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As everyone else has said, it’s definitely worth getting Kangaroo TV. I had one at Hungary last year and without it we’d have had no idea what was going on when Massa had his accident during qualifying. I ended up telling all the people around me what had happened because all they knew from the big screens was that he’d hit the wall, no one knew why or whether he was OK etc. So from the point of view of knowing what’s going on (because you have not only the trackside commentary, but BBC 5 Live commentary if you choose it) it’s really useful.
Also, as people have mentioned it allows you to see timing screens rather than the TV feed, which is really useful in practice and especially qualifying.
Other features (if you can be bothered to use them!) include a function where you can say who your favourite drivers/teams are, and then you’ll get updates about those drivers/teams. You also have the option of watching onboard camera footage and hearing team radio transmissions.
It really is a fantastic piece of kit and I would encourage anyone going to a GP to get one, for two reasons: firstly because it will enhance your experience, but secondly because Kangaroo TV is currently only available at about half the races, and the more customers they get the more likely they’ll be to go to all Grands Prix, which would be fantastic.
+ Button – one of my least-favourite drivers, but I have to admit he’s had a storming season so far. Even if he is comprehensively beaten by Lewis from now on, the fact that he did so well at the start of the season was enough to silence those of us who thought he was mad to sign with McLaren. I don’t always find him exciting to watch but you can’t fault the guy’s strategy calls.
+ Hamilton – he’s made a couple of errors but I don’t think we’ll ever see a season where that’s not the case with Lewis! For a few races he was the only person who looked capable of challenging the Red Bulls (post-Canada I think we have to say Button and Alonso are now up there with him). I think Lewis is a the most likely contender for this year’s WDC.
+ Rosberg – kicked his teammate’s backside in the early races and has only drifted into obscurity since Mercedes’ updates have rather conveniently helped Schumacher more than Nico. After eight races he’s had two podiums and only finished outside the points once – a good, solid season so far. Let’s hope there are more podiums on the way.
+ Webber – dominant performances in Spain and Monaco were a real statement of intent. He’s always been a fighter and, if he’s got the machinery to do it, you can never write him off. He’s in the form of his life.
+ Alonso – I had to give him a plus because he seems to be outperforming the car lately, but I must admit he’s made a few more silly mistakes in quali than I’d like. But I wouldn’t bet against him taking the top step again this season.
+ Kubica – as most people have already said, he’s outperformed that Renault amazingly. Really justifying the hype this year.
+ Petrov – it’s not easy to look impressive when your teammate’s doing as well as Kubica is, but this rookie has put in some really great drives. Unfortunately, Canada was not one of them.
+ Sutil – so nice to see Force India with a half-decent car. Sutil has admitted himself that he has tried to out-drive the machinery in past seasons, leading to unnecessary accidents. This correlates with the fact that he seems to have lost none of his speed but (thankfully) he is no longer a crash-magnet. Can’t wait to see him progress over the rest of the season.
+ Liuzzi – after Montreal I think it’s fair to say he deserves his seat at FI. He started the season stronger than his teammate, then went off the boil for a few races, but when it became clear that he was in danger of being dropped from the team, he drove his heart out in a storming performance in Canada. Hopefully we’ll see more of that quality from now on.
+ Buemi – had some terrible luck leading to DNFs but when he manages to avoid accidents he can really drive the wheels off that Toro Rosso. His race in Canada was fantastic.
+ Alguersuari – so much progress since 2009, he’s barely recognisable as the same driver. I hope STR can develop the car so we can see more of Jaime’s potential. I think he could really be one to watch for the future.
+ Kovalainen – it’s a joy to watch him having such a great time at Lotus. No one expected much from the new teams but Heikki is really delivering. On paper, his results don’t look like much but I think that’s more to do with the car than his driving. The smart money’s on Kovalainen to score the new teams’ first point.
+ Chandhok – it’s hard to judge someone in such a dog of a car, but he is a consistent finisher and is outperforming his teammate. Add to that the fact that off track he seems like one of the nicest guys in the paddock, and it really is great to have him in F1.
+/- Vettel – has put in some fantastic drives, especially those qualifying laps in the early races, but has failed to convert this into results. I’m probably being a bit unfair as he’s suffered various reliability problems, but I am feeling a bit disappointed in Vettel lately. He needs to up his game if he’s to get back to winning.
