F1 in pubs: #JBAS

So... many moons ago. And I mean many moons ago.
A running joke occurred on Twitter.
It may of also seeped on to the blog. (And for a trip down my childhood memory lane you can see said in- joke here.)

This running joke involved getting said Mr Button on Twitter.
Not Jenson. Oh no. But his Dad John.
Now sadly even after months of trying we are still nowhere in getting the plant hiding, drink loving and pink shirt wearing John on Twitter.

But something magical did occur from it.

F1 in pubs is pretty much what it says on the tin. It's watching Formula One. In a pub. In various locations.

And it's a great way of interacting with other F1 fans. Or it's just a great excuse to have several drinks and not have to pay the Sky fee. Either way I have been twice this year to the event in Birmingham and I always have so much fun, even if some of the races I went to wasn't the most exciting. Monaco and Monza anyone?

So for third time lucky. Me and some of the FanFormula gang decided to go to the Brazil F1 in Pubs. And we all decided months previously to dress up as someone we loved, admired and would happily go for a drink with anytime.

Yep. The one and only John Button. Or #JBAS as it was known on Twitter which stands for the 'John Button Appreciation Society' but that takes up too many characters on Twitter. So #JBAS it is.

Well the first now annual #JBAS meeting was a roaring success.

Mainly due in part to the mix of different colour hues of pink shirts and the difference in our F1 tastes.

Dom @domcovkid, Vicky @F1_Obsessive, Me, Dean @DeanAJMaiden, David @PAIGE03, Ailish @AilishCatherine (Not pictured), BES (Cardboard Seb) and Emma @EmTheEmu

But what also made #JBAS so fun was the excitement that was of course BRASILILILIL.

Now whilst the race was on I did keep notes of what happened.
But I think you just need to read them in note form rather then in full.
Mainly for comedy amusement.

• Bum pinching
• Safety car
• Vettel yellow flags issue
• The I love Rob Smedley manly voice. (Yeah two weeks on. I still have no clue what I mean by this.)
• Drinking and wee trips. 
• Perez Tooned. 
• Vettel spinning
• Hulkenberg leading
• Raikkonen overtake on the old man. (I of course meant Schumi.)
• Kimi and the case of the long way round. A.K.A. The best moment EVER...
• Hamilton out. LOL. 
• Button wins
• Good times. 

There was also some beautiful photos taken of the gang. 

The vast majority of the #JBAS being social media gurus and superglued to their smartphones. Thanks to Vicky for the caption and photo.

Codemasters also come along for the ride. So we got to have a play of  F1 2012 and the new F1 race stars

Dom predicted the winner well before the start.

Ailish with Bes. #F1SMUT as per.

But the best thing about F1 in pubs is quite simple.

I don't remember the Formula One races I sat by myself with.
I remember these ones.
For the people, the banter and above all the memories.
I mean who else can say they have sat in a pub, watched a Formula One race, whilst being John Button.

Except for John Button of course.

If you want to follow my ramblings on Twitter you can at @squiffany.
If you also want to badger Jenson, McLaren or Jess to get John Button on Twitter. You can do that too. But remember don't go too far because it could count towards a restraining order...

Hello. Is it me your looking for?

Now for anyone expecting a Formula One post. I do apologise in advance. Because today is not about F1. It's about me. (Selfish I know.)
But because of the amount of time I have been away from the blog. I feel like it is time to set the record straight.
But be warned it's not pretty. (But it will probably be a bit rambling and full of nonsense. Standard really.)

I used to say to anyone who would listen that Formula One is a major part life.
Lately though. I feel I have lost my spark.
Both for writing and Formula One.
This however is not Formula One's fault.

It's my fault.

The blog has been neglected mainly because life has got in the way.
Work, illness, moving house and trying to juggle life.
It's all been a bit too much.
And I've struggled to cope at times.

Formula One for the past few months reminded me how much I haven't achieved over the last few years. In career and in life. So I started doing what I always do when I'm down.
I gave up on it all.
The one thing that makes me happy and I just dropped it.

I've stopped watching races, I stopped recording FanFormula's and I stopped writing.
The three things that make me the most happy and I just gave up on them. Because I was terrified.
Terrified because over the last three months my confidence has nose dived.
And I just shut myself away. From everything.

So after a lot of time spent soul searching in the past few of weeks and lots of chats with the boyfriend.  I know that 2013 is my last proper chance to make the blog work and to really try to improve myself and my confidence, but I know in order to make it work that I have to sort my shit out. Properly.

So over the next few weeks I'm going to reintroduce more blog posts and build up my confidence slowly. I would like to promise the world straight away but I know it's wise to start slow and see how things go.

This is probably my most honest post but I like to think that most bloggers have these kind of thoughts at least once in their blogging career. So I'm hoping not be completely mauled for my thoughts.

So before I go and start writing again. I would love to thank all the people who have been reading my blog posts whilst I haven't wrote. You are all amazing.

And thank you to everyone on twitter for being so kind when I've been down. It's lovely to think that people you don't even know can care so much.

And the biggest thanks has to go to David. The boyfriend who makes me believe I can do anything. You rule.

And now before this turns into an Oscar speech worthy of a pack of tissues.
I'm going to exit the building.

Thank you for listening.

You can also follow me on twitter @squiffany. If I'm around of course. :P

F1 (Team) Fitty of the week. Rob Smedley

In a slight change to the F1 fitty proceedings.

I won't be concentrating on a driver this week.
And have decided to move slightly further a field. 

To instead, one of the most famous and probably the most fancied race engineer Formula One has ever had.

I am of course talking about the Northern God that is.
Rob Smedley.
(I can already feel some ovaries twitching even from here.)

Rob makes it on to the list for many, many reasons. 

(And it hasn't been the constant badgering from my followers on twitter. Honest)

The first smexy (Yes I put sexy and Smedley together) reason is of course.
SMEDLEY FM.

The one radio show we wished was on 24 hours a day.
It might be the sexy Northern accent.
It is the sexy Northern accent.
Phwoar. Smedley could read the phone book and I would want it on audio.
And it would probably sell better then 50 shades of Grey. True story.


Angry Smedley is a sexy Smedley...



Secondly.
It has to be the constant love story of Smedley and Massa.
A bromance that can even rival Brokeback Mountain.

I mean they even buy each other presents.
Muchos Love.

Thirdly.
It has to be Rob's consistent dedication to his charity work.
He holds fundraisers for the charity SANDS which supports Stillbirths and Neonatal deaths. After his wife Lucy lost their daughter Minnie in 2007.
For someone who travels the world pretty much every other weekend. To find the time to organise these events is pretty special.

So in short.
Pretty, funny, clever and Northern.
My kind of F1 fitty.
Hoorah.

You can also follow my ramblings on twitter @squiffany but to be honest. Don't expect the world.

Simon Lazenby.

I know that what I have to say will divide opinion but sometimes a blog just has to do that.

I don't want to start a debate. I don't want to get nasty.
I just want to say how I feel about this situation.


