GO KARTING ON ICE - BRIXTON

Brand new to London we can now offer novice and experienced go karting enthusiasts ice go karting. A fun packed laugh out loud experience beckons. Different to anyhting else we have tried your drifting skills will be put the the ulimate test. Go karting on ice is difficult to conquer but oh so much fun when you do.

Located in the Brixton Ice rink all you need is 10 drivers to book your unique go karting experience. Ice Cool!

To find out more take a look at the go karting on ice page on the GoKarting.co.uk website.

After your racing try a meal or drink in the Brixton Village full of bars and restaurants. NB Both tube and BR stations are very very close.

Call 020 7476 1234 to book your exclusive race session.

Malaysia GP opens weakness in F1 Red Bull team

The result is a familiar one. 1st in a Red Bull was Sebastian Vettel. 2nd also in a Red Bull Mark Webber. Nothing unusual apart from the fact Vettel was told NOT to overtake his team mate for the lead. The airwaves in Malaysia must warp radio communication as Vettel went on to do the opposite. Strange eh?

The motor sport press were given lots of race report content - split in the camp - Vettel ignores team orders (for a change) - Webber furious etc etc. Oh well what is done is done. The resut wont change.

From the 46th lap onwards the race and trophy presentations was "frosty" from both Red Bull drivers. The trouble is Vettel is a winner end of story. Webber had best become his own man if he wants to be champion. The season will be more interesting now. Watch this space.

So the history books will show Lewis Hamilton (doing quite well for a new car and driver combination) finished third onthe podium to Vettle and Webebr, in that order.

Suspect the Chinese GP will be worth watching for the Red Bull camp performance alone.

Is the season already wrapped up? One has to wonder - Vettel doesnt want to come second in anything!

As promised the Brit drivers results were not as good as expected but for the record the finishing positions were

Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 3rd

Max Chilton - Marussia-Cosworth - 16th

Jenson Button - McLaren-Mercedes - had a torrid time finishing 17th

Paul Di Resta - Force India-Mercedes - retired with a Wheel Nut problem - tough

Next up is the China GP over the weekend starting 12th April 2013. If you want to race before that how about go karting in London with gokarting.co.uk.

F1 Melbourne celebrates with Kimi Raikkonen

An unusual stuttering start to the Formula 1 season saw Kimi Raikkonen first over the line at Albert Park, Melbourne.

Qualifying eventually concluded with Vettel grabbing Pole Position and his Red Bull team mate Mark Webber close behind. Third on the grid was Hamilton. An inspired Felipe Massa snatched fourth on the grid from Alonso by 3 / 1000s of a second. Rosberg, Raikkonen, Grosjean, and Brits Di Resta and Button followed behind. The rest of the grid was nothing too unexpected. Unfortunately Max Chilton only had two behind him.

To the race itself - the two stop strategy ruled the day.

The top qualifyers adopted a three stop strategy and found themselves in the pits around the 21st lap stage. It may have come as a surprise to many but Raikkonen stayed out on track eventually changing tryes on lap 34. By that time Kimi had established the strategic upper hand and was effectively in control of the race. Vettel and Alonso fought for the race lead but it was inevitable Raikkonen and his Lotus were going to be up front sooner or later. It was not much later, once the leaders made their way into the pits for the second time the Lotus took the lead from the out on track Sutil on lap 43. From that point on all Raikkonen had to do was to be sensible (not a word often used by Forumula One drivers).

On the domestic front Hamilton (eventually 5th) showed some pace but wont be overly happy with his Mercedes F1 W04 and will be putting some pressure on his team to deliver a competitive vehicle in Malaysia. 10 points in the bag is perhaps more than he expected form a race that was expected to be dominated by Red Bull and Ferrari.

Button was never settled in his car or on his tyres spending plenty of time in mid division and protecting his position from Lotus’s Romain Grosjean. Jenson eventually finishing 9th with 2 season starting points.

Given the troubled build up to the race and mixed opinions on tyre strategy Paul di Resta may have come out of the race with some encouragement. A subtle 8th finish and earning 4 points may be seen as a good building block. Perhaps Force India will improve their presence at the exciting Sepang International Circuit.

Max Chiltern did not necessarily have a race to forget but doubt he will be waxing lyrical. Enough said.

OK - Malaysia next weekend or perhaps Hoddesdon go karting for the speed freaks among us.

Poor weather delays Qualifying at Albert Park Melbourne

We don't really associate Australia with bad weather but the start of the Formula 1 session has been blighted with poor weather and track conditions at the Melbourne venue. The final two Qualifying sessions have now been moved to early morning Sunday.

The initial testing, Q1, was far from conclusive and only some drivers managed to post a lap time.

So everyone is left holding their breathe for one further day. The excitement is intense.

Post Script to Q1: Vettle was told to stop while on track due a an imminent Hydraulic failure. Interesting for competitors and some important information to those that are considering a bet.

F1 PRE SEASON TESTING 2013 BARCELONA

The Australia Grand Prix is upon us but it is as well to understand what went on in the Barcelona pre season testing period.

We have a summary of sorts for you and what we think is an interesting Formula 1 bet.

The two previous testing weekend in Barcelona have allowed teams to configure, refine and bed in their cars and more importantly, drivers.

The mid February testing weekend had a variety of weather conditions to overcome.

The “newbie” pilots that featured well with top test times were Sergio Perez now with McLaren and Hulkenberg who now sits is a Sauber. In between the two of them was Alonso in his familiar Ferrari. Among the mid table were Brits Hamilton and Button, which is much to be expected. Not so sure Jenson was happy to see his work colleague Rosberg recording laps times a good second faster than himself. Paul di Resta and Max Chilton were towards the bottom of the timing league. Lets hope they were just “sand-bagging”.

The final Barcelona testing weekend was full of activity with all teams using all available track time and tactically using a mix of tyre compounds. It was not a red letter day for Max Chilton posting lap times way below expectations. The 2013 season could be a tough one for Max and his Marussia team. Paul di Resta faired much better with his Force India machine getting closer to the top testing results but still over 1.5 seconds behind the best. Aggregate lap times show Hamilton may well have a relatively good season and Button was certainly "improving" his league position.

The main thing to consider is are these practise sessions all about reliability and learning more and more about your cars configuration than blasting fast lap times in pre-season for all to praise. We suspect the Red Bull team and Ferrari are playing a very cool hand throughout the testing period.

Perhaps the team to come through the 2013 season, by calmly accumulating consistant podium finishes, is the Mercedes team. We can see Nico Rosberg is 40 to 1 to finish on top of the 2013 F1 season. An Each Way bet would pay 8 to 1 if he finishes 2^nd or 3^rd. We therefore think £10 Each Way on Nico Rosberg is potentially a good bet.

If you want to try an inexpensive way of testing your racing skills against other drivers then you could consider outdoor go karting in an Open race at Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire. These open races are scheduled most weekends. If you want to have a go karting just call the event team at GoKarting.co.uk on 020 7476 1234.