BLOGWOOD

Vettel dominates round Montreal but tragedy mars wonderful race.

2013-07-03T20:43:00.003+01:00

All season, it has seemed that the racing has been all about the tyres, but in Canada it was a different story as flat out racing gave us a fantastic race.

The weekend so far had been wet, and qualifying was no different when wet conditions hit the circuit Gilles Villeneuve, when the drivers got out on track they went for the options; but the ever greasing track forced the drivers to head out on the Inters but the track got wetter and wetter to the point that in Q2, the track was nearly ready for wets. But, none of that fazed the defending world champion Sebastian Vettel as he stormed his Red Bull round to a triumphant pole from Lewis Hamilton, however, the surprise was 3^rd as Valterri Bottas took the uncompetitive Williams to a top 3 position, that could catch the eyes of the top teams.

So race day arrived to sunny conditions, a fantastic turn-around from the miserable weekend so far, but, with the track dry and sun appearing for the first time; no one knew what to expect. However, when the race got underway, Vettel got a lightning start from the grid to keep the lead into the first corner, but Bottas was struggling as he dropped behind the Mercedes of Monaco winner Nico Rosberg and the other Red Bull of Mark Webber. That was the least of Bottas’s concern as he had the feisty Fernando Alonso all over him but every daring move the Spaniard made, Bottas was there to cover the charging Ferrari, soon Alonso was past the Williams and up into 5^th.

But the racing wasn’t done there as soon a queue formed up behind Valterri involving some top names like Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button still having an awful time in the uncompetitive McLaren. But when Bottas ran wide at the first corner, it was the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne (having a terrific weekend) who was the one who made his way past. Adrian Sutil also wanted a piece of the action, but when he tried to pass the Williams, he hit the kerbs slightly and spun off, Daniel Riccardo; Vergne’s team-mate just avoided the stricken Force India; who managed to spin the car back into gear, though, out of the points. Soon, there was more trouble for the German as his rear wing was hit by an errant Pastor Maldonado.

Hamilton drove his heart out to take 3^rd place.

Meanwhile, it was a procession for Vettel as he pulled away from the Mercedes of Hamilton, but his pace forced him into an erstwhile error as he off-handedly hit the wall at turn 3, but that wasn’t to stop him as he carried on his way. Webber, though, was stuck behind Rosberg who was not as quick as the Red Bull of Webber which soon brought Fernando Alonso into the battle.

Soon the pit stops were underway, sadly, for Bottas he fell back out of the points where he would stay, for Kimi Raikkonen, it had been a miserable afternoon as he could not find the pace to challenge for higher points and unfortunately would spend most of the race duelling with Felipe Massa, a fight he would eventually lose, before that, though, Massa forced his way through past the McLaren of Sergio Perez who was struggling for pace in a McLaren which just did not have the fundamental pace to challenge for points. In the end, they would end up with none, showing to all of us that they really were having a melancholy season; incredibly it was the first time since Britain 2009, 64 races ago, that they hadn’t scored a single point.

Webber, though, was now all over the slowing Nico Rosberg, he, in turn had a rampant Alonso all over his rear wing, but when Rosberg made an error near the DRS zone, both Webber and the Ferrari passed Rosberg and put him down to 5^th place, soon he pitted for a 2^nd time, but sadly, had to make a 3^rd as well. Giedo Van De Garde was having a lonely race down in last place, but soon his day was to get worse as he blocked the Red Bull of Webber and was tipped into a spin, this gave him a penalty and gave the Australian a damaged front wing, which soon allowed Alonso past and up into a podium position. The Caterham would then end up in a collision with the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg; this would force both out of the race.

As the race headed to its conclusion, Paul Di Resta had had a sterling drive for Force India, coming from 17th on the grid to 7^th place without making one pit stop, he finally decided to pit on lap 56, on his way to a wonderful 7^th place making up for the moans and groans of the day before. However, a tantalising battle for 2^nd place was developing between two great drivers of the 21^st century, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, Alonso had been setting fastest laps for a while but he was not to miss out on 2^nd place, especially not to his great rival. Hamilton, though, knew his Mercedes was weaker but he was not going to back down and when Alonso drew alongside, Hamilton bumped the Ferrari aside, but gave Alonso room to pass, and he did forcing his way through, but the Mercedes nearly tagged the Ferrari’s rear left tyre. The battle was not over yet as Alonso nearly lost the back-end of his car, gifting Lewis a perfect opportunity to pass; and getting into the DRS zone, he came right up to the Ferrari and made his move, but Fernando saw him coming and kept him at bay, consequently, the Brit did lose part of his front wing.

Near the end of the race on lap 67, Esteban Gutierrez hit the wall at the first corner, sadly, when the marshals and crane arrived at the scene of the incident, one tripped up and sadly was run over by the crane operator who couldn’t see the stricken marshal, his death was confirmed by the FIA proving that safety still remains a problem in Formula 1.

