Carpundit

Carpundit At the Canadian Grand Prix

Let's get one thing out of the way: it's incredible that Robert Kubica survived the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.  His accident, about halfway through the race, took the wind out of the crowds' sails - at least out of the sails of the sober, which included me.  I wish F1 had announced something; the uncertainty was the worst.  I hope he's back soon.  Now to the actual race.

It was clear, from Lap 1 -when Alonso went off course in a desperate bid for first- that Lewis Hamilton was going to win.  His speed through Turn One (Senna Corner), where I sat, was noticeably and significantly faster than anyone else's.  He had the car and the course mastered, and his driving was amazing.  Simply amazing.  Having seen him race, I say he's the next world champion.  I doubt anyone can catch him.

At left is Lap One, Turn One.  Click for larger, as always.  That's Alonso going off, overdriving the corner as he would three or four times in the race.  Hamilton is the lead car (from pole) of the pack properly on course.

At right is Alonso's second or third agricultural excursion.  He simply couldn't drive that turn as fast as Hamilton.  He may have psyched himself out, or pushed too hard trying to catch his team's number two.  It must be tough to be reigning world champ and have your own teammate showing you up.  So far in 2007, Hamilton's a better driver.

Let's see what happens at Indy.  I predict Hamilton wins.  He's had a taste, and he's that good.

Carpundit at the Canadian Grand Prix of 2007

The McLarens rounding the first turn on a gorgeous Saturday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in practice for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.  Later in the day, they qualified in spots one and two for the race.  In this photo, Alonso is ahead, but that's not how the qualification turned out.  Race day tomorrow, with perfect weather forecast.  Hamilton's on the pole.

Boston From the Sky

Fenway Park and the Charles River Esplanade on a hazy day.  Click for larger.

Random Car Photo

Kaiser Deluxe - maybe a 1951?  I love the lines, especially for the era.  Click for larger, as always.

Random Grand Prix Photos

Came across these while cleaning up my desktop.  From the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.

Presidential License Plates - Not.

Spotted somewhere in Massachusetts, this Audi A6 with seriously vanity license plates.  That's one way to make a political statement.
Click for larger to see what I mean.  Location looks like somewhere around Plymouth on Route 3.  My wife took the photo for me.  How cool is that?

Chris Clarke nicely pointed out that I screwed up the photo.  Try this one:View this photo

Yeah, I Know It's A Boat

Well, I'm back from vacation, having missed all the Big Dig fun and Juan Pablo's jumping from F1.  On my last day on the Cape, I saw the best vehicle of the vacation.  The Sailing Vessel Lady Lauren (cheesy homepage; gorgeous boat), docked at MacMillan Wharf on what I assume was a charter to P-Town.  Not a bad way to spend 17 million if you've got the scratch.  I'll try to get back to posting this week.  I'll surely have to opine on Montoya's desire to drive in the Chicken-Fried Steak 500.

More boat shots after the jump.  Click for larger, as always.

Canadian Grand Prix 2006

Montreal is a wonderful city and the Canadian Grand Prix was a blast, despite the best efforts of the venue managers to ruin the whole thing.  Sure, it sounds fun: hold a race on an island in the middle of a river just miles from downtown.  Think Alcatraz and you'll have a sense of how accessible it is.  And if you want to get close to the action in Formula One, go to Indianapolis instead.  There, you can get closer, get to the track faster, and generally experience fewer hassles.  I was shocked by the poor crowd control, the inefficient transit, and -most of all- the structure of the venue, designed to keep general admission ticket holders from seeing anything at all.  (L. to R.: the old city as seen from the long bridge on the walk off the island; spectators' flags fly above the grandstands; venue map.  Click for larger.)

Boston Man In Singapore

Boston native and globe-trotting photographer John Daley does it again: don't miss his photo essay of a day in the life of Singapore.  Great shots, as always, John, and thanks for posting.

That's one of John's shots at left, as a teaser.  Go see the rest.

Virginia Car Scenes You Won't See

I deliberately skipped the camera this trip, because I am no longer satisfied with either of our point-and-shoots, and my Nikon is too big a production to bring on work trips.  Obviously, that means I have seen and will see thirty-six photo-worthy car items along the way.  So far, I've missed being able to show you:

The ads for Granddriver all over the place.  They must have a lot of old-people accidents here.

The dead car batteries left on the sidewalk (a core charge isn't working in Virginia, Erik).

The Honda S2000, with deployed airbags and a wrecked front-end, parked/abandoned at a meter, dripping coolant in the sun.  Sad.