The Beaver: Week of October 9th, 2012

Page 32

Sport

32

Sport

09.10.2012

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Mercedes looking for the right formula most guarantee Hamilton a car that can win the The two biggest stories world championship, Merin Formula One this week cedes cannot even guaranare undoubtedly Lewis tee they will be competing Hamilton’s decision to join in F1 in the near future. Mercedes and Michael But when one thinks Schumacher’s consequent again about the move - as announcement that he is re- risky as it is - it can just tiring from the sport. as easily be considered a Starting with the for- masterstroke. This is bemer, Hamilton’s defection cause McLaren have been from McLaren to Mercedes rather lacklustre in the has completely shaken up last four years - lacking eithe grid for the 2013 sea- ther the pace, the reliabilson and beyond. Adding to ity or organisation to be the changes, Hamilton will able to truly challenge for be replaced at McLaren by the championship. Sergio Perez. Mercedes, on the other $W னUVW JODQFH WKH hand, have won the Con27-year-old has taken a structors’ and Drivers’ huge risk in moving from Championships more reD WHDP WKDW KDV ZRQ னYH cently than McLaren in races this year to a team 2009, albeit under the that has won a solitary guise of Brawn GP. Grand Prix. Factor in the new enMcLaren has one of the gine regulations for 2014 best winning records in and the presence of both the history of F1 and Mer- Ross Brawn and Niki Laucedes are a team who have da, Mercedes have the opso far failed to reach their portunity to really domipotential. nate the 2014 season. While McLaren can alHowever, fellow enRayhan Chouglay

gine manufacturer Ferrari are almost certainly just as likely to have a competitive car and engine by then, too. Hamilton, meanwhile, would gain the freedom he desperately desires away from the sometimes VWLŕŽ‹LQJ DWPRVSKHUH RI McLaren. Only time will tell whether Hamilton has made a wise decision. Though, let me remind you of a certain Michael Schumacher, who moved from a rather successful Benetton to a lacklustre Ferrari team in 1997; eight years later, the German was crowned world champion a record seven times. And it is quaint that Schumacher should now become collateral damage because of Hamilton’s latest move. The 43-year-old held the seat that Hamilton will now take over, and instead of joining another team, decided to call it the end

of his tether for a second time. On the back of his ilOXVWULRXV னUVW VSHOO LQ F1, Schumacher’s second reign could hardly be called as glorious, yet the German still managed a podium in his three years and will leave with his legDF\ னUPO\ LQ WDFW For now, though, both Schumacher and Hamilton will be resuming as normal in what is proving to be an intensely competittive drivers championship. Fernando Alonso, the championship leader, is no doubt the form driver on the grid and it is a joy to see him pull of a fantastic result in his bullet proof Ferrari every time. But Sebastian Vettel is the reigning double world champion and has been in this position previously in 2010; his super fast Red Bull has enabled him to become Alonso’s closest challenger in the champiRQVKLS ZULWH KLP RŕŽ‰ DW

your peril. Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen has not won a race yet but his ‘Iceman’ demeanour and consistency has allowed him to stay in the hunt. And Hamilton, although some way adrift, has the fastest car on the grid in his McLaren and is well placed to challenge in the last six races of the season - if his car regains its reliability and his team are supportive of him after his decision to leave, that is. Meanwhile, Jenson Button and Mark Webber are long shots for the title but their role in the races no doubt increases the overall excitement. So as the season draws to a close, the championship is heating up and the driver market is opening up. Whatever happens in the last few races of 2012, I will be watching the intriguing action - I encourage you to do the same.

An LSE Olympian. No. Seriously. nitely was not in the Olympics, rowing down the river with GB oars wearing GB kit certainly had its advantages.

Instead of a summer spent beavering away in the internship wing at Goldman Sachs, I spent most of mine in tight sweaty Lycra. Slowly turning the callouses on my hands into hardened leather, I was fortunate enough to be invited to represent Great Britain at the World U23 Rowing Championships in Trackai, Lithuania, and then again at the senior European Championships on Lake Varese in Italy. I graduated this year with a BSc in International Relations & History and I’m hanging around at LSE to do an MSc in the History of IR, so it was fantastic to have a summer of rowing in between and training 2-3 times a day at the Olympic training facility in Reading. $OWKRXJK , PRVW GHன-

Nikita Nikitin

Ollie Cook

A few times people would clap us as we rowed past, kids would ask for a photo and I even signed the odd autograph! I was selected for the GB U23 squad after a year of training with the Uni-

versity of London Boat Club. There, I was lucky enough to be captain of the men’s team last year. Our many achievements

the top university crew. Racing on the international stage is an incredible experience. After the European Championships - when we lost to the Polish Olympic crew - I was lying on the ground exhausted when a huge Pole with the world’s longest mullet shook my hand and said ‘great race’. It is simply awesome to race and try to beat the world’s best. This week I start my training with the GB Olympic team as they start their preparations for the next Olympic cycle for Rio 2016. :KHQ , னUVW VWDUWHG XQLYHUVLW\ , ZDV GHனQLWHO\ XQder the illusion that LSE is included beating Cam- THE place to study if you bridge in a head to head have no sporting aspirarace, winning the prestig- tion. But I’ve found out ious Henley Royal Regatta that that’s not the case. (beating Harvard, USA,) It can certainly be DQG னQLVKLQJ WK RXW RI tough juggling academic FUHZV DW WKH ZRUOG‍ڑ‏V commitments with whatbiggest regatta, becoming ever your sport demands.

Yet, if you have the ambition and the drive, then, contrary to popular belief, LSE is as sporty a university as any. Over the next few weeks, the LSE is planning on introducing a fund that ZLOO SURYLGH னQDQFLDO VXSport to students who have the aspiration to compete on an international level. If you think you would EHQHனW IURP VXFK D IXQG in any way, look out for an article coming soon here in the Beaver about how to apply. In the mean time, if men and women in tight Lycra is your thing and you are new to rowing then contact Nikita Nikitin, captain of the LSE boat club on: N.Nikitin1@lse.ac.uk. And if you have the desire to row at the highest level with ULBC then email me on o.cook@lse. ac.uk and check out www. ulbc.co.uk

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