Sep 28, 2007

An interesting season so far?


Formula 1 has always been a force to reckon when we learn more about the sport itself. Unlike Cricket, Hockey, Football this sport is a consequence of so many brains working as a team and providing the best they can for 2 people, the drivers. Also, there is a lot of money involved not in organizing it but to get the best out of your car. Formula 1 is special......

Let's take a look at the 2007 season so far with 14 races completed and 3 drivers battling the hell out of each other to gain supremacy. As if everything was planned earlier, this time also there are only 2 teams who can provide a car which can triumph in any circuit. Ferrari and McLaren. After the "loss" of Schumacher who had retired after a stupendous career, Ferrari found their new supremo in Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn has already proved that he is the fastest driver on track by far when things go right. When I say things going right, it definitely won't mean running out of power like in Spain or suffering a mechanical failure as happened in Germany. We may expect all these in any team but Ferrari. This time around, the car is just not performing well when needed unlike their nearest rival, McLaren.

Inspite of all these discomforts, Kimi was able to win 4 races and finish on podium on 5 occasions. Good job but is it enough? Definitely not when your rivals are giving 100% reliability on track. Talking about the Finn's rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are a touch lucky to see their silver McLaren finish in each and every race. The Spaniard may be a world champion but he lacks providing that extra comfort level to the whole team which Schumi used to give when he was in Ferrari. Alonso just cannot find himself out of controversies, the latest being the spy-saga. I would be shocked like hell if I see him drive for McLaren next year. Ron Dennis might have pissed off big time after expecting so much from a double world champion and seeing him crib like a baby after each race. Comeon dude, accept that a rookie is beating the crap out of you and you are just not good enough.

Rookie? who? Lewis Hamilton, the first black driver to race in Formula 1, means business. 11 podiums in 14 races is just exceptional but having said that, I have to admit, McLaren never looked like a limping gadget. For sure, it has done wonders for Lewis' career but to outpace Alonso was something special. He maybe Ron's baby but he has the passion when out on track, on his own which we see in the Schumis and Kimis. He is one to watch out for even if he doesn't win the championship this time.

So the fight between the top 3 drivers may have captivated so many souls who have F1 in their blood. But let's face it, this season has been utterly boring from the racing point of view. Time and again we see a driver taking chequered flag from pole. Not a good sight for those who wish to see pure racing. We have to blame the FIA for all these simply because a Formula 1 car, nowadays, does everything for you. The driver just have to press the throttle as much as possible and the car won't slip or slide in any tough corner. The traction control provided in the car just get the better of those warn out tyres and we seldom see overtaking. Hence, the driver can show his true colors rarely. For someone like Raikkonen, just going from start to finish as if he is having his own race is just crappy. In 2005, we might have seen him overtake Fisichella in the last lap of an F1 race but I am confident, we are not gonna see that this time around. Now, the FIA seems to have learned and they are all set to ban traction control in 2008 season. Wow ! That would provide some interesting spectacles which you may repeat umpteen times or maybe it will take you to the Schumi or Senna era where nothing but bravery was the key.

Let's wait and see !