Monza, Italy

Yup...finally after a longer while, F1 related card here...but unfortunately, with not much personal talk and points of view, since as with most of the races lately, i just dont have the itch to watch it...gets really tedious..

But i have to say im pleased how it ended....and it was like that only coz Hamilton who was third, crashed into the wall at the very very last lap...so of course, the driver who was fourth, came into the third position....and guess who was 4th?? But of course,...KIMIIIII!! So it was good to see him on the podium! I just regret not having watched the previous race in Spa...i even have a postcard for it, but since i was out of the country, i wasnt able to watch, and of course, even if i did, i wouldnt have been able to post it here...but after sooo many years, i missed a race, and thats when Raikkonen had to win, and i couldnt witness it! Now, you'd say, why such a fuss...well, if you know how Raikkonen has been doing lately, then you'd know that winning aint in his agenda....and once he wins after so long, and i missed it =|
As for the race today, as i already said, it wasnt much fun...Raikkonen started 3...ended up third...had Sutil breathe in his neck all the time...and that was a bit tensed...i thought he was gonna oveertake....but luckily he didnt. No special happenings during the race that are worth mentioning. Barichello won...Button was second...i dont know how the Brawns managed to be so competitive this year, but they are surprising me big time...so surprising, that it even makes me paranoid :))  I often think that in order to make the F1 circus more interesting, they had to somehow put behind the dominating teams, and bring forward some of the outsiders...but i dont know...this is getting boring as well...at the beginning of the season it was fun to see another team dominating and felt like a huge refreshment...but after it started repeating over and over again, it somehow lost its charm..
I do miss Massa though.....but at least he is alive.

Kimi Raikkonen - New F1 Season

Well, this post was intended to sound waaaaay too much different....with a different tone...and composed in a different way...but as usual, its better when a man doesnt plan anything coz his plans never really turn out as he wanted them to...neither did mine...
The new F1 season had started and i was ready to make a nice, elaborate, full of facts post today...but something went wron on the way...even though i dont have a postcard from the Albert Park in Melbourne, where the race was held today, i really wanted to commemorate it and include some symbolic contribution from my side. But i guess that will have to wait for some better times...

I sensed it all at the qualifications, that the Ferrari's are struggling (the McLaren;s were even worse) and from the final outcome of the situation, i felt it was gonna be a weird race. I didnt really have a great desire to get up early and watch it, since i already went to sleep late, and Raikkonen was starting 7th...and my eyes were literary closing...and i admit i slept thru the majority of the race...i noticed several crashes, a Safety Car and the next thing i remember, Button is celebrating...Raikkonen is not even on the list...Why? the guy had crashed into a  wall! Geez! Why did i at all get up at 7:30 am?!!
To make matters worse, after that i slept until 3pm! Awful! Disastrous! And just today we had had to have a time change and go ahead one hour! And on top of that, i nstead of having a lazy Sunday (coz i just didnt feel capable for anything) turns out i have work to do, which im not supposed to do it in the first place, but when you have to deal with dishonest and complicated people, thats what you end up with...of course i barely did anything and i can freely proclaim this day as one of the days when i had felt i had totally wasted it! From start till end!
Thank godness Nadal won hos match several hours before that....i couldnt have coped with two losses :)
And thank god the upcoming race is at 11am....even if a disaster happens, at least i will not regret waking up early for nothing...
And all I wanted was to just say that I want to see many many races where Raikkonen would be cheering as on this card! I guess i will have to wait for that a bit...
And last, but not least, i would like to thank Raquel for sending me my first ever Kimi Raikkonen postcard. It's self-printed, but its of an absolutely great quality! And the card is just great and im more than happy to own it!
And just one thing...if you happen to have postcards from the F1 circuits, please contact me...thank you in advance :)
Ok, lets get down to some work....

oh, just one more thing...i want to say that im glad that actually Button won, and Barichello took the second place...im especially glad for Rubens...that man had been struggling sooooo much in the past few years due to having an uncompetitive car...he really really deserved to be on the podium today. Same goes for Button. He hadnt scored so many points in two years as he scored today!

