Stefano Domenicali has been talking about Ferrari's plans for the next few weeks, and in an interview on the team's official website, he suggested that a win would do wonders for their motivation. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to that conclusion, but with just one victory under their belts so far in 2010, how do their chances rate for another winners trophy soon?

Domenicali says it would be good to get a win before the summer break, as it would be great for the championship chances, and would spur the team on to work hard before racing gets underway again in Spa. With just three races before the break, though, do they have time to improve that much? And are any of the upcoming tracks going to favour them?

Silverstone

Stefano revealed that Ferrari will be bringing updates to their car over the next few races, but Silverstone will feature the smallest changes of the three. The last time the red cars succeeded at the British GP was with Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and since then we've had one Red Bull winner and one McLaren. With those two being the cars to beat, and a strong home advantage for McLaren, will Ferrari be able to make a move forward? The track's been changed slightly so it may take a turn towards favouring their cars.

Hockenheim

For Germany, the team should have a bigger update package to the car, and the team have a psychological advantage by remaining popular with German fans, despite the disappearance of a certain star driver. He was their last winner there. In fact, the last three times Ferrari have won in Hockenheim have been with Schumi, so they may find themselves craning their necks down the pitlane to see what they're missing. Again, it's been Red Bull and McLaren victories of late, so they appear to have the edge.

Hungaroring

The Hungarian Grand Prix has been dominated by McLaren for four out of the last five years, with a rogue Honda win somewhere in the middle. Ferrari haven't seen victory since 2004, and although Stefano says they might be bringing more updates to this race, it's going to have to be something special to knock Hamilton or Button off the top spot. Hungary was also the scene of Massa's big accident and whilst he's confident it hasn't affected him, being back there is bound to make the team a bit jittery.

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It is July! The year seems like is just flying on by, it is day 182 of 2010 and with only 183 until the end of it is essentially the middle of the year. After the last couple of weeks of almost non-stop sport we have time for a breather with the World Cup taking a break and no Formula One this weekend, Wimbledon though carries on and as always there will be a post for that.

• FOTA have got together and announced a carbon emissions programme essentially pushing for a 'greener' F1 future, this will be in addition to what the FIA is doing in trying to reduce the carbon footprint of the sport.
• After Kamui Kobayashi's brilliant drive at Valencia at the weekend the Sauber team are working hard in order to prolong its form promising a series of updates to car over the next couple of races.
• McLaren has just revealed a new video featuring Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button this time visiting a warehouse full of old McLaren F1 cars, this prompted a lot of talk in the comments of the sports past and a wonderful post on the video by Gavin.
• There is a rumour doing the rounds that former World Champion and current World Rally Driver Kimi Raikkonen could be asked to test Pirelli tyres for next year's Formula 1 season. According to his manager it would come down to if Kimi was interested in the challenge and whether it will fit in with his schedule.
• The Goodwood Festival of Speed starts tomorrow and Lukeh has been blogging about looking forward to the festival and name dropping just a few of the people that will be attending.

That is about it for this daily post, so I hope you all have a good day and I shall see you in the comments.

Last weekend I headed south for sun, sea and spectacle when attending the latest rallying lesson for a certain Finnish superstar. I am now an old hand and know that we start off with shakedown early on Thursday morning.

In amongst the low hills not far from Faro we trample over the rocks and aromatic scrub covering the low hills to find a vantage point to spot our quarry. And when I say “we” I mean what appears to be half the local population! This excellent turnout is here for a couple of hours when the WRC pass through a short section pursuing the perfect set-up for the days ahead. But the spectator numbers and small trees and shrubs (some very prickly!) mean that getting a good sighting place for my own view is not easy.

The need for a clear shot means that the small trees gradually take on shapes reminiscent of oddly tailored topiary as branches and twigs are “appropriately” pruned. The tracks are strewn with rocks and make you feel that the Pirellis will have their work cut out... and so it proves in the days to come.

