli, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine,Tuberose, Vetiver and Patchouli, finished with Musk.

£95.00 per 100ML

Basquiat

From the streets of New York to the walls of its most prominent galleries, young graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was catapulted to international fame in his early 20s and died of a drug-overdose at 27. The subject of a feature film by fellow artist Julian Schnabel, Basquiat is one of the most admired artists to emerge from the 1980s art boom. This book explores his short but prolific career.

Christian Louboutin Rollerboy Spikes

Christian Louboutin Rollerboy Spikes in beige suede for Spring/Summer 2011.

Antonini's Diamond Necklace

Antonini FULL PAVE' DIAMONDS NECKLACE

Konstantin Beta sit-on toy by Nika Zupanc

“Punk elegance” (Elle USA), “Techno chic” (BUSINESSWEEK), “Larger than life” (CLEAR MAGAZINE) – the international critique of this rising star of furniture design is as effusive and inventive as the work itself. Attracting increasing attention since graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2000, Nika created her decisive splash with her notorious “Lolita” lamp, designed for Moooi and featured in NEW YORK TIMES STYLE magazine as one of the hottest trends for 2008. This was swiftly followed by her “5 O’Clock” collection being picked out by Ambra Medda, co founder and art director of Design Miami, as one of 12 most influential décor trends of the moment. The world according to Nika Zupanc is an intriguing one – the creation of this sit-on ‘child’s’ toy exclusively for 20ltd.com is an epitomizing tour de force of her cute originality. Playfully nostalgic for a time when children had physical friends as toys rather than digital enemies, it is surely any youngster’s most stylish first car. For the adults, it might be rather a chic means of arriving into dinner. Available exclusively through 20ltd.com, only 7 editions will ever be made.

www.nikazupanc.com

MÉLANIE GEORGAPOULOS necklace

MÉLANIE GEORGAPOULOS Punched white cultured pearls, magnetized vermeil clasp shaped as a pearl necklace

Graduate of the Royal College of London, Mélanie Georgapoulos is a Greek and French young designer who, influenced by her sculpture formation, imagines luxurious jewels luxurious reflect of her passion for beautiful materials, forms and design. Her first collection uses pearls, the challenge being to reinvent a classic, to re-interpret in a modern and unique way the traditional necklace.

Chanel Le Vernis

Chanel Le Vernis - Classic and trend-defining shades from the runways of Paris. State-of-the-art formula strengthens and moisturizes nails as it delivers long-wearing, high-shine, chip-resistant colour. Applies evenly without streaking.

Chanel Rogue Allure

Chanel Rogue Allure - An instant icon, this luxurious lipstick formula combines lustrous colour, sensational comfort and fabulous wear. Purely CHANEL: the subtly etched, world-renowned logo, and an elegant click-open case that provides a most glamorous effect when applying colour.

Neo Rauch

Bursting with radiant and unsettling juxtapositions, Neo Rauch’s paintings are wormholes into worlds of startling psychological power and cultural collisions. His scenes involve the viewer in a history that is at once mythic, intimate, and present. Through a deep consideration of philosophy, art history, literature, and his own dreamscape, Rauch’s paintings depict the precipices of progress and the struggles of communication. Electrified by their rich palettes, Rauch’s fragmented landscapes and timeless characters dance between pop and baroque, social and psychological, graphic and painterly.

Born in Leipzig in 1960, Rauch learned his trade behind the Iron Curtain. His influences and interests were shaped by personal hardship and the tumultuous changes of East Germany after the Wall fell. In the late 1980s, having finished his studies at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig under Arno Rink and Bernhard Heisig, he explored diverse approaches to painting in dialogue with works he encountered by Francis Bacon, the New Wild painters, and the pre-Renaissance painters he saw during his travels in Italy. By 1993, he had arrived at the unique style of intertwining figuration and abstraction that characterizes his oeuvre and has brought him international attention and respect.

Only a book of truly epic scale could begin to unpack the emotional, historical, and formal density of Rauch’s canvases. Comprising over 450 pages, including more than 250 large-scale reproductions, this monograph is the most inclusive collection of his work to date. It offers a generous range of writings that illuminate the personal, symbolic, and formal complexities of Rauch’s world. Wolfgang Büscher’s open and sensitive account of a walk through Rauch’s neighborhood reveals the painter’s compassion and modesty. Harald Kunde tracks Rauch’s stylistic development through its main semantic threads and historical influences. Gary Tinterow draws from his work on Rauch’s exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum to offer the reader a guide to the symbols that form the painter’s extensive mythology. These essays complement Rauch’s work with nuanced insights while allowing the images room to speak on their own. Within this atlas, readers will discover the rich density and enigmatic openness of Rauch’s paintings.

