Motor Racing
German GP, Sunday
IN 2008 Lewis Hamilton won the drivers' championship in Formula 1 with a superb display of his talents throughout the season - but it also helped massively that his McLaren car was a winner, too.
The previous year - his debut campaign in F1 - he had finished second in the drivers' championship.
But since then, Lewis has never managed to reach those heights.
In 2009, he finished fifth, in 2010 fourth, last year he was fifth again and now he lies fourth in the race for the title.
And that is unacceptable for the man who is undoubtedly THE driver of the generation. He should have had FOUR titles to his name rather than ONE.
And that is why he is in such a delicate, life-defining stage of his career as he heads to Hockenheim this weekend.
Last year he triumphed at this circuit and how he could do with a repeat of that now.
Another non-finish or poor result and he will fall further behind his arch rival Fernando Alonso and the Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber.
The headache he faces is simple: stick or twist. Should he stick with McLaren when his contract runs out at the end of the season...or should he twist and head to another team where his chances of winning the title again would increase?
It is a tough choice but one he must get right - or he may go down in the history books as the best driver of his generation who only won one title.
Lewis must assess whether the McLaren team are going to provide him with a faster car, and better back-up in the pits - or whether another team would improve his chances.
His big problem is to judge whether there is another tean who could do that - and whether they would have a space for him.
Surely he must be putting out feelers to assess the mood within the other garages?
This is where his old dad would have been of great assistance. Is it merely coincidence that his career has nosedived since he told Anthony that he no longer required his services before the start of the 2010 season?
I hope Lewis does win on Sunday in Germany - and, for his sake, that he makes the right decision about whether to stick or twist at the end of the season. His career and place in the history books depends entirely upon the latter.
FRANK WORRALL
FRANK'S biography of Lewis Hamilton is available for the reduced price of £7.99 at...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lewis-Hamilton-Champion-World-Biography/dp/1844545814/ref=sr_1_11_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342617988&sr=1-11
WeeklySport
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
IS THIS THE MOMENT BAD-BOY TIGER WOODS FINALLY PUTS HIS DISGRACE BEHIND HIM?
GOLF
THE OPEN, THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
TIGER WOODS heads to Royal Lytham this week in an unusual position - and I don't mean one from the Kama Sutra!
Yes, for the first time since his downfall in 2010, the former golden boy turned bad boy of golf enters a Major as favourite to win.
He last won a Major in 2008 when he triumphed at the US Open.
So a win at the Open would crown his comeback and provide a kind of redemption and closure of a period that was undoubtedly painful for the American superstar.
It would also see him finally reclaim his world No 1 spot which he lost in 2010 after a record stay of 281 weeks at the top - as long as rival Luke Donald does not finish second or third behind him.
Woods hit the skids at the back end of 2009 when the world started to learn of his multiple infidelities - which cost him his wife and family.
He has admitted his wrongs and battled back quietly. Maybe he deserves a second chance - a second coming?
Myself, I would like to see a second coming from Rory McIlroy, who has also struggled since that euphoric US Open win last year.
It would be great if Rory could finally put his game together again - and give us Brits and Irish the chance to celebrate a win in a summer that has seen Andy Murray come so close, yet end up so far away, at Wimbledon, and England slog their way to the quarter-finals without any style at Euro 2012.
FRANK WORRALL
WEEKLY SPORT readers can buy Frank's book on Rory McIlroy for just a fiver (half the retail price) at...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rory-McIlroy-Biography-Frank-Worrall/dp/1843587521/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342615744&sr=1-1
THE OPEN, THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
TIGER WOODS heads to Royal Lytham this week in an unusual position - and I don't mean one from the Kama Sutra!
Yes, for the first time since his downfall in 2010, the former golden boy turned bad boy of golf enters a Major as favourite to win.
He last won a Major in 2008 when he triumphed at the US Open.
So a win at the Open would crown his comeback and provide a kind of redemption and closure of a period that was undoubtedly painful for the American superstar.
It would also see him finally reclaim his world No 1 spot which he lost in 2010 after a record stay of 281 weeks at the top - as long as rival Luke Donald does not finish second or third behind him.