However, this couldn’t stop Sebastian Vettel from taking a superb win, despite going off the track at one point, although, he did have a joke with his team. Towards the end of the race, the team told Vettel to slow down and not push too hard to protect his engine, they even reminded him of what happened to Ayrton Senna who when he was pushing round Monaco slammed his McLaren hard into the wall, gifting team-mate Prost an unlikely win, Vettel soon told the team he was joking, but I bet they didn’t find it too funny.

After the race, the interviews began “Great race. I had a very good start and then I was able to really go with the car. Continued Vettel. "On the super-soft we saw the tyres were falling apart but we were as good as everyone else and I was able to build a gap.

"A very important race for us to win - finally we get it off the list and I'm very proud of that. Great car by the team and we were able to pull away from the rest and control the race."

So a very good race, which in my eyes restores everybody’s feelings towards Formula 1, which recently have been negative, however, I think we should pay our respects to Mark Robinson who sadly died doing what he loved, helping, Mark Robinson, we salute you and I’ll see you guys at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

Raikkonen beats Alonso out of the park in Melbourne

2013-07-03T20:40:00.001+01:00

The first round of the 2013 championship saw Kimi Raikkonen beat Fernando Alonso in a thrilling battle round Melbourne, but it was Red Bull’s downturn in pace from quali to race which was the talking point.

Qualifying 2 and 3 had to take place on Sunday morning as the rain was too heavy for competitive lap times, but when it did get underway it was Vettel who showed that Red Bull looked good as they did on Friday by taking pole position, but that wasn’t to say they’d win. Because as the race got underway Vettel made a good start and pulled away from the Ferraris but with tyres fading they quickly caught up. Massa who had out qualified Alonso was all over Vettel but could not get past so Ferrari in a decision which last year was not the best pitted Massa first, for Ferrari to attempt this was shocking but they did which must give some confidence to Felipe. But, meanwhile, McLaren were struggling as Perez making his debut was being overtaken everywhere and he began to realise going for the championship may have to wait. Hamilton, though, was having a great race in a much improved Mercedes as while he didn’t have the pace of the leaders, he was in a class of his own ahead of new team mate Rosberg.

Meanwhile as the first pit stops were made, one man was coming into contention Adrian Sutil driving in his comeback after one season out and once the expected race leader Vettel came up to him, unlike how he passed Perez, he couldn’t find a way past and this in my eyes seems to hint that Force India may be doing what Sauber did last year. Indeed as the second pit stops began, Sutil joined Vettel in the pit lane, but it was Alonso who had pitted first and jumped ahead of both Vettel and the Force India driver. Raikkonen was now making his move and was on the tail of Massa, when he pitted later than Massa, he was now in the lead.

Will McLaren’s problem continue till the end of the season?

Soon the battle for the grand prix began and with Vettel and Massa out of the picture and Sutil after he pitted for another time onto the supersofts, it left Raikkonen in the lead with Alonso hunting him down, but when traffic held up Alonso, the race was done and Raikkonen had won. It was a really good race, but we still had many questions to answer, how could McLaren solve their problems, would Red Bull have tyre issues all year and who had the fastest car?

Is Formula One all about tyres?

2013-07-03T20:38:00.001+01:00

There is a reason for the lack of reports recently and one is because of family issues but the main reason is that these days I’m questioning my love for Formula One. You must be thinking why, well these days every race seems to be the same and that is tyres, the recent Bahrain race wasn’t but that was an exception and to be honest I’m not the only one who feels that maybe tyres are just becoming the dominant factor, even Christian Horner has complained “Needing to four-stop in a race I think is a bit too extreme and there are other teams that look like they've got bigger issues than Red Bull with their tyres.” He explained.

But while I will admit it has caused some trouble, the Spanish Grand Prix was enjoyable; it was towards the conclusion of this thrilling race where my loyalty was questioned. But I think what’s gotten me and the rest of the teams annoyed are that now they’re doing secret tests which I will explain now.

Alright, so, after the Spanish Grand Prix, Pirelli asked the FIA whether they could take part in a test round the Catalan circuit, they agreed but said that they should ask all the teams, they didn’t and instead only asked Mercedes. Details about this emerged during the Monaco weekend and since then teams have been querying for a penalty or something to be employed. Personally I feel that while there should be a fine, I don’t believe anything harsher than that should be employed.

However, because of this I believe that Pirelli will not be in the sport next year which while I’m happy, I will miss them as they did provide some thrilling racing and some good few years, so then do you feel that Pirelli are out of the sport or not, well your opinions will be answered soon.

2013-04-25T19:07:00.001+01:00

“Multi 21 Seb” as Vettel puts himself above the team in Malaysia

Sorry for not bringing you a report from the Malaysian grand prix, so I thought I would give you a quick review, so let’s begin. Vettel started off beautifully at Malaysia by taking pole in a wet qualifying from Massa who achieved his best qualifying since Bahrain 2010, but his happiness wasn't to last long.

