FIA has once again put Formula 1 to shame. They have proved to the motor-sport community, and all its fans, that all that matters to them is if Ferrari are happy. The stewards’ decision to penalize Lewis Hamilton 25 seconds just proves this point beyond all doubt.

What did Lewis do to earn this penalty? 2 laps before the race ended, he tried an overtaking move on Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari but Kimi pushed him out. Lewis took the safer route, cut the corner but let Kimi move back ahead of him as regulation suggests. Once he did that, Lewis got back to his job of racing and trying to overtake Kimi. And overtake he did, with a bit of flair. What followed was a patch of rain, and some stupid driving by Kimi that led to his crashing in the barriers in the same lap.

Now the stewards think that the “corner cutting” gave Hamilton an advantage, and thus he needs to be penalized. What they have totally forgotten is that Lewis was pushed out by Kimi to cut the corner. There was NO intent to cut the corner on Lewis’ part, and it was either that or a shunt in Kimi’s Ferrari.

Hamilton & McLaren will appeal in the FIA appeals court, but we all know nothing will come out of it. After all, this is the same FIA that let Massa go clean after the Ferrari pit-lane messed up in the last race and led to a crash with the Force India car.

FIA and its bosses have kissed Ferrari a** for years now. And it seems that they aren’t bothered about fairness, sporting spirit and the fans love for the sport.

I don’t think I’ll ever cheer for Ferrari, ever! First it was Schumacher’s cheat-driving to win, and now its the FIA molly-coddling Ferrari to make them win every second race!!! I’d rather cheer the honest drivers and teams who know what the true spirit of F1 is all about.

Update(10-Sept): Steve Slater, the voice of Formula 1 has written an excellent column on this incident. Click here to read.

Gaming enthusiasts who are into playing racing games have been satisfied for several years by Electronic Arts(EA) Need for Speed series. But for those who admire F1 racing, EA also had a brief series of F1 racing simulation games. Back in my college days, I got the chance to play the EA F1 2000, and I must confess I was really impressed with what the game offered in terms of a near complete F1 racing experience.

The EA F1 series spanned over five game versions, the last one to come out in 2005. Sales of these games were always patchy, and for a brief period following 2003, EA had stopped sales of F1 games. This freeze was opened up after 2006, and the games are back in circulation. Last year, EA reportedly signed a deal with McLaren’s rookie driver Lewis Hamilton for a new F1 game series(story on digital spy)

Now it seems the going could get tough for EA. In a recent item on Formula 1’s official site, gaming brand Codemasters, makers of games such as the IGI series, Brian Lara Cricket & Colin McRae Rally series has been awarded exclusive video game rights for Formula 1. This means Codemasters will have exclusive rights to feature all F1 Grand Prix circuits, teams, cars & driver likeness.

This deal could potentially pour cold water on EA’s plans for the next F1 series game, as Codemasters are already planning for an early 2009 launch of their F1 game.

I will be awaiting the launch of this game, to see if Codemasters do as much justice to F1 as EA did in their games.

Author’s Notes:
1. Announcement on F1’s official site here
2. EA Games official site here
3. Codemasters’ official site here

Its that time of the year again. The time when 22 mean and fast machines line up in a row, waiting for the five sets of lights to go red. Yes, it is Formula 1 time again.

The last season was nothing short of spectacular. The simmering rivalry between rookie Lewis Hamilton & his champion team-mate Fernando Alonso was the talk of most of the season, until F1 was engulfed in the ugliest controversy the sport has seen in years. The spying scandal saw McLaren stripped of all its constructor’s title points, and short of $100 million. The drivers’ championship did go down to the wire, with Hamilton & Alonso losing the championship by just one point to Ferrari’s Raikonnen.

But 2008 is going to be a totally different season, with major changes in rules. (more…)