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Sums everything up … (if you’re into racing cars!)

Its a big news week in the world of Formula 1 motor sport.

First BMW have declared their hand and are folding; 2009 will be their last season.

Felipe Massa is now happily on the road to recovery and the media is reporting that the doctors are very happy with progress.  He suffered a freak accident when a spring fell off a fellow car and hit his helmet.  Only a week after the sad loss of Henry Surtees to a similar freaky style accident, in his case a bouncing rear wheel from a competitor who had just crashed off, motor sports has really had another wake up call; you might say it is similar in stature to the Imola weekend in 1994 where Senna was killed.

Ok that is the doom and gloom.

The big news for sports fans is that, as a consequence of Massa’s situation, Michael Schumacher (aka the Stig!) will be racing for Ferrari in his place at Valencia in Spain in 24 days time.  This will be a fascinating situation.  Assuming it is not a let down because he is not fit, hasn’t driven this car, hasn’t driven an F1 car for well over a year and he hasn’t driven the track, it promises to be a fascinating weekend.  How will he work with Kimi? How will he approach the weekend? and the big question for me, How will he drive along side Hamilton!?

Hamilton joined F1 the year after Shumi retired. They have never been in a race together.  With it looking like Alonso will not be at Valencia because Renault didn’t quite get his wheel on properly at the last race, there should now be plenty of interest in the race for the Spanish organisers!

Lets hope Shumi is fit enough, qualifies in the top 10 and has a titanic battle with Hamilton – even if it is not for the lead!

I can’t wait!

Posts have been thin on the ground since the Ball as I took a little time out and unplugged.  Essays for Corporate finance and for Marketing were submitted last weekend, along with our final syndicate group work for Modelling.  Overall they went well even if the guidelines for them were a little hazy.

Entrepreneurial Finance becons now.  I am very intrigued by this module.  It is like no other on the course and has the reputation of being one of the best experiences yet.  The professor is flying in from UCLA and, judging by the pre-work and rumors of the week long format, promises to be something quite tough, quite challenging but extremely rewarding.

Oxford won the boat race convincingly on Sunday. There was a program on before discussing their mental preparation and I think that had a big influence; were Cambridge beaten before they even got in the boat?

The story of last weekend though, for racing and sports fans, was of course the fantastic story of Brawn GP.  The team that only a few weeks ago was facing closure with no backing, turns up in Australia, locks out the front row on the grid.  Then in the race, Jenson Button drove well to secure a long over due victory and Ruben’s (the man most thought had driven his last GP in Brazil 2008) sees good fortune shine and picked up second (after some adventures in the race.) 

What went less well reported was that the actual racing was really exciting.  Yes, even F1 !  The front wing on the new cars certainly make them look odd but it the aero changes have certainly made the difference – car have not run that close to each other for many years.

A great rags to riches story.  Richard Branson also timed his entry into F1 sponsorship perfectly – he is a lucky guy!  As is Lewis Hamilton – 3rd in the first race when the car looks a handful and when he started dead last.  Like Alonso and Schumacher before him, he never gives up and it pays off.  The mental toughness, like in the Oxford boat cannot be underestimated in sports success.  Fascinating. An exciting season is ahead…

Well I got my very first prize money as a racing driver yesterday!! … my share of this years sponorship fund!  Of course we are not talking about Lewis Hamilton money here but a very welcome present all the same, especially for a student just before Christmas.

Currently, I am developing ideas for the final project.  As with many things on the MBA it is a compromise between going with what you know and going with something completely different (and therefore more challenging!)  I have tended to so far go for the second option because, for me, that is the whole point of doing the MBA; to do things differently.  It is more risky but I feel it is really important to open yourself up to new ideas and new experiences.