MOTORSPORTS
Let the title fight begin…
No one could have imagined a more dramatic start to the 2008 Formula 1 season. There was certainly a great deal of anticipation prior to the first race in Melbourne – especially in regards to how the best drivers in the world would deal with the lack of traction control. Melbourne was also our first look at the true form of the Force India F1 team. Post Melbourne and Malaysia, the two protagonists have traded a win each, with Lewis Hamilton claiming an easy win in Melbourne, while his Ferrari rival, and reigning world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, took an even easier win in Malaysia the week after. The first race at Melbourne gave us a chance to see the new Mercedes Benz SL AMG safety car as much as the 2008 Formula 1 contenders. The race was chaotic to say the least, with only seven cars actually crossing the finish line.
Perhaps the result of a long off season, or the fact that the drivers did in fact find it difficult to come to terms with the new regulations. Either way, they appeared to be driving like amateurs with wheel banning being the norm as opposed to the exception – it just goes to show how difficult racing a Formula 1 car really is. The one driver that appears to be struggling more than others is Feliepe Massa, who’s made two mistakes in as many races. Last year, he felt that he was denied a chance at the title due an unreliable car. He was certainly hoping for a better start this

year but hasn’t done himself any favors so far by spinning his Ferrari without provocation in both Melbourne and Sepang. While Massa and some others have struggled, there are those who seem to be reveling in the post traction-control era – chief among them being Lewis Hamilton. McLaren started the season exceptionally well in Melbourne while Ferrari floundered – although the opposite was the case in Malaysia the week after. Either way, Hamilton is looking very strong indeed. He doesn’t for a minute look like a rookie who let the championship slip away from him last year, instead like a confident veteran demonstrating controlled aggression and discipline. He’s certainly exciting to watch as he executes beautiful four-wheel drifts through the corners – not something we’re accustomed to seeing in modern day Formula 1, and demonstrative of the fact that the rule changes do make the cars more exciting to watch.

Hamilton’s McLaren teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, seems to coming to terms with a competitive car very quickly as well. Resulting from Hamilton’s small mishap in Malaysia, a lengthy pit stop, we saw Kovalainen pounce and take second place behind compatriot Raikkonen. He’s sure to push Hamilton all through the year. Former double world champion, Alonso, who’s back at his previous home, Renault, had a relatively encouraging first race in Melbourne where he benefited from the high attrition rate and finished in a commendable fourth place. However, Renault’s true form was revealed in Malaysia, and doesn’t look to encouraging for the moment. Nevertheless, Alonso showed that he’s a real fighter and pushed his car to the absolute limit and beyond on each lap of both races. In fact, on a couple of occasions, you could even see him lay down two strips of rubber at the exit of the corners – not something you would have seen last year, and another sign that the 2008 cars are more exciting to watch.

Reigning champ, Kimi Raikkonen, put in a world champions performance at Malaysia and proved once again that Ferrari would be the ones to beat this year. Although, even he looked at odds with the rule changes at Australia. However, in typical Kimi style, he was able to put it behind him at Sepang and ran away with the race. There are a few young faces that have also made an early impression this year. Nico Rosberg drove beautifully in Australia, proving his mettle once again when the Williams is working well – as did Robert Kubica in Malaysia in his Sauber BMW. We’ve already seen two interesting podiums with new faces so far this year – a healthy sign of things to come.

The Force India F1 team hasn’t exactly gotten off to a fantastic start, but not a terribly bad one either. Fisichella managed some competitive lap times when everything came together. Unfortunately, he was shunted out on the first lap in Melbourne, but managed to cross the finish line, albeit in 12th place, during the second race at Sepang. Teammate Adrian Sutil has been decidedly less fortunate. Nonetheless, they’ve proved that the potential very much exists and the results will come later in the year.

Expect another strong showing from Ferrari at the next race in Bahrain. Catalunya in Spain thereafter may be a different story, as a number of teams will have relatively extensive updates on their cars – something that’s easier to implement in Europe versus fly away races. Either way, we’re in for another great season of Formula 1 racing – made even more so be the lack of traction control. After all, it’s more exciting to see the drivers having to balance throttle and steering versus a computer chip doing the same.