Odds favoured McLaren at Hockenheim, Germany after Hamilton’s triumphant win in the British Grand Prix two weeks before. The pole position man just had to drive within his limits and not let anyone overtake him. This is a situation which was witnessed innumerable times in Michael Schumacher era when he used to ruthlessly dominate the whole pack of excellent drivers like Mika, Coulthard and even Kimi, the reigning World Champion.
Nothing dramatic happened until Timo Glock in the Toyota crashed at high speed and the Safety Car had to be deployed. Almost all the drivers pitted during the Safety Car period except a few, which included Lewis Hamilton. A miscommunication within the team almost cost the race, but the sheer brilliance and fantastic driving from Hamilton saved McLaren from embarrassment. After pitting late he overtook Massa and Piquet in aggressive style, thus proving his mettle and silencing his critics who were after his life a couple of races ago.
Massa’s incapability to stop Hamilton from overtaking him at the hairpin again proved the pace and power of the car and the determination of the driver. Schumacher, who was present at the Ferrari pit-wall as an advisor to Ferrari was equally amused by Hamilton’s performance and he had a few words of praise for the British star. The last two races must have shaken up the whole Ferrari team, but there are still many races to be won and no driver can be counted out. As the competition heightens, the British fans have started dreaming about their home hero, a new F1 world Champion – the great Lewis Hamilton. However, I won’t bet on anyone yet. Let’s see – only time will tell.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Kubica, the Shooting Star of Formula1
As F1 fans, we like to see new stars on the F1 ring every year and this year’s unexpected revelation is Robert Kubica who is driving his heart out on his reliable BMW. I wouldn’t like to open my big mouth and say “here comes the new Schumacher” because it’s too early to pass any verdict as there are many races left to be won and many points to be scored. No doubt, Kubica has show signs of greatness and immense natural talent to fight for the F1 driver’s championship.
When the Schumacher era ended in 2006, many F1 aficionados lost interest. Thanks to Lewis Hamilton and his antics on and off the track – formula one is now alive and thriving with endless spectators across the globe glued to their TV sets on race days. Hamilton was a breath of fresh air to F1 and after a long time McLaren could lock horns with the mighty Ferrari. Michael Schumacher was sublime but Hamilton has the raw talent. The spying scandal and the duel between Alonso and Hamilton went on for the entire season, which again provided a lot of interest for the media and F1 fans.
Hamilton’s exaggerated rise to stardom in his rookie season was very important for the whole F1 business and he was in fact dubbed as its saviour. Just imagine what would have happened if he had won the coveted F1 title – the whole of Britain would have gone berserk. He failed in the last race and Kimi won the championship by just a single point. There couldn’t have a better script written for the 2007 season and we hope for the same nail-biting end to this season too. Kubica is a cool dude on the block and I won’t be surprised if he wins the driver’s championship. But the road is very touch as he has to fight out with another Mr. Cool, Mr. Raikkonen, Massa, and Hamilton. Kubica knows for sure that it’s a mammoth task. Let’s see, only time will tell.
When the Schumacher era ended in 2006, many F1 aficionados lost interest. Thanks to Lewis Hamilton and his antics on and off the track – formula one is now alive and thriving with endless spectators across the globe glued to their TV sets on race days. Hamilton was a breath of fresh air to F1 and after a long time McLaren could lock horns with the mighty Ferrari. Michael Schumacher was sublime but Hamilton has the raw talent. The spying scandal and the duel between Alonso and Hamilton went on for the entire season, which again provided a lot of interest for the media and F1 fans.
Hamilton’s exaggerated rise to stardom in his rookie season was very important for the whole F1 business and he was in fact dubbed as its saviour. Just imagine what would have happened if he had won the coveted F1 title – the whole of Britain would have gone berserk. He failed in the last race and Kimi won the championship by just a single point. There couldn’t have a better script written for the 2007 season and we hope for the same nail-biting end to this season too. Kubica is a cool dude on the block and I won’t be surprised if he wins the driver’s championship. But the road is very touch as he has to fight out with another Mr. Cool, Mr. Raikkonen, Massa, and Hamilton. Kubica knows for sure that it’s a mammoth task. Let’s see, only time will tell.
F1 Championship Battle Continues
Hamilton’s 10-place grid penalty for the next race in Magny-Cours, France has rekindled hopes for the reigning F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen of winning the second title in a row. Hamilton’s gaffe of hitting the back of Raikkonen car in Canada is extremely criticized by the media and people of the F1 fraternity. Lewis Hamilton may not be too hopeful of winning the next race at Magny-Cours, but he has to show his mettle and prove that he is certainly the driver to beat this season.
Who would have thought that BMW’s Robert Kubica would be the championship leader at this time of the F1 season? Who would have thought that both Hamilton and Raikkonen wouldn’t gain any points from the last race? It’s certainly getting difficult to predict a dominant winner. But still, like many people in the F1 paddock, I have a feeling that this is Ferrari’s golden opportunity to get into the lead through some thoughtful strategy on race day. This is the best phase of this season as the tension gets bigger and the adrenaline shoots higher. With four drivers in the hunt for the coveted title, this is going to end in a nail-biting finish for sure.
