It's "Jodia"... how embarrassing...

So against my better judgment I gave in and read one of those tabloid stories about Lewis and his (ex) girlfriend... and it turns out I've been spelling her name completely wrong all this time.

And I finally got to see her pic... she's pretty cute!

So it's Jodia Ma, and she's the daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman. I can understand why they "broke up."

However, I do not intend to read The Mail again....

On-board fuel coolers? Is that even legal?

I'm just saying... well, actually asking. One day I want to read the actual rulebook, but I'm leery of wasting my time with fiction. Instead I read the following:

"Williams and BMW are clearly embarrassed at being caught up in all this - but if they knew they were utterly blameless, why did they bother sending five people to the appeal. If McLaren's case was so groundless, the facts would have spoken for themselves."

Another great editorial by Andrew Davies at Planet F1.com. I felt funny about running two of these in a row, hence the shout out madness.

What I want to know... is Brooklyn in the house? er... more shouting...

Lewis Hamilton and Jodie Ma!

Here's a quick shout out to the two of you, as well as to the 15 people around the globe who seem to make up my entire readership. What is it with the interest in Lewis Hamilton and Jodie Ma?

I don't even know what she looks like.

What is bringing F1 into disrepute?

"What is bringing F1 into disrepute isn't the teams spying on each other, it's the inability of the governing body to run its own sport." -- Andrew Davies, Planet F1.com.

Right on, man.

I thought I was alone for a minute there, then I read Andrew's editorial. It's packed with great bits like the one above. And this one:

"What was on trial here was not actually BMW or Williams, but the decision-making process after grands prix. It was the stewards. The fact that the FIA are now trying to shove this under the carpet with the most derisorily simple of statements (as of 9pm Friday 16th November) sucks."

Preach!

First an election, now a World Championship... what's next?

What's that old saying, "possession is 9/10ths of the law" or something like that? Once you someone have something, it's almost impossible to get it back.

When Gore conceded the presidency in 2000, there was no way the Supreme Court was going get it back for him.

The FIA track stewards forced Lewis Hamilton and McLaren to concede the driving title in Brazil, and now we know that the FIA Court rejected McLaren's appeal. This amidst a bunch of trash talk about "winning on the track" versus reversing the title on a mere technicality. Make that disputed technicality. Actually, make that ignored and discredited technicality. In any case, there was no way the FIA Court was going to give that title to Lew and Mac "after the fact."

Guess it'll be colder fuel from here on out, since it can't be detected and no one really knows how to determine the ambient temperature anyway. Or that's what I read. And I didn't read it in the FIA rulebook.

I never really understood why they even have rules in top-level professional motorsports. You build a great track, you get the best builders in the world and let them "run what they brung" and you market it to the world... who cares whether the floor flexes or the wings move or they refrigerate the fuel? Besides, if you have no intention of enforcing the regulations, why have them at all?

Oh yeah, there's that thing about being able to surreptitiously influence results through selective enforcement... that's a good reason to have rules, I guess...

Well. I truly feel sad for young Lewis Hamilton, for a minute or two at least. His incredible debut, his fantastical rookie season is indelibly marred NOT by the loss of the title, but by the rulebook shenanigans and the faux espionage debacle. After such an unbelievable first season in Formula One, it is a shame that most of the media conversation was focused on barristyrical bullshit. Yes, I am attempting to channel Don King...

And strangely enough, I also feel a little sorry for Kimi Raikonnen, the actual World Champion. As good a driver as he is, he will never be as popular as Lewis Hamilton.

Crazy old men

First there's "mad" Max Mosley having the nerve to call Sir Jackie Stewart a "certified half-wit"... now we have "bonkers" Bernie Ecclestone saying regulation infringements should have no effect on race results. (hat tip to Planet F1.com)

Oh, so the rules really only apply to protecting "trade secrets", is that it?

According to the article, Ecclestone was "joking" when he threatened to "have a very serious thought about me retiring" if the championship were handed to Hamilton and McLaren.

Dude's 77 years old. Retirement is a good idea.

Post-season blah

So now the startling "news" that the FIA is charging Renault with spying are replacing the puff pieces on Hamilton's hubris for leaving Britain to live in Switzerland. As a friend of mine likes to say, "I hate the off season."

It's the end of the calendar year, the end of the racing year, and Formula 1 seems intent on maintaining its share of our collective attention spans. Now the show has moved indoors... it's a courtroom drama! Intrigue, oh my! Spying! Cheating! Millions of dollars are at stake! Billions even!

Well, you probably know what I'm going to say next: If I were Lewis Hamilton... I would be having the time of my life! I would LOVE to move to Geneva (though I would probably love Monaco even more)! I wouldn't be too surprised, however, if my fame moved with me.

Brace yourself, Lewis. You are only going to get even more famous (as silly as that sounds).

Nicely said, Mr. Hamilton

I have no idea when, where or who conducted the interview, but Planet-F1.com has this bit featuring a few quotes from Lewis that I found interesting.

He said: "I think when you are in such a competitive sport there's rules, and you stick to those rules.

"If someone has not stuck to the rules - we get punished if we are not on the right road - and so should other people."

Good show.