Lewis Hamilton features on an R&B track. Seriously.

I'm not sure what the percentage of F1 drivers to land a career as a singer is, but apart from Jacques Villeneuve's interesting acoustic attempts I think the number would be hovering below the 1% mark. Lewis Hamilton however, may be first of that undeniably small number to actually sell some records, with his appearance as a featuring vocalist on American R&B singer Ana Lou's latest upcoming release.

As much as I wanted to laugh, then cry, then laugh again, there's no doubting that LH fits in on the track. I mean if we ignored the name, he wouldn't sound out of place on this kind of US R&B stuff, much of it sounds the same anyway and the fact Hammy fits in is perhaps a compliment.

There's definitely a bit of autotune in there, but full credit to the guy for giving this a go. Maybe Lew could pick up the microphone when he eventually decides to put down the racing helmet.. Just please don't start rapping Lew, the baggy jeans wouldn't suit you.

You can check out Lewis' vocal talents here on Soundcloud:

Ana Lou ft Lewis Hamilton - Say Goodbye

Update: In an insane turn of events, LH has announced that the song in fact has nothing to do with him. In many ways, this is great news.

I've Just Seen Rush The Movie; And I Liked It

I know I'm not the only one who's been waiting all year for this film to come out. Rush is a movie that has promised to be everything; featuring a script good enough for the Hollywood masses, and adrenaline filled racing footage to satisfy the most hardcore F1 fans.

I'll be honest, despite being incredibly excited to see Ron Howard's take on one of F1's most exciting seasons, the closer it got to the film's release date, the more apprehensive I became about it turning into a typical Hollywood picture, destined to join the very long list of good, but not great films. Thankfully I was wrong...in part.

Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers in here as I'm not talking about the storyline, although you already know that right, since it actually happened? Well, most of it did, but this film does of course include some scenes to spice up the script. One scene in particular springs to mind: about halfway through the film, Hunt is shown to basically assualt a journalist, which I am not certain actually ever happened (although rumour seems to suggest it could have done). In the film however it seems the scene was added in order to emphasise the growing respect Hunt had for Lauda, as this journalist had been a little disrespectful to the Austrian earlier on, but it's a scene that doesn't really fit in to me.

But anyway, aside from that small questionnable part, the film is largely accurate. Hunt is the partying playboy, Lauda is the quiet, calculated racer. The script does a good job at portraying the drivers, and the footage of racing is effective at portraying the fast paced, adrenaline filled job these drivers had. 

One thing I will say is the motorsport fans amongst us will not be fooled by the dressing up of Brands Hatch to look like Monza, as well as the shaking of cameras to blurr out the fact the cars being filmed are moving quite slowly. But given that many of these cars are the real, original chassis' so driving them at danegerous speeds would be out of the question, as well as that filming each race on location would be quite some task, these small things can be overlooked. The film does a good job at highlighting many of the difficulties an F1 driver faced during a race, and so I am hopeful it can also serve as an eye opener for the less informed viewers amongst us.

However, there is one thing I think this film, and pretty much every other motor racing film I have ever seen (apart from TT 3D, actually) is missing. That is footage and a potrayel of one of the biggest challenges a racing driver faces pretty much every second they are behind the wheel...driving on the limit. Rush does a good job at highlighting speed, a good job at showing the lack of visibility in rain and a good job of showing the horrors of an accident. But it doesn't show how at many points during a lap, a driver will be hanging onto the car, fighting it and constantly correcting it. Instead it has footage of some power slides that are clearly the result of a very heavy right foot rather than actually being on the limit. There are a few scenes with some real lock ups that help to add realism to the footage, but it's hard for an F1 anorac to not notice the way a lot of these incidents are very scripted.

Nevertheless, without using more CGI and without risking smashing up priceless machinery, I suppose pushing Hunt's actual championship winning car to the limit would be impossible. So working with what he had, Ron Howard has done a very good job.

One area in particular where the film really excells, is in its use of sound. We all know that F1 is quite often defined by the sounds, and so capturing the raw engine notes and gearbox details, has no doubt been very effective in causing many F1 fans to produce wry smiles and shivers down their spines during the film. I even really loved the including of noises when cars clipped kerbs and spluttered on over run; very realistic. Maybe Formula 1 should take note and add some proper audio to today's live races...

