Roar Rookie
Joined March 2019
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A sixth former with a passion for sport. Based in the UK.
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The last time an England match was broadcast live on free-to-air television in the UK was the World Cup third-place play-off against Belgium last July.
The Australian Grand Prix has been run and won for another year. Here are some observations.
If only England could have performed like this on Saturday.
1. Bottas is certainly a changed man! Whether we can believe Hamilton or not, he seemed to be struggling with his tyres in the race, so that may have influenced him being off the pace.
2. Fastest lap points get a yes from me. It made the race even more exciting.
3. Ferrari were a massive disappointment and I really hope that they can do better for the rest of the season.
4. Stroll did do well in gaining positions on the first lap last year but this weekend’s performance proves that he can perform when given the right car and the right strategy.
Five talking points from the Australian GP
Williams are suffering from two drivers who aren’t confident at the moment, with George Russell being a rookie and Robert Kubica re-learning how to drive a full 300km grand prix.
By the time we get to Spain in May, we should have a clearer picture of F1 in 2019.
View from the armchair: Australian Grand Prix
Mercedes have taken pole at the Australian Grand Prix for the past 5 years, but Sebastian Vettel has won the last 2 Australian Grands Prix.
On the subject of the midfield – I think Q2 is going to be extremely exciting this year, like 2012. I expect the difference between 10th and 11th to be a few thousandths of a second.
No matter how Hamilton tries to downplay it, I think he is still the favourite to win a sixth world championship because the man can pull the cat out of the bag when required and set a storming qualifying lap (for example).
Formula One testing is like a box of chocolates
This proves that the FIA Global Pathway (F1, F2, F3) works. Charles Leclerc was F2 champion in 2017, drove well at Sauber last season, and is now at Ferrari, all in the space of 2 years! From a British perspective, it’s great to have so many rookies as there are now 4 British drivers on the grid! I look forward to cheering on Russell, Norris and Albon this year – they’ve got great talent.
Why you should be excited about F1's 2019 rookies
If Warner/Smith played in the practice games against the counties and performed well, would you then be happy to include them in the test squad? I know Bancroft is playing for Durham this year so he will be able to get some red-ball experience in English conditions; he’s also had good innings in the Sheffield Shield – maybe put him back in at the top order?
The XI Australia should select for the first Ashes Test
Australia’s ODI performances in England over the past few years have been terrible so I would be surprised if they got to the knockout stages. They were knocked out of the Champions Trophy in the group stages in 2017 and were whitewashed 5-0 by England last summer.
I do like your prediction of Bangladesh being the dark horses as they got to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy, beating New Zealand in the group stages.
I have to disagree with you on your point of teams batting first targeting 280 as I think 300 is absolute minimum as a par score, although even 300 can be low in some games. England are more than capable of setting a high score in the right conditions (and have done so many times at home).
I think with only 4 teams making it through to the knockout stages, there will be a massive upset somewhere.
The formula that reveals the 2019 Cricket World Cup winner
A really good point made here. The Australian players who have replaced Smith/Warner/Bancroft have worked hard in the test squad this year to try and compensate for the loss of the trio. However, saying that, if they aren’t included in the squad, Australia may find it a struggle to retain the Ashes without the class batting of Warner and Smith. I think it’s time to forgive and forget – all three have done the time for their crime. Mohammad Amir’s doing well for himself after his 5 year ban for match fixing.
The XI Australia should select for the first Ashes Test
If we have ‘Class B’ battles like we did last season then there should be plenty to keep us entertained throughout the grid. Each track suits each of the midfield teams differently – Pierre Gasly finished 4th in his Toro Rosso in Bahrain and then didn’t do as well in China (yes, he did need a few people to retire first but still a good performance). The Azerbaijan Grand Prix should throw a spanner in the works!
Who's hot and who's not after the F1 preseason?
It wasn’t all Ferrari’s fault last year! Vettel didn’t perform as well as he could have – Germany, Italy, Japan, USA come to mind. Hamilton was the more consistent driver last season – a deserved world champion because he performed week-in, week-out. I do hope Ferrari can get their act together this season and win both championships. I also hope Leclerc performs well – he’s such a great talent.
Who's hot and who's not after the F1 preseason?
Ricciardo could steal a win/podium if the front runners do something stupid. I wouldn’t expect any dramatic improvements to the Renault this season just because Ricciardo is in the car. It seems we’ll have the status quo of Mercedes and Ferrari victories for a while longer.
Who's hot and who's not after the F1 preseason?
In last year’s T20 Blast in England, Archer was bowling the death overs for Sussex in the final against Worcestershire. It was a horror of a finish for Archer as he bowled a wide which the keeper couldn’t reach for and it went to the boundary before Ben Cox pulled him to the square-leg boundary to score the winning runs from the next ball. Can’t comment on his performance in the BBL as I didn’t follow it that much.
India, not England, should be World Cup favourites
F1 needs a world championship to go down to the final round, like it did in 2016 (and many years before). Hamilton does need to look a bit closer to home for his closest rival…
Five talking points from the Australian GP