Ferrari started the year off with its newest driver finishing so far ahead in the season's first race he's quoted as saying he "almost fell asleep". Kimi Raikkonen had such a great start to the season there were some that thought he would be unstoppable now that he had a fast and reliable car.
That however was not the story of the day. That was reserved for Lewis Hamilton who finished third in his very first race ever in Formula 1. As a matter of fact, fast forward through the entire season and Lewis only failed to score points in one race. That race was the Chinese Grand Prix, a race that he should have clinched the championship with but due to errors on both his part and that of the team, he stayed out too long on bad rubber and go stuck at the start of pit lane.
Although Lewis finished second in the championship, it was a season that was truly remarkable for any driver. Take into account that he was born in 1985 and it was his very first year in a F1 car and it is completely mind boggling.
McLaren as a team should have been unstoppable in 2007 but personality problems within the team cost it both in speed on the track and moral in the pits. After signing the reigning world Champion Fernado Alonso to sit in the car next to Hamilton, McLaren looked poised to take on the world. Unfortunately, Mr. Alonso didn't like driving with someone better then him. Yes that's right better. Fast, quicker, more calculated and although riskier on the track, consistently took the right risk. Alonso turned out to be the cry baby nobody expected. Don't get me wrong, I was rooting for him but F1 is not the place for whining, just winning.
The only other team that needs to be mentioned in the winning collum is BMW. Sure they never made it to the top step of the podium but could anyone else improve their car or have a more consistent package then BMW Sauber? Not in 2007.
There were some great new faces last season. Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Heikki Kovelien and even Anthony Davidson did well. These guys will all make names for themselves. Look out for Sebastian Vettel though, I think we'll be a champ one day. That is provided he doesn't run into more teammates.
I could go on and on about everything that happened last season but if you are reading this blog you probably know already. IF you don't and you are reading this for fun not knowing much about the sport, I may go back every now and then and fill the holes for you.
In the meantime, the season starts in a couple of days and for the first time in years, nobody knows what to expect. The second most popular sport in the world is full of surprises once again.
Anyone interested in having some fun for free should check out frontwing.net. You get to create your own fantasy F1 team for the season and see how they do in real race situations. It's great fun.
March 16th...Melbourne.
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