All in all, I really did enjoy the film. The racing footage was as good as it could be, and with many of the cars being used actually being the genuine articles, it was even more impressive. The sounds were fantastic, the script was effective, and even the acting was top notch. So overall, as a hardcore racing fan myself, I have to say, Rush is very much worth going to see. Go and see it in the cinema too, as I have a feeling that without the big bass surround sound, the film will be significantly less effective.

Don't bring back Neanderthals, they'll be better at racing

Neaderthals could dominate F1

They say people who live in higher altitudes have stronger hearts due to the reduced amounts of available oxygen. This means when they compete against us sea levelled beings, they can expect a slight natural advantage, since stronger hearts can mean stronger athletic abilities. So imagine my disgust as I read that scientists are considering the idea of bringing back the Neanderthal species with reconstructed DNA. The athletic ability of a species much closer related to our ancestral apes, would be impossible for us humble humans to compete against.

I mean, do the scientists want us to face a future of dominated sport? Sprinting, long distance running, spear throwing: all Neanderthal specialities. And don't get me started on Motorsport. You thought the Schumacher era was bad, imagine a Neanderthal dominated sport, forever! The skills required to be a good F1 driver include reactions, precision, hand to eye coordination and athletic fitness, which funnily enough seem to be very suited to Mr Neanderthal. People are already starting to get sick of the current Vettel era; so please science, don't damn us to another one, especially one from another species!

Lewis Hamilton: Best When Behind The Visor

Lewis Hamilton, viewed by many as one of the fastest drivers to ever grace an F1 car. Phenomenal performances and aggressive racing, Lewis has brought some serious entertainment to World Championships of late. For this you'd expect him to be universally admired, yet there seems to exist more dislike for him than you might expect. So what does Lewis have to do to gain full respect amongst the world's elite racers?

I like Lewis Hamilton I really do, and that would not normally be expected for someone who has a soft spot for a pair of scarlet red cars. I often find myself admiring Lewis as a driver, but outside of the car he really hasn't made it easy for himself to become very popular. You may remember Lewis' misinformed accusation that Jenson Button, his team mate at the time, had unfollowed him on twitter. It was an incredibly awkward mistake that inevitably led to an embarrassing apology. You may also remember when Lewis revealed secret McLaren telemetry on his Twitter account, which created visible tension between McLaren's seniors and himself. Both of these very public incidents seemed to show a slightly hot headed Lewis that was unsurprisingly harder to like than say, the Felipe Massas of this world (what a nice guy).

Stevenage's (or is it Brooklyn's) Lewis Hamilton looking pretty Hip Hop

Thankfully, Lewis now seems to take an air of caution with his words on Twitter, recently only creating offence to the eyes of followers through his decisions to post pictures of himself dressed like an East Coast rapper. Although I suppose dressing in his native Stevenage colours wouldn't improve the situation much (Air Max tracksuits aren't great on a grown man).

Lewis has suffered 'hiccups' in other areas however, not least with the press. The lowest point came after his Ali G comments resulted in an unintentional racism storm back in 2011. Perhaps as a result of that, it does seem that he has now begun to manage his answers when faced with tricky questions, meaning he's joined the ranks of drivers who shield their true feelings behind a wall of generic "we'll see" and "maybe" responses. In many ways this is a shame as most fans want to see real emotion from drivers, but it's sure to keep the teams and particularly the sponsors happy, and they write the cheques!

Hamilton was fantastic through the junior ranks

Nevertheless, in my opinion Lewis doesn't even have to say anything to the cameras, or have to add a new twist to his Tweets; he just has to drive. I mean there's no denying it, Lewis is fantastic behind the wheel. From looking across his entire career, Lewis has demonstrated raw talent and natural speed in a range of racing machinery. It is true that he was fortunate enough to have had a push and significant funding from McLaren to get him to where he is today, but nothing can take from the fact he has demonstrated his worthiness and ability throughout. Even ignoring his successful junior years, his arrival in F1 was more than spectacular. Partnered with World Champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren, it was fair to assume it would be a very steep learning curve for Lewis. This didn't seem to phase him however, as he even managed to beat Fernando with competence and control not normally seen until several years into a driver's F1 career. We can't forget that had it not been for just a couple of costly errors and unlucky mechanical issues, Lewis could have been F1's first rookie World Champion.