Finally the moment arrives. A distant growl and the dust cloud rising above the bushy shrubs on the hillside above means the first sighting is imminent. But is it Kimi? Shakedown means all cars do at least 3 passes but the order and timing is up to them. You can’t tell unless you get a brief glimpse of bodywork on the hill and even that will only identify it as a possibility if it’s one of the four works Citroens. So shutters click and I end up slightly disappointed that a six times World Champion has just gone by.

A sense of anticipation greets each car that passes but after half an hour I am wondering if Kimi has stayed in bed today. As each WRC car goes by the pink dust blooms high and then widens as it drifts to ground, much as a debutante’s ball-gown skirt would flare across the floor when she drops into an elaborate curtsey.

In the aftermath all goes quiet. I can’t help grinning because the crowd, as one, lower their heads to protect their eyes and their hands to protect their cameras, and I am struck by our likeness to a congregation at prayer. But when they lift their heads I am still praying and waiting in the warm morning for the guy in car number 8. Luckily he never disappoints me and I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried as he thunders by.

In the warm evening it’s onto the real thing and the first stage is a bit of fun in the Faro stadium. In a “Race of Champions” format the gladiators come into the ring two by two and Kimi is paired against Ken Block. After the first run through Ken is quite a bit in front but Kimi now has the measure of the challenge, his second sector is blistering, and they cross the line on the same times. But this is only an introduction for the crowds and the real business starts tomorrow.

The next day could not be more different. We climb up into the mountains in an early somewhat cloudy Friday morning for the first day of serious rallying activity. From the motorway we travel on you can see the most inviting tracks across the hillsides with only a small village or odd white walled house in sight. Occasional glimpses of activity below our road denotes a rally stage and builds our anticipation. Getting close to our chosen viewing area is a challenge in itself as the road is clogged with cars and spectators. Jordan wasn’t like this!

Our first spot is by a downhill left hand hairpin and, despite the warning noise, I jump as the first car appears over the crest above me. It literally seems to explode towards us over the hill and as it slides sideways into the turn the dust boils up under the left wheel arches, the tyres straining for grip. Suddenly at the apex the driver stops torturing the tyres, straightens and launches down the hill and away. I breathe again.

We stay a little while on a hillside spotted with the many variegated colours donned by motorsports fans the worldwide. A starting theme to the event’s catering options becomes evident with small beer dispensing stations as well as ice cream stands being the order of the day. We watch the WRC cars and a few in the next class before moving on. I have urgently scanned the live timing feed to check that Kimi made it to the end before we can leave.

This sets the tone of the weekend. Friends spot where we are heading for each day and we bundle into the car to sometimes fight to get near to a stage, watch the WRC and a few others rush by in a storm of dust and stones, drink the odd beer, wait for Kimi’s time and move on to our next vantage point. Kimi is playing it “relatively” safe on this very tricky rally where turns just after the crests are designed to catch out the unwary novice. He ends the day a respectable 10th.

The second day is similar terrain but to the beer and ice cream you should also add pig. Also add more sun and a nice breeze which tempts guys to give their torsos an airing, which is not always a pretty sight. The regular sight of spit roasted pig (slices of which are delicious served in a large bread roll) is welcome but, when you arrive as the latest victim is hauled over the fire, the juxtaposition of pink pig and pink spectators is a little off-putting to say the least.

The final day arrives and the route in the mountains just north of Faro is more spectacular today. Sometimes you are driving along a ridge with steep drops either side. That’s the main roads, so goodness knows what the rally drivers face. Kimi does well this morning as poor Henning Solberg comes to grief. So we are now 8th. Hurrah!! (Sorry Henning). But then the afternoon and a rock jumps out and tips Kimi onto two wheels briefly. Having recovered, his Pirellis have a slow puncture, so he’s left nursing them through two long stages before getting back to Faro for the final Super Special.