Now you may of heard the story in the Daily Mail about Simon Lazenby being drunk and disorderly on an EasyJet flight back from Valencia.
But that's not what I want to talk about.

But I do want to talk about Simon Lazenby.
I do feel very sorry for Simon. He really does divide opinion in the F1 community.
"Oh he's just a poor Jake Humphrey"
"He knows nothing about F1"
Blah blah blah.

Funnily enough I realised that some people seem to have extremely short memories. Because I remembered that when it was announced that Jake Humphrey would be hosting the BBC F1 coverage.
There was uproar. ACTUAL UPROAR.
"How can a children's TV presenter host a major sporting event?"
"Jake who?"

Yet now Jake is so loved by the F1 community he's deemed a bloody national treasure. (Not in my eyes though. You can see why here)

Yes Simon may of made some mistakes since hosting the Sky F1 coverage and yes he may of said the wrong thing at times. But he's always admitted them and ALWAYS said sorry.
People seem to forget that he's human. He's only nine races into a new job and in the last few races, seems to have really settled into the role. Especially with people like Ted, Natalie and Johnny.

What people seem to miss about Lazenby is that he is bloody funny (He really is. Hence why he has the nickname Lolzenby to his loyal subjects.), witty and a seemingly nice bloke.
What I like about Simon is that he actually tweets to his fans. He may not post many status tweets but he does talk to some us, gains our opinions and actually wants to improve how he is on screen.
He cares about what people think of him. He wants to impress us. The F1 fans. The F1 community.
That to me makes him all the more human and all the more endearing.

So maybe at times he tries too hard and gets it a little or even all wrong.
Who else hasn't done that at some point in their lives?
I know I have.

As for the alleged drunk and disorderly plane incident.
I would like to point out that Georgie Thompson does have a drink drive conviction under her body con dress. Yet no one seems to be mentioning this when it comes to her presenting skills and so they shouldn't.
A private life is a private life. It doesn't affect her work. She does a good job.

So will Simon keep his job next year?
I don't know, but I for one hope he does.

The Spanish GP for me showed how good Simon really is.
He was cool, calm and collected when the fire broke out in the Williams garage.
He took charge. Tried to give us the fans as much information as he could possibly get, whilst trying to talk to and find influential F1 figures and make sure that they were all okay.
Spain proved that Simon and the whole Sky F1 team had class and compassion.
Something that a sport like F1 always needs.

So you can get your poison pens out for Simon Lazenby.
Bring it on.

The Simon Lazenby fan club may only be small.
Be we are mighty.

You can also follow me (Or send your abuse which ever floats your boat) on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 17. Monaco.

So after a pretty dry Monaco.
Grace decided we needed a glam theme to the FanFormula video this week.
But me being the organised one, didn't actually think about anything glam until two minutes before the video was being made.

So in my state of panic. I found the only slightly glam thing in my wardrobe.
Yep. A feather boa.
Rock and roll.

So in this week's FanFormula I argue about the F.I.A consistency again, I get sadistic about Lewis Hamilton injuries and a feather boa + extreme English heat = PAIN.

This week's FanFormula questions.

Question One
In FP3 we saw Pastor Maldonado bump tyres with Sergio Perez and in response was awarded a ten place grid penalty. What was your view on the incident and the resulting penalty?

Question Two
Qualifying saw Sebastian Vettel not set a lap time and through this benefited from a choice of tyres in the race. Do you think this rule should be changed with penalties enforced if a driver/team do not set a time in Q3?

Question Three
A slow pit stop for Hamilton, being hit on the head by numbers falling off his pit board and a lack of communication regarding Seb's pace left Lewis Hamilton frustrated in the race. Do you think this will affect his upcoming contract renewal and what do you think his options would be aside from McLaren?

Bonus question
Do you think we should still be racing at Monaco when overtaking is clearly more important in modern F1?



If you want to get involved with FanFormula you can by going to the website at http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Or if you want to follow my F1 ramblings you can also follow me on Twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 16. 25 percent.

So this week's FanFormula is about hitting the first quarter of the season.
(Already? Eeep.)
Well actually the questions are about Monaco.
One of the most exciting and most loved tracks.

So in this week's FanFormula. The words I can't say this week are suggestion and strategy, I do some product placement and I accidentally get dirty minded. F1 smut there.

This week's FanFormula questions.

Question One. 
The tight and twisty nature of the Monaco circuit is known for difficult overtaking. Do you think we will see drivers take more risks like Hamilton did in 2011 or will it be more about strategy and pitstops?

Question Two
What is it about Monaco that makes it so special or do you not feel the excitement for Monaco?

Question Three
What is your favourite corner on the Monaco circuit and why?

Bonus Question
Which Monaco race that you have watched is your ultimate Monaco GP and why?



If you want to get involve with FanFormula then just go to the website to find out more. http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Or if you want to hear more of my twitter ramblings you can follow me @squiffany

F1 Lefty watch

So hello.
I just want to let you know that I'm right handed.

A random way to start a post but I will explain.
Since the age of about six. I have always been fascinated with which hands people write with. Especially anyone who wrote or did anything with their left hand.
I was always jealous of the kids who got to use the green and yellow scissors whilst I, being a boring right hand soul. Ended up with the generic red handed scissors. Boo, hiss.

This is something I thought I would grow out of and not notice anymore.
But as I got older, it started to get worse.
Every class I ever studied in. I knew who all the left handers were.
(So if anyone from school, college or university is reading this. I wasn't staring at you. I was just staring at your hands. Honest.)

Most people who are either left or right handed. Usually do something with the opposite hand they write with.
My sister is right handed but eats left handed.
My friend can throw right handed but is actually left handed.

I thought I couldn't do anything left handed until at the age of eighteen whilst playing a game of pool. My friend told me that I played left handed.
I never even noticed. I just thought that was how everyone played.

And since then my left handed obsession seems to have got a little bit out of hand.
To the point where I even started the hash tag #Leftywatch on twitter.
(Still immensely proud of this achievement)

So lets get this post back to F1 and not my life and its boring ramblings.

So F1 has had some amazing 'Southpaws' over the years.
These aren't all of them but here is a small sample of the best ones.

Jenson Button. 
The only left hander on the grid in 2012.
He may be in the minority in terms of dexterity but not in terms of driving.


Johnny Herbert, David Croft and Anthony Davidson 
These three together are a winning F1 commentating/presenting combination.
They also make up a third of the Sky F1 presenting team. How many left handers do the BBC F1 team have? None.
Hoorah for lefties.

Giancarlo Fisichella.
Remember him. Seems like so long ago since he was about in F1.
But he's also another lefty to add to the bunch.
In fact along with Jenson Button in 2001 they also have the title (I think) of being the only both left handed team mates.


And on to the last lefty F1 driver for this post
Probably the best ever left handed driver ever.
I am of course talking about.
The one, the only.

Ayrton Senna


Need I say anymore.

So to all the left handed people out there.
I support and salute you.

And if you see and F1 left handed-ness about.
Remember folks. Hash tag #Leftywatch on twitter.

If you want to hear more of my love for lefties or for Giraffes even you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 15. Spain.

