Leslie Vs Puddicombe - Part 2

I doubt some of you will remember, but last year my good friend Daniel Puddicombe and I did a piece called "Leslie Vs Puddicombe" detailing a bit about ourselves and our views on the 2012 Formula One World Championship.

(c) Octane Photographic

Now just over 12 months later, we are back for Part 2 and a look at the current 2013 season. Click "read more" to see our views on some of the latest developments in the sport alongside some updates on our careers as we climb the ladder to careers in journalism.

- Who or what inspired you to start blogging / writing and where would you see yourself in 5 / 10 years?

Jack Leslie: No one really inspired me to start blogging. Obviously there are journalist’s whose work I have been reading for years and years but I really – in a way – became inspired to take to blogging from myself. I always loved writing and I found my feet during school when I continued to receive praise and good grades for my writing work. I realised that I was good at something that I enjoyed and looked at careers that I could use that towards. Being a journalist always interested me but it wasn't until I finished my GCSE's in 2011 that I started thinking of a career in Formula One or Motorsport journalism. I started the blog and as the months went on, I fell more and more in love with it. Now I feel and see my writing evolving and improving every day and I love what I do, life can't get any better. In 5 to 10 years’ time I hope to be regularly traveling to races covering them for magazines or websites, doing what I love and being better known in the industry. I have my eyes firmly set on that goal and I'm determined to achieve my goals.

Daniel Puddicombe: I guess I've always had an interest in cars and motorsport from a very young age and it grew and grew from there, with my parents realising that I was mad on cars and motorsport. As such, I started to go off to the World Series by Renault events when they were held at Donnington which were ace. Then when I was 13 or 14 I was reading TopGear magazine and had a light bulb moment and thought 'I can do that'. Work experience was arranged the next year with CAR and the rest is as they say is history. In terms of my future, I would really like to be working for a magazine such as Autocar: I know the editor and team well and for whatever reason they think quite fondly of me.

- What would you say is your greatest achievement?

A snap from the RBR #OPENHOUSE event

JL: There have been a fair few so far but I'm sure the best is yet to come. I would probably say that gaining invites to exclusive events due to my writing work has been one of my greatest achievements. The Sky SportsF1 Press Day, Red Bull's recent #OPENHOUSE event. I've worked with some amazing people, gained some fantastic contacts and worked damn hard to get where I am today and being noticed by these giants in the industry is incredibly rewarding. Also my blog hitting the 250,000 view mark was an incredible feeling. I never ever thought I would reach such a milestone in such a short space of time and I'm so appreciative of all those who read my work and support me.

DP: Blimey, that's a tough one! Obviously the work experience with Autocar and AUTOSPORT is up there as covering FIA Formula Two from Brands Hatch was a weekend I'll remember forever, but then again the SkySports F1 Media Day this year was magical: it was held in the Royal Automobile Club in London which is a place that I had dreamed of going to the place for a couple of years and it didn't disappoint. I'll always remember walking into the foyer, looking straight ahead to see John Surtees' championship-winning Ferrari gleaming in the centre of the RAC logo and then looking around to find my senses struck by all of the trophies. Needless to say it took a while to pick my jaw up off the ground. Also interviewing Allan McNish a week before he went and won Le Mans is pretty cool and will stay in my memory banks for a while to come.

- When did you first start watching motorsport / Formula one and do you watch any other series?

JL: I was never into sport growing up. Motorsport was always my thing. I have been watching Formula One since the age of six; I think it was the look, the sound and the speed that captivated me at first. But then life got in the way, you know, those all important things that you do as a child; school, playing with your toys and visiting friends. It wasn't until 2004 that I really started watching it religiously. I have also been a fan of other forms of motorsport for a long time and often went to race weekends for series like the BTCC and World Series by Renault. I also attended the Autosport International Motorshow for a good few years where I managed to meet Jenson Button and David Coulthard - two of my F1 idols who I always kept an eye on whenever they were racing. It was really a mutual interest with my Dad who has always been car mad - he got it from my Grandad. I also follow other series at the moment like GP2, GP3 and I love to watch NASCAR and IndyCar when I get the chance.

