Refreshing

We had one of our Grand Prix lunches today. Just six of us, and two of that number missed the first third of the race. Indeed, I got a bit annoyed because of all the chit-chat that was going on during what was actually a fascinating race even if it did become a bit processional towards the end and even if Jenson Button and Brawn GP once again stole the show. A major crash towards the back of the field on the very first lap added some early interest, resulted in four retirements and brought out the dreaded safety car. A change of strategy by Brawn, which saw Button two-stopping while team-mate Barichello putted three times, left me wondering if Brawn are beginning to show favouritism for Jenson. Apart from that, the main stories were Mark Webber's really excellent drive (and especially his brilliant and courageous holding off of Fernando Alonso when he tried to overatake when the safety car pulled off) and Ferrari's continued loss of the plot which resulted in poor old Felipe Massa finishing 6th rather than his deserved 4th because he had to slow down to conserve fuel. Next race in two weeks is in Monte Carl, which can usually be expected to produce a fair share of excitement.

Our hosts were their usual generous selves, Carl and I once again were last to leave, there was good food and chat after the race -- all in all, a really good day. I don't know what possessed me to get a couple of cans of pear cider rather than sticking to my usual Bulmers, but at least it looked good enough to blip.