| Product: |
Sports Miscellaneous |
| Date: |
28/05/07 (135 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Hamilton rules!
Disadvantages: Team orders
Monte Carlo or Jesus!
In Barcelona Lewis Hamilton became the first F1 driver in history to get four straight podiums from his first four races in the formula. He led the World Championship by two points and may even be world champion come October. Here in Monaco he broke his own record with a fifth straight podium finish, sitting level top of the championship with his world champion team mate in Fernando Alonso. This is an astonishing performance, especially as he is supposed to be subservient to Alonso, very much the team’s number one driver. It’s already shaping up as a season with little or no team orders as Massa leads his number one in Rikonen, the guy expected to be champ this year. Like Ayrton Senna, Lewis has Jesus and good looks on his side. Let’s hope Lewis doesn’t meet his maker like the great Brazilian did, though, the arrival of Schumacher the signal to the brilliant Brazilian it was all over and there was a new kid on the block, the extra push needed sliding Senna to his death..
Like Tiger Woods in a ‘honky’ sport, the young black kid is set to make millions from those clean-cut good looks and talent if the success continues, all manner of products ready to be sold through his cheesy smiles. Just think how many BMWs he could shift in the UK!
Admittedly he has been streamlined for that success, Ron Dennis of McLaren backing him all the way through the formulas, Lewis’s religious background the real balance. But this was no ordinary racer. Little Lewis was a winner from day one, his pushy dad earning him the ear of Ron Dennis in the boys karting years. Ten years before Hamilton had his first drive for McLaren little Lewis had the nerve to ask for an F1 test when he was legally old enough to go for his super license. Dennis promised he would if he improved to a certain level as motivation for the boy. Ron rarely backs losers and was so impressed with the kids balls he said deal. 12 years on and Lewis could be the first ever world champion in his first year with F1, already ahead of greats like Senna and Schumacher’s in their twenties as far as that progress goes.
The teams
McLAREN
*********
Alonso (World Champion)
Hamilton
RENAULT
*********
Fisichella
K ovalainen
FERRARI
*********
Massa
Raikkonen
HOND A
*****
Button
Barrichello
BMW SAUBER
*************
Heidfeld
Kubica
TOYOTA
***** ***
R.Scuhamcher
Trulli
RED BULL
**********
Coulthard
Webber
WILLIAMS
******* ***
Rosberg
Wurz
TORRO ROSSO (Red Bull in Italian)
**************
Liuzzi
Scott Speed
SPYKER
********
Albers
Sutil
SUPER AGURI
*************
Sato
Davidson
Wins so far…
*************
Australian GP-Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari)
Malaysian GP-Fernando Alonso (McLaren-Mercedes)
Bahrain GP-Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
Spanish GP-Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/standings/index2007 .shtml
Races left
********
Monaco…
June 1oth Canada
June 17th United Sates
July 1st France
July 8th Britain
July22nd Germany
Aug5th Hungary
Aug36th Turkey
Sept9th Italy
Sept16th Belgium
Sept30th Japan
Ocy7th China
Oct21st Brazil
Monte Carlo
**********
With a recent survey in the Times revealing that “straight men” are the best map readers, Monte Carlo is not a track for 70 year old women or Queens, one wrong turn and you’re into the sea or swimming pool! Already young Hamilton has made that wrong turn, collecting the Armco and tire blanket coming out of the tunnel on first practice. He’s won here before in various formulas and commented that you can ‘kiss the barrier, but not French kiss it’!
It’s a very young grid this year and this is a track that needs experience. It’s not about speed but accuracy and reactions, the slightest twitch and its race over as you essentially drive at those walls and barriers at 150 mph, turning at the last possible moment. This romantic race is a real test for newboys. I wasn’t expecting Hamilton to do as well here and Alonso to dominate. Who ever gets pole generally wins the race, eight of the last ten races here being the case.
Ironically it’s the cheapest track for spectators, the prices heavily subsidized by Prince Albert, although trackside stands are very expensive for corporate clients.
The only time I went we sat on a grass verge high in the hills for totally free, weaving and scrambling down the mountainside in the middle of the night. It was quite a good view and we could see most of the track, especially the bevy of beauties by a nearby hotel pool. You have to bring rations as there’s no way out until after the race.
With the Canne Film Festival just down the road it makes for a sexy vacation, plenty of cheap B&Bs inland from the coast on this route. Obviously staying in Monte Carlo itself would cost the earth and one would have to pre book like three years ago.
Race day
*******
Its a sexy grand prix, that nearby Cannes film festival near Nice supplying a constant stream of A-List celebs to up their, and the races profile, if that’s possible, Jude Law and Sly Stallone hanging onto Hamilton’s coat tails.
Like I say it’s a dull race and whoever gets to the first corner first wins the race. You can only lose this race. With plenty of celebs and important people on the grid it was just as crowded there as it was on the track, just one crash early on keeping things cluttered throughout the GP.
The forgotten man of F1 in Jensen Button cuts a rather sad figure on the scene now as he chugs around in his less than macho car, painted in the style of the planet earth in some sort of eco stunt. F1 cars are the last thing to be able to back up a green message with their awful carbon foot print and get away with it.
Last years race drama was Michael Schumacher parking his car on the race line to secure pole, a spectator with a megaphone in the apposite stand enquiring why he was illegally parked. David Coulthard, I recall, also garnered attention by dressing like Superman on the podium. This year’s drama on second practice was Gordon Ramsey telling Martin Brundle to f**k off on live TV.
As expected its was a procession, Hamilton surrendering the first corner and a McLaren one and two, their 150th F1 win, more than a whiff of team orders, Ferrari a distant 3rd and 8th. In fact Lewis looked visibly agitated at the press conference that he wasn’t allowed at least one go at his team mate. To keep the race very topical we had a Polish driver-Kubitza-based in the UK (not a part-time plumber in his spare time) finishing an impressive 5th.
The result
********
10: Alonso
08: Hamilton
06: Massa
05: Fisichella
04: Kubitza
03: Heidfeld
02: Wurz
01: Riakkonen.
The standings in the Championship
****************************
38 Alonso
38 Hamilton
33: Massa
23: Riakkonen
18: Heidfeld
Team leaders
***********
McLaren: 76
Ferrari: 56
BMW: 30
Renault: 16
Williams: 07
http://www.formula1.com/
http://www.f1-live.co m/f1/
Conclusion
If it was team orders at Monte Carlo for Hamilton then that is his season effectively over. He clearly ducked in behind Alonso off the grid to keep the Ferraris off the two times world champs exhaust, making no attempt to contest corner one.
When Martin Brundle says a real racer can over take in mid race then I now know what he meant. My bet that Lewis would win four or more races at 12-1 in 2007 suddenly looks shafted.
Summary: Yawn GP
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Last comment:
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freediveheaven - 30/05/07 To be honest it is always boring once the start is out of the way as the only over taking these days is on the stops, was chatting to one of the pit crew yesterday at the gym and he did say that the facilities have really improved over the past few years but it is financial rather than racing reasons that keeps it on the F1 circuit. |
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