The 8th place dissolves away into 10th but at least that’s a WRC point! The story for most is that after cutting Ogier’s lead by half in the morning there is too big a deficit before the final Super Special stage and Loeb is going to come second.

So we come back to the stadium and Kimi, with fresh rubber, comes 3rd on the stage but still 10th overall. However the day belongs to his teammate, a certain Frenchman called Seb. This time it’s not Mr Loeb but Mr Ogier on the top spot. One day I’ll probably tell people that I was there when Sebastien Ogier got his first win on his way to a ton of WRC titles, but why oh why does he have to be another French guy??

And as for Kimi? Well, he was still there at the end, and he looks more determined and less like a rookie on each outing. This time I was there for Ogier’s first win. I just want to be there for Kimi’s.

I was browsing through news from days gone by and uncovered an article where, in 2005, Trulli was approaching Monaco with the memories of a win the previous year, hoping against hope that he could do it again. It didn't happen and the two races could not have been more different.

2004 was a year dominated by Ferrari - 13 wins for Schumacher, and 2 for Barrichello - leaving just three races to be won by a different team. Trulli, for Renault, was the first of these.

He qualified on pole position, whilst Schumacher was back in fourth. The race suffered two false starts, firstly because of a stalled Toyota, and then because of some leakage from Trulli's Renault. That was a worrying omen, I'm sure, but once things got going, Trulli led the way fine. He began the race with Alonso and Schumacher hustling for position behind him, but several safety car periods later, Alonso had crashed out in a collision with one Schumacher brother, whilst the other had tangled with Montoya.

That left Trulli defending his position from Button - a rare glimpse of the future champion's fighting spirit, perhaps? Trulli secured his first, and only, victory that afternoon - standing on the top step of the Monaco podium. He went on to finish the year in sixth place in the driver's championship, and in a Toyota - having switched teams with two races to go.

Fast forward one year, and Jarno couldn't even make it into the points. He qualified fifth, but pole position went to Raikkonen in the McLaren - who led for a relatively uneventful race. The safety car was only deployed once, and some clever strategy from Kimi secured his win, whilst Jarno languished in tenth. He still managed to stay third in the championship at that point, following two second place podium finishes at earlier races. He finished the year seventh overall.

There were only four more podiums on the cards for Trulli at Toyota, and this year he has made the move to Lotus Racing after the Japanese team withdrew from the sport. The chances seem very slim that he will revisit his winning ways, let alone repeat the Monaco dream.

This week, we celebrated our 3,000th post on Sidepodcast with the publication of Mark Webber's lap of Monaco. The numbers don't always mean a lot here at SPC, as we have messed about with convention and posted things forward and backwards with abandon, but still... 3,000 posts is a heck of a lot.

We're probably posting less than we used to these days, but of late, we've greatly increased the number of guest posts received and published. That is down to all of you. We absolutely love reading and posting your words, and anyone is welcome to submit their thoughts.

To celebrate the occasion, I asked Mr C to create a random post button (which he did in mega quick time), so that I could select ten random entries from the 3000 (actually 3004 now) posts from the last three and a bit years. Here's what I came up with:

1. F1 2008, Round 8 - France. A post that was originally written as part of my BellaOnline duties, I recap the race in which Raikkonen suffers some exhaust problems, Button retires early, Piquet gets in the way, and Trulli gets one of those tribute podiums.
2. Live: Japan - Free Practice 2. A post from the live commenting archives of 2009. A quick glance through the comments suggests we were really struggling with the time difference, and gave up watching after the rain, rain, rain stopped any kind of running.
3. Daily: 30th November 2009. A guest daily post from the original week-long takeover. The week was to celebrate a year of the daily - who knew it would be taken over completely just a few short months later? As is entirely appropriate, James includes some Doctor Who linkage in his post.
4. A Big Thank You and a Little Update. Not very far back in the archives at all, our big thank you to everyone for their support over our downshifting decision. We still stand by every word of this post, and as you can see by the design work happening currently, the "get creative" mission is very much underway.
5. Do They Party as Hard as We Do? - In a very troubled winter, we took a quick look at the Force India party, in which they had a certain familiar face acting as a DJ. I'm not sure about the title though - do we party that hard?
6. F1 Guide (Part 1) - Introduction. The very first ever mini series episode was an introduction to the sport of Formula 1. Further episodes included a recap of how the race weekend works, plus what is so special about those cars.
7. Daily: 21st March 2009. A post that starts with "It's Franck day today..." can only be a good one. It's one of the shorter daily posts that I've seen (although not the shortest!) Someone might have been excited about seeing Franck in action.
8. Singapore 2009 - Free Practice 2 Results. Uh, yea. Webber had an accident, whilst Vettel did well.
9. Episode 48 - We Got Told to Call Him Kubica, So That's What We're Trying to Stick To. Quite a long old episode title there. This is way back in the early days, when our pronunciation troubles were only just beginning, and we discussed the possibility of budget caps being introduced.
10. Pity the F1 Fool. A great guest post from RG, detailing just how easy it is to spread misinformation in this internet day and age. Well worth a read, as it gets even more true every day.

That's just a peek into the vast Sidepodcast archives. I know you're dying to try out the random button, so if you head on over here, click away and let us know what you got. A quick warning though, it's very fun, but also quite addictive.

Madness comes in many forms, not least when on a whim I decided to pay a trip at Easter time to some truly biblical sites in the heat and dust of Jordan. Oh, and there was a rally on at the same time. I did not need asking twice, and no sooner had the possibility of the trip come up than I had checked the flights out of Heathrow and started to buy a more suitable wardrobe than the snowboots and thermals dictated by rally watching in Sweden.

Flying out of a grey and damp London into the warm and breezy sunshine of Amman was no hardship. The hotels on the banks of the Dead Sea are new and large, and in the week before Easter were littered with team personnel as the Service Park is only a few yards from these self contained resorts.

This Service Park was a slightly weird contrast to the icy cold airfield in Sweden, as they watered the rocky, gravelly surface to keep the dust down on an area sitting above a dual carriageway. And it was hot... very hot.

But, as with my visit to Sweden, everyone was charmingly hospitable. It seemed that all you need is enthusiasm and a smile and nothing is too much trouble. And if the truth be told following trips to Abu Dhabi (hot), Malaysia and Singapore (steamy), Bahrain (very, very hot and dusty) and even sunburn in Barcelona on occasions, perhaps the F1 circuit prepares you better for Jordan than for Sweden.

It’s great to see the relaxed nature of the drivers here. When waiting for Shakedown they queue up on the road after the S2000 class starts at 10am (the big names have been striving for a good set up since 8am and are still trying stuff out) and get out and chat amongst each other whilst waiting for their turn. And yes, in case you were wondering, that includes a certain F1 champ too. They all seem a pretty sociable bunch.

The TV doesn’t do justice to the spectacular scenery of Jordan. Two particular spots remain etched in my mind.

The first, late on the first day, when just below Mount Nebo (the burial place of Moses) and a short walk from the end of the stage. You pick your way over the rocky ground to the top of a steep hill to find a panoramic view in the warm evening light. The Dead Sea slips into sight in the distance and far to the left a car makes its way over the hills, lines of dust demarking its progress as the topography first hides and then reveals and then hides it again. A zig-zag progress towards you builds the anticipation as it growls ever closer. Only when it comes directly below your perch can you see that progress is anything but smooth over the terrain, and it drifts into a right turn fighting to gain grip before launching up a small hill towards the flying finish down on your right.

You feel like you could stay there forever.