Lewis celebrates his 2012 Canadian GP win

"But he's always been in a competitive car" I hear you say. This is true for the most part, but even if we were to ignore the results and focus entirely on his driving, his on track ability is nothing short of outstanding. Of all the current F1 drivers, his choice to set up the car in such a way that allows it to move about underneath him, creates some of the most fantastic on board footage and highly impressive driving. His style seems to be most prominent when he is on the absolute limit, where he seems comfortable with a significant amount of rear slip. This style was even evident not long ago on the BBC's own Top Gear, where Lewis managed to reduce the fastest Top Gear track lap time in the 'very normal' Suzuki Liana, by over 1 second. Stick him in anything on 4 wheels, and you can be confident Lewis will wring its neck.

So despite his colourful antics in the paddock and less than perfect image, when he sticks on the helmet and is belted into his car, I am a big Lewis Hamilton fan. Let's hope that 2013 will be the time he does the talking on track (but not in the Kimi Raikkonen "leave me alone" sense however!). Maybe then Formula 1's wider fanbase will begin to finally accept Lewis for what he really is, a phenomenally talented racing driver and wholly deserving World Champion.

Flappy Paddle Gearboxes: Not A Problem For The Playstation Generation

It's a well documented change taking place in the motor industry right now, with sports cars and now even hot hatches using them. A tool of the digital age that is dramatically changing the characteristics of driving. I'm talking about semi-automatic gearboxes, or flappy paddles as they're often called. Petrolheads far and wide have voiced their disgust at the lack of involvement these gearboxes bring to driving, but manufacturers are obviously confident they will sell. So surely someone must like them?

Semi-automatic gearboxes are becoming increasingly used in new cars, meaning no more does a driver have to slide through the gears with a heel of throttle and kick of the clutch. Instead, a simple click of a paddle located just behind the wheel is all that is needed. The resulting backlash of concern voiced by the petrolhead community about this loss to the driving experience, may have caused several to predict that these gearboxes would remain unattractive to enthusiasts. But I think it's quite possible that some of these sceptics have failed to notice a change in expectations for the 'ultimate' driving experience. A change that has been brought about thanks to video games.

Video games expose the coolest kids to driving long before they're 17

For many, their first memory of driving came when they sat on their fathers lap and were allowed to steer the family saloon around a car park. Others first experienced motoring at the turn of their 17th birthday, behind the wheel of a sorry looking hatchback that according to mum, was "plenty fast enough." But in recent years, many new drivers have had a taste long before they were able to steer their way onto our roads. Gran Turismo, Grid and Colin McRae Rally are just a few to name of a large number of racing and driving video games on offer to kids. These games require little more than the humble controller to simulate a steering wheel, throttle, brake and gearbox. It's here that many kids have their first experience of driving, and it's here they will have their first experience of a flappy paddle gearbox. These controllers often replace the gearbox with buttons, normally one for up and another for down, much like a proper semi-automatic box in a modern sports car. So long before they've learned how to wiggle a stick through the cogs of a conventional box, these gamers will already be an expert with a semi-automatic system.

The 2013 RS 200 comes with few added 'gamer gimmicks'

Semi-Automatic gearboxes are also often accompanied by other 'gamer friendly' gimmicks. Some new cars, including the 2013 Renault Clio RS 200, are available with software that pump engine noises of iconic sports and racing cars through the interior speakers, mimicking the revs of the cars actual engine. To the purists amongst us, this is another step away from actual driving. But for gamers, I can see this being a heavily used party trick to convince passengers you really have fitted your Clio with a V8. And surely, deep down inside of us all, there lies a little part of us that wants to be Lewis Hamilton when behind the wheel. I'm not proud to say it, but I myself have occasionally found myself mouthing an F1 like engine note whilst I race through the gears. It's not pretty, it's not pure, but it sure is fun. (Yes I'm a big kid).

Thanks to Gran Turismo and Grid, even children can drive a Ferrari...kind of

It's for this reason I think the youngest generation of drivers will be warm to the idea of a semi-automatic box before they even start driving. These gearboxes add to our inner Lewis Hamilton, bringing our little hatchbacks and saloons just that bit closer to the driving experience of a Formula 1 car. And lets not forget, those reduced CO2 numbers and improved performance figures will most certainly please our more environmentally aware teens. For the vast majority of drivers and 90% of journeys, semi automatic gearboxes are a perfectly acceptable and very useful tool. To be honest, they really are just better at changing gear.

Manual was good enough for Aryton...

