Hamilton leaves us all speechless
When it comes to Formula One, there is no commentator to whose voice I pay closer attention than Sir Jackie Stewart. His achievements as a racing driver are too great to go into here but he has done more than win three championships in the sport. Sir Jackie once owned a Formula One team and knows all about spotting talent. He also has been more intimately involved with the British Racing Drivers Club than anybody and knows a fair bit about nurturing young drivers. Sir Jackie's Scottish Presbyterian roots make for a less excitable character than many in the paddock. He tends to choose his words very carefully. If you were looking for a voice of reason in description of Mr Lewis Hamilton, you could do a lot worse than Sir Jackie Stewart.
When I wake to the distinctly Scottish accent of Sir Jackie Stewart on the radio saying that "it would not be inconceivable for Lewis Hamilton to win the world championship this year" I realise that we are now in unchartered territory. No one has ever seen anything like this before, so there is a palpable absence of comprehension. People just do not know what to make of this young driver. He is, quite simply, phenomenal. In only his third ever Grand Prix, Hamilton turned up in Bahrain and finished second behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari. Had it not been for a misjudged refuelling strategy which compromised the speed of both McLarens yesterday, Hamilton could easily have been the chap on the top step of the podium. Throughout the weekend, the young Brit was unmistakeably superior to his team-mate and double world champion, Fernando Alonso. The points table now has three drivers at the top with an equal number of points - 22 each. Unbelievably, Hamilton is one of the three. Little wonder then that the emotion experienced by the world champion when observing the progress of his team-mate is fear.
Britain adores a sporting hero. Witness the madness there once was about a brainless footballer married to a person who redefines tastelessness and you will have some idea what I am talking about. But now that David Beckham's star has dropped from the firmament, there is a national thirst, nay, craving for a sporting hero. Now there is one: a charming, handsome young man who is taking Formula One by storm. The madness here has already begun. Lewis Hamilton hasn't been anywhere near these shores for seven weeks. He has no idea what is about to hit him when he lands in London later this week. Chipo smiled at the lad's charming naiveté when he said he hoped he would still be able to walk the streets when he comes home. You poor chap, is all I can say. Stay out there for as long as possible. Savour your privacy. Go out to a bar and get slaughtered. Do everything you wanted to do in the next few days, dear boy. Life, I am afraid, will never ever be the same again…
I did not expect to but I rather enjoyed the Bahrain Grand Prix. There were some edge of the seat moments and some true sporting action. David Coulthard was putting on a superb display of overtaking by leapfrogging his way from twenty-first to seventh when, perhaps inevitably, his Red Bull gave up the ghost. Good entertainment, though. Although I am fond of Fernando Alonso, I must admit to enjoying the audacious move pulled on him by Nick Heidfeld. The German timed his move so adroitly that there was nothing the world champion could do to defend his fourth place. One moment he was contemplating a race without a visit to the podium but at least earning a damage limiting five points and the next he was staring into the gearbox of Heidfeld's BMW. There will be long faces in Stuttgart today and beaming smiles in Munich: Mercedes don't like losing to BMW.
As we contemplate a month without any racing, it is interesting to reflect that only two men have been on the podium at each Grand Prix thus far: Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. For the second race in a row Raikkonen was chasing down the McLaren to the very end but never quite getting close enough to have a go at overtaking. I don't think Raikkonen particularly enjoys being on the podium if he is not on the top step. In the post podium press conference, the Finn looked mightily bored. Shunning the orange juice placed before him, he fished out a hip flask and helped himself to a healthy slug of vodka. Now there's a guy who doesn't mess about!
I will steer clear of predictions. Ask me what I think is going to happen once the racing comes back to Europe and the answer will be I haven't the foggiest idea. Much bigger brains than mine are baffled. Is it premature to be making comparisons with Tiger Woods? Search me, matey, I am certainly not saying!
Gitau
16 April 2007
When I wake to the distinctly Scottish accent of Sir Jackie Stewart on the radio saying that "it would not be inconceivable for Lewis Hamilton to win the world championship this year" I realise that we are now in unchartered territory. No one has ever seen anything like this before, so there is a palpable absence of comprehension. People just do not know what to make of this young driver. He is, quite simply, phenomenal. In only his third ever Grand Prix, Hamilton turned up in Bahrain and finished second behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari. Had it not been for a misjudged refuelling strategy which compromised the speed of both McLarens yesterday, Hamilton could easily have been the chap on the top step of the podium. Throughout the weekend, the young Brit was unmistakeably superior to his team-mate and double world champion, Fernando Alonso. The points table now has three drivers at the top with an equal number of points - 22 each. Unbelievably, Hamilton is one of the three. Little wonder then that the emotion experienced by the world champion when observing the progress of his team-mate is fear.
Britain adores a sporting hero. Witness the madness there once was about a brainless footballer married to a person who redefines tastelessness and you will have some idea what I am talking about. But now that David Beckham's star has dropped from the firmament, there is a national thirst, nay, craving for a sporting hero. Now there is one: a charming, handsome young man who is taking Formula One by storm. The madness here has already begun. Lewis Hamilton hasn't been anywhere near these shores for seven weeks. He has no idea what is about to hit him when he lands in London later this week. Chipo smiled at the lad's charming naiveté when he said he hoped he would still be able to walk the streets when he comes home. You poor chap, is all I can say. Stay out there for as long as possible. Savour your privacy. Go out to a bar and get slaughtered. Do everything you wanted to do in the next few days, dear boy. Life, I am afraid, will never ever be the same again…
I did not expect to but I rather enjoyed the Bahrain Grand Prix. There were some edge of the seat moments and some true sporting action. David Coulthard was putting on a superb display of overtaking by leapfrogging his way from twenty-first to seventh when, perhaps inevitably, his Red Bull gave up the ghost. Good entertainment, though. Although I am fond of Fernando Alonso, I must admit to enjoying the audacious move pulled on him by Nick Heidfeld. The German timed his move so adroitly that there was nothing the world champion could do to defend his fourth place. One moment he was contemplating a race without a visit to the podium but at least earning a damage limiting five points and the next he was staring into the gearbox of Heidfeld's BMW. There will be long faces in Stuttgart today and beaming smiles in Munich: Mercedes don't like losing to BMW.
As we contemplate a month without any racing, it is interesting to reflect that only two men have been on the podium at each Grand Prix thus far: Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. For the second race in a row Raikkonen was chasing down the McLaren to the very end but never quite getting close enough to have a go at overtaking. I don't think Raikkonen particularly enjoys being on the podium if he is not on the top step. In the post podium press conference, the Finn looked mightily bored. Shunning the orange juice placed before him, he fished out a hip flask and helped himself to a healthy slug of vodka. Now there's a guy who doesn't mess about!
I will steer clear of predictions. Ask me what I think is going to happen once the racing comes back to Europe and the answer will be I haven't the foggiest idea. Much bigger brains than mine are baffled. Is it premature to be making comparisons with Tiger Woods? Search me, matey, I am certainly not saying!
Gitau
16 April 2007
posted by Gitau at 11:07 am
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