As the race dawned, rain was in the sky and hopes for Ferrari were boosted, but things went terrible from the start as Alonso tagged the back of Vettel’s car, damaging his front wing which came off in spectacular fashion as the double world champion faced a race in the sidelines as the Ferrari was stuck in the gravel. Meanwhile, the track was drying out and Red Bull opted to pit current race leader Sebastian Vettel, but the track was still wet in turn 3 and Vettel struggled to the point that after Webber pitted, the Australian moved into the race lead.

Soon they were joined in the battle for 1^st by the two Mercedes drivers of Lewis Hamilton and a fast approaching Nico Rosberg and by the point of lap 28, it looked good for the two drivers but even more so for Vettel who was on Webber’s tail, but wanting them to get him out of the way. However, the team didn’t listen to the defending champion and Vettel soon slipped into 2008 champion Hamilton’s grasp. Indeed after the second round of pit stops Hamilton got the jump on the German but the Red Bull driver was not going to sit down and wait and on lap 36 he made his way through.

What was happening in the midfield you may ask, well Force India was having a woeful afternoon in the heat of Sepang as botched pit stops for both Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta left the two making a fightback through the field but sadly after the second pit stops the problem reoccurred and the two were out. McLaren, though, were having a good race with Jenson Button and new boy Sergio Perez in the points, but when a wheel failed to come on properly a possible podium finish was gone. At least Perez salvaged 9^th for McLaren but it could have been so much more for a team still with problems to fix.

Sergio Perez had a better weekend as McLaren showed form.

Lotus, despite winning in Melbourne just couldn't find that winning pace and Raikkonen was forced to spend most of the race fighting with Perez, once he had cleared the Mexican, he then found himself nearly getting pushed out of the race by a charging Hulkenberg who had had a good day battling at the front in his Sauber and while he faded later on it was still a good drive from the fast improving German who left his team-mate Estaban Gutierrez in the shade.

Not Hamilton’s finest moment as he pits in his former team’s box, still missing them Lewis.

Back to the lead battle and after the third round of pit stops, Webber resumed right ahead of Vettel who began to make his move on the Australian who was slowing down after the “multi 21” call was given to him, but Vettel continued to harass him and on lap 48, the reigning world champion passed the defenseless Aussie and into a lead, he would hold to the end. The same thing was happening down at Mercedes as Lewis backing off to save fuel was being attacked by team-mate Rosberg who was radioing the team to get the Brit out of the way, the team didn't listen and Rosberg stayed behind Hamilton to take 4^th with Lewis in 3^rd.

This incident will rumble on to China.

And so a race ended in an order which no one wanted but the drivers were ready to speak out as Webber attacked the team "After the last stop the team told me the race was over and we turned the engines down and go to the end. The team made their decision. Seb made his own decision and he will have protection as usual."

Vettel then spoke to apologise to Mark "I messed up. I would love to come up with a nice excuse or a nice story but I can't. That's the truth," Vettel said.

"I can completely understand Mark's frustration and the team not being happy." So that was how it ended, but really the battle has only just begun with the controversy, tyres and many more set to play their part in an enthralling title race.

Mercedes rockets to the front in Barcelona.

2013-03-09T14:14:00.000+00:00

Testing ended last week with four very different days and indeed while it was predicted that this test would give us answers to the pecking order, we ended it with a subtle hint of the pecking order. And that seems to be that Red Bull has the quickest car but with the slimmest margins over Mercedes, wait what? After a pretty dreadful Jerez test which only slightly brightened up the final two offered encouraging hints which was a huge surprise considering Hamilton’s briefing which hinted that Mercedes had gained but it was not enough. But , even if it looks like they’ve had an encouraging turn-around, we don’t know the fuel loads, even Vettel confirmed that his team has no idea where it is and that is a good sign, but indeed Red Bull seem to have the quickest car with most noticing how much it stuck to the Catalunya circuit with ease. McLaren, meanwhile have had a dreadful winter and while their setup problems seemed to have healed, they still seem to be struggling with pace with Button confirming it could be a struggle. However, Ferrari seems happy and so they should be as they’ve got a pretty decent car at hand, could it win the championship, will it, who knows? But let’s just finish this report with the word which everyone keeps on saying “there are a lot of others to keep in mind as well." What that means, well who knows?

By William Adams

Could it be the end for Ross Brawn?

2013-03-09T14:13:00.000+00:00

Ross Brawn, famously known for bringing Michael Schumacher his 7 titles and his first championship with a team in his name could be facing the sack as Paddy Lowe has joined Mercedes in a position most famously known as his. And while Mercedes continue to deny such rumours you can’t hide the fact, two in to one just doesn’t go and there have been friction between Mercedes and Ross already this season. But to be honest, Ross leaving Mercedes could be good as they can see how the team do without him, because he wanted to win the championship, what have they got, one win, and now they’ve got Sauber catching up to them.

