F1 2008
The Formula 1 season is nearly halfway through, time has come to bet on the driver’s championship, and it takes no more than a quick glance at the results to note that this year has been the most competitive one in a very long time. The post Schumacher era had experienced a thrilling season finale last year which has been followed by a sensational mid season standing. Never have 3 teams including four drivers been billed as possible contenders for the divers championships.
The gap between current leader Felipe Massa and the fourth placed British sensation Lewis Hamilton is a mere 10 points. Robert Kubica in his BMW Sauber has been the surprise package this season. Considering their achievements so far, it can be safe to say that Ferrari once again look like the team to beat. They have won 5 of the 8 races, the other 3 going to Lewis Hamilton(2) and Robert Kubica(1). Heikki Kovalainen has been disappointing this season , partly due to his bad luck. He has only a singe podium finish, and his 4th place finish yesterday at Magny-Cours might be his much needed revival.
At this stage, when most teams would have chosen their numero uno, it is the toughest to predict for the Ferraris. Both the drivers are in a favorable situation to win the championship. This continuing dominance might be good news for the team championships, but is a disaster in the driver’s championship. You will only need to look back at the Mclaren duo of the last season to understand what i am referring to. For the second placed team BMW Sauber, it is clearly Robert Kubica, while for the Mclaren, it has to be Hamilton.
At the other end of the grid, Team Force India has been a failure to say the very least. Vijay Mallya must input a considerable amount of money into his R&D program for the car to be race contenders in 2010, when the Indian GP is likely to take place. His hope of being mid field runners at he end of the season is nowhere near being realized. He will have to go in for fresh blood next year. I know you will argue about the drive by Adrian Sutil in Monaco, but it was largely a race strategy combined with an extraordinary amount of luck which made them go so far.
Personally, i hope Kimi wins this year. I have my gmail id named after him(have been his fan since he came into F1 nearly 5 years ago!) and i also hope that he will cast aside his plans of retirement. Otherwise i hope Massa to win, because of his very determination to succeed after a dismal start to the season. Experts were talking of a possible Massa replacement at the end of this season. He has certainly made them to eat their words.
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Dude! write something general! I dont watch F1 or tennis, and am just unable to follow what’s written! 😛 😛
Er.. I know one person who will comment in all of your posts.. Whether he knows it or not.. what say Arun? 😀
ROTFL! Paavam da.. freeya vidu
^^^^^^^
That comment was to narain
yes, the post schumi era has generated a lot more interest and enthusiasm in the sport. The uncertainty and the anxiety created is truly great. I have no favorites as such, but maybe Massa has a good chance,especially after taking the lead in the points table.
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Personally, I hope Felipe Massa wins this year’s championship and for a number of reasons. Much like Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe has been in Formula One for a long time and is now very experienced.
His debut year for Sauber back in 2002 was a bad time for him, littered with mistakes, and it looked like Massa would be heading for the door. His comeback, serious comeback year in 2006 as team mate to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari has proved the making of Massa. On occasion, the old Massa shows his head, but more often than not, he is competitive, fast, and more than capable of beating Raikkonen.
As good as BMW Sauber have become, and the improvement of Robert Kubica, I still believe they are both not quite ready to be champions. Canada was a great, brilliant result for them both, but championships are won by winning multiple races, not one.
Mark my words, Robert Kubica will be a future champion and he will do it with BMW Sauber, but not this year. Then there is the much talked about Lewis Hamilton and McLaren.
As the under dog to Spain’s Fernando Alonso, Hamilton revelled in it last year. With the attention, or expectation, being directed on Alonso, Hamilton was able to focus on the job at hand. When the tide turned, and the expectation fell of Lewis’ shoulders, it all went wrong.
This, up until now, seems to be repeating itself this year. When Hamilton has been ‘on it’, like in Australia and Monte Carlo, he has looked very formidable.
When he has not, like in Bahrain, Canada, and France, he has looked more like the inexperienced driver that he really is.
The talent, speed, and sheer driving capablity are all there for Hamilton, it is more ‘mentally’ that Lewis seems to suffer. Championships cannot be won by running into the back of other drivers in a pitlane at 50mph, for missing a red light signal. Mistakes like these kill championship bids as sure as a Shanghai sand trap.
Basically, Hamilton is in his second year. Raikkonen has now been in F1 since 2001, as has Alonso, Massa since 2002. Experience does count, and with that experience Lewis Hamilton will grow and mature into a future world champion. With each mistake, Hamilton must learn from the experience and improve. Which he will given time behind the wheel of the McLaren.
My championship top four after Brazil would be.
1. Felipe Massa
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Robert Kubica
That is a fine comment you have made there. That Experience matters. I whole heartedly agree with you. I also do agree with the top four contenders, but i would discount Kubica because the BMW is not yet ready to match Ferrari. On some circuits where less down force is required, yes, but the F1 calendar is strewn with circuits requiring heavy down force. And the new rules prohibiting traction control seem to have played into Ferrari’s hands.
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