So this week's FanFormula video is of course all about Spain.

I thought it was a pretty boring race myself.
I mean controversy, a new winner and then fire with added bravery. 

Standard race really.
(Haha of course I jest)

So in this week's FanFormula. I do some more singing, I teach you all a new hand gesture and I get angry that I can't say the word incident. 

This week's FanFormula questions.

Question One. 

Qualifying saw Hamilton's penalty and Karthikeyan's qualifying outside the 107% rule. What do you make of both incidents and the resulting steward decisions?

Question Two
In the Senna vs Schumi crash, who did you think was at fault?

Question Three

Maldonado took his first victory in Spain (The first Williams win since 2004). Do you think this signals the return of Williams to the top of the grid or is this just another topsy turvy result for the 2012 season?

Bonus Question

Who would you say drove the best race at Catalunya and why?

If you want to get involved in future FanFormula videos you can by going to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

And if you want to hear more of my rambling then you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 14. Mugello Testing.

So this week's FanFormula video is all about the Mugello test.
So good was the Mugello test, that I didn't even really know it had even occurred. :(
This FanFormula video really shows that the one talent I should be putting on my C.V is the art of the blag.

Also in this week's FanFormula video. My new phrase seems to be "At the end of the day", I call the Mugello test "Dry" and I start to accidentally sing the classic Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe song Barcelona in honour of this weekends race. Badly.

And so on to this week's FanFormula questions.

Question One
Did you take much interest into the test at Mugello or would you rather just wait and see the developments which have been made when the teams bring them to Barcelona?

Question Two
Do you think it was a mistake by the McLaren team to not use either Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton over the test especially seeing that Hamilton stated a particular need and interest to go?

Question Three
What do you make of Petrov's comments about the Mugello circuit and do you agree and why?

Bonus Question
Do you think that because the teams use Barcelona to test that there isn't as much excitement about set up as the teams are quite aware of how their car performs at that track?



If you want to get involved with FanFormula. You can by going to the website. http://fanformula.weebly.com/

You can also follow me on twitter where I will proceed to play this video at least three times a day over the GP weekend. @squiffany

The Heidfeld missing screensaver. An update.

So exactly a year ago. I wrote this blog post about a missing screensaver in my life.
http://femaleformulafun.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/missing-screensaver-in-my-life.html

So a year has passed and this amazing photo still hasn't been found.

*Major sad face*

I thought that since things change in a year and by that I mean I have more readers of F.F.F and more followers on twitter. (You poor things)

I may be able to find someone who knows where this amazing photograph could be.

Don't get me wrong. I have still been looking.

The other day I ended up finding a picture that had been taken at the same photo shoot but is not the actual picture I have been searching high and low for.



Because we know from my lifelike art work, the photo looks like this.

I feel like I am getting closer to the best screensaver to EVER exist... In the world.

But I still need your help.

I need to know that I never imagined this.
So if you happen to find or even know where this picture may exist. Apart from seemingly in my imagination of course.

Then comment below or tweet me @squiffany.

Please spread the word.
I need this in my life...
And on my computer.

FanFormula: Week 13. In season testing.

After my crazy hair video of last week. I decided to embrace it by going wild with it and ended up dyed it pink.
I may even start dying it to match F1 teams.
All I will say is that I'm grateful that Jaguar don't race anymore.
Green is so not my colour.

Also in this week's FanFormula video I do a poetry wheel, end up sitting on the fence and I accidentally let slip my F1 perving tendencies.

And so on to this weeks FanFormula questions.

Question One

In-season testing returns this year after being banned in 2009. Are you glad to see an official in-season test return to F1?

Question Two

Do you think it is a mistake for HRT to not attend the test?

Question Three

Do you think that by having the test after only four races in that it makes the test slightly less effective then if it were held later on in the season?

Bonus Question

What do you make of the young drivers test potentially being brought forward and being held at Silverstone this year? 

If you want to get involved with FanFormula then you can, by going to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Or if you want to hear my daily ramblings you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany 

F1 Fitty of the week. Romain Grosjean.

I realised lately that it has been a while since I did a 'F1 Fitty of the week' post. Either retro or current.
And at this rate I will start having to call the posts 'F1 fitty when I can be arsed'.

So. To get back into the swing of things I have made a huge list of F1 Fitties to keep us going till at least June. Hoorah.

So on to this week's F1 Fitty of the week.
Now this fitty holds a special place in my heart now.
In fact I seem to be talking about him on a consistent basis.
(I may need to get out some more.)

He may like to confuse us by pretending to French, when in fact he is actually Swiss.
He may also look like a  Jenson Button doppelganger who's accidentally mated with a giraffe.
But don't let that put you off.

Because he is the most happiest, most smilest Formula One driver I have ever seen.
And that helps make him even more attractive.

This week's F1 fitty is Romain Grosjean.


Now this former banker (Easy. I said banker) hasn't always had it easy in the Formula One world.
A replacement drive for Nelson 'Crashgate' Piquet in the 2009 Renault half way through the season didn't exactly set the world on fire.
In fact no one really noticed that he even left. Maybe he was hiding behind his huge, man bush hair do.
*Shudders*



So when it was announced that Romain would be driving for Lotus in 2012. I didn't think too much of it.
In fact I thought it was a terrible decision.
"Not him again" were words that did come out of my mouth.

But then Australia came and it turns out three years of being out of the F1 spotlight has done Romain a world of good. His driving at the moment is superb (If you forget the crashes and slight technical failures) and his hair is even looking pretty marvellous as well.

And did I mention Romain's accent.


PHWOARRRRRRR.

So a beautiful face, accent and smile.
And that makes me in the words of Grosjean himself  'Very 'appy' indeed to have him as this week's F1 Fitty of the week.

You feel the need to hear more of my daily F1 ramblings. You can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 12. Bahrain.

So this weeks FanFormula video ended up being the case of the big hair monster.
Along with my pretty much unmade up face.
I'm hoping you will see past the lion hair and unkempt-ness and hopefully the F1 related words out of my mouth are a good distraction.

This week I also reference a past FanFormula video, blame Bernie and do plenty of hand swishing.

And so on to this week's FanFormula questions.

Question One 
Friday saw Force India pull out of FP2 due to an incident involving their team personnel on the Wednesday night. What do you make of their decision and the controversy around FOM showing no coverage of the team during qualifying?

Question Two
The stewards reviewed the two incidents between Rosberg and Alonso/Hamilton and have decided not to penalise him. Do you agree with their decision? If not what would you have done?

Question Three
Bahrain was our first dry race of the season, which saw the first race win for RBR and a double podium of Lotus. Do you think that this indicates that even without the weather intervening that the grid is a lot closer this year and that we will continue to see a variety of drivers and constructors on the podium for the rest of the season?

Bonus Question 
Who was your driver of the day and why?



If you want to get involved with FanFormula then you can by going to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Or to hear my daily ramblings you can follow me on Twitter @squiffany 

FanFormula: Week 11. China.