And, yes, Hamilton will probably help the team, but they do need somebody like Paddy Lowe because he has helped McLaren so much since he joined that they now have the fastest car. But here’s what gets me, what made Paddy leave because McLaren had the fastest car last year, while Mercedes had the 7^th, that’s a big step down for a man of his calibre, so the only thing which I think made him leave was Lewis and who can blame him, Hamilton is the fastest driver in Formula 1 at the moment, but it won’t change anything because Perez seems to be a good driver, so in my eyes, why leave?

I think I best leave this post with what Martin Whitmarsh and Ross Brawn said "Paddy [Lowe] will be performing a different role within McLaren until the end of the year. He's been a good and successful F1 technical director, and we wish him well when he embarks on a fresh challenge in 2014."

“I am responsible for the sporting side; running the team on an operational level. If we can maintain that then there will not be a problem.” Ross assured

Perez blasts his way to the top but McLaren aren’t too confident.

2013-03-09T14:11:00.003+00:00

The first test at Barcelona ended with Sergio Perez setting the fastest time but Jenson Button seems to hint that McLaren may not have the fastest car by the first test, as he said "It's been very difficult to understand where the car is. At times it feels good; at others it doesn't, a lot of that is basically understanding the way it's working and making sure it's working the way we expect it. Some of the time that hasn't been the case. That's why it's been a tricky winter so far.

"But there are times when the car's working pretty well."

Considering that Button has said that it does put McLaren on edge because in my eyes what Button said was a message to tell them they must ramp up the pace. Meanwhile at Mercedes their reliability seems to be improving as they managed a lot of laps, but they must take a sigh of relief as Hamilton seems to hint that Mercedes are getting there but still have some work to do.

What about Red Bull and Ferrari you ask, well Alonso managed the most laps and didn’t have a lot of problems but he seems to hint that they don’t have the fastest car which won’t help the team, but they must take happiness with McLaren’s problems so far.

Red Bull, though, seem to have the fastest car as Vettel confirmed with the news that the car is already better than last year, but things can change in the last test and through the last few years they have with Red Bull dropping off the pace last year, but all I can say is that the last test will be good.

William Adams

F1 2013 Predictions (5-1)

2013-03-09T14:10:00.006+00:00

5^th Place: Force India

This is the year in my eyes where Force India show just how good they really are, while they haven’t announced a second driver alongside Di Resta, their cars pace seems to hint at good news, but they’ve got to make sure if it is, that they do not suffer the same problem from the last 2 years, a poor start.

4^th Place: Lotus

While their car looks a lot improved on last year, I can’t see them bettering 4^th this year, although I think more wins and a sustained championship challenge will be what Lotus gain on, but they have to hope that Grosjean’s 2012 crashes are behind him.

3^rd place: Ferrari

Ferrari may have built a better car compared to last season, but whether that means 1^st place in the championship, well I don’t think so as they really struggled in the development race, a huge surprise considering they’re a big budgeted team. But what I expect to see is a much improved Felipe Massa who may give team-mate Alonso a run for his money.

2^nd Place: Red Bull

Yes, this is a huge surprise but when Adrian Newey said that they may have a difficult start to the season, that looks rather likely, but I was unsure whether to place them second or first, which last year and the year before, I predicted them first. But the reason I put them second is because of Mark Webber as I believe friction between the team and him may affect their challenge, while Vettel expect the normal the world championship, although I’m not too sure.

1^st Place: McLaren

Well I know it sounds weird considering they’ve got too poor qualifers in Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, but expect them to put up a championship challenge as I think people doubt Perez’s ability because I believe he’s got a lot of speed, and Button I think this could be the year he grabs his second title, but don’t hold it to me.

By William Adams

F1 2013 predictions (11-6)

2013-03-09T14:10:00.003+00:00

So then F1 2013 is underway with winter testing starting with Jenson Button fastest and Mercedes finishing their day one run after the car caught fire. But as you can tell, I have decided to make predictions for this 2013 season, so let’s start with 11-6^th position.

11^th place: Caterham

Caterham have decided to go for an inexperienced line-up of Giedo Van de Garde and Charles Pic, and while I predict they will get their first points this season, I can’t see them achieving much and could slip behind Maurissia.

10^th place: Maurissia

This is going to be the year in my eyes where Maurissia shine and while they’ve got 2 new boys to F1 in Luiz Razia and Max Chilton expect them to do well even though testing doesn’t bode too well.

9^th place: Toro Rosso

For Toro Rosso, they seem to be a team who are really underachieving and to be honest I expected a lot more from them last year, remember they had 2 great drivers in Vergne and Ricciardo, they’ve stuck with the same line-up, but I can’t be sure how well they’ll do.

8^th place: Williams

I think while last year was great, I’m not sure if they’ll do much this year and to be honest I was unsure where to place them in my order of predictions, but I placed them 8^th because while I feel Maldonado will do much better and sneak a podium or another win, I’m not too sure about Bottas, even though he was GP3 champion in 2011.