But, (of course there had to be a but!), for those pure enthusiasts who prefer their Sennas to Hamiltons, it would be hard to argue that a semi-automatic gearbox doesn't remove a major component from the art of driving. Those who drive for pleasure rather than purpose, would lose the excitement felt when they stab at the throttle as they slip down the gears, mastering the heel and toe technique that drivers like Senna and Mansell perfected in their Formula 1 cars. Yes semi-automatics are a faster, more efficient way of changing gear, and yes they would probably be the weapon of choice on a qualifying lap. But for those fun Sunday drives where the stopwatch stays at home, I think it's fair to say that without a gear stick and clutch pedal, an irreplaceable part of the ultimate driving experience is lost.

Need To Tame The Racing Itch? Limited Funds? Arrive And Drive Karting Could Be The Answer

Being one of the many victims of motorsport's tendency to eliminate those without a thick wallet, I've become a bit of an evangelist for affordable racing. So in the following post, I want to mention what I think is one of the best value for money racing championships in the UK.

Motorsport is a rich mans game. All the way from the 9 figure budgets of F1 teams down to the hundreds spent each weekend for club kart racing, drivers are often restricted not by their talent, but their wallet.

A season in a professional championship like British F3 can cost something in the region of £400,000. Even at rookie level a championship like the Mini Challenge Club Class can easily cost in excess of £10,000 per season, and that doesn't include the cost of repairs after a visit to the barriers.

Motorsport can be very expensive

But racing addicts do not despair, there do exist some far more affordable ways to get out racing in some fully fledged competitive championships.

Kart racing is amongst the most affordable form of competitive racing, and thankfully is also one if the closest, driver focused forms too. You might be thinking karting is for kids, but remember every single driver on the current F1 grid cut his teeth in karting. Some still do in the off season, with non other than 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button saying "there is no purer form of racing than karting." So it's not something to be dismissed before having a go in a 'proper' kart first.

Jenson says karting is the "purest form of motorsport."

One of the easiest ways to do this, is in 'arrive and drive' championships. They exist in great numbers across the nation, but perhaps one of the most competitive of them all is Club100. This championship uses machinery that has little resemblance to your average fun fair lawn mowers. Instead these karts are powered by full racing TKM Extreme engines, as used by British Championship drivers in TKM Extreme Super 1. Of course these Club100 engines are no where near as highly tuned, but they still offer some exhilarating performance characteristics that take skill to manage. Being direct drive they cannot start from a standstill, but once rolling they can achieve a 5-60mph sprint in something around 6 seconds. And they'll keep on accelerating up to about 75mph, which I can assure you feels much faster when you're sat an inch off the tarmac, bumper to bumper with some aggressive budget racers.

Both ex pros and novices can compete in full Club 100 grids

Add this impressive machinery to a field of proper racing enthusiasts, including some ex National level drivers and single seater winners, and you have a championship that offers some of the closest racing in the UK. Competing on circuits also used in the British Championships, you could be forgiven for thinking this championship will resemble the money pit that is modern motorsport. But in actual fact you can compete on each race day (comprising 2 rounds) for just over £160, which in motorsport terms is an absolute bargain. With 3 levels of championship, each tailored for different experience levels, ex pros and beginners alike get to mix it with drivers of the same level. Endurance and sprint championships also suit different driving styles. And with 16 of 22 rounds counting, there's flexibility to minimise travel costs and avoid racing at the inevitable couple of events located too far from home.

This championship can really force a driver to hone their skills, with all karts being (almost) identical, barring inevitable battle scars from earlier races. Kart consistency is amongst the best in the UK, so race results will almost always reflect driver ability entirely. And when it rains, there are no wets to find usable grip. Instead slick tyres are used in all conditions, so rainy days really sort the men from the boys.

Slicks in all weather - separating the men from the boys

But probably the best thing about this championship is the fact that it is an arrive and drive series, meaning as a driver all you have to worry about is driving. No maintenance costs, no place to store the kart is needed and most importantly, there are no bills if you bend it. In my opinion, there really are few better ways to race in a competitive championship at such affordable prices.

All things considered, I do want to emphasise that for many this Championship won't scratch all of the racing itch. With no chance of adjusting kart set-up and maintaining your very own machine, racers may feel a little disconnected from the whole experience. And more significantly, these are go karts and not cars on proper car tracks. But when you're counting the pennies and don't fancy entering a bottomless pit of service and repair bills, Club100 is the perfect answer to tame that racing itch. And for me it at least keeps me from taking out my anger on my poor little Clio....most of the time.