DP: I must've been around four or five when I started to watch Formula One on the telly and it captivated me to then make 'races' with toy cars on the floor of the living room. From an early age my dad took me to Wiscombe Park to watch the hill climbing, then onto World Series by Renault and lord knows what else from then onwards. We've been going to at least five races a year since 2007. I obviously follow F1 closely and also follow BTCC - one of the staple series we go and see each year - alongside the British Superbike championship and various other forms. I've always been a Le Mans nut since visiting the museum and circuit as an eight year old and have recently been getting into Britcar with the help of the series' presenter for MotorsTV, Rachael Downie.

- Past or present, who is your favourite driver of all time?

JL: It's a tough question and one that always splits opinion but the way Ayrton Senna handled the car, his attitude, determination and his raw speed was just incredible. It's always a pleasure to watch footage of him driving and it still leaves me in awe. I was born a few months after he sadly lost his life so I never witnessed him driving live, something I really wish I could have done. Now, Jenson Button is a particular favourite of mine on the current F1 grid. He has been for some time and I always loved the smooth way of driving. It looks so effortless and precise, a pleasure to watch and contrasting with Senna which is interesting. Button is also someone who is very personable and has a great personality - he always has time for the fans and to talk to people. Saying that, I do remain unbiased in my writing work of course.

(c) Octane Photographic

DP: Last year I put Lewis and Sir Stirling Moss and I don't see any reason to change that: Lewis is a hard-nosed racer. Yes, at times he can be silly and some of his tweets in the past were bizarre but if you look at Lewis the racing driver and not Lewis the rubbish user of Twitter at times, he is a brilliant driver to watch; his passion for racing is excellent and amazing. You can add Alonso onto that list too apart from the fact that (a) he's quite sensible and (b) his tweets are some of the best that pop up on my timeline. Sir Stirling needs no introduction; I'll be in awe of his '55 Mille Miglia victory forever.

- In 2013 the big discussion is the tyres, what do you make of them?

JL: It's hard for Pirelli, I feel bad for them. They can never get it right for everyone and there will always be one team or driver that complains. I feel that drivers and teams need to stop complaining and just do the job they need to do which is to resolve their issues with the tyres from an engineering perspective. Lotus, Force India, McLaren. Those three teams are relatively easy on their tyres and the former are challenging at the front so it's possible. Although I find it odd that Red Bull Racing have been so critical when they currently lead the championship, it's obviously working for them even if they suffer more than most. Pirelli were told to make the tyres less durable. They did that and that's what we are seeing with the racing.

DP: STOP HATING ON PIRELLI, YO. I feel that has to be said; they're doing exactly what they're being told to do and they're doing it well. The races are brilliant to watch these days and I would much rather defend Pirelli until I'm blue in the face than go back to the snore-fest that they were on the Bridgestone tyres.

- We have seen a number of great drives so far in 2013, which ones have stood out for you?

(c) Octane Photographic

JL: I'm actually going to go the controversial route and say Sergio Perez for his races in Bahrain and Monaco. He was aggressive, yes. But in the latter he tried to overtake, he took risks and went for gaps. It was exciting, it was great to see and I praise him for it. Sutil too, in Monaco he overtook where some people didn't think it was possible which was very good. In Bahrain he was obviously the faster McLaren and went into battle with his team-mate. Not many drivers are brave enough to take on a former world champion who just happens to be driving the same car. It was a bit too close for comfort on a few occasions, granted, but he definitely proved the critics wrong and came out fighting. Also Paul Di Resta really starred in Bahrain and Canada, managing to make his strategy work and drive in a very intelligent way. I was hugely impressed on both counts. There have been plenty of strong drives by a number of drivers but those mentioned really stand out when look back at the season so far.