So this week's FanFormula is back to Female Formula Fun standards.
By this I mean... I can't talk properly on my video.
This does happen on a regular basis, but I'm sure if still watching my videos after 11 weeks.
Then you must be liking my silly little slip ups.

This week I also talk about money, do the Vettel finger and try to remember when Fisichella actually won a race.

And on to this week's FanFormula questions for China.

Question One. 
There seemed to be three incidents of unsafe release in the pitlane: Schumi, Lewis vs Kimi and Alonso vs Lewis. Mercedes have been fined 5000 euros with the other two incidents unpenalised. What are your views on the mentioned moments and the penalty for Mercedes?

Question Two 
The 2011 Chinese Grand Prix was said to be marred by too many 'DRS' overtakes; What is your view on the effectiveness of DRS in this years event and do you have a favourite battle for position for the race?

Question Three
With unexpected cold conditions in China do you think that Mercedes race pace is better in colder conditions with both McLaren drivers believing the warmer temperatures will positively affect the McLaren car in Bahrain and will this bode well for Mercedes in the upcoming European leg?

Bonus Question
After an incredible pole win conversion making it 6 different winners for the past 6 GPs do you think we will see a 7th different in Bahrain?

(6 winners. Rosberg, Alonso, Button, Webber, Hamilton and Vettel)



If you want to get involved with FanFormula you can by going to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

You want to hear more of my daily ramblings you can by following me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 10. Easter & Who to follow.

So this week's FanFormula was my longest video yet.
Mainly because I got all hi-tech with the cardboard again to bring you my twitter and blogging recommendations. I did also answer some questions too even with my chronic hayfever.
So now I have stopped moaning.

Here is this week's FanFormula questions.

Question One.
It has come to light that Lotus formerly known as Renault is no longer supported by Group Lotus due to financial difficulties for the company. However the team will be known as Lotus for the forseeable future. What is your view on the situation and what impact do you think this will have on the team?

Question Two
With less then two weeks until the Bahrain Grand Prix, speculations and rumours have gone into overdrive. Do you think the event will go ahead and what do you see the resulting circumstances to be?

Question Three
It appears that a French Grand Prix return is imminent for 2013 but which track (Magny Cours or Paul Ricard) would you like to see return and why?

Bonus Question
During the long break between Malaysia and China have you found any blogs/twitters/people that have been interesting to read and that you would recommend to others.



Just in case you couldn't read my handy work.
Leave a comment and I will link you up with anyone on the hi-tech carboard.

If you want to get involved with FanFormula then go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Or if you like tweets about biscuits then you can follow me @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 9. Ten percent.

This week's FanFormula involved an early morning start, some huge hair and a piece of cardboard.
With all that going on.
I'm surprised a video even happened really.

But on to subject.
Here is this week's FanFormula questions.

Question One
In the past two races we have seen four different constructors on the podium. With the recent break do you think that any teams in particular will have made a large improvement or will this only occur by the European leg of the calendar?

Question Two
This weekend has seen the kick off for some of the lower series including BTCC, Clio Cup and during the race weekend IndyCar. Have you watched any of these series and if so why and how?

Question Three
With the Crazy Chinese grand prix fast approaching it will be the first grand prix that the BBC will be showing live and will be in direct competition with Sky. Who do you think the majority will choose and which will you be watching live?

Bonus Question
Vettel referred to Karthikeyan has a cucumber post the Malaysian GP but if you could represent a driver of your choice as a food, which food would it be and why?



If you want to join in with FanFormula, then you can by going to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

You can also get on the John Button On Twitter movement by hash tagging at #JohnButtonOnTwitter

You can also see my F1 ramblings on twitter @squiffany

EmBRACE your inner geek.

So eight years ago. I finally finished school.

Much to my relief.
For five years, I pretty much counted down the days that I could walk out the school gates and NEVER return.
Why?

Quite simply.
I was a geek. 

People at school didn't understand me.
They couldn't work out why I didn't wear skirts, why I spoke about Formula One and why I listened to Green Day's Dookie on loop. 

Some people at school didn't act geeky, but they just looked geeky. 

Glasses, braces (teeth and on trousers) and wild haircuts. 

It was a bad time to be a geek. 

But in the last couple of years something amazing happened.
Geek became cool. 

Formula One is one of those sports that has had its fair share of the geek community. 

In looks and in mind.

The mind because of the engineering/technical side.
And in looks, well just see for yourself. 

Pastor Maldonado

Though this is now an old picture because much to the amazement of twitter.
Pastor now only has the bottom brace on.
Yay to perfectly straight teeth. 

(Though this may qualify for the world's most creepy photo)

Does it matter that Pastor has braces, bad skin and a creepy photo face.
No. For two reasons.
One. Did anyone see his drive in Australia.
Two. Have you seen how stunning his girlfriend is?
Case closed my friend.  1-0 to the geeks. 

Daniel Ricciardo.

This is how Daniel Ricciardo looked last year.
Still good, but he obviously wanted to improve his smile.
Cut to the 2012 Australian GP.

And hello braces.

Now from moving from braces to glasses.

Now when I think of glasses in F1.
A couple of people spring to mind.
The first though has to be.

Sebastien Bourdais.

The Frenchmen didn't make much of impression in F1.
But he did make an impression with his eyes.
Most F1 drivers who wear specs, tend to take them off for racing and wear contacts.
Not Sebastien.
He bucked the trend and chose to wear his glasses when he drove.

For some people. Contacts just don't work.
They can get too irriatated by them or they can move causing discomfort.
At least with glasses. There is less risk of that happening. 

Several drivers in the last couple of years do wear contacts for racing. This includes: Robert Kubica, Timo Glock and Giancarlo Fisichella. 

Ralf Schumacher spoke in 2001 of wanting to wear glasses whilst racing, (A big news story in 2001. Slow F1 news week) but sadly I couldn't find any photo proof . 

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns05276.html

And this leads me very nicely to probably my favourite F1 geek.

Jacques Villeneuve. 

So what if he wears glasses, has unruly hair and wears overalls that are three sizes too big for him. 

Jacques is the best F1 geek I know.

And as we all know. Geeks need love too, so show your support to the geeky F1 community. 

Get your glasses on, mess up your hair and get your braces on...Your trousers.
Embrace your outer geek. With the already inner geek you already have.

Well because if you like F1. Then your inner geek is already sorted.

To hear more of my F1 ramblings you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula. Week 8. Malaysia.

So this week's FanFormula was one of the most stressful I have ever done.
After THREE attempts. Yes you heard right. Three.
The FanFormula was up.
Though in dodgy lighting.
Because by the time I got to film, it was nearing 8 at night.

Plus I have new hair. (The excitement of my life is up there at the moment)

Anyhoo let's get on to this week's FanFormula questions.

Question One
We saw two incidents involving the HRT of Karthikeyan and a 'front runner' during the race today, none of which appeared to be the HRT's fault. What is your view on these incidents? Do you think that the front runners were over confident that the HRT would be easy to pass and that's what caused the incidents or was it purely driver error?