Autódromo de Interlagos, Brazil

Well, finally it happened...Brazil...Interlagos...the last race of the season...I hate things which denote some kind of an end, coz in general, endings make me feel sad...unless of course some kind of an agony is terminated...i dont like the ending of the F1 season, coz it means 5 months without races, withoug speed, without cars on track...
I dont know if im gonna manage to make a decent post regarding this last race of the season...i feel emotionally disturbed about it all, and its really hard to write under such conditions...i didnt expect this whole thing to affect me as it did, but it did...the outcome, and the circumstances under which it happend, have taken their toll...and im not here to write journalistic reviews, so this whole thing is 100% subjective...with all my feelings and views stripped to the bone...

the whole race today was of great importance coz it would have given the new champion...Massa or Hamilton....Hamilton was in favour of 7 points, but it was the same last year as well, when he was 7 points ahead of Raikkonen, and eventually Kimi was the champion coz of a mistake Hamilton made during the race...I truly hoped something similar will happen here as well...well, Kimi wasnt even close to fight for the championship, but I truly hoped that Massa will....i have somehow grown fond of thim this past year, and im glad when he wins or scores good points...of course, its out of the question that i prefer Massa to win than Kimi...but id rather Massa wins than Hamilton...actually, I rather anyone wins, than Hamilton...ive never felt such an antagonism for a driver...not even for Schumacher, not even Alonso (my attitude towards Alonso had drastically changed since he went to McLaren...I guess thats why I actually hate Hamilton so much...maybe 'hate' is a strong word, but i really feel some very bad negative emotions when it comes to him, and to make it clear, im NOT a racist...not one bit...its his personality in general which drives me nuts...and his lack of fair play...and ill never forgive him how he hit Raikkonen in Montreal at the pit-stop exit...lets get real, it was on purpose!)
Anyway...when i turned the TV on, i was shocked to see how it was pouring...they had even postponed the start of the race for 10 minutes coz of the heavy rain...and this got me worried coz it had been seen in practice that Ferrari dont really manage well in rainy conditions....but after the start, the rain soon stopped so there was no place for fear regarding that....Massa started first...Kimi third...Hamilton fifth....not much of a drama there except that Coulthard and Piquet had a collision in the very first few metres....the race itself didint bring much of an action or overtaking or stuff...so there is no need to go into details of that...until 5 laps before the end...when it started to rain again...and when there was a pit-stop rush in order to change tyres...and when afterwards while Hamilton was 5th he was overtaken by Vettel...and Hamilton was 6th...and do you know what that meant??? that meant NO TITLE for Hamilton...by being 6th he would have the same points as Massa, but he would have lacked a win....and that meant the title would have gone to Massa....now HERE was the real drama...i cant explain how thrilled and excited i got...i couldnt believe it that was happening...I absolutely ADORE Vettel for what he did...and until the very end i was 100% convinced that Massa had the title...as everyone else was....until the screen said that Hamilton was at the 5th position...thats where everyone got confused and didnt know what was going on...how come out of nowhere that Hamilton is 5th and we didnt see any overtaking, any car to retire, any incidents...HOW THE HELL Hamilton ended up 5th??? From the replay, turns out that Glock who was 4th, slowed down and let both Vettel and Hamilton go past....on purpose or no, I dont know...but it is obvious that he is slowing down...stupid Glock...i really really feel bitter at him....I dont care if i should or shouldnt, i simply do and thats it! It was shocking to see Massa's family cheering up and then being told that their whole excitement is in vain...can you imagine THEIR pain in all this? Massa couldnt stop the tears...it really is painful to lose the championship in such a way by JUST one point...it wouldnt have hurt this much if i wasnt convinced as everyone else that Massa won the championship, just to see afterwards on the screen that it aint so...you should have watched the ceremony after the race (apart from Massa winning, Alonso was second and Kimi third)...it more felt like attending a funeral, than a winners' ceremony...it was a dreadful atmosphere...Massa just couldnt celebrate such a win, and you could tell from Alonso's face that he is utterly bitter and disappointed that Hamilton won the championship...if there is someone who openly spoke against Hamilton saying he would do whatever he could in order Hamilton not to win, that was Alonso.. you could see no joy on his face...not even afterwards on the press conference...even though he finished second, which is a great achievement for him....sad, really really sad...
if there is maybe one good thing about all this is that in the general status Raikkonen moved to the third position...if that can be called any kind of consolation...

so...5 months without a race now...maybe it will be enough for all the dust to settle down and start things from scratch next year....and since Kimi and Massa are both staying in Ferrari, i truly hope Ferrari will do a better job next year and wont make such clumsy mistakes as it did this one...i truly hope it will be either Kimi or Massa or Alonso to win the title...or even Kubica..why not..he is a good driver...I may be an absolut Kimi supporter, but if he cant win it, i wouldnt mind if someone of the above mentioned does...even Vettel, he showed a lot of great potential...let anyone win, just not Hamilton...just PLEAAASEE not Hamilton...
Im truly truly sorry Felipe...you have all my geniune condolences and my geniune support...I know it wont change a single thing in the whole outcome, but know that people out there do feel with you....you honestly, DID desrve to win the title...

