F1: Grazie Nando, Welcome Seb

It's official! Sebastian Vettel replaces Fernando Alonso at Ferrari next season. Everybody in F1 is extremely surprised because I don’t think anyone saw this one coming, did they? 

But here it is and as a Ferrari fan of course I have to give my opinion about the guy I cannot support any longer now and the one I have to support now. Oh, the horrible life of a red fan. What do I think about this change? I’m not ecstatic or anything, but I’m not sad or disappointed either. I do regret to see Fernando leave because for me he is the best driver on the current grid. So yeah, you don’t want to see a driver like that leave your team. But I totally understand his decision: he gave his all for Ferrari the last five years and it all just didn’t work out as it should have. We had to win at least one title with him but that didn’t happen and that’s a shame. 

So no hard feelings Nando! If he thinks he can find a better car for the next year(s), it’s his right to leave Ferrari and I hope it all goes well for him. He’s the best and he deserves nothing less. So if he wins with a McLaren or Mercedes next year, I’ll have a smile on my face because that guy, he’s one of us, one of the Ferrari family. Even if his suit is saying something different, he’s a Ferrari guy in his heart and in ours. And everyone knows how extremely passionate those Ferrari fans are, they don’t forget their drivers. I don’t think we can thank him enough for everything he has done for Ferrari. So Mr Samurai, all the best and hey, maybe one day we’ll see you again in red. Always welcome! 

One is leaving, another one is arriving. So at the same time I have (well, not have to but like to) welcome Vettel to the red family. Yes, Vettel for now, I’m not ready for Sebastian or Seb! Ask me again in some months. Let’s not act stupid: Vettel is an extraordinary driver. He’s a four times world champion at age 27. Enough said. So I do think he is a good replacement for Fernando. Fun fact: when he won his fourth title I wrote an article about him on this blog and it stated: “Don't get me wrong, I'm still no fan of Vettel. I never have and (unless he comes to Ferrari) I probably never will.” Busted! 

But let me tell you something else, I wasn’t a huge fan of Nando either when he joined Ferrari. Hard to believe now, right? I always liked Kimi “The Iceman” Raikkonen very, very much and he was put aside to make place for Alonso. So I wasn’t too happy with that. And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only Ferrari fan feeling like that back then but Fernando won over all our hearts and proved himself to the team and all the fans race after race. And we love him now so maybe it will go the same way with Vettel. He just has to prove to the fans that he’s worth the Ferrari suit he will be wearing and then we’ll support him. We’re Ferrari fans so at the end we’ll stick with our team and our drivers. And maybe one day I’ll even get used saying “Kimi and Seb”. One day, not yet. 

Catya Leroux

F1: Holding on to the memory of meeting Jules Bianchi

It is today exactly one month since the horrible accident of Jules Bianchi. Even though the future isn't looking too bright for the young Frenchman I keep hoping for some good news. The picture I have with him has become much more valuable for me the last few weeks. In a way it’s a reminder of a better time and only now I fully realize how much that Thursday at Monza means to me.


I haven't met that many F1-drivers but from the ones I have, Jules Bianchi was by far the nicest. It was Thursday at the Italian GP at Monza in 2012. Even though I'm a diehard Ferrari fan, I knew it was impossible to get even close to the Ferrari box. On top of that Kimi "The Iceman" Räikkönen, who is still one of my favorites and my fellow Belgian Jerôme d'Ambrosio were the driver line-up for the Lotus team that weekend (Remember, Grosjean was banned after his incident in Spa). So I decided to go the Lotus box and try to get some autographs over there. 

Next to the Lotus pit box was the Force India box, but it weren’t their drivers Paul di Resta or Nico Hulkenberg who were the first ones to come out and meet the fans. No, it was their reserve driver Jules Bianchi, who would drive the Friday morning test session. Not everybody recognized the young chap that seemed to be a driver. (Fun fact: I heard someone first very excited asking Bianchi for an autograph and when he got it, he turned to the person next to him and asked "who is this guy?!") I did recognize him because Jules was part of the Ferrari Drivers Academy and hey, I know my own team. I also had seen updates from him over the last years in the World Championship by Renault so I knew pretty much who he was. I was a bit further down the pit lane, at Lotus, but Bianchi took his time to meet lots of fans. So when he was at hearing distance I yelled his name and he turned his head, surprised that there someone that excited to see him. The picture on the right is the one I took then and you can almost see him thinking "who is yelling my name over there?”. Maybe not and it's just a coincidence he's looking my way but I still love that picture, even more now.

Bianchi kept giving autographs to everybody and when he was finally close enough I got mine and hey, now that he was there, I ask for a picture as well. "Of course!” he said with a smile on his face. So I had my picture with this young chap who one day might become a F1 champion. I was thrilled and I remember I kept saying the next day, when Bianchi was driving the Force India, "I met that guy! I have a picture and autograph of him! How insane is it that yesterday he was next to me and today he is driving a Formula 1 car around Monza!” Oh yes, I was very excited every time he passed us. 

I think it's pretty clear that after Monza 2012, Jules Bianchi gained another fan. So when he got a seat at Marussia the next year, I was extremely happy for him. He deserved it, he's a great driver. If you can finish ninth with a Marussia at Monaco, you can drive for sure. But on top of that he's a nice guy, always with a smile on his face. I can imagine driving at Marussia isn't that fun at times but he was always positive and was building his way to the top and maybe get himself a seat at Ferrari someday. 

Now however everything is unclear but the chance to ever see him racing again is very small. But who cares about racing, all that matters is that we want him to be ok. To wake up. I keep struggling with the idea that the smiley chap I met in Monza is now fighting for his life. Only five years older than me and already fighting for his life. Every single day I keep hoping that we will get some good news and even though staying positive is getting harder day by day, I won't stop hoping. I can't. He has to win his most important battle. I don't want to think about another outcome. I can’t deal with thinking about that. It might sound naïf to keep holding onto such a small amount of hope but that's all I can do right now. Positive vibes only. Forza Jules! 

Catya Leroux