Fendi Brushed Python Tote

Fendi Peek-a-Boo Tote made of gray brown brushed python. The Brushed Python Tote has an optional detachable shoulder strap added to it and is available exclusively from Fendi stores in limited quantities.

Strand Craft 166 yacht

Stand Craft 166 is a modern yacht with a high-horsepower supercar in the aft. The machine featues a 620-horsepower V8, and Stand Craft claims that the vehicle has a top speed of 189 mph.

Each of the suites is loaded with 52-inch flat-screen television with iPad controls.

Karl Lagerfeld’s Volkswagen Commercial

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld stars in a commercial for special editions of Volkswagen’s Polo and Golf models.


The Volkswagen Polo/Golf x STYLE pack features a set of lightweight alloy rims, fog lamps, privacy glass as well as STYLE badging.

Royal Crown Derby ‘Imari’ pattern pet bowls by Peter Ting

Peter Ting deconstructs traditional Royal Crown Derby ‘Imari’ patterns and reassembles them into a contemporary collage. He works on the factory floor and personally creates each piece like a tailor - joining, matching, overlapping pattern upon pattern, colour against colour. Each piece may take up to 6 firings to achieve the desired depth of colour and vibrancy. He signs each piece (together with Royal Crown Derby Chairman Hugh Gibson), and after the final firing, all the 22 ct gold is burnished by hand ( a painstaking and labor intensive task, where all the gold is rubbed with damp silica sand, transforming the dull gold into a lustrous gleaming gilding). These seven individual one-off pieces have been created exclusively by Peter for 20ltd.com.

VALENTINO Silk muslin dress

VALENTINO Silk muslin dress, flowers print, silk lining, belt, zip

Ultra feminine resort collection for Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli who revisit the 60s style, silk, lace, frills, flowers (garden print or embroidered) but also leather, studs and metal buttons for a young, fragile, romantic but also modern Valentino woman.

Spring / Summer resort collection 2011 by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli

Les Voyages Extraordinaires Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef &  Arpels jewelry collection for the holiday season called Les Voyages Extraordinaires. The collection is inspired by the unique works Jules Verne and feature four pieces which include; the beauty of flora and fauna, imaginary creatures, sky and stars.

019 - Realpolitik

- Apologies and Christmas failings (in November) -

- Also now contributing at 'RealPolitik' at http://realpolitikuk.blogspot.com/

Firstly apologies to the practically extinct minority that have enough spare time to read my ramblings that I haven't written much lately. I've been mainly posting at 'RealPolitik', a blog I share with an old friend and bandmate, and thus given the somewhat wordy and detailed investigative nature of those articles (and my general inability to multi-task) have had little time to post here.

There has also been little for me to write of too, since not much has happened (although my girlfriend's move to Manchester to join me after 18 months apart was confirmed this week at last!) However it would seem Winter has arrived in ol' Blighty at last, yay! I say that, because I love Winter. I mean, I really love Winter. Last year's abundance of snow and ice and cold (as seen in the picture I robbed from a weather report I watched online), was by far one of the most amazing 2-3 weeks of weather I've seen in my life, and I'm desperately hoping we get a ton of snow again this year.

However, Winter also brings another obstacle to overcome; Christmas. I love Christmas, but not the present buying that goes with it. It's not that I detest the commercialisation of Christmas (though it does irritate me somewhat given just how commercial it is, and how early 'Christmas' begins each year), or that the shops are always full to bursting with people with the latest trendy version of Winter ebola who insist on standing on top of you to reach something on a shelf they later don't buy, but that when it comes to buying presents, I'm nothing short of a total failure. I loath buying presents at Christmas, simply because I'm rubbish at it. My traditional 23rd December present dash is looming, since once I start making excuses for going shopping they always continue until the last minute. I never know what to buy, and the amount of choice you get wandering around Manchester doesn't make things easier. After 4 and a half years with Bec too, I've run out of interesting and quirky gift ideas, and she's already given me the dreaded 'I've bought your present' call. Maybe that's why I'm hoping it will snow, so I can blame my appalling inefficiency on December 23rd on Manchester becoming more like a Siberian ice age.