Question Two
With Perez completing an incredible race and battle with rumoured future team mate Alonso, do you think this adds extra pressure to Massa and do you think we will see a mid season driver change at Ferrari?

Question Three
The mixed weather played into the hands of the constructors with several constructors making up the top ten. Do you think this trend will continue across the season or do you think the 'top teams' will pull away from the pack?

Bonus question
Who was your driver of the day and why?



Don't forget if you want to see the full FanFormula or want to join in. Then you can go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/index.html

Of if you want to hear more of my ramblings, you can also follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/squiffany

Twelve years on: A letter from a young fan, all grown up.

Dearest Jenson Button,

Many years ago, when I (Tiff) was only twelve years old, I wrote a letter to you.

My letter proudly proclaimed that I was your biggest fan and might of mentioned that I loved you a little bit. I think I even did a drawing as well. (My artistic prowess was, of course, unparalleled.)

Now twelve years later, I am again writing you a letter. Except this time it's not in felt tip and I don't have to save up for a stamp with my precious pocket money.

We're still your biggest fans, but this time our reason for writing is this:
We want... the man, the myth, the legend, your dad on twitter.

We've been lucky to see him in action alongside you over the years, through the highs...



...And the impossibly-adorable lows...



It's moments like this that made us realise just how cool your dad is. Basically, we think the world needs more of your dad's charm, wit and wisdom and we're sure Twitter is the place to spread the joy.

We've even got a brilliant idea for a TV show called- 'Drinking with John Button'. We're sure you'll agree that your dad would be the perfect person to follow around the pubs, bars and clubs of the world during an F1 season.

But aside from that, what we really want is the man himself sharing his thoughts in the Twitterverse. So please, on behalf of us, your fans and the whole F1 community, help us get #JohnButtonOnTwitter

Signed
Tiff Fletcher (Then aged 12 and a half, now aged 24 and a half - @squiffany) &
Vicky Selwyn (Then aged nine and one third, now aged 21 and one third - @F1_Obsessive)

Diary of a F1 weekend: Malaysia

So after an exciting Grand Prix weekend in Australia.
We hardly have time to blink before it's the turn of Malaysia and the start of another early morning race.

So expect blurred vision and tiredness throughout my weekend diary.

Thursday/Friday
2am

Hoorah. I am actually up ready for FP1 however it's fair to say I'm not feeling on top form.
I noticed that in the fly away races especially the back to back ones. My sleep patterns go completely awry.
Luckily I managed to stay awake for 45 minutes of FP1 before realising that I couldn't hang on.
So decided to go to bed and wake up instead for FP2.

Notes for FP1

• Karthikeyan gearbox decided to fail. 
• Hamilton should good pace to top the table
• Vettel showed that Red Bull didn't have the pace. 
• All the cars seemed to be close in terms of time. 
• #BOTTAS

Now instead of my alarm waking me up for FP2. It decided to let me sleep through.

So I missed all of FP2.
This is not the first time this has happened. Luckily I recorded FP2 for this very reason.

Notes for FP2

• More woe for Karthikeyan
• Vettel still struggling for pace in 10th
• Vergne and Ricciardo show their hand. Top ten placings for both. 
• Then Karthikeyan has some more woe thrown in. 
• Hamilton quickest again

Friday/Saturday

FP3.

Ahhh. So I missed all of FP3. 

This lately seems a F.F.F tradition. 

There is no excuse for this.

But of course I was up for Qualifying. (Because I'm good like that.)
And even though it was 5am and I had to go to Sheffield later in the day.
I managed to not sleep through it.
I think the pack of fig rolls I brought may of helped, along with the copious amounts of coffee.

Notes for Qualifying

• Bad starts for Heikki and Kimi with five place grid drops. 
• Massa still struggling for raw pace and dropping out in Q2
• Webber out qualifying Vettel again. 
• Schumacher qualifying in the top three.
• Hamilton and Button bagging a One-Two for Mclaren. 

Saturday/Sunday

Race day. 8am.

With my alarm clock actually waking me up. 

Even with the change of clocks. (Yes it gets lighter earlier but it meant a hour's less sleep. *Grumps*)

It was time to get my cup of coffee on the go, along with another pack of fig rolls. (I'm getting lardy because of this.)

Ready for another great race.

Now what I love about watching F1, is that comedy can come from nowhere.
Now I tweet has the race is on. So when 9 laps in the race the rain came down and the red flag came out.
So did best comedy moments.

All 50 minutes of non racing was filled with entertainment that consisted of Gazebo chat. 

Who had the best gazebo?

Who was doing the BBQ?

Why did HRT only have a Tesco carrier bag?

Then it turned into a scene from the Carry On films because we started perving on the wet drivers/team members. Ooo Matron. 

Then it came full circle back 2009 with a W.W.K.D.

Or the long version. 'What would Kimi do?'

We all secretly hoped he would get the ice cream back out. Sadly this was not to be. Even if Lotus did get the Ice Creams back out for him. 

Luckily the race did start back up again but under the safety car. 

When the safety car came back in. The fun could begin again.
And boy did it.
We had Button lose his front wing.
Then Vettel got a puncture. 

I may of had some micro naps between all of this going on.
But I managed to stay awake when the fight for the lead was between Ferrari and Sauber. (Words I didn't really expect to say this year.)

And even though Perez had a moment off track and couldn't catch Alonso back up.
It was worth me having Horner jiggly leg for.

It was pure racing at it's best.
F1 is definitely back and it has come back swinging. 

Notes for the race.

• Rain
• Red Flag
• Gazebo's are entertaining
• Grosjean failing in the race for the second week in a row. 
• Karthikeyan injuring several cars. 
• Pastor losing out on points on the last lap.
• Hamilton still not looking happy after another podium.
• Vettel coming up with a new insult system and raising a new finger. Twice.
• Button's brutal honesty
• The Perez and Alonso battle.

Today was a good day to be an F1 fan. 

Remember if you want to hear more of my F1 ramblings. You can also follow me on twitter @squiffany 

FanFormula. Week 7. Melbourne.

So in this week's FanFormula, instead of saying words wrong. I get complete whole facts wrong. Hoorah.
(See if you can spot which ones I bugger up.)
I also get a little bit too excited and also may have ended up having a small rant to myself.

So cock up's and rants.
Just another typical FanFormula video then. :)

So on to this week's questions which of course were about Melbourne.

Question One.
Williams have appeared to have come back strong with a great battle with Maldonado but what did you make of the midfield teams today battling between the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes?

Question Two
What do you make of the move that lets back markers unlap themselves under the safety car, does it just prolong the safety car or is it fairer on those that would be out of place due to lapped cars?

Question Three
If you watched via Sky what is your overall opinion on their team and the coverage?

If you watched via BBC how did you find watching the highlight show rather then race coverage? Did it lack the excitement knowing that the race was already over?

Bonus Question
What was your favourite moment of the weekend?



Don't forget if you want to see this week's full FanFormula or to join in yourself. Then you can see all the info you need at  http://fanformula.weebly.com/

And if you want to hear more ramblings about the Grosjean Giraffe or why I think Alonso's eyebrows look slimmer. You can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

Diary of a F1 weekend. Australia.

