Deciding on the first post of the year was challenging since there is already so much “good stuff” to share with everyone! But in the end, my love for the icecream man Kimi Raikkonen has won out. The news of Kimi’s return to F1 is so 2011, but some things must still be said~

While everyone associates flatcaps with Kimi now… let’s take a look at the not-so-distant past and the evolution of Kimi’s flat cap style at Ferrari:

Kimi used to be just like all the other boys, with the extremely rounded/bent bill:

After awhile… it kinda got a lil flatter… All right, this is a bit of stretch I know since it’s a podium cap

And of course… the look we all know (and possibly hate depending on your satorial preferences):

I haven’t spotted any photos of Kimi in a Lotus flatcap yet… but he appears to be sorely missing them:

Not having a flat cap is a grave matter … it merits a serious discussion with team members:

Aforementioned ugly sunglasses have been spotted. If you want to replicate Kimi’s style, he is wearing the Oakley Dispatch II Aviator which retail for ~$120 USD:

Bonus helmet photo… anyone else think it should say ICECREAM? -____-;;;

Yes… for better or worse thepitwalk is back blogging.

I’m a lil late to the partay, but Fernando Alonso and Raquel del Rosario have announced their break up. Aww . Apparently they are remaining “friends,” so who knows, perhaps Raquel will be seen in the paddock after awhile. F1 fashion fans will surely miss seeing Raquel at GPs, she tends to mix up her style a bit more than other F1 WAGs.

One of my favorite looks from Raquel was from Suzuka 2010:

If you like Raquel’s style, she posts many photoshoots on her official blog, click this link to visit it. Many of the photoshoots are well done (as they should be ) and have a neo-bohemian vibe to them. Think Anthropolgie catalog. For those who have never seen an Anthro catalog, feel free to browse their website: anthropologie.com* Their catalogs may also be viewed online,here.

Goodbye Raquel, I’ll miss your neo-bohemian and wannabe tough girl outfits. Love is a very splendid thing… and I’m sure you’ll find it again. <3

here.

*Should I also add that they are doing 50% off sale items in-store and online? Yes, I am evil.

Was anyone else appalled at the Korean grid girl uniforms? I’m sure we all remember last year’s Korean gird girl uniform right? If not, please have a look at last year’s post, here. For those that do not want a visual, last year’s uniform featured a “unique” cut out at the waistband which looked suspiciously like a thong. Yes. A thong.

The Korean GP seems to have re-hired the same designer because this year also features innerwear as outerwear. I love asymmetry and all, but 2011′s uniform now has a visible bra. Some of these girls also appear to be wearing ahem.. wonderbras? I guess this outfit is really designed with guys in mind because I do not find this appealing at all!!! There’s a bonus design detail in the form of a red bow on the bodice… is that supposed to make everything better by adding a bit of “cuteness”? Somehow, it just isn’t working!

Last year it was a thong. This year it is a bra. I can’t even imagine what the designer will come up with for 2012. (Hint, please find another designer).

It also seems they have reused the shoes from last year. Take a look:

2010′s shoes:

2011′s shoes:

The only difference is that 2011′s shoes have red soles a la Louboutin. Sorry, Louboutin-esque shoes does not make this uniform any better.

Better luck next year Korea? :/

Now here’s an idea for the rabid fans of F1. Proclaim your love for your favorite driver with a tote bag. These two fans apparently love Petrov and Algersuari. Good choices ladies! The Petrov fan better watch out though… he moonlights as a serial killer I hear! Although I have nothing against certain drivers, I would probably do a double take if someone was sporting a “I Love Barrichello” or “I Love Liuzzi” tote. =X

Would you like strangers to know who your favorite driver is? Whose name would you want on your bag? Perhaps a name isn’t good enough… a photo is worth a thousand words after all:

How sweet~ Nothing like a F1 bromance to get the fans excited eh? So the question that comes to mind is: Is Vettel whispering sweet nothings in DC’s ear? Or is he going in for the kill?

DC is looking like he’s enjoying this a lil too much though. =X

Just kidding. I couldn’t resist… after all I read a lot of manga.

No, no. I’m not talking about the F1 Championship points. As on thepitwalk, it’s something else entirely!

Well, I enjoy McLaren’s Top Model Challenges very much… in fact… I might be the only person to have ever heard of it. Perhaps some of my blog readers remember what this is too (hint: top model tag). For those who are confused, here is a short explanation: Hamilton is a photogenic driver, often posing quite dramatically (even bordering on the EMO side) in front of the Vodafone logo. Granted, most of Hamilton’s posing in the garage is not intentional… but it’s more fun to turn it into an episode of Top Model with Button as Hamilton’s direct competition.

Apparently Button has not only beaten his Top Model teammate Hamilton, but a slew of other Britain’s finest men. Button was voted “Best Looking Man” in a women’s survey. For further details see the original article here

Interesting. I admit Hamilton’s New Look is not doing him any favors this year. His status as the Top Model of McLaren may be in danger. That facial hair stripe has definitely got to go:

Perhaps this win has Button confused as well?

So tell me dear readers. Do you agree with those 1500 women in the survey? Is Button indeed the best looking man in Britain? I think not… but apparently many think otherwise.

My follow-up question would be: So… you look a little uncomfortable in red. Does it hurt your eyes?

Perez might say: Well… I’m used to the plainest overalls on the grid you know…

=X

Oh dear. I did it again. Ferrari makes it way too easy to for me to poke fun at their signature color.

I have found a new shirt for our dear EJ. I believe it has details that he would enjoy: bold color, whimsical print.