7^th place: Sauber

I can’t believe I’ve got to say this but get ready for Sauber to prove how good Perez and Kobayashi were, I just can’t see them improving on such a great year, but I do believe Hulkenberg will show us how great he is, Gutierrez based on his form in the junior category GP2, I can’t see him improving.

6^th place: Mercedes

Yep, this is the year where Mercedes don’t do too well, but this will only last for a year as I believe when V6 engines become the norm they will shine, but I do believe that an interesting battle between Hamilton and Rosberg will start from the off.

So those are my predictions from 11-6, stay tuned to my 5-1 predictions here at Blogwood.

By William Adams

Testing begins in Jerez with Massa on form but Button surprises

2013-03-09T14:07:00.002+00:00

Testing for the new season began in Jerez with Felipe Massa at the top of the timesheets but the shock was the great pace of Jenson Button who set a 1 min 18.8 secs on the first day. Even the fastest man of the week Massa was surprised and called the time “incredible”, but if you look at the times from the week, you would say that Red Bull and namely Sebastian Vettel are on form after setting a 1:18.5 on the hard day, although Vettel has tried to displace that fact, but the truth remains that McLaren look on fire. Mercedes, though, had an average week with problems for Rosberg and Hamilton on the first two days, but then banging in over 100 laps on the last two. Perez was also starting in a new team and he admitted to great confidence and thanks to Gary Anderson was the fastest man of the first test, the next test is in Barcelona where Alonso will want to show he has done a blinder by missing the first test, but has he?

William Adams

F1 2013 is underway as Lotus unveil the sleek E21

2013-02-05T21:09:00.002+00:00

Yesterday Lotus kick-started the 2013 Formula 1 season in style as they unveiled the E21, but what is noticeable already is that the unloved “boxer nose” of last year has remained, which was a huge shock. They have stuck with their race winning team of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean who seem to be pretty confident of a challenge for the championship this season. "It's not going to be easy to improve what we did already last year but that is the aim. Hopefully we can do it." Said Raikkonen, who also spoke of the order remaining the same.

"I don't think the running order will change a lot," He also said. Another feature which Lotus confirmed was that they would still try to master passive DRS, but in my opinion that could be a challenge considering that it proved unreliable at the end of the previous season. Eric Boullier, though, has decided to set a target of 3^rd in the championship. "We will try definitely [to do better]. Third place is at least an achievement we would like to have next year.

"We obviously expect to build on the momentum from 2012. Stability in the regulations, both drivers I think more eager than ever and 500 people here at Enstone who delivered quite a nice car and are really keen to do better than 2012.

"So we will fight everything we can to be in [the] top three."

Can Lotus achieve this goal, in my eyes, yes, but they will have to hope that one of the top 5 build a bad car, but time will tell.

Vettel to Ferrari? A story which keeps building.

2013-02-05T21:05:00.003+00:00

Every day the story seems to rise about Sebastian Vettel going to Ferrari, the story began back in Vettel’s dominant 2011 season when he signed a contract to stay with Red Bull up until 2014, which started rumours that he would join Ferrari. The move seemed to fit the pattern when Felipe Massa performed terribly and looked likely to lose his seat to Sergio Perez for a one-year-deal which would then allow Vettel to join.

But when Perez signed for McLaren it looked like Massa had been saved and his performance at Japan secured his seat for a year, but only a year sparkling rumours that it was to allow Vettel to join. But my opinion is, why leave? He’s won 3 world championships with Red Bull and he still hasn’t reached his prime yet, yes you may say he has, but he’s only 25 normally you’re at your prime at the age of 28-33, pretty much why Hamilton and Alonso are performing so well. Finally he’s got the best man in Formula 1 at the moment, Adrian Newey so why leave?

So that is why I feel people should stop saying Vettel is off to Ferrari where chances are he will be forced by Ferrari to favour Alonso.

By William Adams

Do they know it’s Christmas?

2013-02-05T20:56:00.005+00:00

A huge thank-you and well-done to the students of Ringwood school on behalf of Mr Himmel and the homeless of Bournemouth. A grand total of 2272 items were collected for the homeless this Christmas; making it 159 more than last year. Together we have given the homeless shelter enough food to last them until April. A special mention to 9U- with 189 items, 7D- with 117 and 8R- 100. A little does go a long way, and small acts of kindness like this really make Christmas. A big thank-you also to the sixth-form with their 350 items.

“It brought tears to the eyes of some of the charity workers that arrived to help collect it, they said they were tearful as they could just imagine all the good that this was going to do. I am so proud of the students of Ringwood School, they have risen to the challenge and delivered.” Mr Himmel.

Thank-you for your support; let’s hope that the homeless can enjoy a little slice of our celebrations this Christmas.