So after nearly five months.
F1 is back and I am one happy bunny about it.
Now most people who read this blog, check out my ramblings on twitter or worse (sadly for them) know me in person. Will know that I love Australia.
So to say this is one of my favourite races would not be an understatement.

However it might be one of my favourite races. It however is not the best in terms of time.
I may be an insomniac but getting up at 2am, 4.30am and 5am are not winners. Fact.

So on to the time/day confusing diary entries.

Thursday/Friday.
1am.

So some backstory...
Earlier in the day. Thanks to upgrading to Sky HD, Sky said thank you to us by sending me and my flatmate Paise £50 in Marks and Spencers vouchers, which got spent on a ton of food and alcohol that me and my friend would never be able to afford. Winner.

This led to later on in the night. Me, Paise and our friend Jennie. Drinking quite a bit of this said alcohol and eating cake in honour of the 1st birthday of F.F.F.


So by the time FP1 started I was pretty away with the fairies. At one point the room started spinning and a lot of FP1 was a bit of a blur.
From what I remember.
It rained a lot and Massa did nothing to help his career.

I managed to stay awake between the gap from FP1 to FP2, which is a rarity.
By this point though I was verging from feeling merry to feeling rough.
So from memory.
It was raining and Kamui nearly tank slapped it right at the end.

Friday/Saturday.
5am
Now feeling a lot less drunk and hungover.
I could finally concentrate on qualifying.
I didn't watch FP3 but I caught up with it in the gap between waking up and Qualifying.
It's luckily I didn't watch it because all the action was right at the end with both Schumacher and Vettel spinning into the gravel trap.

So on to qualifying.
I love that Raikkonen missed qualifying into Q2 because he was changing his helmet. My favourite F1 excuse now...ever.
Alonso out qualified Massa even whilst stuck in the gravel trap. Massa must now be clinging on to that seat by a mere thread.
But my favourite thing about Aussie qualifying had to be the beautiful giraffe himself Romain Grosjean taking third place. I did do a massive cheer for that.



Then pretty much has soon as qualifying wrapped up. I was off to work and I won't lie it was challenging on the amount of sleep I had. Eeep.

Saturday/Sunday.
4.30am
So after a lovely mother's day meal and a little bit of sleep.
I was up bright and early, ready for the race.
Now for some reason Sky decided to start the build up a whole hour and a half before the race, which normally I would of loved.
But at half past four in the morning. It really wasn't needed. Sleep was.

So in summary my favourite/upsets of the race.

• Seeing both Grosjean and Hulkenberg out on the first lap. Gutting. Hopefully we will see more from them in Malaysia
• The Sauber's fighting for the points, especially Perez from right at the back of the grid. 
• Webber finally breaking his bogey track record by bettering his best 5th place with a well deserved 4th. (Even if he did bugger up the start again)
• Maldonado crashing from 6th place on the last lap, which would have gave Williams some badly needed points. 
• Hamilton sulking over 3rd. I know it's upsetting losing but try to at least look happy on the podium instead of looking like a mardy five year old. 
• Button winning. Full stop. 

And so concludes the first diary entry of the year.

So if you survived that barrage of words, you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany.

FanFormula. Week 6. Spain, Liveries and HRT/Marussia

It's scary to think that I have been doing FanFormula posts for just over a month and a half now but I have been loving every minute.
Plus my confidence at being able to look in to camera has improved as well. Result.
(See how little I look away from the camera now compared to my first FanFormula video.)

Anyway back to this week's FanFormula, which concentrated on 2012 and beyond.

Question One.

HRT/Marussia have finally passed all the crash tests with just days remaining until the start of the season. What do you think of the delayed start and will this have an effect on 2012 and future seasons for the teams?

Question Two

With several teams completing several 'filming days' before the season begins, should this be allowed or is this a way for teams to get sneaky test laps in without being at a session?

Question Three

2012 is rumoured to be the last year on the calendar that both Valencia and Catalunya will feature in the race calendar. What is your view on this and will this bring the end of the European GP?

Extra Question

Now that all of the liveries have been revealed, which is your favourite and which do you hate?

Don't forget if you want to see this week's FanFormula video or want to join in. Then you can go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/2012.html

And if you want to hear more of my F1 perving over the GP weekend. You can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO F.F.F.

It's a day I thought I would never see.
After 366 days, Female Formula Fun has turned the ripe old age of one.

A lot has happened in the last year.
From an idea about posting about fit drivers to teach non F1 fans a little bit about the sport.
Female Formula Fun has ended up growing into something more then that.

It's become a part of my life.
I love checking everyday how many people have read my blog, seen my videos and how international F.F.F is really becoming.

From interviewing Aussies and the creator of one of biggest comedy F1 websites.
To seeing my blog translated in Portguese, Spanish and Russian.
To me not being to pronounce any words on videos.

It's all happening and it's all down to you. My loyal readers.

This will sound like an Oscar speech.

But the main thing I want to say is a huge thank you to all of you who have read the blog posts.
It means A LOT.
It's always nice to know that the time and effort I put into the posts doesn't go to waste.

I also want to thank people who have helped and supported the blog from the beginning, whether it's by retweeting it/promoting it or by helping me out with interviews and guest posting.
You are literally the best.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Tiff.
x x x

And of course you can always follow me on twitter @squiffany
(Psssh. You can too Fernando. Just don't tell anyone.)

Scottish pride. Jim Clark.

Lately the name on everyone's lips at the moment seems to be Jimmy Clark.
Mainly because Sir Jackie Stewart did an interview on Sky F1 and talked about the great man.


Funny enough this post was actually going to be a Retro F1 fitty of the week post.
But half way through, I realised that it just didn't feel right.

When I do any Fitty of the week, I always do some research (It's a hard life). Mainly looking at pictures and video footage.
This time though.
When I did that for Jim Clark, it seemed a bit wrong.

Whilst watching old youtube footage. I just wanted people to remember how great a driver he really was and when he died in tragic circumstances how devastating it was to the sport.

So from now on. If I do a Retro F1 Fitty of the week it won't involve anyone that we have lost.

But I still feel like Jim Clark should be honoured. Even if it is just in this blog post.

So in honour of the great man.
I'm going to hand you over to another legend.
Murray Walker.

To remind us all and to keep remembering the one and only.
Jim Clark.



If you want to see more F.F.F posts you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 5. Rules and Team bossing.

So in this week's FanFormula it turns out I can't speak.
In every FanFormula video I have ever done. There is always a word or sentence I can't say.
See if you can see what the word is this week.

Back to FanFormula and this week's topics were about Teams and drivers, made up rules and Team bossing.

Question One.
What is it about F1 as a sport that you love and what do you hope this season will bring?

Question Two
What team/driver do you support and why did you choose to support them?

Question Three
If you could be put in charge of F1 for the day, what rules would you put into the sport? (This can include removal of any rules you dislike)

Bonus Question
If you were team principal, which two drivers would you want to drive for you and why?