As yet there's no snow, so I'm still searching for excuses. Though, I have awoken this morning with a slight tickly cough, which for all I know could be bird flu.

Failing.
Sandlefish

018 - Raising Tuition Fees: The 'Blinkered' Approach

- Uncapping tuition fees will close the door for many to Higher Education -

- Also now contributing at 'RealPolitik' at http://realpolitikuk.blogspot.com/

To those who voted Conservative in 2010 because they bought into David Cameron's carefully worded 'change' policy riding perhaps wisely on the back of the Obama wave and the evident dip in Labour popularity, should soon realise that the PM's set of policies deviate only from Conservative traditional ideology in that they have been influenced albeit slightly by Liberal Democrat figures in the coalition. This isn't to say I'm promoting Nick Clegg's party either, since campaigning against tuition fees in general was a cornerstone of his policy for election. Agreeing to and supporting the raising of tuition fees, no matter how it is dressed up, is a complete U-turn on his party ideology.

To really tackle the numbers issue we need to potentially limit places, though to those who are academically able rather than financially capable through the raising of entry requirements or potentially for some universities entry examinations and further interviewing. It is difficult to argue against the fact that the number of students currently entering HE may be unsustainable in a time of education cutbacks, but firstly Universities should be smarter with the budgets available to them. For instance Leeds University recently gave more than 500 of its medical students iPhones so they could access books instead of walking to the library or researching on personal computers. Uncapping the fees limit on Higher Education is going to only serve to limit access to HE to the wealthy middle to upper classes, or those unafraid of potentially crippling debt once the interest rates (reputedly potentially at market level) take hold. Instead of easing the problems faced by Universities, uncapping fees and holding interest at market rate will only seek to cause serious damage to our prestigous university system, and turn a generation of capable students and future assets to our country away from their aspirations. Raising the tuition fees alone means the wealthy yet academically less able still get the opportunity to continue their education over the academically gifted but less financially sound.

If however we have reached a point where we now NEED to limit places either as a result of funding cutbacks or to prevent the degree becoming devalued as a result of an increasing number of graduates, then this should operate with a focus on academic rather than fiscal merit.

/rant.
Sandlefish

017 - The Importance of Planning

- This man should really have checked the dates he was travelling before jetting off to Singapore. Shame he didn't manage to enjoy what turned out be an amazing race -

Poor travel plans aside, the Singapore GP is fast becoming one of my favourite events of the season. It never ceases to provide all sorts of drama. A few questions it managed to raise however were:

Should Schumacher continue into 2011? Firstly I don't want this to be taken as a Schumacher-bashing session, this is a question only the man himself can answer and time will tell as to what he decides. Clearly the 2010 Bridgestone tyres have not been to his liking, and his preference for a pointy car has not been suited to the W01 Mercedes which has resulted in his struggles. There is no doubting his ability given his record, but at 41 his racecraft has looked frayed at times, Canada, Hungary and Singapore in particular, where he openly admitted he did not enjoy his experience. His collision with the returning Heidfeld's Sauber showed little of the man who dominated the sport in the early 2000s. Teammate Nico Rosberg has been comprehensively faster all year, so the answer to this question probably lies in the 2011 Pirelli tyres which Schumacher will first get to sample after the Abu Dhabi GP at the end of the season, and the 2011 Merc. My guess is that Schumacher despite his denials has already considered the options, and is waiting on how the Pirelli tyres and new car compliment his driving style before he makes his mind up for certain.

Who owns the rights to 'Team Lotus'?

Another interesting development over the weekend was that Tony Fernandes announced that 1Malaysia Lotus Racing will next year take over the famous moniker of 'Team Lotus', a move which seems to have irritated the top brass at Proton back in Malaysia who claim ownership over the name. Rumours however have claimed that Proton are merely now trying to cash in on a name and venture now that the brand has been re-established in motorsport. However, given that in previous legal disputes they have acknowledged no control over the name, which was sold to David Hunt (brother of 1976 champion James) after the collapse of the original team at the end of 1994, the ground they are basing their argument on is looking cracked and fragile. The Lotus Racing F1 team run by Fernandes also has the blessing of the Chapman family who founded the name, and to his credit Fernandes has attempted to respect the history and tradition of the old team whilst quietly plugging away at improving the team, entering into an engine agreement and technial partnership with Renault for 2011. It was noteworthy nonetheless that Proton entered amongst other motorsports ventures into a GP2 agreement with ART to run as 'Lotus' whereas Fernandes' entry to GP2 will be known as 'Team Air Asia'. It would seem that Lotus will be granted permission rightly to use the 'Team Lotus' banner in 2011 though the legal wrangle may be arduous and damaging to Proton's image.