The second was on the ferociously long Jordan valley stage. You take a track across a flat plain and suddenly find a number of other SUVs parked, some looking a little precarious, at the edge of a precipitous drop to a flat valley floor. This is a rift valley and whilst the Jordan side is a steep descent, on the Israeli side matching white cliffs rise from the sea of green, which on closer inspection show as a carpet of scrub, brush type trees and shrubs. From this greenery a puff of dust explodes like a fuse burning quickly, leaving a trail of rising pink grit rather than smoke. Occasional glimpses of bright colour or silver reflection are the car setting light to the track.

Suddenly it is close below you, negotiating a hairpin, and covering those that have clambered to the valley floor with a dusty cloud. Then it is sprinting away again, twisting and turning like a gazelle trying to shake a cheetah on its tracks. You watch mesmerised as the spurts of dust show the track being taken to a point far to the left. Then you realise that there is another player charging in from the right, and start to guess the times from the distance the previous car has travelled before the new player arrived on the stage.

The view and the cars - just sublime.

A sense of déjà vu intervenes at the start of the final day when team tactics lead to a switch in running order to ensure Mr Loeb does not run first. Instead his Junior team colleague, who looks like he surely must get a WDC championship one day, Sebastien (do most decent French drivers have this name?) Ogier ends up running first and with a hat load of penalties. The element of controversy makes me think of F1, I can’t think why!

Trying to keep abreast of the results via Blackberry and helpful stewards I have the usual feeling of dread and anticipation when the Kimster takes part. Big relief at the end of each successfully navigated stage and happy cheers when he finishes in a creditable 8th on this tough rally.

So we find ourselves, all too soon, at the closing ceremony. A tad chaotic, but also fun. Loud cheers for the top three finishers but, of the WRC runners, the loudest shout is saved for the rookie in the bunch. He emerges from his car on the podium with a grin and, like a few notable times in the past, is greeted warmly and hugged by a certain Mr Jean Todt.

Meanwhile the teams follow F1 protocol and are disassembling the little village. The ceremonies continue for the various classes and types of car and the local heroes get their chance of acclaim. Gradually the crowd dissipates and you can take a look at the knocks and scrapes on the bodywork of the cars in the Park Ferme. Rallying is a tough but enjoyable business.

In the fading heat of the afternoon a relaxed slim blond figure in dark blue racing overalls smiles a farewell and skips over the remaining power cables, heading towards Turkey, and the next chapter in his new adventure.

My calendar tells me that it is Neil Denham's birthday today, so happy birthday to Neil. I hope you're celebrating it appropriately - cake and presents. Here at Sidepodcast Towers, it is the calm before the storm. Or maybe the storm before the storm. We are scurrying around making sure everything is ready for the season to begin. We're getting there. Anyway, here are some links for you:

• I was a little bit told off yesterday for not featuring the Mexico rally in either of my daily posts so far. The rally has been going on since Friday, and I'm now giving it a well-deserved shout out. Kimi has been struggling, I think, although I must admit I've not been following it as well as I should. I know Mr C is rooting for Kimi as he has him in his Fantasy Racers team.
• Meanwhile, if you are gearing up for the season ahead then it's worthwhile reading Jake Humphrey's post. He is super excited for the racing to get going, although he seems to be a bit at odds with himself. Sometimes he's saying he misses F1 so much, and in the next sentence saying it's five minutes since he was in Abu Dhabi. Well, Jake, it will be five minutes and you'll be in Bahrain. Woo!
• Finally, I didn't mention this yesterday, as there's no way I would have remembered such a thing, but it was the anniversary of the creation of Brawn GP. Lou has written a fabulous post about the event and why we should recognise it, and I am just sorry I missed out on putting this in the correct daily!

Anyway, that will do it for now. We're back to our regular size daily for today. I will see you in the comments.

