2008 F1 Season Finale this weekend

Brazilian Grand Prix preview - two drivers, one title

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa go head-to-head in the world championship title decider in Brazil this weekend, and it is still impossible to predict who will triumph.

The odds favour the Englishman, who has a seven-point lead after winning last time out in China. However, that was what he had over rival Kimi Raikkonen coming into this race last year, and still it all went awry at the 11th hour.

Technically, Hamilton needs only finish fifth even if Massa wins, in order to beat him by a single point. However, there is an additional complication as McLaren are still fighting Ferrari for the constructors’ championship, in which the red team have 156 points to the silver’s 145. BMW Sauber are third, but out of the overall reckoning now, on 135. McLaren thus have to push hard and need a one-two finish to have any realistic chance of securing both titles, whereas a third and eighth would secure the constructors’ crown (but not the drivers’) for Ferrari.

"I don’t need to win the race, but that won’t stop me from going into the weekend looking to be as strong as possible," says Hamilton, who will benefit from a new rear wing on his MP4-23. "Shanghai was a good example of that: we hit the ground running on Friday morning and never looked back. Our aim wasn’t to push too hard, but we found ourselves in a position at the front and took it comfortably from there. That’s what I am hoping to achieve in Brazil - a straightforward weekend that allows me to just focus on my car and my driving."

Ferrari have been dominant in Interlagos for the past two years, when Massa and Raikkonen respectively won. If it is dry that may remain the case, though the signs are that McLaren have made good progress in the latter part of the season. If it rains, however, as is forecast, the odds surely favour Hamilton even more given his wet-weather form in Monaco and Silverstone, where the Ferraris struggled.

Massa has been keeping his cool and says that the pressure is off him because of Hamilton’s lead. He must win with Hamilton either scoring sixth or lower or failing to finish at all. In this respect he may be helped by the Englishman’s need to run his engine for a second time after China.

"Yes it's true I have a tougher job than Lewis in terms of the points situation, but my own objective for the weekend is much more straightforward than his," the Brazilian said. "I only have to focus on winning the race, hopefully with my team-mate second. The only thing I am thinking about is winning. After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won.

"For sure, Lewis will try and put pressure on me, but I have zero pressure, because I have nothing to lose.

In the second McLaren, Heikki Kovalainen must play a key role this weekend in support of his team mate, for Raikkonen will undoubtedly back Massa strongly. The Hungarian Grand Prix winner will have a fresh Mercedes engine in his McLaren. "I want to be able to help the team and Lewis wherever necessary," he says, "but the easiest way to do that is to be running at the front. The team knows I will play my part, but we are also targeting the constructors’ championship."

While the fight for the crown will inevitably grab all the headlines, there are plenty of other things to be resolved this weekend. There is still a mighty scrap for third place in the drivers' championship between Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen, who have 75 and 69 points respectively. And Nick Heidfeld’s fifth place on 60 could prove vulnerable if Fernando Alonso wins again for the improving Renault team. The Spaniard has 53 points, but may himself fall victim to Kovalainen who has 51. Elsewhere, Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli are battling for eighth with 30 points apiece.

Besides the Ferrari-McLaren fight for constructors’ honours, BMW Sauber could still snaffle second from McLaren. Renault are safe in fourth and Toyota fifth, but there is a big fight between Toro Rosso (34), Red Bull Racing (29) and Williams (26) for sixth.

The race will also be notable as David Coulthard’s last. At the same time, venerable race engineer Steve Hallam is also on the last lap as he will be leaving Formula One for NASCAR for 2009.

From a technical perspective, Interlagos poses two main challenges to the teams. It is 800 metres above sea level, so engine power is reduced as a result of the drop in atmospheric pressure. That also has a negative effect on aerodynamic performance.

The other problem has traditionally been the bumpy surface, though a complete resurface for 2007 caught teams by surprise since the tarmac was relatively smooth. However, some bumps remain, particularly in the braking area for Turn 4, Descida do Lago. To avoid bottoming out on these, cars have to run with increased ride heights, which reduces the effectiveness of their diffusers.

There are two favoured overtaking points. The first is going into the S do Senna at the start of the lap after a driver has been able to get a good slipstreaming run up the hill from the vitally important final corner, Juncao or Turn 12. The second is under braking for the Descida do Lago left-hander at the end of the back straight.

This year Bridgestone are bringing their medium and soft compound tyres after discovering last year that their super-soft was not quite durable enough to suit the track’s unusual characteristics. They are expecting a lot of graining early on thanks to the twisty infield section, and the initial ‘greenness’ of the track before it cleans up and rubbers in.

Full-scale revision

Not much time left....

7th science
11th Calculus 1
13th Calculus 2 (toughest module this semester)
20th Algebra 1

World Driver's Title to be decided this wkend:- Who will win it?