* Pictures courtesy of Autosport at http://www.autosport.com
* Video taken from YouTube. Original source here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwthZnF8iZQ&feature=youtu.be
All material copyright of respective owners.

016 - A Wild Stab at the 2011 F1 Driver Market

2010 F1 field at Bahrain GP. Just how different will the 2011 grid look?

OK, so about this time of year the inevitable silly season is fast rolling onwards, and predictions from half witted journalistic wanna-bes start appearing online with speculative considerations on the line up for next year that often turn out to be inherently wide of the mark. So with that in mind, here's mine, though it may be benefitting perhaps from the somewhat calm driver market given the frantic nature of recent years.

Red Bull
Unsurprisingly Red Bull racing have already announced an unchanged line up for 2011, in Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber. Webber is signed on a one year contract until the end of 2011, whilst the team seem eager to hang on to German Vettel, being that he is by far the brightest seed sewn in the Red Bull Driver Development program thus far.

McLaren
Again McLaren are already set and contracted to retain the same driver pairing and all-British theme in 2011 as used this year, in the shape of 2009 world champion Jenson Button, and 2008 title winner Lewis Hamilton. Should the team manage their drivers as well as this year, given the frictions reported in rival camps this could turn out to become a formidable line-up.

Ferrari
The Scuderia are another team with drivers already under contract. Double world champion Fernando Alonso will again partner Felipe Massa, reaffiriming Ferrari's commitment last year despite his injury to hang on to the popular Brazilian. Massa will need to ensure however he can hang on to his illustrious team mate to ensure his seat remains secure.

Mercedes

Whilst both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher remain under contract for 2011, rumours are still abound about whether or not Schumacher will continue into 2011 after a disappointing return campaign. Possible replacements include Nick Heidfeld who is rumoured to be announced imminently as Pirelli's tyre tester, which would provide the team with invaluable knowledge should the situation arise.

Renault
It comes as no surprise that the partnership with talented Robert Kubica will extend into 2011, though uncertainties remain over Vitaly Petrov's future. An impressive yet somewhat error strewn campaign may be attributed to the learning curve, and Boullier has hinted more Hungary-esque performances would cement his future at the team. A strong finance and sponsorship portfolio may also save his seat, though recent news has linked Adrian Sutil, Timo Glock, Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna or perhaps another Genii Investment backed driver to the drive.

Force India
Should a Renault drive either not materialise or seem less attractive, Adrian Sutil is a shoe-in for one of the Force India positions, though team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi has struggled to match pace and is in danger of losing out to test driver Paul di Resta. Karun Chandhok has been linked with the drive, though is less likely given di Resta's foot is already firmly in the door should a vacancy appear.

Williams
The Grove team will almost certainly hang on to 2009 GP2 champion Nico Hülkenberg who has had a progressive if quiet 2010. The relationship between the team and the well loved Rubens Barrichello also looks certain to continue into the Brazilian's 19th year in Formula 1, leaving no room at the inn here.

Sauber
Few would put money on Peter Sauber dropping the ever improving Kamui Kobayashi, though it would seem Pedro de la Rosa's return to F1 will come to a close at the end of the year. The Spaniard has already openly hinted he is available for employment in 2011, and rumours have strongly linked current test driver Esteban Gutierrez, Sergio Perez (who has backing from telecommunications company Telmex) or possibly Pastor Maldonado given the Venezuelan's current GP2 form.

Toro Rosso
The Red Bull 'B team' have already announced that they will continue to field Sebastien Buemi in 2011 with his aim being a Red Bull seat in 2012, alongside Jaime Alguersuari. Whilst this isn't likely to change team boss Franz Tost is known for being somewhat trigger happy with his drivers should he consider them to be underperforming at all, and with rapid Australian Daniel Ricciardo doing well in the lower ranks and 2010 F3 championship winner (claiming the title this afternoon no less) Jean-Eric Vergne waiting in the wings nothing is quite 100% certain here yet.

Lotus
Lotus played a shrewd and clever move hiring experienced head Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen for 2010. Kovalainen is experienced yet young and has settled well into the team, and is sure to stay on. Trulli may stay on next year, though has looked less impressed and motivated by his new surroundings, and should he retire Lotus have Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy waiting on the bench.

