THE BRITISH GP, I HEART DANIEL, LEWIS IS A TWAT (BUT NOT ALWAYS) ALONSO IS NOT A TWAT AND SOME GOOD PLANET OZ ADVICE…

Love him or hate him, Lewis Hamilton continues to prove on the track that he is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. A record equaling 5th British GP win at Silverstone on Sunday (4th consecutive) and lets be honest it was always going to be that way after an almost perfect weekend.

There is one thing we can always count on LEWIS HAMILTON IS UP FOR SILVERSTONE and he did not let anyone down as he took the chequered flag 14 seconds ahead of team mate Valteri Bottas, sending the British crowd berserk. Bottas, who started 9th on the grid after a gear box change penalty, drove extremely well to make his way up to second, albeit with a little luck and help from Ferrari who had clear tyre issues towards the end of the race (both Vettel and Raikkonen having to pit in the last few laps of the race). Kimi drove exceptionally well and was unlucky to have to concede second place at the very end.

I think special praise should go out to KING SMILE, Daniel Ricciardo. Clearly the nicest guy on the grid and fast becoming one of the most respected drivers in the paddock with a run the past few months that shows a real maturity and skill which will surely have Mercedes and Ferrari standing up and taking notice. Dani Ricc, started 19th on the grid after taking a gear box change penalty followed by a turbo failure in qualifying, but finished 5th after skillfully and aggressively making his way through the field. I can officially announce that I have a GIANT man crush on Daniel Ricciardo.

Now, lets get back to Hamilton and a bit of honesty from my side. I CAN’T STAND HIM. On the track the statistics don’t lie… He is no doubt one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, but I watch his interviews and general demeanor and it makes want to peel my own face off with a plastic spoon. He makes me CRINGE. It’s his attitude that rubs me up the wrong way, in interviews he is awkward and negative. Even with all the blessings he has had come his way in life (admittedly achieved through hard work and determination), he comes across as a man who has been dealt a losing hand in life. Someone who the world is against and someone the whole of F1 wants to step on. Reality couldn’t be any further from the truth. He was identified by the great Ron Dennis at a very young age and was given a clear path to achieve his dream in the sport. In his first few years with McClaren, he was clearly given favoritism within the team over champion Fernando Alonso eventually “driving” the Spaniard out the door. He was then brought to Mercedes on a HUGE contract and won two drivers championships in 3 years and continues to be Mercedes number 1 guy. LEWIS, WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU GOT TO BE SOUR ABOUT?
I would like to take Fernando Alonso as an example. One of the most talented drivers ever allowed in an F1 car. Had he the same path and fortune as Lewis, he would have no doubt become the most successful F1 driver of all time. This however did not happen for him. After his initial success with Renault (2002-2006), his difficult first spell at Mclaren signaled a downturn in his success and luck. He went back to Renault for a couple of years, but they didn’t have the package for him to compete at the very top. Then came his big move to Ferrari, where he was supposed to be the man to get them back to the top, post Schumacher. He got close three times, finishing second in the drivers championship, but Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull dominance at the time spoilt his party. He then moved back to McLaren and well its best we leave it there. With all the above in mind, throughout his time in F1 Fernando has always been a pleasure to watch and listen to. He has a great relationship with the media. He sometimes can be brutally honest regarding the failings of his team, but he still manages to do this in a way that shows a certain respect to both his employers and the industry in general. Even in the tough moments he still manages a cheeky smile and that is why everybody loves him.

Another example would be my current favorite Australian Daniel Ricciardo. Hard times, good times, technical problems, team issues, first place, last place, this guy remains lovable, with a huge smile from ear to ear. Lewis Hamilton may look at this and ask what is this strange phenomenon? Well its pretty simple. Daniel Ricciardo is doing what he loves and realizes how fortunate he is to be doing it. He respects and enjoys being at the very top of his industry and knows it will not last for ever. With this in mind he is hell bent on enjoying every single second of what will ultimately be a short career in the grand scale of things.

So a final message to Lewis then from me. Crack a fucking smile son. Understand how fortunate you are and with perhaps only a few years left at the top, enjoy yourself. Show people you are enjoying yourself. Let them feel your love and quite possibly you will go down as the greatest driver of all time..

