Nick Heidfeld's Future

Among the second tier drivers and teams in Formula One (defined as everyone except Ferrari and McLaren), it seems that Heidfeld has received a lot of press this week. Even America's New York Times wrote a detailed article summing up his career and his current predicament.

Nick better pick up the pace.

With the game of driver musical chairs about to start, Scuderia Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel is rumored to be going to Ferrari (assuming Kimi retires). The buzz this week is that if Heidfeld does not shape up at BMW Sauber, he'll move to STR, which is not exactly a promotion.

Today, Heidfeld did an admirable job in qualifying, finishing fifth behind the Ferraris and McLarens. More importantly, he qualified ahead of teammate Robert Kubica.

Heidfeld has a decent shot of finishing third tomorrow at Spa Francorchamp. One of the Ferrari's con rods will probably break, again. Heikki Kovalainen will finish fifth. And voila, we have third place. If it rains, and the stars align just right, Heidfeld may even win the race.

In the end, I believe that as long as Quick Nick finishes in the top four or five and ahead of Kubica this weekend, his job will be safe, at least until next week's race at Monza.

CKY

Tamerlane's Thoughts, Read In 100 Countries

Cal 1, Trees 0

Today, the trees outside Memorial Stadium finally started coming down. This will mean better athletic facilities, better recruitment, and hopefully, a national title in the semi-near future. Go Bears!

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for protecting the environment. But if these Berkeley protesters had spent 1/10 of their energy, time, and dedication fighting deforestation in the Amazon, they could have saved thousands of acres by now.

CKY

Formula One Crash at Spa in 1998

I don't know which is more entertaining-- the crash itself or the German announcers' dramatic play-by-play.

CKY

10 Days, 10 Formula One Sponsors (Day 7)

Today, I used my land line at home, which has AT&T service. The service is fine, but it costs $70 a month. We use it maybe 10 times a month, tops. That's $7 a month. Wow. Maybe I should cancel it.


Summary:
Day 1, Kingfisher beer, Force India, 8/10
Day 2, Intel chip, BMW Sauber, no rating
Day 3, Mercedes-Benz C300, McLaren Mercedes, 3/10
Day 4, ING Direct savings account, Renault, 6/10
Day 5, Panasonic KX-TG2352, Toyota, 4/10
Day 6, Shell gasoline, Ferrari, no rating
Day 7, AT&T phone service, Williams, 2/10

CKY

10 Days, 10 Formula One Sponsors (Day 6)

In high school, I purposely avoided filling up at the local Shell station because of the whole apartheid issue. Since then, I've only gone there when absolutely necessary, i.e. I'm in the middle of nowhere and need gas immediately.

For this segment of my series, I filled up my tank at the local Shell station. Shell, of course, is a big Scuderia Ferrari sponsor. I personally find all gasoline to be the same, so I really can't rank or rate the product. I will, however, rate Kimi. He is very talented but does not have his heart in racing anymore. It's a shame, as he has just as good of a shot at winning the championship this season as anyone else. But then again, no one expected him to win it all last year, even at the start of the Brazil GP.


Summary:
Day 1, Kingfisher beer, Force India, 8/10
Day 2, Intel chip, BMW Sauber, no rating
Day 3, Mercedes-Benz C300, McLaren Mercedes, 3/10
Day 4, ING Direct savings account, Renault, 6/10
Day 5, Panasonic KX-TG2352, Toyota, 4/10
Day 6, Shell gasoline, Ferrari, no rating

CKY

Wasilla City Hall Photo

I know Sarah Palin is for small government, but this is ridiculous. And, is that a drive-up window on the left?

CKY

10 Days, 10 Formula One Sponsors (Day 5)

When I came up with the theme to this series over the weekend, I secretly dreaded Panasonic/Toyota. I rummaged through the drawers, checking to see if the tape recorder that I haven't used in ages is a Panasonic (it wasn't). I thought I'd have to either borrow a friend's Prius or buy something made by Panasonic to cross the F1 team off the list. But then, lo and behold, staring right at me next to the computer is my Panasonic phone.

I've had the KX-TG2352 for three years now. It has served its purpose. I don't like the cheap feel and the sound quality is so-so. However, as I use my cell phone much more often than this Panasonic, I couldn't justify spending the money and buying a new phone.


Summary:
Day 1, Kingfisher beer, Force India, 8/10
Day 2, Intel chip, BMW Sauber, no rating
Day 3, Mercedes-Benz C300, McLaren Mercedes, 3/10
Day 4, ING Direct savings account, Renault, 6/10
Day 5, Panasonic KX-TG2352, Toyota, 4/10

As you can see, aside from Kingfisher beer, the F1 sponsors sell some pretty mediocre products and services. What products and services lie ahead in the second half of this series? Stay tuned?

CKY

10 Days, 10 Formula One Sponsors (Day 4)

Today, I crossed Renault off my list by making a transfer on my ING Direct savings account. I am a bit conflicted about the savings plan. It offers a high rate of return and I benefited from a sign-up bonus. However, the website has to be the most confusing, frustrating, and user-unfriendly site ever created. Halfway through the sign-up process, I seriously debated going forward with opening an account.

With four sponsors/teams down, I look and plan ahead. The biggest challenge will be Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso. I mean, do I just drink a can of Red Bull on two separate days? Or do I go to a store and pick up Puma paraphanalia? Stay tuned.

Summary:
Day 1, Kingfisher beer, Force India, 8/10
Day 2, Intel chip, BMW Sauber, no rating
Day 3, Mercedes-Benz C300, McLaren Mercedes, 3/10
Day 4, ING Direct savings account, Renault, 6/10

CKY

10 Days, 10 Formula One Sponsors (Day 3)

Seeing as how I have the entire day off today, I thought I'd take advantage of it and check McLaren off my list. At the risk of being constantly harassed by a Mercedes-Benz sales associate until I bought a damn car, I marched to the local dealership to check out the C300.


I've had my eye on the new C-Class since I became addicted to DTM racing. When the road-going version came out State-side, I was mesmerized by the aggressive front end. It's wide, low, and mean looking. It is much more attractive than its predecessor, which pleased only poseurs, newly minted real estate agents, and people who don't know shit about cars.


I really wanted to like this car. It's been about two decades now since Benz built a decent car. Cost cuts and megalomanical dreams of dominating every segment on every continent have made Mercedes a washed-up has-been. It reached its nadir when it merged with Chrysler.

The interior of the C300, in a word, is crap. It felt sterile, but not in a surgically precise kind of way like an Audi. It felt angular, but not in an ergonomically well designed kind of way like an Acura. It felt heavy, but not in a solid BMW kind of way. The materials felt cheap and cheaply put together. When I tried to close the little door that covered the nav system, the radio turned on. Oh my, this was an overpriced piece of crap.

Summary:
Day 1, Kingfisher beer, Force India, 8/10
Day 2, Intel chip, BMW Sauber, no rating
Day 3, Mercedes-Benz C300, McLaren Mercedes, 3/10

CKY