I know I should write a word or two about the track itself as well....
Interlagos is in the city of São Paulo and is the home to the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. It is named after José Carlos Pace, a Brazilian driver who had died prior to its naming, though it is still widely known by its former name Interlagos.
The circuit is one of the few non-oval racing circuits to go in an anti-clockwise direction. The present design of the track dates back from 1990, when the original circuit was shortened from 7,829 m to only 4,397 m (so that it could fit the new FIA restrictions on track length). Another reason why many drivers consider Interlagos interesting is that it was not built on flat terrain, but follows the ups and downs of hilly ground, which makes it harder to drive and demands more power from the car's engines.
Interlagos has one of the longest pit-lanes ever used in Formula One, starting just before the start-finish straight and rejoining the main course after Curva do Sol. Entering the pits was originally not a trivial task, as the high speed and the left turning may force the car rightwards, out of the pits.

I actually like the curvy outcome of the pit...feels really interesting and unusual..

well...that would be it....in the end I really want to thank Sandro for sending me this card...if it wasnt for him, today;s post wouldnt have been possible to happen...thank you Sandro, a real real lot!

I hope that for next year I may receive some other F1 circuits as well...I wouldnt mind if its the same circuits on different cards..it would be nice to be able to write about this, accompanied by a card...without a card, it would be pointless...

Singapore F1 Grand Prix

Finally, the moment came, so i can post these cards! I received them like, one month ago..and i actually wanted to post them back then...but i figured out that it will be much more convenient if i wait for the moment when they will actually correspond to the actual event...so i managed to keep these aside for a whole month, even though i was really anxious to post them...i was just so excited with the very fact that cards like this exist in the first place....should i describe my reaction when i actually received them? (My thank-you's for these go both to Relie and Fik)

So, here i am today to post these 3 postcards, and to share my own views and opinions regarding the first Night F1 Race ever.....btw, these cards were issued by the Singapore Tourism Board, in order to promote the event....very neat i have to say...though for people like me it doesnt really need any kind of promotion, but its a really good way to attract tourists from all over the world...should i say the seats were completely sold out? Enough said :)

My general impressions with the circuit? Simply magnificent!!!!!

First of all, it was a city-race, meaning, its driven through the streets of Singapore (there are two other races of this kind, Monte Carlo and Valencia, but this one has left a far far greater impression upon me). Probably coz it was a night race and the atmosphere in general was totally different...second, the circuit is surrounded by skyscrapers....above the circuit there are flyovers, with cars passing by....and flashing and glimmering lights from everywhere including the spotlights on the circuit...the beauty of Singapore just so much contributed to the overall feeling of the race....if the circuit was at some place outside the city, in some field or valley, or whatsoever, it wouldnt have felt as amazing as it did...Singapore as a city definitely has a lot of karma

some facts and trivia about the circuit itself:

Circuit length: 3.148 miles
Type of circuit: 80% temporary street circuit; 20% purpose-built race track

Number of laps: 61

* To ensure the necessary visibility for an F1 race, 1,600 high wattage lights were erected along one side of the circuit.

* In total the light projectors need 3,180,000 watts of power to ensure a brightness level of 3000 lux, four times brighter than a sports stadium.
* The lights were mounted 10 metres above the track – in order to be below the level of the trees lining much of the circuit – and will be spaced at four metre intervals.
* To provide power to the lights, over 108,000 metres of cable were used and power was generated by 12 twin-power generators housed in soundproof containers.
* Extensive plans have been put in place to prevent a power failure, with back-up lighting, powered by two separate sources, capable of keeping the circuit lit if the main system fails.

Another thing used for the first time at this circuit were the electronic flags...you know, those yellow/blue flags that are being waved during the race in order to give info to the drivers whether they should slow down coz there is a SC on the road, or whether they should let the driver behind them pass..or at least you are familiar with the chequered flag when one finishes the race..
Well, at Singapore, along the track, there were digital signs, which represented these flags (they were still controlled manually) and as well, the old flags waved by humans were present...i have to say i like that introduction of the electronic flags, just that im still not used to them and i dont know if they were implemented well enough in the race itself...well, since this was a night race, i do think it was quite appropriate coz they will be more visible to the drivers than the regular flags...unlike at day races where i think that the usage of the electronic flags would be actually useless, coz you cant really see the right signalling-colour at dalylight..

And another feature of this circuit is that it is anti-clockwise...

Now lets get down to the actual race and how it went...