* It is worthy to note the humility shown by Lewis Hamilton as he jumped out of his car after winning. After a quick celebration with his brother and team, he went straight over to Formula 4 youngster Billy Monger, who recently lost both legs in a race accident, and gave him a genuine, loving, celebration embrace. Now that is the Lewis I would like to talk about in future.

WIMBLEDON FOR SENIOR CITIZENS?

Well it almost was.

You cannot ever talk tennis without recognizing the legend that is Roger Federer. Surely he must now be the greatest tennis player of all time? On Sunday in London Federer again showed his absolute class on the court, at the tender age of almost 36 I might add, making quick work of Marin Cilic in straight sets to claim his 8th (yes I bloody said 8th) Wimbledon title and his 19th (yes I god damn said 19th) Gram Slam title. Absolutely incredible. The man is a machine. Putting this into context, Federer has won 4 more grand slam titles than any other male tennis player EVER. Second with 15 wins is Rafa Nadal (including 10 French Open titles) and third is the legendary Pete Sampras with 14. Even the incredible Novak Djokovic has only won 12.

Ladies and gentlemen, take your hat off and raise your glass to a genuinely nice guy and true Champion Roger Federer. Here is hoping he has some years left in those legs. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Federer still competing at the top at the age of 40.

Now we move to the women’s competition. The romantic in me was really hoping that Venus Williams would win the final. After showing signs of domination early on in her career, the coming of age of her younger sister Serena has seen her firmly in the shadows ever since. Serena has gone on to win 24 grand slam titles to Venus’s 7 and Venus hasn’t won a grand slam since 2008. Now think about how difficult that must have been for her. She turned pro at 14 in 1994, her sister turned pro at 13 in 1995. Serena won her first grand slam in in 1999, Venus in 2000. And the rest has pretty much been Serena dominance. A lesser person, like me for example (i would have poisoned my brothers toast or accidentally pushed him from a moving bus), would have had every right to be a little jealous and bitter, but you just don’t get a sense of that from Venus. The sisters remain best of friends and are supportive to each other in every way. When you hear Venus speak, she is so timid and sweet, gracious and humble and just loves her tennis.

Unfortunately for Venus she was outplayed and ultimately thrashed on Saturday by the rising superstar Garbiñe Muguruza from Spain. The 23 year old rose to prominence in 2016 by winning the French Open and her stock continues to rise. She is powerful, aggressive and super fit (oh yeah, she is SUPER FIT). And whilst she currently stands at number 5 in the world rankings, I don’t think it will be long before she climbs to the number 1 spot. She is certainly the rising star in women’s tennis.

As for Venus, at 37 years old you can hold your head high for all you have done for women’s tennis over the years, especially in the fight for equal pay, in which an essay was published in The Times on the eve of Wimbledon in 2006. In it, Williams accused Wimbledon of being on the “wrong side of history”. Within 6 months both Wimbledon and the French Open announced they would have equal prize money for both men and women.

THE BEST OF THE REST: 

Boxing (if you can call it that): Well the Mayweather v McGregor SHIT SHOW continues as they tour the world to promote their up and coming “mega” fight in Las Vegas August 26th. Whilst I am actually looking forward to the fight itself, this theatrical bullshit leading up to it makes me want to PUKE VIOLENTLY. It is a frikkin joke. Its the same classless crap we have to endure with that joke for a sport they call the WWE. End it now please. As for the fight itself, should it be something real and not just a “bit of late night entertainment” I suspect it will end pretty quick with Floyd knocking the long winded Irishman out in the first few rounds.

Cricket: I am actually really looking forward to the semi finals and final of the Womens World cup which will conclude this week. It has been an excellent tournament so far with some outstanding cricket being played. You would have to fancy an Australia vs. England final, but you just never know… COME ON AUSSIE COME ON, COME ON….

THE PLANET OZ FINAL WORD:

As a final note, maybe sometime in the near future I may have the stomach to discuss the current state of the football transfer market, which has gone a bit bat shit crazy. Lukaku for €85 million? Suck me sideways… that is just crazy. Liverpool going to spend €70 million on Naby Keita? Somebody please take to my nut sack with a sledge hammer. The football world has finally, truly gone mad….

Thanks for reading, now go and do something useful…

Oz.