Woods hit the skids at the back end of 2009 when the world started to learn of his multiple infidelities - which cost him his wife and family.
He has admitted his wrongs and battled back quietly. Maybe he deserves a second chance - a second coming?
Myself, I would like to see a second coming from Rory McIlroy, who has also struggled since that euphoric US Open win last year.
It would be great if Rory could finally put his game together again - and give us Brits and Irish the chance to celebrate a win in a summer that has seen Andy Murray come so close, yet end up so far away, at Wimbledon, and England slog their way to the quarter-finals without any style at Euro 2012.
FRANK WORRALL
WEEKLY SPORT readers can buy Frank's book on Rory McIlroy for just a fiver (half the retail price) at...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rory-McIlroy-Biography-Frank-Worrall/dp/1843587521/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342615744&sr=1-1
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
FRANKIE'S FLUTTER
GOT one right out of two last week with my prediction that Andy Murray would get to the Wimbledon final.
This week I am suggesting a few long-term bets.
The first is that either Brazil or Spain will win the Men's Olympic Gold in the football.
The second is that Bradley Wiggins will win the Tour de France (providing he avoids a repeat of the injury that wrecked his hopes last year).
The third is that Chelsea will win the Premier League next season, with Man City runners-up. I very much like the players Roman has brought in at the Bridge, swift, small and nimble a la Barcelona.
And the fourth is that England's cricketers will not lose the three-Test series against the South Africans over the next month. England are ranked No 1 in the world with their visitors at No 2 so it should be a cracking contest.
I believe England have enough quality to win through, but with the weather so unpredictable right now I am a little reluctant to predict they will be outright winners. The weather could easily mean it ends up all level!
This week I am suggesting a few long-term bets.
The first is that either Brazil or Spain will win the Men's Olympic Gold in the football.
The second is that Bradley Wiggins will win the Tour de France (providing he avoids a repeat of the injury that wrecked his hopes last year).
The third is that Chelsea will win the Premier League next season, with Man City runners-up. I very much like the players Roman has brought in at the Bridge, swift, small and nimble a la Barcelona.
And the fourth is that England's cricketers will not lose the three-Test series against the South Africans over the next month. England are ranked No 1 in the world with their visitors at No 2 so it should be a cracking contest.
I believe England have enough quality to win through, but with the weather so unpredictable right now I am a little reluctant to predict they will be outright winners. The weather could easily mean it ends up all level!
ANDY MURRAY PROVES HE IS HUMAN
TENNIS
ANDY MURRAY may have lost the Wimbledon men's singles final - but he won over many people who had previously considered him dour, dull and, frankly, a misery.
The Scottish ace gave a fine performance that just fell short of the genius required to have beaten Roger Federer.
But no disgrace at all in that, Andy. Federer is arguably the greatest player EVER - so to lose to him when he was in such glorious form was not surprising.
But what was surprising - and what has earned Murray a new set of admirers - was his tears and humility as he spoke about his defeat to Sue Barker and the Centre Court crowd afterwards.
He finally dispelled the general belief that he lacks the human touch - precisely by showing it.
His tears moved me and many other pundits too.
I genuinely felt for him - and I never imagined that to be the case with a guy who is often surly and mono-dimensionally defensive.
So well done, Andy Murray - for giving a great performance for Great Britain, and for proving also that you DO have a human side after all.
FRANK WORRALL
ANDY MURRAY may have lost the Wimbledon men's singles final - but he won over many people who had previously considered him dour, dull and, frankly, a misery.
The Scottish ace gave a fine performance that just fell short of the genius required to have beaten Roger Federer.
But no disgrace at all in that, Andy. Federer is arguably the greatest player EVER - so to lose to him when he was in such glorious form was not surprising.
But what was surprising - and what has earned Murray a new set of admirers - was his tears and humility as he spoke about his defeat to Sue Barker and the Centre Court crowd afterwards.
He finally dispelled the general belief that he lacks the human touch - precisely by showing it.
His tears moved me and many other pundits too.
I genuinely felt for him - and I never imagined that to be the case with a guy who is often surly and mono-dimensionally defensive.
So well done, Andy Murray - for giving a great performance for Great Britain, and for proving also that you DO have a human side after all.
FRANK WORRALL
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