Either McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton or Ferrari’s Felipe Massa will be crowned 2008 drivers’ champion at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix. With a seven-point lead, Hamilton is very much the favourite, but as we saw at Interlagos last year - when outsider Kimi Raikkonen came from behind to win - anything is possible. Here is what each man needs in order to take the title…

Hamilton will be champion if:

- He finishes fifth or higher

- He finishes sixth and Massa is second or lower

- He finishes seventh and Massa is second or lower - He finishes eighth and Massa is third or lower

- He fails to score and Massa is third or lower

Massa will be champion if:

- He wins and Hamilton finishes sixth or lower

- He finishes second and Hamilton is eighth or lower

If the pair are tied on points at the end of Sunday afternoon (which would happen is Massa wins with Hamilton sixth, or if Massa finishes second with Hamilton eighth), Massa would win the title by virtue of more victories (six to Hamilton’s five) or more second-place finishes (three to Hamilton’s two).

In the constructors’ championship, Ferrari’s 11-point advantage over McLaren heading to Brazil puts them in a powerful position, while BMW Sauber’s 10-point deficit to McLaren means they still have an outside chance of stealing second place.

1 more photo

Times are hard

I was talking to a former school mate earlier today and he was telling me how stressful it is in his industry. Ever since the financial turmoil began, the mood in his DBS office has been very subdued and jittery. Everyday, many of his fellow employees' heart beat will skip a beat when they log onto their computer. The burning question is: what if they cannot log in?

I recall years ago when a particular auditing firm laid off some of their stuff. The affected workers were all out with their individual clients when they received a phone call asking them to return to the office for an emergency meeting. No one had a clue what was to come. Then the bombshell fell. Many were told to surrender their laptops and office passes and head to the HR department to collect their severance letters and pay checks. They were then asked to vacate their workstations and before leaving, the security will check through their belongings just to ensure nothing confidential was being taken. They were then escorted to the main exit. The duration from the time they came back to the office to the last time out of the office main doors: 1.5hrs.

Back to what my ex-school mate told me. When times were good, the banking and finance sector staff had to put in long hours just to work towards getting that HUGE performance bonus or promotion. Now that times are bad, they had to put in just as long if not longer so as to ensure they minimize their possibility of being on the retrenchment list.

So for those in the teaching line: count your blessings despite earning less and having less benefits. This is the harsh reality in the private sector.

Esther's sch photo

NB Real Run photos....

As usual, cheapo me will simple d/l the photo as a small JPEG image. This was taken twds the end of the beach section which in my opinion was the toughest part of the run.

Fruitful day

I did quite a fair amount of work whilst on campus rather than staying home and slacking around. Since there is the Algebra and Cal 2 quiz next week, I not only mged to do a fair bit of both but also for Cal 1 as well. Had better start my science revision soon. That is the 1st paper by the way.

Came home and decided to have a longer run. Turned out that I clocked in about 21k according to the odometer in the car. I am now left with about 43 days to the Stanchart Marathon so by about mid Nov I hope to reach the 30km mark. That should enable a good finishing time of about 5h30min or better?

NB Real Run Results

1209 MO4049 Chee Weng Tang Singaporean 15KMMENSOPEN
00:25:59
00:54:55
01:21:30
01:45:06
01:46:09

The other timings were captured when I crossed the essential check pts...

3 more quizzies.....

Cal 1 tomorrow, Algebra 1 on tue and Cal 2 next thu.....then it is the final exams....4 papers in total....nov 20th is liberation day....

Fruitful discussion session

David, Eric and myself had a very fruitful 'pre-tutorial' discussion earlier today. As we were quite clueless on the topic, it turned out that actually it is not that bad as it appears to be. Through discussion and exchange of ideas, we managed to better grasp the technique and concepts of the said topic. Since there is 1 mth left to the exams, we felt that we will meet up and discuss maths stuff daily. Moreover, I bulk booked the rooms so it will be beneficial. Now to revise for Cal 1 quiz and then next week the last 2 quizzes for Algebra and Cal 2. After that, it is 'full throttle' to the final exam.

Mind Your Language

This is a classic British comedy which dates back many years. I recall watching it every Sunday night on TV2 when I was still in primary school. It is basically a class of various students of different nationalities learning the English as a foreign language. Needless to say, it is a little political as some students do have certain disagreements just like how countries have strained ties with others. It is being shown on the new okto channel every Monday night at 2300hrs. Do catch it and laugh your butt off.....