Hispania F1
Possibly the most difficult line-up to predict, Hispania F1's driver line up may rest on their ability to balance the books (see previous post). If possible Bruno Senna is likely to stay, considering there are few options available to him elsewhere. Pay drivers such as Sakon Yamamoto may fill the other seat, though an experienced head such as test driver Christian Klien may be what the team needs to advance through its troubles. That said, Karun Chandhok also performed well given the F110's poor quality, and is surely deserving of a vacancy.

Virgin Racing
Despite languishing behind Lotus for much of 2010, fellow newcomers Virgin Racing have made steady improvements over the season, though whether this will be enough to retain lead driver Timo Glock remains to be seen. Lucas di Grassi has the ability, but hasn't fared well against his more experienced team mate, and may fall foul in the driver market for 2011. As far as replacements go, F2 champion Andy Soucek quit Virgin this week, and other test driver Luiz Razia is far from ready for an F1 debut as yet.

As yet un-named 13th team

The line up here will depend largely on which team gets the nod for 2011 entry. Should Epsilon Euskadi get the go-ahead Dani Clos may be attractive given his nationality. The Villenueve / Durango tie up could give Jacques Villenueve a seat. Stefan GP may well field Kazuki Nakajima for F1 experience value and Toyota backing and support if nothing else. Sergio Perez may be in with a shout given his aforementioned Telmex backing, which would be attractive to a new starter. Pastor Maldonado is managed alike Ferrari tester Jules Bianchi by FIA president Jean Todt's son Nicolas, who it is rumoured is eager to get the Venezuelan GP2 championship leader his break in F1. This will as said hang on who gets the entry and their individual requirements.

Images courtesy of WorldCarFans.com copyright to Davenport and Autosport at http://www.autosport.com. All images property of their respective owners.

015 - The Future of Hispania F1

Bruno Senna demonstrating the difficult handling of the Hispania F110 (Australian GP 2010)

Once again the rumour mill descends on the security of the future of one member of the F1 circus. In recent times the target of such speculation has centred around the immenent departure of one or more of the manufacturer teams (Renault, Honda and Toyota for example), though this year the focus has switched to the sustainability of the new teams, and notably perennial backmarkers Hispania who it is rumoured are struggling to finance the remainder of their 2010 campaign, let alone 2011 development.

Cast your minds back if you will to March and free practice of the opening round of the 2010 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and following a last minute rescue deal by Spanish buisnessman Jose Carabante after the failure of initial entry Campos GP, the frantic launch and assembly of the renamed Hispania F110 began. It seems impossible that in such an age in Formula 1 that a car may turn its' first wheel on the eve of a its' Grand Prix debut, but such was the dilemma for the late triple world champion Ayrton Senna's nephew. (Spare a thought for Senna's recently signed teammate Karun Chandhok though, who had to wait a further 24 hours until the qualifying session before he got his first chance to sample the car). The TV pictures bore witness to the car's difficult birth, as both rookie drivers fought to hold on to the car at every twist and turn of the track (see video from Round 2 - Australian GP above). Neither car finished the race, but the fact they even made the grid after a Winter of late payments to chassis maker Dallara and talk of collapse was a testament to the team's resilience. Gradual race finishes and outqualifying the more developed and better funded Virgin Racing team attracted a few small sponsor names, though these were dwarfed in comparison to the driver and team names filling up otherwise blank advertising space and the team continued to struggle eventually splitting with Dallara.

This perhaps if not already evident became more so on the eve of the British GP last month where Bruno Senna was sidelined to make way for Sakon Yamamoto, renowned widely for his wide back catalogue of wealthy sponsors rather than his driving ability. Yamamoto did this reputation no favours by starting the following event (now replacing Karun Chandhok) whilst his pit-lane speed limiter was engaged, before retiring after accidentally tripping the fire extinguisher. Inevitably suggestions began flowing that his seat was a means of keeping the outfit afloat. It must be remembered, that Hispania F1 (then Campos Meta GP) lodged their entry and signed the Concorde Agreement believing a budget cap would be implemented. The subsequent failure of this legislation must have hurt a team with low resources. Team manager Colin Kolles (of Midland and Spyker experience) along with owner Carabante has played down rumours of trouble reiterating that the team has a plan for 2011 and is of sound financial health, with the opportunity of a tie up with Toyota to use their unraced TF110 chassis, staff and data.

“Obviously you have to look in a Formula One team every day how you find more sponsorship and how you survive. [But] I think our situation is not better or worse than any of the smaller teams.” (Colin Kolles, European GP 2010).

