What a season! 2007 was the most dramatic and unpredictable Formula One
campaign I can recall. It was a year in which we saw the sensational impact
of the most impressive rookie of all time, and a three-way, last-round title
shoot-out with the outcome not totally resolved until the final chequered
flag confirmed a surprise – but worthy – new champion.
When the season began in Australia back in March, it seemed that it was going
to be a Ferrari walkover with new signing Kimi Raikkonen winning at a
canter. He was so far ahead he got bored and nearly fell off the track. But
that is not how it played out at all, and by the second race it was clear
that we were set for a year in which Ferrari and McLaren would take turns in
command. Impressively, until Hamilton’s 30-second gearbox reset last week in
the Brazilian Grand Prix, the McLarens had been 100% reliable which was a
key factor.
What was clear for all to see was Lewis Hamilton’s pace, racecraft and supreme
confidence. In Australia, he was able to keep Fernando Alonso under control
and only team strategy decided it in the Spaniard’s favour. Critical moments
like that would have a profound effect 17 races later. We were expecting
Hamilton to be quick while making mistakes, but he was largely bulletproof
under intense pressure, until the final two rounds. His passing of the two
Ferraris in the first two corners of the second race in Malaysia was the
defining moment.
Hamilton has set rookie records that may never be beaten, particularly his
opening run of nine consecutive podiums. Only at Silverstone did his form
take a dip. He still finished on the podium but was soundly thrashed by
teammate Alonso. But of his four wins, two – Canada and Fuji – were the most
devastating demonstrations of soaking up sustained pressure I can imagine
from behind the wheel of a racing car at any stage of a career.
Sometimes he was a victim of his own success. At the Nurburgring he got off to
a bad start with a qualifying accident caused by a loose wheel, leaving him
down the grid. In the race there was a rainstorm, and several drivers,
including Hamilton, skated off the track. The hand of God – or that of a
crane driver anyway – magically put the McLaren, which was still running,
back on the track. Then, as per new regulations, the ensuing safety car
allowed lapped cars to unlap themselves. They had a miracle unfolding in
front of them and they blew it – Hamilton’s request for an early change to
dry tyres should have been denied by the team. His overconfidence and lack
of experience left him with a ninth-place finish.
Such bravado and determination though would elevate him to the top of the
world championship standings but eventually cost him the title. In China we
saw him standing in front of an open goal for the world championship, but on
totally worn-out tyres he was still fighting corner apexes with Raikkonen.
The team, seemingly believing he could handle anything, went for gold and
lost the gamble with the weather conditions. Just matching the others, or
even an extra stop would have eventually won him the title.
Hamilton must learn the percentage game for next year, maximising points when
it’s not quite working out. It all came to a miserable end with his gearbox
problem in Brazil, albeit again after a lack of judgment on the first lap,
neither of which would have mattered had he not made those two previous
errors.
For all of Hamilton’s performances, Raikkonen is a fully deserving champion.
He won six races, two more than Alonso or Hamilton. He must take some
satisfaction from the fact that he left McLaren and then beat them to the
title in his first season with Ferrari. His form was a bit up and down, but
from mid-season he scored more points than anybody else. He claimed to
struggle with the transition to the Ferrari team’s Bridgestone tyres which
doesn’t really make sense given his dominant first race. The quiet and
ferociously fast Finn seemed to focus much harder and dig deeper in
mid-season.
His teammate Felipe Massa is an enigma. At the front with a fast car he can
look truly invincible. But he can also get mired in the midfield. With a new
Ferrari contract until the end of 2010 in his pocket, here is a driver who
will win many more Grands Prix, but he will need to find another gear if he
wants to take the title.
And Alonso? His stock stands at a fraction of what it was a year ago. Many of
us in the paddock cannot believe we misread the man so badly. He torpedoed
his own team’s chances with his tactics in Hungary. At season end he said
that if the team had favoured him they could have won the title. Yet he
regularly criticised McLaren for not providing equality. Alonso has a
reputation not only as a whinger but as someone who brings plenty of strife.
It will probably take McLaren a couple of years to wash through the damage
the so-called spying scandal has caused.
I would be amazed if Alonso is still there next year, although anything is
possible in F1. The worry is that he is still a supremely gifted driver, as
we saw with his great wheel-rubbing pass on Massa for victory at the
Nurburgring, and if Ron Dennis surrenders him, a rival gets the performance
benefit. They need a contractual and attitude reset to avoid those numerous
carbon-fibre dummies being spat from the cockpit again.
We saw right from the start that BMW had moved up to being the number three
team, which was a big step forward and quite an achievement, given that they
had only last year purchased the underachieving Sauber team. When any one of
the four drivers in a Ferrari or McLaren had an off-day, there would be a
BMW ready to take advantage, as we saw in Bahrain where Nick Heidfeld went
around the outside of Alonso in impressive style. Robert Kubica is a name we
will see for many seasons in Formula One, although his accident in Montreal
could easily have changed all that.
We also saw that world champions Renault had suffered badly from the loss of
Alonso and the switch from Michelin tyres.
Their rookie signing Heikki Kovalainen, of whom much was expected, suffered a
terrible start to the season, but as the year went on he emerged as
Renault’s lead driver, eclipsing Giancarlo Fisichella, and crowned his
season with a gutsy second place in the rain of Fuji.
Had it not been for Lewis Hamilton, the F1 crowd would be looking at
Kovalainen and Williams’s Nico Rosberg as the stand-out future men. In a
much-improved Williams Toyota, Nico did everything he had threatened but not
delivered in 2006, and looks set for a big future, doubtless spurred on by
the success of his friend and former karting teammate Hamilton.
Of the others, Red Bull improved their performance as the season unfolded but
need better reliability, and 2008 promises much. David Coulthard and Mark
Webber proved to be a good combination. Honda were dismal and Jenson Button
did well to keep his chin up and drive the wheels off the thing. Ironically,
it has raised his stock higher. Toyota are simply spinning their wheels
making no visible progress from the midfield and surely only have one more
year to show true potential.
Toro Rosso, like their sister Red Bull team, improved a lot towards the end of
the year and Sebastian Vettel answered any questions we may have had about
his raw pace. Spyker had their second change of ownership in a year and
their future surely lies in entering into some kind of Toro Rosso-type deal
for a customer car. Adrian Sutil occasionally shone.
Super Aguri began the season embarrassing Honda, the donor of their car, but
as the year wore on their lack of resource development told and they slid
ever further back.
The winners and losers of the season
WINNERS
Formula One Enjoyed a sensational year with a three-way title showdown,
some excellent races and an enhanced following. Global awareness and the
sponsorship base continues to grow
Lewis Hamilton A stunning start to his F1 career and already a global
sports star. He laid down a great foundation for his future F1 career and
should not be too disillusioned about not winning the title
Nico Rosberg Marked himself out as a man of the future, showing great
race long speed and much-improved form
Ferrari Made a great transition from the Michael Schumacher era by
winning the drivers’ title with Kimi Raikkonen
LOSERS
Formula One Various spats damaged the sport, especially the
Ferrari/McLaren espionage case. It became a gloves-off personal fight
between various power brokers which was ugly
Honda A team feeds off a fast car and unfortunately theirs was allergic
to corners. The team and the manufacturer have the stomach and experience to
stage a fightback
Toyota They are not improving. Their committee management approach,
steered from Tokyo, is not appropriate for F1. They have the budget
Fernando Alonso He ruined a legendary reputation with a lack of
maturity and some plain bad manners, and made himself difficult to employ
despite his vast talent. A charm offensive must be imminent