New Balance Real Run

The weather was ok though quite warm and humid. My shoes were not really muddy nor dirty but just very dusty due to the different terrain. I found the mud trail better than expected but the beach section where participants had to run on the sand quite demanding. Wanted to run on the plateau but the organisers shifted the poles lower towards the tide. That was the only difficult part but other than that, it was on the whole an enjoyable event and kudos to the Home Team who did a fantastic job. So after 2 or 3 days rest, I need to train for the SCSM which is about 6 wks away.

Special report in Part D of the ST (Straits Times) today

I think the few pages in the Saturday Special Section of the ST is worth reading. It talks about various groups of people who are already or about to feel the heat of the coming months ahead when the global economy is going downhill. Some who are about to get married need to cut back on certain items like their banquet. Others who may have committed to a new property when the prices were at the peak must be worried now. As the property market is sliding, those who took out a huge loan to be repaid over a long period got to be very careful. Jobs are on the line with possible pay cuts/retrenchments looming. But there are some who are taking this opportunity to expand their business as they intend to cash-in on budget items which is good though there is a still an element of risk. It really bugs me that some are assuming the industry they are in are 'recession-proof'. Wishful thinking? I do not wish to comment on that.

1 thing is sure is that in whatever times we have faced, are facing or going to face, the Lord is in control of everything. It is unwise to 'put all your eggs in 1 basket' but if it is the Lord's basket, put everything in because He will never fail us. Easier said than done as humans tend to be myopic especially during hard times. It is only when we take that 1st step of faith to fully trust Him do we see His goodness and providence. This of which I am still learning.

My Asics shoe b4 the New Balance Real Run

I have decided. Will be using my Asics for the NB Real Run. Keeping my Adistar for the SCSM in Dec. So it looks nice and clean for now. Wait for how it looks like on sunday after my event..

Chinese GP this wkend

I have always liked the design and layout of the Shanghai circuit. The 1st thing that drew my attention is the shape of the layout. It is in exact of the chinese word "shang" meaning going upwards or the 1st chinese word of the city where the race is being held. Besides that, the building structure is simply magnificent. There is a long straight where the cars can really go flat out at their top speed.

My most memorable moment of the Chinese GP was that of the one 2 years ago. Schumi was on his way to winning that particular race and that move to overtake Renault's Fisi clearly shows that Schumi is a world champion. You can check out that move on this website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE-om2veHK8&feature=related

New Balance Real Run preview

Mged to find some photos taken at the pre-trail run last sunday. Indeed the route appears tougher than last year's. There is a 4km trail that is a mixutre of muddy plus sandy. However, there were some planks placed over the muddy part so hopefully it might help...I reckon the most difficult part will be the mud trail. Having ran the sand trail last year which is the same this year, it is not too bad. Look out for my post-race post this sunday....

New Balance Real Run

Event will be held this coming sunday at the same location as last year. I think I ought to check out the sgrunners forum on how the pre-trail run went. Especially the muddy path....

A very moving scene

Those who caught the Ch 8 show at 8pm earlier shows the kind of sacrifices parents go through in order to give their children the best or in this case, the bare minimum. The main character was an ex-convict and was unemployed. Citing that he had a criminal record plus his youthfulness that led him to have so many tatoos on him made finding work so difficult. I could see that anguish he felt when the whole family had to literally beg for some money just to buy some milk powder for their 2 children. What added to the misery was that certain organisations disallowed him to stay in a 1 rm rented flat unless he waited for 30 months after selling his current flat of which he has quite a lot of mortgage and other charges in arrears.

My point is this: Why can't people give these ex-convicts a second chance when they sincerely and earnestly want to turn over a new leaf? Why must the dumb 30 mth 'wait-out' period be so rigid as to make some groups of people suffer unjustly? I am aware of some who abuse the system but surely the authorities are smart enough to detect. For Sg to be an inclusive and integrated society, we still have a very long way to go....

Results of the Japanese GP

Like I mentioned before, it is so obvious that until and unless you reach the chequered flag, anything can occur...

------------------------------

Nobody expected Fernando Alonso to win in Singapore – and for sure the chances of a repeat in Fuji seemed minimal, but the Spaniard took advantage of a chaotic start, passed early leader Robert Kubica in the first pit stops, and was never thereafter threatened.

If the afternoon went Renault’s way yet again, it was a disaster for McLaren with Lewis Hamilton penalised for a move which briefly won him the lead after a tardy start but was deemed to have put Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen off the road in the first corner, and later pushed into a spin by title rival Felipe Massa. He finished 12th, out of the points, and only unlapped himself at the very end.

Massa was adjudged at fault for taking Hamilton off on the second lap and also got a drive-through penalty, but a typically feisty drive put him into eighth place with three laps to run, and thus reduced the deficit to Hamilton from seven to six points. The Englishman still has 84, the Brazilian 78 with two races left.