Anna Holloway

German Christmas market

2013-02-05T20:56:00.002+00:00

For two festive hours, the sixth form common room was transformed into a fabulous German Christmas market, selling everything from candy canes and glitter fir cones, to ginger biscuits! Run by Mrs Gilbert and her German helpers, everything in the market was traditionally German, whether handmade or bought. It is fair to say this is a truly unique event, which took weeks’ worth of preparation, and a huge amount of effort, so a massive congratulations to Mrs Gilbert and her helpers! We hope it can happen next year as well!

Katy Grubb

Christmas concert

2013-02-05T20:55:00.001+00:00

Once again, the last 3 days of term saw a diverse range of talent come together for the annual Christmas Concert.

From Singers, to Dancers, to Musicians, all the participants worked hard to make it a show to remember.

There were representatives from all year groups with an impressively high standard displayed by all the acts.

We had many great singers with renditions of Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, 1000 years by Cristina Perri, as well as Christmas and Street dancers, a Pirates of the Caribbean Medley on the piano, a Harpist, Bands, and even some ‘Teachers’ dancing! We didn’t realise Miss Edwards was a fan of Gangnam Style!

We are lucky to have such a huge pool of talent at Ringwood School and look forward to next years show.

2013-02-05T20:50:00.001+00:00

Once again Ringwood schools Music department put on an excellent performance in the renowned carol concert organised by the one and only Lindsay Himmel. Act one began with the choir singing various traditional carols such as o come all ye faithful and silent night the public were also invited to sing along with the large number of students that were part of the choir. Other performances were made by the separate choir groups and they rejoined to perform hallelujah, the vaults of heaven, when a child is born and joyful, joyful. The second act was just as pleasing as the first. Various musicians performed in their separate group’s such as junior jazz, tutti flutti, brass group, clarinet ensemble, flute choir, string group and jazz band.

There was also a performance from the big boy’s breakfast crooning club which was thoroughly enjoyed by many. The final performance was the most praised “the twelve days of Christmas” created by Ian Hawkins; all of the students involved participated in singing this song and they received a standing ovation on the last night.

Beth Mackinnon

Brazil

2013-01-06T19:22:00.000+00:00

Button’s perspective

It was the end of another season and Jenson Button was determined to win, let’s find out how he did.

The lights were out and the race was go, it was a determined start by Jenson who slotted in behind Hamilton, but soon he began to drop away from his team-mate, until Hamilton began to struggle, he made his move and took the lead only to be repassed by Lewis, then he made his move and this time led as Hamilton pitted for intermediates.

All looked good, but Hulkenberg passed him for the lead, Button was shocked but continued during that time, the rain was easing, Hulkenberg and Button had made an inspired choice to stay out, but the safety car was out!

Straight away at the start, Hamilton passed Button for 2^nd and went after the leader, but Button knew what he was doing, he was waiting and saving his tyres, it worked and soon began setting fastest laps.

Then it happened, lap 54, Hamilton was hit by Hulkenberg and Button led the race, but the conditions were getting worse, what could Button do? He pitted and after that kept his cool. Despite nearly losing it on lap 70, he won behind the safety car after Di Resta’s smash, so he won the 1^st race and the last, it may have been tough, but it was a superb drive, next time I look at Sebastian Vettel’s race!

Vettel’s the champion after an enthralling race!

2013-01-06T19:20:00.002+00:00

The last round of the season dawned, and indeed what a race it was with drama all the way, to sum it up, we will look at 4 people’s perspective, first up, Hulkenberg!

Hulkenberg perspective: The race dawned for Hulkenberg, the final race with Force India, he knew it had to count, and to start it off, he was 6^th on the grid!

The lights were out and it was go, Hulkenberg had to make his move and after seeing Vettel spinning he was 6^th and had to make his move, he then dived down the inside of Massa and Webber, then after seeing Alonso go off, he was 3^rd and after the McLaren, but they were duelling and after Hamilton pitted, Hulkenberg was right up alongside Button, he made his move and now was in the lead!

He kept it and after the inter shod drivers pitted had a good chance of 2^nd, but then the safety car came out and on lap 30, Hulkenberg went for it again, and pulled away from Jenson, soon Lewis had passed Button and was closing in, Hulkenberg then spun it, and on lap 49, he collided with Hamilton and a drive-through earned after that, he could only manage 5^th, it promised a lot, but in my eyes with have seen the start of Hulkenberg as a front-runner, it Sauber can produce a good car, expect wins!

Vettel’s perspective of Brazil

2013-01-06T19:19:00.000+00:00

The task looked easy for Sebastian Vettel, he was 13 points ahead of Fernando Alonso going into Brazil, all he needed was a top 9 finish and if Alonso got 3^rd, it would be enough for the championship. The task was made easy when he qualified 4^th and Alonso was down in 8^th, promoted to 7^th but what Vettel didn’t know he was in the toughest 2 hours of his life.