+/- Barrichello – the Williams car has been nothing to write home about, and neither has Rubens.
+/- Senna – I’m loath to criticise because the car is so bad, making it difficult to judge his performance – but the teammate comparison doesn’t look good for Senna.
+/- De La Rosa – Sauber’s reliability problems make it hard to judge their drivers, but I have to say at many races I haven’t noticed Pedro was even there.
+/- Kobayashi – more noticeable than his teammate, but unfortunately sometimes for the wrong reasons. At least he has scored a point, though. I still think he has good potential, just not in this rubbish car.
+/- Glock – seems to be putting in some solid drives but not getting the results because the car isn’t there for him. I hope Virgin can improve so we can see more of what their drivers are capable of.
+/- Di Grassi – see above.
– Schumacher – OK, so he’s old, he’s had a three-year break, blah blah blah. He looked to be improving since Spain but much of his drive in Canada was cringeworthy in its desperation. The seven-time world champion has outperformed his teammate, who has never won a GP, only twice in 8 races. It’s really not good enough.
– Massa – despite a string of points finishes he has been pretty average compared with his teammate. Without some of Alonso’s inexplicable mistakes in qualifying, he would be wiping the floor with Massa. This is not the same driver who fought for the 2008 title.
– Hulkenberg – I’m so sad to say this, but I think Nico H is the disappointment of the season so far. He came into F1 with so much promise but has been fairly unimpressive thus far.
– Trulli – I love Jarno, but I think the time for retirement is fast approaching. He’s not driving terribly (most of the time) but his teammate is outperforming him and it just doesn’t seem like his heart is really in it anymore.
I haven’t paid close enough attention to see how much of it is down to luck with the cars, but looking at the results you have to be impressed by how Chandhok is performing in comparison with Senna. The HRT is clearly a pretty rubbish car but Chandhok has had more classified finishes than any other new-team driver, while Senna has only seen the chequered flag twice. I’d really love to see what Chandhok could achieve in a midfield team, as it seems he has some potential.
I’ve never been a fan of Button – always found him really average and boring to watch. Nowadays I think only a fool could call him ‘average’, as he’s proved he’s better than that, but I still think he’s pretty dull. Clearly a great driver, but I don’t enjoy him as a racer. Most of his skill seems to lie in strategy. Having said that, he sometimes pulls out drives like Brazil ’09, which was a great race (until that I hated the fact that he was winning the championship, but I had to concede on the day that it really was a champion’s drive). So my dislike has cooled somewhat, but I still don’t like him.
I’ve never liked Schumacher and I still don’t. I’ve watched F1 all my life except for a period in the early 2000s when I just couldn’t bear to see him winning all the time. I appreciate that he has great skill as a driver but I can’t get past the scheming and outright cheating that went on during his days at Ferrari. I can only respect racers who want to win by being the best, rather than by less-honest means.
I’m also not keen on Massa. I don’t hugely dislike him, but I just don’t see what his fans see in him. If he were to quit F1 tomorrow I wouldn’t miss him at all.
I’m not too keen on Ferrari but I like them more than I used to. I hated them during Schumacher’s era and right up until a couple of years ago, the blatant favouritism shown by the FIA made me angry. I think maybe the reason I don’t mind them so much anymore is because they haven’t really been that competitive since 2008!
I don’t really like McLaren, mainly because I can’t stand Ron Dennis. But I like Lewis and I love Martin Whitmarsh, so maybe I will warm to McLaren as the Dennis era becomes more of a distant memory.
My least favourite team these days is Mercedes, which makes me sad as I had high hopes for them. Obviously the fact that they signed Schumacher is what put me off, partly because I feel that Rosberg has been sidelined a bit. They made such a huge deal of signing Rosberg and I was really hoping they’d get Heidfeld alongside him (love him or hate him, I think Heidfeld is probably one of the most solid number-two drivers a team could hope for). Instead, they made Rosberg their de facto number two by bringing back Schumacher….then, after the old-timer was eating his teammate’s dust in the first few races, they seem to have directed their upgrades in an attempt to help Schumacher, perhaps at Rosberg’s expense. It’s probably because of my feelings about the Schumacher/Brawn combination during the Ferrari years, but I just find it really hard to trust Mercedes GP.