Hi there. I'm a bit late writing today's daily post as I spent all of last night fixing my mother-in-law's power shower. It was in turns fun and a bit stressful, and I ended up quite damp, but the astonishing discovery is that I really quite like doing DIY. However, it is time to concentrate on Formula 1 related stuff, and here is some:

• There's been a bit of a shuffle around at Campos as Colin Kolles - formerly of Force India - has become team principal, alongside new investor José Ramón Carabante. We have a breakout thread on the topic, and it's fair to say the news hasn't come as an enormous surprise, but it's good to see the team have some investment, and they may gain some momentum as we get closer to the season.
• Webber was on top for the third day in Jerez this week, after finally a day with plenty of dry running. I haven't managed to do F1 Minute yet (see shower related issues above), but the sixty second catchup will be along as soon as possible. For the second day in a row there were four red flags, one of which was caused by the pace sitter Webber. Oops. Most of the attention was on Lotus vs Virgin Racing again, though, and it looks like Lotus are winning the pre-season battle.
• Finally, and actually this is not F1 related, but Lady Snowcat has written us an excellent guest post reliving her recent trip to Sweden to watch Kimi rallying. The post includes some excellent descriptions of what it was like to be a spectator at the event, and I feel cold just reading about it!

That's all for now. Let us know what you're up to this weekend, and I will see you in the comments.

Lady Snowcat recently spent some time in the freezing depths of Sweden to watch Kimi Räikkönen get his rally career off to a good start. Here, she tells us about what it's like supporting your man in such a chilly environment.

Have you ever stood in the dark, in a forest, far from home, very early in the morning, with frost forming on your hair because it’s minus 23°C, all for the sight of a guy driving a car exceptionally fast? If you have I’ll bet you will end up asking yourself if you are totally mad.

Of course the answer to that question is obvious. You are quite certainly off your head, albeit that there seem to be quite a few people infected with the same malady, as in this icy place you are most certainly not alone. There is a burbling under-current of discussion which, for once, does not allow my usual pastime of listening in, as English does not predominate.

With a number of small fires pocketing the dark gradually coming to life as the pink tinge of the sky then turns to a gentle blue, you can see more people picking their way through the soft, deep snow hiding the rather tricky terrain under foot. You only have to smile to begin a conversation in English and to get a welcome around one of the small fires. This happens just before your toes fall off with frost-bite and allows you to imagine taking your top layer of gloves off in order to get a photo as the Iceman hurries by.

Then you hear a growling in the distance and the thwack of helicopter blades and anticipation rises. All at once a car arrives - it’s Mikka; then another and it’s Seb; followed by Jari-Matte - each leaping over the ridge with a roar, squirming across the track as they brake for a corner and douse you in snow as they pass so, so close to you they take your breath with them as they go. Some more than others!

Once a certain cool Finn goes by it’s time to move on, perhaps to another stage, perhaps to the Service area, perhaps for a snack from one of the trestle tables set up with refreshments (no burger vans or even ice creams! in sight here).

The Service area in the middle of the very bleak Hagfors airfield doesn’t have the charm of the F1 paddock, with, of course, one exception. The exception is very important to my visit so all is okay with the world. When you aren’t amongst the trees, as on a stage, even a minor breeze freezes your bones. The cars are under rather flimsy canvas awnings with no sides and you have to feel sorry for the mechanics struggling to do enough work in 15, 30 or a generous 45 minutes, to make the gradually worn looking vehicles fit for another battering.

The tyres look like a Goth's dream with 384 studs in each. Being run over here would result in rather severe acupuncture so I resist throwing myself in front of anyone’s car!

Sweden is totally beautiful with its snow like very smooth icing on the great expanses of frozen lakes, pretty little houses, acres of trees and the blue sky to set it all off. And rally cars! You trip over them everywhere, including getting overtaken on the open road as they move from stage to stage. As they come past I am cricking my neck trying to establish if it’s number 8. Please let it be number 8.

It’s always clear when Kimi is expected as a crowd forms and from a distance it appears to boil with enthusiasm as some jump up and down and others brace themselves to take a snatched photo. He rarely leaves his car at the beginning or end of a stage but travels a short way along the road and, when out of sight or a distance from the fans, jumps out to remove his helmet and check the tyres. In fact a lot of drivers follow this process, particularly if, like Dani Sordo you need to prune the car of foliage and the stripped tape bordering the stages.