The race began and Vettel made a good start from 4^th, but he was blocked by Mark Webber and dropped to near midfield, but then the one event Vettel didn’t want happened, he was punted by Bruno Senna and was down into last place and realised he had a hard task to complete. But this is Sebastian Vettel we’re talking about and he began his comeback by setting fastest lap and making his way through the backmarkers and soon he was up to 10^th and when he heard Alonso was down to 4^th was back into championship contention, incredible was the word to use! Soon he saw his team-mate get spun by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi and after getting past Paul Di Resta and Kobayashi he could see the Ferrari of Felipe Massa but this race was not done yet as the rain began to fall harder and Red Bull called in Vettel for a pit stop, the team changed his tyres to inters and he began his charge again!

After passing Glock, Rosberg and team-mate Mark Webber he was up behind his main title rival Alonso, but the track had gotten greasy (which is a mix of wet and dry, it normally prompts people in for dries) so Vettel was back in for the dry tyres and he began his assault again. But soon the safety car was deployed for pieces of bodywork sprawled all over the surface of the Interlagos track, it was in by lap 30 and straight away Vettel was left napping at the restart and the championship leader was passed by Kobayashi. And to make things worse, Massa also passed the Red Bull driver. It was at this time that Vettel found out he had lost radio contact to his team, he could hear them, but they could not hear him Christian Horner looked worried was the title slipping away. At this point it wasn’t but after duelling with Kobayashi, he began dropping back from the Sauber, but at least the men behind him could help him towards the title as they were the Toro Rosso of Riccardo and his team-mate Mark Webber.

Soon Vettel was promoted as Hulkenberg took Hamilton (in his last race for McLaren) out of the race, but soon Vettel was in and to wreck things for Sebastian, the rain was now falling harder than ever meaning thanks to the faulty radio, he would have to pit again for inters! Now down in 10^th and with Alonso 3^rd, he was losing the world championship, but it wasn’t over yet as he passed Kobayashi for 9^th promoting him back into world championship position. And after Di Resta pitted and passing Vergne, Vettel was 7^th and Alonso 2^nd meaning he was champion and after passing 7 times champion and close friend Michael Schumacher, Vettel was 6^th and was then told to maintain position.

His championship was then secured when Di Resta crashed bringing out the safety car and making sure Sebastian Vettel was the 2012 world champion by 3 points. "To win that third title here, where one of my greatest idols Ayrton Senna was from, is unreal," Vettel said.

"It's very difficult to imagine I join him and other great names in winning three titles."

"[It's] always difficult to compare," he said.

"It was a very, very tough season for us, on track, off track - a lot of ups and downs for everyone," he said.

"But we always remained ourselves and kept doing it our way and that made the difference in the end."

So that was the 2012 Formula 1 season, will we see another like it probably not, but you can follow the 2013 Formula 1 world championship right here on Blogwood!

By William Adams

Brazil Preview

2012-12-07T18:42:00.002+00:00

Sorry I have been away for a month, but I’m back with the latest reports, first up in Korea saw a shocking result with Mark Webber on pole, but he was deposed of immediately by Vettel who went on to win the grand prix, while Webber finished second to make it a one-two, but Alonso who was 3rd lost the championship lead. It was pretty much the same in India with Vettel 1st, but Alonso took second from Webber on lap 34 to make sure the championship went on. Abu Dhabi related the highest amount of drama with Vettel getting a disqualification in qualifying for fuel irregulaties, but thanks to a recovery with a bit of luck and superb driving took 3rd, but it was Kimi Raikkonen taking his first win since his comeback in turn defeating Alonso, who stood 10 points behind Vettel. But it nearly all ended in Austin when Alonso started well down the grid in 8th but thanks to Ferrari putting Massa back, Alonso clawed his way to 3rd. So with one round to go it looks like this

Vettel 273 points

Alonso 260 points

You’d say it’s done and dusted but with rain forecast and Alonso’s skill in the wet, we may just see Alonso sneak it, Vettel is the favourite, but anything can happen in F1, and it usually does.

William Adams

Your Secret Talent- 5 Minute Article Competition

2012-12-07T18:39:00.002+00:00

Teachers were asked at a staff presentation in groups to write a small article about a certain teacher's special and surprising secret talent. We have published the best ones for you all to read...

Mr Ben ‘Levi’ Denham

The inimitable Mr Denham towers at a gargantuan 6”4 inches. Not particularly useful for walking underneath beams, short cutting queues or not being noticed during embarrassing moments, it’s of particular merit on the basketball court. Whether it is slam dunking, blocking shots or intimidating other vertically challenged players, Ben’s inches always come in handy.

Not only is this man a literal giant…oh no! His brain is also of disproportionate size and ability. His credentials include straight A’s (at GCSE, oh dear), some unmentionable A-Levels and a sports psychology degree. Well, less about the credentials- let’s get back to his height!

Mr Tom Cooper

Mr Cooper has a secret. Being recently voted the best dressed male among the staff was a massive achievement. However how he dresses at the weekend is something to be savoured. When Mr Cooper puts on his lycra, the true nature of his talent comes to the fore. Yes, Mr Cooper is Bournemouth’s national ballet champion. Occasionally you can see him pirouetting around LA4. He has to be the most flexible member of staff at Ringwood, able to do the splits with nothing but a smile on his face. Billy Elliot has nothing on Tom.