Although the well funded Japanese Yamamoto is seeming a permanent replacement for Chandhok, Hispania are in need of funds to secure their future involvement in the sport. Chandhok and Senna have done well to achieve their recorded qualifying and race finish results in a car far behind in development terms than that of their peers, although Yamamoto has been less impressive thus far. Considering the difficult conception of the F110, lack of development and lack of experience of the drivers the team must be acknowledged for their ability to mix with the Virgin Racing team on occasion, though reliability issues have plagued their opportunity to prolong these fights. Whilst it would be a shame to see the loss of a face from the F1 circus, their future and drivers' 2011 employment prospects given the low availability of seats elsewhere on the grid, may rest with the Spanish team's ability to rake in the attention from sponsors, and satisfy their accountants.

* Pictures courtesy of www.f1.co.uk, http://1.bp.blogspot.com/ via Google Image Search and www.hispaniaf1team.com Gallery. All rights held by respective owners.
* Video from YouTube under search heading 'Bruno Senna Hispania Onboard'. Click on video to be redirected to original source.

014 - Immer Weiterkämpfen

- Drawing the line.. -

It's amazing how people deal with difficult situations. Resilience and determination are two characteristics I like to consider myself as having built over the years, and qualities I admire in others greatly. However there comes a point at which resilience and determination can become dangerous, and what I admire more in people is their ability to recognise when to back off. Michael Schumacher's statistical successes in Formula 1 are unrivalled in many instances (91 wins, 68 pole positions, 7 world championships..) though he has often been tarred with an apparent inability to know when to draw the line under pressure. Hungary 2010 unfortunately again bore witness to this side of the German's character.

Schumacher's 2010 F1 comeback year has been difficult to say the least. He has so far struggled to adapt to the changed regulations of the sport and has as a result despite his moments notched up just 38 points compared to team mate Nico Rosberg on 94, has struggled to make it into Q3 on occasions and has also had his driving called into question (particularly at the Canadian GP). Despite some of these difficulties being the result of a 3 year break from the sport and also the difficulties Mercedes have faced with the W01 not meeting expectations, many have speculated on the potential re-retirement of F1's most successful driver come the end of the season. Rubens Barrichello has also a large amount of history with Schumacher dating back to their years as team-mates as Ferrari, but Schumacher's defensive move on the Brazilian came incredibly close to causing a big accident. Schumacher may have received a 10 place grid penalty for Spa for his indisgressions but since Barrichello avoided the wall and no cars were exiting the pit lane he should probably thank himself lucky things weren't a whole lot worse.

Not a good weekend for Mercedes overall either. A botched pitstop resulted in Nico Rosberg's rear right wheel coming loose and narrowly missing several mechanics (already distracted by Kubica and Sutil colliding in the pitlane, which Renault and Force India mechanics were lucky to avoid), and ended with the German squad scoring 0 points for the first time this season. The two events must have left team officials wondering how they'd managed such a lucky escape twice in one weekend.

Continuing to ramble,
Sandlefish

* Pictures from http://www.autosport.com (2010 Hungarian GP and 2010 Malaysian GP Archives).
* Video taken from YouTube: Click on video while playing to access original source.

013 - Praha (and updates..)

Prague, or it's natively named 'Praha' as I have now come to know it, was simply amazing. I've been to places I've not wanted to leave before, and seen and done things that I never thought I would do; including flying a plane (albeit not solo), experiencing a 6.8 earthquake in Zakynthos in 2006, played some amazingly fun gigs, learnt languages, grauated twice.. but I'm not being overdramatic when I say Prague is up there with the best. I'd recommend it to anyone, and it's somewhere I'll be re-visiting in the hopefully not too distant future..

Also, the day before we flew to Prague I got the calls I'd been waiting for regarding where I'm going to be in September. I am now officially a Tutor in Psychology at a local college, and have passed my PGCE in Post Compulsory Education and Training with Masters Credits towards a Masters in Education. I don't plan to study for a Masters in Education, but that should go down a treat when I'm applying for my Masters in Psychology course as proof that I'm capable of achieving at that level. You can forgive me then, as I stood overlooking the river in Praha on the first night of our holiday, one step closer to my ultimate target of one day living abroad, for thinking I was on the verge of waking up from what seemed like a very good dream.

Next stop: Save some money, and when my girlfriend has a job, find a house.

Still dreaming?
Sandlefish

-- Weiterkämpfen durch alles --