I could go on for hours but expect you are all bored by my enthusiasm. I do have to say that seeing them on the road from 5.30am to 8.40pm with only short breaks for service stops has given me a huge respect for the guys who do this. Also there is something rather real about rallying which makes the F1 crowd seem almost, but not quite, effete by comparison. Perhaps real men go rallying.

Although it is technically not Thursday anymore, we like to stretch the limits in our very own Sidepodtime timezone. Thus, here is a guest post from Lorenzo, answering Journeyer's initial question, with his ideal team line up.

My ideal team? When considering this question, I have opted to look at drivers that are alive and active, but maybe haven’t sat in an F1 car for many years. For the purpose of the exercise I will assume that the drivers would be at the same level as the day they left F1 (which is highly unlikely), but I suppose it is my team and before the season starts I am able to take such liberties with my decisions.

Ok, so my first choice would be the French Sicilian with the fiery temperament, who on his day gave both Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost more than a few headaches. I will always remember Jean Alesi's heroic efforts in the Tyrrell in 1990 passing, being passed and re-passing Senna many times on the notoriously difficult to overtake Phoenix Street Circuit. In fact he was a major reason as to why I fell in love with F1 in the first place, his talent was never questioned but his passion more than often led him to make the wrong decisions. Probably the move that effectively prevented him from becoming more than just a mere footnote, was inspired by his passion for Ferrari, when with his infinite wisdom he managed to wrangle himself out of an already signed contract with Williams for 1991 and ended up in his dream drive for Ferrari, alongside Alain Prost instead. Now we all know how that ended up, the Patrick Head/Adrian Newey Williams was the dominant force of the 90’s whilst Ferrari’s glory and form faded season upon season, until 1997 effectively. Still, Frank Williams was “donated” a Ferrari F1 car for his kindness in letting Alesi out of his signed multi-year contract and to this day I believe he still has the car in his Museum, but Alesi remains only a single time winner in the record books. What if, hey?

Number 2? Jacques Villeneuve. Who could ever forget his debut in the Williams in 1996, not I! Standing trackside you could see his unwavering commitment shining through in the body language of the FW18. Leading most of the race until he ran a little wide onto the grass outside of the first corner at Albert Park, shaking loose an oil line in the car, which resulted in the teams instructing him to pull over and let his more experienced team mate Damon Hill past for the win. Still his intentions were clear and Damon was served early notice. Also his relentless stalking and chase of Michael Schumacher in the Championship decider of Jerez 1997, followed by his scything pass down the inside from so far back that the German had no idea he was even coming. The audacity of Villeneuve in only his second season in F1, who in this one moment exposed what was both brilliant and flawed about Schumacher...his inability to accept defeat at almost any cost. My heart sank when in one fell swoop Villeneuve had confirmed for the world that Adelaide 1994 was no accident.

Test/Reserve? Kimi Raikkonen. His talent cannot be questioned, although we are all aware of his commitment issues and dare I say laziness over a season? I have a feeling that he would be horrible at developing the car for me and he would definitely hate the thought of me plonking him in the simulator for hour after endless hour, but I think I could tell when he has that glint in his eye and needs to be in the car. I might even arrange a special sponsor outing where we send Jean Alesi motocross riding on the weekend before Spa (no harm intended of course!) just so that I could slot Kimi in for his customary Belgium win, and then let him party for the rest of the year.

A final thought, sure Alesi, Villeneuve & Raikkonen mightn’t be a conventional choice for an ideal team but I have a secondary element to my choices. Jean owns a winery, Kimi loves a tipple and Jacques can sort of hold a tune. So when/if team Lorenzo F1 fail dismally, the year end Christmas party will be one to savour. Jean will supply the wine for Kimi to drink whilst Jacques provides the entertainment. I can’t lose!