Taming the itch

I'll be racing in the 2013 Club100 Lightweight Sprint Championship this year, the progress of which you can follow on my Club 100 Race Days page. Round 1 is at Buckmore Park on the 24th February.

Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps. Why you should pay it a visit this year

Spa, a track that needs no introduction. Eau Rouge, La Source, Hakkinen vs. Schumacher...they all spring to mind when we think of this great track. Well they do for me, a life long Formula 1 fan who favours the 'original' tracks of the F1 circus. Amongst these modern, 'car park' layouts (Mark Webber's words, not mine), there remain a few classic, tree lined circuits that enable Formula 1 to cling onto its roots - excuse the pun.

The F1 calendar has changed drastically in recent years, shifting a large percentage of its calendar East to new modern tracks, designed to encourage overtaking and induce mistakes. Few tracks remain where tarmac was simply laid where it was practical to do so, creating winding corners, natural dips and undulations. As a result, an increasing amount of Formula 1 circuits are arguably becoming rather indistinguishable. The racing is fantastic there is no doubt about it, but many of these tracks lack the character and individuality of Monte Carlo, the old Hockenhiem and Spa, to name a few.

Car park like run offs

With Hockenhiem's layout being trimmed of its frighteningly fast straights, it has lost a large part of what made it special. Monte Carlo remains largely true to its origins but if you don't fancy clinging to a tree, ticket prices can only be described as astronomical. So Spa, one of the last remaining classic gems of the F1 calendar, is also one of few that offers a far more affordable chance to experience Formula 1 in it's natural environment. For this reason, I think that F1 fans of new and old should all experience this great circuit in the flesh.

And there's another reason too. Because 2013 is the last year F1 will use the naturally aspirated V8s that have been raced since 2006. These engines, smaller descendants of the monstrous V10s of the late 90s and early noughties, sound especially epic through the forests of Spa. Last year I visited Spa for the GP, and was absolutely blown away by the presence of the world's most advanced motorsport on one of the world's most beautiful classic circuits. Its not the volume, or even the speed of these high powered machines that affected me most, although both were equally astounding. Instead it was hearing those V8s sing into the distance, through the dense forest that inhabits the track. This experience, is something I think all car fans should get a chance to experience. One that no other sport can match.

A BTCC fan might tell you that one lap of a race has more action than an entire GP. A Moto GP fan may tell you their motorcycles reach a higher top speed. But neither of them can come close to F1 when it comes to that hair raising feeling an F1 engine creates as it echoes through the trees.

A Force India spits a blue flame

Of course, modern Formula 1 cars create much more than just an engine noise. There's the gearbox, banging through the gears at inconceivable speeds. It's something you not only hear, but see with blue flames popping out of exhausts and most strikingly, something that you feel like a sharp bass line in your stomach. There's the sound of 8 cylinders switching to 4 as drivers come off the throttle, creating a harsh and aggressive note distinctive to Formula 1. On top of that there's the smell of burning rubber and cooked carbon brakes. The orchestra of a Formula 1 car is not done any justice on TV - try telling a conductor his band sounds best through your stereo lounge set up. Witnessing an F1 car up close is something very special, and witnessing it in the theatre of Spa is just fantastic. And this could be the final chance to hear the naturally aspirated orchestra we have now, before forced induction engines are released onto track in 2014.

Vettel & Schumacher pushing at Spa

Now I'm not saying the 2014 engines won't sound amazing, I have no doubt in my mind that they will. But forced induction has a habit of quietening things down. So I say experience the fantastic orchestra we have now. Stand at the end of Kemmel Straight and listen to those V8s scream towards you at 18,000 revs, before feeling the gearbox shove down the gears. Walk through the forest in the middle of the track during a busy practice session. You'll be amazed how you're surrounded by nature but can hear nothing but high revving technology.

Anyway, that's enough of me trying to describe the sound in plain old English. From here on I'll let the videos do the talking. Turn up your speakers...

Screaming V8s up Eau Rouge:

Along Kemmel Straight:

Banging down the gears into Les Combes:

And one to show off the speed and phenomenal downforce an F1 car generates through Eau Rouge:

But remember...videos do F1 cars no justice!