After yesterday's qualifications, Massa took the pole position, Hamilton started second while Raikkonen third...The whole drama started at lap 15 when Piquet smashed into the wall, due to what the Safety Car had to come in charge (i think that this year the SC has been more on track than in the garage:)))

Well, as usual, once the SC comes in charge, most of the drivers want to use that time to make a pit-stop...Massa and Raikkonen as well, and this wouldnt have been worth mentioning unless Massa didnt start sooner than needed and pulled the fuel hose along with him...moreover, instead of stopping, he actually continued driving, dragging the hose, until the pit lane exit, where he finally stopped, and waited for his mechanics to come and pull it out.....that was just hillarious...its not the first time that that Massa guy had cracked me up with some totally imprudent action of his...i dont know if he is sometimes having a lack of nerves, but he really makes stupid mistakes...so thats where it was obvious that he had no chances to do something, and from 1st, became 18th...this whole pit thing actually got me a bit lost, since when Raikkonen exited, he was 16th...i really couldnt figure out how from being 3rd, he ended up 16th, but I guess that all that time gap he had, simply melted, with the SC on track....Massa was also punished with a stop-and-go penalty, coz of what happened.

At lap 51, Sutil crashed as well, which meant another SC time...i hoped that this would be a chance for Raikkonen to come close to Glock who was in front of him, and eventually overtake him and score one additional point....but it doesnt always turn out as you wish for coz at lap 58, Raikkonen went over one of those uneven bumpy parts of the track, it caused his car to spin a bit, he lost control over it...and smashed into the wall!
That was just simply painful to watch....few laps before the end, while being 5th (coming down from 16th) instead of scoring some points, Raikkonen ended his race...if it happened in the middle of the race, i wouldnt have felt this bitter...if Raikkonen was not in a position to score points, i wouldnt have felt this bitter...but like this, it always hurts :|

Anyway, the race ended with Alonso winning a race after a long long time (or 1 year and 2 weeks to be more precise), Rosberg being second, and Hamilton ended third.
I have to say that i was actually glad Alonso won...as long as its not Hamilton, anyone is ok to win for me :) (and i need to point out that today, due to problems with the car at the qualifications, Alonso started from the 15th position).

Several years ago, when Alonso was driving for Renault, I doubt i would have said i was glad he had won..coz he was Kimi's rival back then, and there is no way i would have said im glad that a guy who is a threat for Kimi, wins actually...but right now, i somewhat felt sorry for Alonso, being in such an uncompetitive team (I really wonder what the hell happened to Renault) and esp. i somewhat grew fond of him, after he spent a year in McLaren with having Hamilton as a colleague...i think, that was a living hell for Alonso...so i really think he is better at where he is right now...maybe Renault's car is far from the best, but at least he doesnt have Hamilton and Ron Dennis breathing into his neck
Another thing I noticed tonight, is the relationship between Flavio and Alonso..they defintiely seem to have some geniune closeness between them, which i hadnt noticed between anyone else in the teams.
And i cant not mention the obvious cold attitude between Alonso and Hamilton...esp. from Alonso's side...the way they greeted each other...and congratulated...Alonso was sitting on a sofa, had a bottle of water in his right hand and was drinking from it, Hamilton came, gave him his hand, Alonso didnt even bother to put down the bottle, he just gave Luis his left hand, muttered something, and didnt even take a look at Hamilton...he didnt even sprinkled him with the champagne, something which the drivers do among them...so, that animosity can really be felt...and with every right from Alonso's side I have to say...

Well, despite the bad outcome for Raikkonen, I still think it was a good race...unpredictable and dramatic, and frankly, thats whats needed a lot in F1, otherwise it tends to get boring...and definitely definitely an amazing circuit and atmosphere!!!

My geniune congrats to Alonso, and for god's sake Kimi, what the hell is wrong with you?!!!!!

Imola, Italy

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!
My very first F1 circuit card!!!!!!!!!! And I have it thanks to Roberta in Italy, who actually lives in Imola! How cool!

It feels awkward to actually see the circuit empty....im used to seeing it with the garages built up, with lots of people, cars, equipment etc etc.....and this is how it actually looks like when there is no race....thats the pit lane you can see on the card, where apart from where the garages are, the cars enter to add fuel, to change tyres or any other part if necessary, or in worst cases, to have a drive-through penalty, or end their race..

The name of the circuit in Imola is "Enzo e Dino Ferrari", named after Ferrari's late founder Enzo and his son Dino. It hosts the Grand Prix of San Marino, since San Marino is nearby and is too small to host an F1 race...at least thats what the official excuse is :)

Unfortunately, the last race here was held in 2006....so 2007 and 2008 werent on the calendar, but i hope, after all the imrovements they do, esp. regarding security, the races will get back there...the last one to win here was Michael Schumacher.

Some severe accidents have happened here, among which in one, the legendary Ayrton Senna died in 1994.