What in the world did I find? Why the Muppets x Opening Ceremony collaboration. While I realize this shirt is categorized under “women,” it is menswear styled. Wouldn’t EJ just be so adorable with little Kermit the Frog faces all over his torso?

And the perfect EJ trouser pairing for this Kermit shirt would be:

Isn’t that a very EJ look? I wouldn’t lie to my dear readers.

If you fancy the Kermit shirt, it retails for $180USD at Opening Ceremony.

P.S. I hope to have some ‘real’ posts out soon….

Is it just me or does this photo look vaguely militaristic? Hmm… maybe it looks more like a beauty pageant?

What I really wanted to focus on was not on the long-legged-freaks-of-nature-grid-girls. Let’s face it… they are freaks. Mere mortals do not have such long legs normally.

What really caught my attention were the ugly accessories. These aviator sunglasses are particularly tacky:

As if the blue reflective lens was not obnoxious enough, the Bavaria logo had to be stamped on the lens as well. I understand, it’s a sponsor, so there needs to be a logo SOMEWHERE. But, could it be a little smaller and more tastefully done?

The large Bavaria logo looks like the sample spectacles at an optical shop… you know when the brand’s logo is on the plano lens? For example:

And of course… who could miss the beer bottle high heeled shoes?

Well, I guess the shoes could be cool, if you like beer. As it is, I find beer to be a waste of calories and empty carbs. Yeah, I’m no fun like that. Seriously though, I don’t think most girls would like this type of heel, but I’ve been wrong before. If you feel otherwise, do let me know.

I have also noticed an alarming number of ugly sunglasses whilst watching the Tour de France (TdF). It seems that the Ugly Sunglasses of Choice for F1 drivers and TdF cyclists is OAKLEY. I thought about it for a little while and it occurred to me that the F1 boys and TdF boys need to have a battle… for the ugliest sunglasses.

Yes that’s right. I have assembled photos for your viewing “pleasure.” Only photos from the 2011 season count. If I have missed a particularly horrendous photo, please drop me a line via twitter, email, or comment. Though I am not fond of them, I am excluding the yellow shades from “The Yellow Shades Project” because I don’t think it’s appropriate. This will be a picture heavy post… you’ve been warned.

Since this is a F1 blog, let’s start with our beloved F1 boys:

Fernando has been a Repeat-Ugly-Sunglasses-Offender (RUSO) this season:

(wroom event)

(Malaysia)

(Montreal)

Although Kubica is not with us in 2011, it seems that Heikki owns the same pair of Oakley Oil Rig sunglasses:

Don’t confuse the Oil Rig with the White Gascan though:

I found the shades Liuzzi wore in Montreal to be particularly terrifying:

F1 newbie Pastor Maldonado also has a pair of ugly sunglasses, proving that he does indeed belong in F1:

Narain Karthikeyan is no longer driving for Hispania, but I did save this photo of him:

Vettel has been much better in 2011 (yay!). However, I did spot a pair of ugly sunglasses this season:

Of course, the King of F1 cannot be forgotton:

Now it’s time for the Tour de France boys. Sadly, I don’t know all of the cyclists’ names since I am not really into cycling. Please enlighten me if you happen to know:

The Schlecks seem enamored with Oakleys with clear lenses…

Frank Schleck:

Andy Schleck:

The carbon Oakleys worn by Cadel Evans is pretty ugly too:

Although I realize these green Rudy Project sunglasses aren’t Oakley, it doesn’t mean they are pretty (OK, they’re not really that bad honestly… I guess I can forgive Phillippe Gilbert…):

What makes these so bad? I duno, maybe the rainbow reflective lens. Sylvain Chavanel looks rather proud of his choice though…

Oh Tyler Farrar… you hid your cuteness behind these awful Oakley Jawbones”

World champion Thor Hushovd has an arsenal of ugly sunglasses:

Did you notice the world champion stripes on these babies? Isn’t it… a little weird?

However… the following pair of Oakleys definitely takes the cake. Oh Fabian Cancellera I am ashamed that I did not recognize you at first. Maybe these Oakleys have disguise power:

Oh. My. Eyes. They hurt. Do yours?

haha.

So what do you think? Compared to the cyclists… the F1 boys aren’t so bad, right? No matter who wins the Tour de France… they have already beaten the very best F1 drivers in one thing: The Ugly Sunglasses Battle.

Did you know that Oakley sunglasses are customizable? The lens and frames colorways can be chosen by the customer. For example, this combination is possible: top half neon green, bottom half (left side) white, bottom half (right side) black.

That is probably one reason why there are some seriously ugly Oakley sunglasses worn in the F1 and TdF world. Remember: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!

If you are going to customize a pair of Oakley sunglasses, please use these photos as examples of what not to do.

P.S. Photo credit: TdF photos were from cyclingtipsblog.com

If you like Pat Fry’s spectacles, I have identified them. Pat Fry is currently wearing Oakley Jackknife 4.0 frames in Pewter. You can view them here on the official Oakley website.

The Oakley Jackknife 4.0 may be purchased for about $160-$176USD from various retailers. What do you think about these frames? I see these on someone who is a bit conservative and maybe a little on the serious side? haha. I don’t know, they’re perfectly fine if you’re into metal frames. Personally, I am partial to European or Japanese metal spectacles. =p

It is often said that the best way to see how someone will age is to look at their parents. It makes sense really… genetics plays a part in the aging process. So when I spotted this photo of Alonso’s parents, you could say that I saw the future of Fernando Alonso.

He looks a lot like his father, doesn’t he? So there you have it… a look into Fernando’s future. I can’t really imagine him with white hair quite yet though. =P