Cycling: Sorry seems to be the hardest word for Armstrong

Today Lance Armstrong apologized on Twitter after an (ex-)fan of him asked why he didn't apologize to him and to his other fans. So Lance did. He answered he is ashamed and embarrassed with what he did. Armstrong also added "Made plenty of mistakes along the way - all of which I am truly sorry." to his Twitter profile. But what does it change? And does he mean anything of the apology he gives us?

Lance has apologized to many of his old sponsors, his teammates, competitors and to the cycling sport in general. But I guess most people haven't accepted his apology, and why should they? Lance has lied to everybody for years and years and a simple sorry tweet won't change that. It's just a word, easy to typ, a lot harder to mean. Saying sorry seems to be one of the hardest  things for Lance, admitting he was wrong. Armstrong always believed that what he does and says is the right thing. And to then admit he was wrong, is hard for him.

I think on some topics Lance is right but people don't want to agree with him, just because it's Lance. He said in an interview with BBC "If everyone gets the death penalty, then I'll take the death penalty, If everyone gets a free pass, I'm happy to take a free pass. If everyone gets six months, then I'll take my six months."Just read that quote again, and try not to think about Lance Armstrong or about what he has done but just read the words. Doesn't it sound fair? That's what still bothers me about the whole Armstrong case, the only thing USADA wanted was to get Lance. If they would have wanted to clear the whole cycling sport and test all the older generations on doping, I wouldn't complain. But now everybody focused on one cyclist, and when he was down, there weren't any other investigations. What about Ullrich, Beloki and all the other cyclists? Why is there no investigation started on their past and why don't they have to give back their victories if they test positive? Why just Lance? That isn't fair either, but nobody seems to care what's fair for Lance... Most people think he gets what he deserves, and that's absolutely nothing..

Catya Leroux

F1: Felipe Massa, the true Ferrari teamplayer

Sunday in Interlagos, Felipe Massa will drive his last race for Ferrari. In his eight years with the Italian team there has been memorable moments, good memories but also memories that both Massa and the Ferrari fans wish didn't happen... Here is my personal overview of eight Felipe-Ferrari years in pictures.

1. Turkey 2006: The real begin of Massa's Formula One career. At the Istanbul Park Circuit Massa achieved his first pole position and on Sunday he took his first victory. The Brazilian won the race in Turkey three years in a row.

2. Brazil 2006: Felipe Massa wins his home Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit. Massa always named the race as his best moment in Formula 1. He grew up not far from the circuit and had been watching Ayrton Senna racing and winning at Interlagos, and now he was there, on the podium in front of his home crowd, the first Brazilian since Senna who won the race at Interlagos. A moment Felipe will never forget, that's for sure.

3. Singapore 2008: It was the first edition of the night race and it all went perfect for Massa. He took pole and after 14 laps he had a five second gap to Hamilton. But when after a crash of Piquet Jr the safety car came out and Massa came in for fuel and tyres, it all went wrong. After refuelling, Massa left with the fuel rig attached and had to stop at the end of the pitlane. The Ferrari mechanics ran the whole length of the pitlane and removed the rig, but Massa was now last. He was then given a drive-through penalty for an unsafe release, and was 15 seconds behind the rest of the field. He finished the race in 13th place.

4. Brazil 2008: Without doubt one of the hardest moments in Massa's career, for him, for the whole Ferrari team and for the fans. Never has Ferrari been that close to a championship and lost it in such a dramatic way. Felipe started on pole for the race that decided who won the worldchampionship, Hamilton folllowed in fourth position. Massa led the largest part of the race and won the race, while Hamilton was in sixth place, which meant Massa would be worldchampion. The Massa family already started the celebrations, Felipe was the new worldchampion! For 30 seconds... Hamilton got passed Timo Glock in the second-to-last corner of the last lap, finished fifth and won the worldchampionship by one point. Felipe was in tears in front of his home crowd and put his hand on his heart, thanking all his fans for their support. Formula One is pure emotion and Brazil 2008 is a perfect example of that.

5. Hungary 2009: Too bad, this Grand Prix will be the one people will remember of his Ferrari career. I remember the day as it was yesterday. I was switching between one of the final stages of the Tour de France and qualifying of the Hungarian Grand Prix. In the second part of qualifying, Felipe suddenly crashed at high speed. And it wasn't really clear what has happend. Nothing to serious I though. Well, I was wrong...

The replay showed that a piece of Rubens Barrichello's car hit Felipe right above his left eye. That piece was a 700 g spring that hit him at a speed of over 300 km/h. Felipe didn't get out his car and it became clear that it was a lot worse than it seemed at first. For the first time since I started watching Formula 1, I feared for the life of one of the drivers. I have never been that relieved to see a driver's thumb up! Massa was transported to the ÁEK hospital, but the following week he already travelled back home to Brazil. Felipe was doing well but getting back in a Formula One car? No way most people thought.. But Felipe was determined, he would drive again.

6. Bahrein 2010: FELIPE MASSA IS BACK! Eight months after the accident that almost costed him his life, Felipe returned to Formula One. And with a second place in qualifying and in the race it was a wonderful comback. It seemed as if Felipe was back and better than before. The rest of the season was a rollercoaster of ups and downs, one race Felipe was fighting for the podium, other races he was driving in the middle of the pack.

7. Germany 2010: Ah, Hockenheim 2010... That race has become unforgettable, for the wrong reason. I was a bit shocked when Felipe said some days ago that for him this race was the hardest race in his Ferrari career, harder that the crash that almost killed him. What more can I say, "Fernando is faster than you", five words that will probably haunt Felipe for the rest of his life. It's clear that it's one of the hardest things you can ask from your driver, to let his teammate pass. Felipe was mad and dissapointed in his team, but he was a true teamplayer. It hurted him more than anything in the world. But he still decided to stay with Ferrari for the next three years. Would he have won the race if he didn't have to let Fernando Alonso overtake him? We'll never know...

 I know Felipe isn't leaving the Formula One and he'll still be on the grid next year but it still is the end of an era. He will be missed for sure, he's a much better driver than most people think he is. And it's a shame he doesn't get the respect he deserves. But I hope one day he will and people won't just remember him from his crash and the Ferrari teamorder. Felipe, all the best to you and keep your head up because to many Ferrari fans you will always be the 2008 worldchampion!

Catya Leroux

F1: Why Vettel isn't the new Schumi

Now that he has won his fourth world championship, Vettel is now more than even compared with his countryman and 7-times worldchampion Michael Schumacher. I have to admit I never liked this comparison, and I still don't. How can you compare Schumi with his early 2000's car and Vettel's 2013 car? Formula 1 has changed a lot in those 10 years, the cars, the tyres, the rules, the competition. It's impossible to compare them so it's also impossible to say who of them is the best driver. If Vettel would break Schumi's record of 7 titles, does that mean he's better than him? Is it just about numbers of victories and titles? Can we just say, Vettel won more races than Lauda, so that means Vettel is better than Niki Lauda?

My answer is no. You can't compare drivers from different times. Juan Manuel Fangio won five titles in the 1950's, so can you say he's better than Niki Lauda, who won 3 titles in the seventies, or better than Ayrton Senna, who won his three titles around 1990. It's impossible to compare all these great champions. They all were the very best, the best of their time. They aren't new versions of each other. Schumacher wasn't the new Senna and Vettel win never be the second Schumacher, he is just the first and only Sebastian Vettel, it's as simple as that.

Catya Leroux