DP: I'd agree about Perez. At the Sky F1 Media Day I was quite loud-mouthed about why Paul Di Resta wasn't chosen for the second McLaren seat. Perez is starting to really prove himself and come out of his shell a bit and I feel that the second half of the season should help him as the McLaren is getting better and better. Mind you, I still think Paul should be there and his result in Canada shows why. On another note, Jules Bianchi, with barely any mileage pre-season thumping Max in Oz was good to see.

- The Sky Sports F1 and BBCF1 choice continues to divide the nation, which one do you watch?

JL: I watch Sky Sports F1's coverage as I feel they have the better commentary team and look at the sessions in more detail. They have also produced some amazing features this season already and I have a good relationship with the team members from meeting them in the past. However I do go on the BBC F1 website and check out some of their features after the races as they are top notch and do a great job. I recently met Lee McKenzie too and she was lovely.

DP: I'm a Sky boy too. The team have gelled together really, really well and it is a joy to watch and listen to them. Crofty and Martin on comms is brilliant; insightful and with plenty of banter and some of their features and access has been amazing. Mind you, I'm a big fan of the BBC F1 team and my parents prefer the Beeb so I'm split.

- What are your plans for this year, writing wise?

JL: I have just visited the Red Bull Racing factory for their #OPENHOUSE event and completed a piece for my blog on that. I'm also going to and covering the FOTA FORUM for RichlandF1 and I'm hopefully going to attend the Brands Hatch round of the F3 Cup/F4 series for the site too. This is all to help build me up for my Formula One journalist debut at the Monza circuit for the Italian Grand Prix. Aside from that, I have work experience with CarThrottle coming up and I'm continuing to write for F1Plus, Formula1Blog, PureF1 and of course my News Editor role at RichlandF1. My blog is still going strong and has really exploded into life over the past 12 months. Lots more to come and I can't wait!

DP: At the moment, not a clue. I've just finished college and I'm not going to go to Uni for reasons that is way too complicated to explain here (I wrote a blog post about it), but I'd hope that with my experience things will come along at some point or another. I had a couple of weeks with CarThrottle in April and will hopefully freelance with them, but we'll see. Otherwise I'll keep on writing for RichlandF1, interviewing people and tweeting nonsense and see where we go from there. If you feel I could add something to your website / magazine / website-magazine in exchange for monies please do let me know.

- What do you make of next year's Formula One regulations? A good thing or a bad thing?

(c) Renault Sport

JL: I’m intrigued to see the impact that the changes will have on the racing. I recently heard a clip of the new Renault V6 Turbo engine and the sound wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. I think it’s important to make Formula One more relatable to the cars on the road and to shake up the rules and bring in new technologies but it’s difficult to make any judgement right now when no one has evidence of how big an impact they changes will have.

DP: I'm curious by them. I think that the sport is heading in the right direction by bringing in the V6 turbos and ERS, but in my opinion, Formula One isn't close enough to the cars you or I drive. After all, how many cars driving down the high street rev to 18k rpm? Sports car racing has more of a relevance to the cars we drive, and as such there's more to it than a marketing link.

- What do you make of 'test-gate'? Are you bored with people keeping on and on about it or is it really interesting?

JL: I don’t find it boring at all. I was interested to see the International Tribunal and the verdict and tried to keep up with it as much as possible. I felt that the punishment was fair but it was what Mercedes wanted and really ruined Sam Bird’s chance to drive the car. It was a big story and one that I followed with interest but now the focus is back to the racing.

DP: I got bored of it all after about the third day but think that Sam Bird got royally screwed over and there could have been a far better verdict than the one they reached.

(c) Octane Photographic

- Who do you want to win the 2013 championships and who do you think will win them?

JL: It's quite early to give a prediction but I can't see anyone other than Vettel or Alonso being in contention. Saying that, we will have to wait and see as there is a lot more to come and plenty of time for the order to change.

DP: Yeah, agree. Those two are in a class of their own this season.

You can follow me on Twitter @JackLeslieF1 and 'Like' my Facebook page. Dan is also on Twitter, follow him @ThatCarGeek.