A very aggressive race by Kubica earned BMW Sauber second place and the Pole eight points, bringing his score to 72, while Kimi Raikkonen’s third place for Ferrari brings him to 63 and put Ferrari back ahead in the constructors’ championship. These two staged some of the best racing of the afternoon as they fought wheel-to-wheel over second on the 53rd lap, before graining tyres forced Raikkonen to settle for the final podium position.

In the carnage at the start, as Hamilton outbraked Raikkonen for the lead but slid wide as the cold ambient temperature affected tyre grip, both McLarens tangle with the Ferrari before temporarily going off the road. As they lost ground the Ferraris were delayed, and Kubica was able to squeak into the lead from Alonso.

Behind them, Toyota's Timo Glock was hit from behind and sustained damaged that rendered him an early retirement, while Williams' Kazuki Nakajima ran into the back of David Coulthard’s Red Bull. The Scot crashed heavily in Turn Two as a result, the Japanese driver pitted for a new nose and would finish last. Heikki Kovalainen recovered to third, but was stopped early on by mechanical failure.

Kubica held the lead until his fuel stop on lap 17, then Alonso led for a lap until his. Jarno Trulli then took the lead until his stop on lap 21, whereupon Sebastien Bourdais had a spell ahead for Toro Rosso. When he pitted on lap 24, Nelson Piquet went to the front until lap 28.

Thereafter, Alonso had the upper hand, leaving Kubica to fight off Raikkonen to the flag. Piquet closed in on them for a while until he had a moment in Turn Five, and settled for fourth for the suddenly rejuvenated Renault team. Trulli held on for fifth ahead of Bourdais, who comfortably beat team mate Sebastian Vettel this day. Bourdais made contact with Massa, putting the Brazilian into a minor spin, as he exited the pits for the final time, an incident that stewards are investigating.

Massa grabbed eighth from Mark Webber on the 65th lap in a dramatic move as he squeezed between the Red Bull and the pit wall, and behind the Australian Nick Heidfeld led Nico Rosberg home. Neither Force India finished; Adrian Sutil was in a promising 10th place until debris appeared to burst his right rear tyre down the straight on lap seven, and Giancarlo Fisichella stopped later with a mechanical problem.

Having made a stop for fresh rubber and more fuel on lap two, Hamilton fought back, served his penalty on lap 17, then stopped again on lap 40. But this afternoon there was nothing he could do to claw back the lost ground. He finished 12th ahead of the Hondas of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, and Nakajima’s Williams

Japanese GP Qualifying

Final Qualifying results for the Jap GP tmw. Seems that Massa is going to have to work very hard but until the checkered flag, anything can occur...

1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
3 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes
4 Fernando Alonso Renault
5 Felipe Massa Ferrari
6 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota
8 Timo Glock Toyota
9 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari
10 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari
11 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault
12 Nelsinho Piquet Renault
13 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
14 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota
15 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota
16 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber
17 Rubens Barrichello Honda
18 Jenson Buttonn Honda
19 Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari
20 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari

New Balance Real Run

Esther's frown....

ZZZzzzzzz..............

Maths quiz

It was not that difficult. Basically it was a test of speed plus understanding and applying the concepts. However, it is inevitable that you might not remember that formula or theorem at the crucial moment. What makes you feel even more awful is that when you managed to figure it out, time's up. I was quite sure that there was one question which I must have made a careless mistake but method wise it was ok. Let's see what the result will be next week...

Timely reminder

Catch the new show on Ch 8 at 8pm every Monday. A good reminder to count your blessings daily.

Terry Fox Run

The weather was perfect with hardly any sun nor signs of rain. Though the crowd was quite huge, it was not as bad as the SBR. Met up with some LPS colleagues who participated as part of their CIP requirement. I almost could not get a parking lot as I left a little late but managed to get one nonetheless. So now it is down to revising for AAM 102 and perparing for my next running event which is the New Balance Real Run in a fortnight. I wonder which shoe should I sacrifice....

Completed AED, now for maths

Things to do this weekend:

1. Finish AED 105 individual paper (Done!!)
2. Revise for AAM 102
3. Run the Terry Fox Run early tomorrow morning

Eventful weekend ahead

Things to do this weekend:

1. Finish AED 105 individual paper
2. Revise for AAM 102 (most challanging)
3. Run the Terry Fox Charity Run on bright n early Sunday morning.

Esther in uniform....

Esther broke my specs this morning.....

Damage was $98 for a new pair as the old one was beyond repair. I did not see how it happened but when Angela exclaimed upon seeing the incident, it was too late. The right arm of my specs had been detached. Thankfully the optical shop nearby was open and I managed to find a frame that could fit the lens. He was efficient and managed to get it done within 20 mins. Now I may need to put my specs into my bedside drawer just in case.