Miss Morton (Maths)

Miss Morton rides horses. When she was younger she competed for England and once trained with Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer who both won gold in the Dressage at London 2012. She is currently helping to set up an equestrian club at Ringwood School.

Miss Lyon

Miss Lyon is a multi-talented individual. Not only can she speak four languages, she can also dance the merengue and play the stylophone. Miss Lyon was also a ‘games maker’ this summer in Weymouth, kindly holding Robert Scheidt’s bronze medal for him while he went to the loo. More importantly, her hostess skills are second to none- she can organise a great party!

Mel Strachan

Miss Strachan, SENCO by day, musician by night, plays and composes music for her band “Free Folk”. The band comprises of four players, including violin, recorders, mandolins, singing and percussion. This popular band has been on a European tour and plays local gigs. Mel also taught peripatetic string in local schools.

Magic Matt Fermor

Mr Fermor has multiple sports talents. He has done the second highest bungee jump in the world in New Zealand and can throw a ball further than anyone else he know; he plays competitive rugby and football. He has ventured into magic with limited success (glass smashing being a speciality) to demonstrate his willingness to try new things.

Miss Jones

Fake Garage Doors! No, it’s not a Rogue Traders warning, its Miss Jones’s band. If you’re into soul and blues music backed by a world-class drummer, then this is for you. She not only plays, she’s a drum kit guru- just this week she was advising Mr Vipond on the best gear to get for his two year old son (Go electronic, and make sure it’s got headphones and a mute switch, apparently!)

Japanese Grand Prix Report

2012-10-15T18:52:00.003+01:00

Vettel closes in as Alonso takes another blow...

The championship took a major turn last weekend as Sebastian Vettel dominated from pole position, leading every lap and just to make things worse took the fastest lap. It was already shaping up to be a good race for Vettel as he took pole from Webber. Sadly Webber was hit by Grosjean at the start, meaning he was only 8th. But that crash wasn’t the highest drama
as Alonso who had started 6th was hit by Kimi Raikkonen, which changed the championship on its head and with Vettel winning it means he only has a 4 point lead. It’s starting to look like Vettel’s championship; however the last time his lead was reduced this much, Vettel retired in the next round, so who knows?

After the Safety Car came in, Massa came alive as he showed he is still able to reach the podium, when he overtook Kobayashi and Button at the pit stops to finish 2nd. But the question is, does this mean he will be retained or not? Kobayashi is set to when he finished a great 3rd in front of his home crowd as he fended off Button, who came alive after the last pit stops. But while Hamilton’s championship looks over after a disappointing race after suffering tyre wear issues, Vettel is looking like the man in top form.

Top 3:

1st Vettel

2nd Massa

3rd Kobayashi

Written by William Adams

The Big London Night Walk

2012-09-30T20:36:00.000+01:00

On Friday 28^th September I got the chance to participate in the Big London Night Walk along with a group of other Sixth Form students in aid of raising money for the Big Issue. It was an unforgettable experience that allowed me to witness a very different and exciting side to the city at night. Seeing the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, the Globe Theatre and many other famous sights lit up was incredible. London in the early hours of the morning has a buzzing and fast-paced atmosphere, but with its immensity comes a very lonely side to it too. And it wasn’t just the city that had a great impact on me during the 20km walk; hearing the vendors’ stories and witnessing the homeless first-hand was an enlightening experience for all of us. Starting at 11:30pm we did not finish the walk until after 4am; breakfast and a warm coffee were much appreciated at the end!

Currently, we are the only school to take part, and have done so these past few years, and it has helped to raise awareness of the role that The Big Issue plays in getting vulnerable people to slowly move away from homelessness and find employment. However, whilst fundraising the £100 for the walk, I was quite surprised at the number of people who were unaware of how the charity worked and how essential it is to so many lives. The Big London Night Walk therefore was an opportunity to speak to students and teachers about its importance. It was great to see lots of interest in supporting The Big Issue, and I would like to see more students getting involved in the future. It’s not just a fantastic feeling knowing you’re making a difference through the money you raise, it’s also a lot of fun, and I will definitely be participating in it again next year with my team!

Blog Face Lift

2012-09-19T15:13:00.001+01:00

We are currently giving the blog a facelift! Any ideas, please email me, Katherine Fleckney or Evie Davies.

2012-08-22T12:08:00.004+01:00

New Head of Physical Education Mr Hoggett.

Mr Hoggett has been a PE teacher for 10 years and he is now in his 11th year of teaching. Mr Hoggett has not just been a PE teacher, he was an English teacher in the school that he was in before he came to Ringwood School. The school was called Ansford School in Somerset. Mr Hoggett said that the PE team here at Ringwood are brilliant, because they are all different people but together they are the best team. Mr Hoggett's final sentence was that this is the best school he has ever worked in.

By Oscar Poules