Don't forget if you want to see more FanFormula videos or want to submit one yourself then to go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/index.html

And if you want to hear more of my F1 ramblings then you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 4. Globe trotting and tiredness.

In this week's FanFormula video. I was pretty exhausted.
I had stayed up all night to watch the Oscars, which in the UK is broadcast at about 1am.

So it gave me good practice for Australia.
It sadly however didn't make me look good on video.
Sorry for that.
Next time I will sack my Make Up artist. (Oh that's me)

Back to the point. This week's FanFormula questions concentrated on Globe trotting.

Question One.
Which Grand Prix weekend do you most look forward to and why?

Question Two
If you could go to any Grand Prix where would you choose and why?
(Also are you going to any GP's this year?)

Question Three
What is your favourite corner out of all the F1 circuits?

Bonus Question
Out of all the countries that do not have race currently or planned (Eg Russia) where would you like to see a GP being held?



Don't forget if you want to see more FanFormula video's or want to submit one yourself then you can go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Also if you want to hear more of my ramblings about American TV, the weather or general F1 nerdy-ness then you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

Just drive and the songs that link me to F1.

If you watched the 2010 BBC Formula one coverage.

Especially the last race in Abu Dhabi

Then you will remember this song being played over the end credits.

Written especially for the BBC coverage.

Alastair Griffin -Just drive.

It is now one of the songs that will always remind me of F1.

Plus it's a beautiful song and now finally it actually has a video.

Just drive really does reminds me of F1 2010.

This however reminds me of F1 1999.

The Cardigans- My favourite game.

Which was used on the season ending race.

Seemed fitting with Hakkinen winning the championship.

This reminds me of F1 2005.

Franz Ferdinand-This boy

Used again at the season end race when Alonso won the championship.

Maybe it's time to make an F1 compilation CD?

Well it should surely include this?

Any songs that remind you of F1? What should be in the F1 CD?

Comment or message me on twitter @squiffany

The beautiful new channel that means I starve.

So several months ago you may remember me doing a video post about how Bernie was slowly screwing over the UK audience, by only giving the BBC edited highlights when Sky had the full race that weekend.



That video was last September.
Now nearly five months on. I now don't live at home.
I live with my flatmate and we moved into a house that had a Sky dish.

And since Virgin Media wanted to charge us A LOT for TV and broadband.
We decided to go with Sky.

Which meant not only did we get a beautiful Sky+ box, which records everything (Let's not talk about the amount of episodes of My big fat gypsy wedding that I end up recording.) but because we managed to get an HD TV as well. (Thank you flatmate's dad.)

It meant that I could also get the Sky Sport F1 channel.
And my god it's beautiful.
Just seeing the branding made me happy.
Not only that but the previews got me jumping up and down, doing a girly scream like I was at a One Direction concert.

The channel starts this Friday 9th March at 8pm and the weekend is full of brand new programmes.
Including F1 review seasons 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Steve Rider interviewing Emerson Fittipaldi and Sir Jackie Stewart.
Plus a full four parter review of the 2011 F1 season

And that's just a little bit of the programming. Considering that it is a whole week before the Australian Grand Prix even starts. It's looking well worth the extra money and me starving to death. (It's okay I could drop a few pounds.)

Now has much as I love the BBC, all the extra hours of F1 that Sky are offering is pretty much perfect for a massive fan like me.
I've pretty much Sky+ it all already.

Not only that, but more programming means more blog posts for you my FFF followers and fans.
All I hope is that Sky can deliver when it comes to race day.

Because all the extra programming in the world can't make up for lousy/lacklustre race coverage.

(P.S To all of you who can't afford Sky coverage. I promise not to keep you out of the loop. Big pinky promise.)

Feel free to comment below.
You can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 3. The future.

So in the series of catching you up with my FanFormula videos.
We are now on week three.
(Don't worry only a couple more to deal with and we are back level. )

This episode deals with the future.
The questions for this week were.

Question One.
Now that the drivers race seats have been confirmed, which inter team battle are you most looking forward to watching develop and why?

Question Two
2011 saw the introduction of DRS and also the return of KERS, both which contributed to increasing overtakes at several races. However with drivers now having the experience with the innovations, do you think that they will play into the racing so much this year?

Question Three
With two races potentially in doubt this year, do you think that either Austin or Bahrain will go ahead this year?

Bonus Question
Which driver would you like to see win the WDC this year and which constructor do you think has the edge to top the titles for the WCC title?



Don't forget if you want to submit your own FanFormula video or want to see more then go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

Also if you want to hear my day to day ramblings about Sky+, the food I like or general F1 then you can also follow me on twitter @squiffany

A letter to Ferrari

Dear Ferrari.

Ferrari this is no Dear John letter. That I promise you.
Call this a look into your future.

See many years ago. You were a top team. A great team. With the best driver and championships at your feet.
I never loved you, but secretly I always admired you and passion for being the best. Wanting to be the best.
Skip forward a few years and something has changed.
That something was that you decided not to grow up.

However your fans and followers have grown up. A lot.
We now carry smart phones, use twitter to communicate with Formula One drivers and we understand that the press. Although can be intruding, are an important part of F1 has a business.

Lately though you just seem to be having Kevin and Perry style tantrums about everything and anything lately and quite frankly it's starting to get a bit dull.

Especially this week.
When you acted up big time.

So when the internet passed rumours that Felipe Massa has/was being sacked. You decided instead of manning up and dealing with the problem head on.
You know a good old fashion press release or a quick press conference.
You thought that at the test at Barcelona, you would ban Felipe and Fernando from talking to the press. Especially the Spanish and Brazilian press.
Thus causing more of stir then if you dealt with the problem head on.

Sadly though I believed you wanted that to happen.
By not letting the drivers have a voice, you created a media storm. Thus insuring more press coverage at the test weekend then if you actually topped the time sheets.
Which you haven't done in a long time.

One day though I hope you can grow up, invest in a decent PR manager and start letting your drivers have a voice.
And finally focusing on the car again.
Becoming the team I remember so well in the noughties.
Becoming amazing.

Signed secretly.
Female Formula Fun.

Don't forget if you want to hear more F1 ramblings you can follow me on twitter @squiffany

FanFormula: Week 2. The importance of testing.

So over the next few days. I will be catching you all up on the FanFormula videos that I have done over the past few weeks.

This one is from a couple of weeks ago, but I'm sure it will appease the boredom until the F1 season starts.

The questions for this week were.

Question One
Do you think testing times will bear any relevance to how the cars will perform in Australia, with many teams saying that their cars will be different by Melbourne?

Question Two
Reports from testing are suggesting that Ferrari are still suffering with track performance and wind tunnel performance not correlating, do you think that Ferrari are sandbagging or are the team worried that their challenger is not at the level they thought it would be?

Question Three
With Jules Bianchi crashing at Jerez do you think teams should just be using their race seat drivers during testing to ensure they are up to speed with their cars?

Bonus question. 
With over a month to Australia what will I be doing to prepare?