Hamilton is already feeling the pressure and the expectations that he is shouldering in his young shoulders are immense. This is the time he has to focus and control his nerves – the margin for error is very little in formula1. He is a natural quick driver and he should just concentrate on the job at hand instead of feeling the pressure and making silly driving errors. Oh! My heart goes out to poor Alonso who dethroned and forced the great Michael Schumacher into retirement. The two-times World Champion certainly understands the value of a front-running car like Ferrari and McLaren, which he had to forsake following his problems with Hamilton and Ron Dennis in 2007. Maybe newly married Flavio Briatore would push his lady luck to get some points for Renault in the next race. It’s going to be one hell of a drama all the way to the chequered flag! I can’t wait till Sunday…
Who would have thought that BMW’s Robert Kubica would be the championship leader at this time of the F1 season? Who would have thought that both Hamilton and Raikkonen wouldn’t gain any points from the last race? It’s certainly getting difficult to predict a dominant winner. But still, like many people in the F1 paddock, I have a feeling that this is Ferrari’s golden opportunity to get into the lead through some thoughtful strategy on race day. This is the best phase of this season as the tension gets bigger and the adrenaline shoots higher. With four drivers in the hunt for the coveted title, this is going to end in a nail-biting finish for sure.
Hamilton is already feeling the pressure and the expectations that he is shouldering in his young shoulders are immense. This is the time he has to focus and control his nerves – the margin for error is very little in formula1. He is a natural quick driver and he should just concentrate on the job at hand instead of feeling the pressure and making silly driving errors. Oh! My heart goes out to poor Alonso who dethroned and forced the great Michael Schumacher into retirement. The two-times World Champion certainly understands the value of a front-running car like Ferrari and McLaren, which he had to forsake following his problems with Hamilton and Ron Dennis in 2007. Maybe newly married Flavio Briatore would push his lady luck to get some points for Renault in the next race. It’s going to be one hell of a drama all the way to the chequered flag! I can’t wait till Sunday…
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Good, Bad and Ugly – this is F1
I was watching the Canadian Grand Prix on TV and it reminded me of the infamous David Coulthard - Michael Schumacher crash at Spa. A comedy of errors of sorts, Lewis Hamilton proves time and again that he is still very much a rookie even though the British press would differ from this opinion. A super-cool Kimi was dumbstruck being hit from behind in the pitlane by Lewis. He just pointed his finger towards the red lights as if to tell Lewis – “Can’t you see the red lights”.
The incident might have created havoc in the Ferrari pit garage, but Lewis is the one who will be kicking himself for such a big error. A ten-place grid penalty for Lewis Hamilton at the French Grand Prix in two weeks time is no good news and he will certainly have a few sleepless nights. This may also prove much more costly as far as Lewis’ World Championship campaign is concerned.
“To err is human,” and every great driver has his own flaws. Call it lapse of concentration or call it Lewis’s bad luck, he is no more the Championship leader. BMW has finally tasted success as a result of this bizarre incident at the pitlane and now Robert Kubica is leading the World Championship by four points. Now, Massa, Kimi, and Hamilton have their job cut out – winning the next few races, which is not as easy as it sounds. However, I have a feeling that the next race at Magny-Cours, France would be a scorcher if not devastating. Canadian Grand Prix may be the turning point for BMW and as I always say – only time will tell.
The incident might have created havoc in the Ferrari pit garage, but Lewis is the one who will be kicking himself for such a big error. A ten-place grid penalty for Lewis Hamilton at the French Grand Prix in two weeks time is no good news and he will certainly have a few sleepless nights. This may also prove much more costly as far as Lewis’ World Championship campaign is concerned.
“To err is human,” and every great driver has his own flaws. Call it lapse of concentration or call it Lewis’s bad luck, he is no more the Championship leader. BMW has finally tasted success as a result of this bizarre incident at the pitlane and now Robert Kubica is leading the World Championship by four points. Now, Massa, Kimi, and Hamilton have their job cut out – winning the next few races, which is not as easy as it sounds. However, I have a feeling that the next race at Magny-Cours, France would be a scorcher if not devastating. Canadian Grand Prix may be the turning point for BMW and as I always say – only time will tell.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
F1 Fever
As a huge Formula One fan, I had the chance to listen to one of Michael Schumacher’s interviews a couple of years back. I was thrilled and amazed by the level of intensity and dedication Schumi portrayed. His daredevil approach to this wonderful sport is second to none and that’s the reason he is praised as the greatest driver in F1 history. Schumacher is driving no more but his legacy goes on. He is succeeded by none other than Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion in the Ferrari.
Last season was a cliffhanger and believed to be one of the best F1 seasons with immense action on and off the track. This season is heading for one hell of a championship too. Ferrari is fast and furious and Kimi certainly has a cool head to defend his world championship title. However, the others in the hunt for the title won’t give Kimi an easy time for sure. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren's blue-eyed boy missed last year’s championship trophy just by a whisker. Hopefully, he would have his vengeance this year. I just have a feeling that the championship would be decided in the very last race like 2007.
Competition brings with it all the thrills and frills and the F1 mania continues as the F1 heroes gets ready to tear the tracks around the world. I love close races and hopefully we should have a few more this year. Who says we need a Schumacher to perform the heroics? Alonso can also show his magic on his day. Sadly, Renault doesn’t have the same edge as the other top teams in the grid this year. Let’s see who wins the championship. Only time will tell.
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