The New Kid on the block

F1 2007 season, the race to the championship has been the most exciting one so far in last 5 years or so. Sunday June 17, 2007, saw the rookie Lewis Hamilton create another world record after he won the US F1 GP. His second consecutive win after last week’s Canadian GP is a record in itself as no other rookie in his debut season has ever posted two consecutive race wins ever. Nor has any rookie ever boasted of 7 consecutive podium finish in the debut season.

At Bahrain, he became the first F1 driver to finish in the top three in his first three F1 championship races, a record he has subsequently extended to his first seven races. Finishing second in Spain made Hamilton the youngest driver ever to lead the drivers' championship. By winning a Grand Prix at his sixth attempt in Canada, Hamilton became the fourth youngest Grand Prix winner, and the first driver since Juan Pablo Montoya in 2001 to win a race in his first season. His record has been so stunning that his worst race has been his first one where he finished third!! Quite an achievment for any seasoned driver, forget of a rookie.

I followed both the races (canada and US) very closly and what I could observe that here was a driver who was much different from the other drivers of the champion league i.e the The Shumachers and the Alonsos. Unlike Alonso he is not that aggressive in his driving style but has a very cool head and showed a lot of maturity, specially in the Q3 of the US GP qualifiers. Alonso had been having the best times before that but Hamilton new when he had to get the best out of himself. The kind of modest man he is, Lewis always has attributed his success to his team.

Meanwhile the rift between Alonso and Hamilton is pretty clear where the former has accused Mclaren of supporting the Brit as it’s a British constructor. It was very clear before the post qualifying interview when Alonso rushed in leaving his teammate behind. All I can say that good job Lewis by proving Alonso wrong and grow up Mr. Alonso! Be a man!!

Meanwhile the Canadian GP saw one of the most horrifying crashes where BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica met with a bone chilling accident. Thanks to the safety measures taken now days by the FIA, Kubica escaped almost unscratched. It reminded F1 experts of the fatal crash of the then world champion Gilles Villneuve on May 8 1982 where he lost his life in the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying. Incidentally the Canadian Grand prix race circuit where Kubica met with this accident is named after this legendary driver!!