Don't forget if you want to see any of the FanFormula videos or want to submit one yourself.
Then go to http://fanformula.weebly.com/

If you want to hear my F1 and day to day ramblings then follow me at twitter @squiffany

Retro F1 Fitty of the week. Jacques Villeneuve

Now this week's Retro F1 Fitty was difficult for me to write about.
Mainly because the title of this blog post should really be Retro Geeky F1 Fitty of the week.

But that title, although accurate. Is a little bit too long.
Now for those who don't know me personally.
I like geeky looking boys.
Stick a pair of glasses on a boy and I literally swoon at the knees.

That's why this Fitty of the week, won't appeal to everyone.
But it will appeal to the lovers of geek chic.

My Retro F1 Fitty of the week is Jacques Villeneuve.

Now we might of forgotten about the random hairstyles, the three times too big overalls and the interchangeable girlfriends. Oh Hai Dannii Minogue.


But Jacques was pretty attractive back in the day.
He even posed topless for the now defunct F1 Magazine.
(Sadly I couldn't find the photo of that, which is gutting because I know it existed. This picture, though sadly will have to suffice.)


For me though of Jacques most attractive traits, is being opinionated.
One thing Jacques has never been is quiet.

If he had something to say. He would say it.
With no care of the media or who it could offend.
Now with F1 being so careful and protective of its image.
I love someone who fights the power and blatantly doesn't give a toss what anyone thinks.
Of course in time it does get you into trouble.

Sadly for the 1997 F1 world champion.
It did. On a regular basis.

But to me and many others.
It's something that Formula One misses.
Someone with a voice.

Especially if they also have a singing voice.


Luckily you can still hear Jacques's opinions every month in F1 Racing Magazine.
With less of his singing voice though.

Fancy writing a guest post for Retro F1 Fitty of the week?
Contact me on twitter @squiffany or you can email me at squiffany87@gmail.com

Fan Formula. Week One.

Since I started FFF. I have always wanted to branch out into making video blogs.
Sadly though, I never find a good subject to talk about.
That's why lately I have started to join in with FanFormula.

FanFormula was created by Grace Cunningham (@GraceF1Fanatic) to bring Formula One fans together.
Every week Grace sets a few questions which anyone can answer, either written or by video blog.
Grace then edits these combined video blogs together to create one video with many opinions.

For the last two weeks. I have been participating in FanFormula and not only enjoying it but finding more people talk to on twitter. Especially Female F1 fans. (That sounded more pervy then it needed to be)

So every week I will post my response on FFF
So it does mean you have to see my mug on a weekly basis. (You poor sods)

So here are last week questions and my video.

Week One. Feb 5th.
With the first session only a few days away. F1 in the news is gradually starting to build up hype and this edition of Fan Formula will focus on the latest headlines.

Question One
This week Adrian Sutil was found guilty of GBH against Eric Lux and has received an 18 month suspended sentence and a £160,000 fine to charity. However he has since said that his friendship with Hamilton is over and branded him a 'Coward'. What do you think of Adrian's sentence and also of his comments about Hamilton for not attending the trial?

Question Two
McLaren were the first team to hold a live launch event this week but do you prefer teams holding official launch sessions or teams using online/printed launch schemes used by Caterham?

Question Three
Rubens Barrichello has completed several testing hours in an IndyCar this week. Do you think that he will move into IndyCar and what effect will this have on F1 and IndyCar?

Bonus

Daniel Ricciardo joined twitter this week but which current non tweeting F1 driver (Racing in 2012) would you like to see appear on twitter before the new season begins?

So here is my first FanFormula video.
Sorry for being ill. 

To see the collective video for FanFormula for yourself you can go to.
http://fanformula.weebly.com/index.html

Feel free to comment below or tweet me @squiffany

Testing. One, Two...Testing.

If you didn't know or have never read my blog before.
I love F1.
I pretty much live and breathe it.

Except in one key area.
Testing.
Especially the off season testing before the F1 season officially begins.
Like the testing going on this week in Jerez.


I was sent home from work today. After being poorly the last couple of days.
But when I got on twitter. It was full of testing tweets.
The tweets about seeing the cars on the track for the first time, how many laps cars did or who crashed out. Is totally acceptable.
But to me.
The tweets about who is posting the fastest times.
This is like me posting about my hair colour, David Attenborough Polar bear footage or Katie Price's boobs.
They are all pretty fake.


Of course they exist. (My hair colour is looking pretty marvellous at the moment)
The testing times did happen.

But they aren't a realistic gauge of how things will be in Australia in March.
Yet everyone seems to get super duper excited about who's the fastest.

Last year Barrichello topped the sheets, yet where was the Williams last year?
There it was dragging it's sorry self over the line just before the Virgins, HRT and Lotus.

I'm not saying that if your fastest over testing your not going to do well. Brawn in 2009 had a really good testing session then won the both championships the same year.

I just find it hard to get excited about something that has too many variables.
From now until March. The cars and the drivers will completely change.
Drivers will be fitter and cars will have tried every part/loophole going to get the car to it's full racing capacity.

Yet everyone seems to play the world's uninteresting guessing game of who will be fastest/competitive in March.

I think I know why we do this though.
F1 fans go through nearly five months of no F1 action. By the time we hit the launches and the testing, we know that it isn't too long to wait. So we get excited by any glimpse of a so called race. Mainly because we have been starved for so long.

So even if it's just the race to get to the top of the time sheets in testing.
We get excited.
Cars have moved and it's literally GO GO GO.

Personally I have to wait the extra month (Because we all know that F1 is always worth the wait) and make my own judgements of the cars at qualifying and the race.
Because for me. The first race is the test.
The test of who will be the fastest and who can catch up to them throughout the season.
Plus after five months of being starved. It makes getting up at four in the morning, seem that little bit easier.

Feel free to comment below or you can follow me on twitter @squiffany.

Heat's top 101 hottest men.

So some back story.
Me and my friend from work Chan.
Were on our way back from Leeds after a work visit.

Since it's a two hour train journey from Nottingham to Leeds, we decided to buy a couple of magazines to keep us going.
Chan bought Heat, which this week is running a 101 hottest hunks section.

I thought after a long inspection. I thought I better check for any of the F1 community in this long and beautiful list.

Turns out Heat does know a couple of them.

But only the British ones
And only the ones that drive for McLaren.

Which is good in some sense.
Because I didn't see many other sporting people in there.
Apart from David Beckham and he doesn't really count. After all he just seems to model all the time.

But bad in others.
Have Heat not seen Sebastian Vettel, Bruno Senna and Nico Rosberg before.
I mean I could go on listing beautiful F1 people.

If you want to know who beat who.
If it was Jenson or Lewis?

I will just post the results.

So by twenty places.
Jenson Button wins the F1 related Heat 101 hottest hunks.

Next year.
I'm demanding more F1 related hotties.
Heat I'm watching you.

(P.S Photo quality is poor because I took these whilst I was on a moving train. Even when I'm travelling I'm thinking of FFF)

Do you think Jenson was the worthy winner?
Who else should of been considered?

Comment or tweet me @squiffany