It was no surprise that a Ferrari driver won at Silverstone, but did anyone expect the race to be THAT close? Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in the British Grand Prix breathed new life into the Finn’s championship challenge, but there were also signs that Fernando Alonso’s getting back to his best.The near-capacity British crowd at Silverstone were in rapture when Lewis Hamilton gained a last-gasp pole position during Saturday’s qualifying session. Indeed, his Herculean feat would have done the late Ayrton Senna proud. But, as the British Grand Prix unfolded, Alonso’s charge to a third position starting slot came into context… All eyes were on Hamilton and Raikkonen during the early stages of the race and it seemed the Finn was biding his time to pass the young Briton at the end of the first round of pit stops.
However, the crowd (let alone ITV commentators James Allen and Martin Brundle) were stunned when Alonso emerged in the lead. The Spaniard gained an advantage by starting with a heavier fuel load and vaulted from third to first in one lap. At that point, the man who had seemed out of sorts since the Monaco Grand Prix, began to exhibit the form that brought him two consecutive world championship titles.
Much to the disappointment of his fans, Alonso couldn’t defend the race lead. For the first time this season, McLaren seemed to implode. First Hamilton made an error during his pit stop and almost pulled out of the bay while the refuelling hose was still attached to his McLaren. Then it appeared that the Woking-based team sabotaged its own race by opting to use the harder-compound tyres for two out of three sessions. Although Alonso was in the lead of the race, Kimi Raikkonen, who started the race on the softest-compound tyres, was peerless towards the end of the second stint. Hamilton, who had no answer to the Finn’s pace at Magny Cours, lost a lot of ground while lapping with the harder-compound tyres.
Once two-thirds of the race had been completed, it became a two-way battle for victory between the rapid Raikkonen and Alonso. Many had predicted the 2007 championship would be decided between the defending champion and 2005’s runner up.
But, with nine out of 17 grands prix completed, it appears unlikely that the season will unfold just as the British Grand Prix did. With nine consecutive podium finishes under his belt, Hamilton only needs to continue his champagne-sipping record (another race win or two would certainly help) to clinch an unprecedented rookie year driver’s championship title. Alonso knows what that’s about – the Spaniard won his two titles by bravely defending his lead in the championship standings in ’05 and ’06.
Following Felipe Massa’s misfortune in the British Grand Prix, in which the Brazilian had to fight his way to fifth place from the back of the grid, the highly-rated Raikkonen leads Ferrari’s charge – just like the majority of F1 observers, including Fiat Auto boss Luca di Montezemolo, expected he would. It is true that a single DNF by Hamilton would allow either Fernando or Kimi to dramatically decrease the young Briton’s lead in the championship standings. However, neither the double world champion nor the mercurial Finn can afford a mistake from this point – an accident between the two protagonists could be disastrous!
As the Formula One circus heads toward the the European Grand Prix, Raikkonen will be keen to banish his last-lap heartbreak at the Nurburgring in 2005 and secure his third victory in a row. Don’t be too surprised if the Scuderia decides to devote the balance of its resources to Raikkonen’s bid for a maiden Formula One title. The only question that remains is this: For how much longer will McLaren afford its drivers equal status within the team? If Raikkonen’s march continues, Ron Dennis may have to make a tough decision.
Results of the British Grand Prix:
1 K Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
2 F Alonso (Spn) McLaren-Mercedes +2,459 secs
3 L Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes +39,373
4 R Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber +53,319
5 F Massa (Brz) Ferrari +54,063
6 N Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber +56,336
7 H Kovalainen (Fin) Renault 1 lap
8 G Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1 lap
9 R Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1 lap
10 J Button (GB) Honda 1 lap
11 D Coulthard (GB) RedBull – Renault 1 lap
12 N Rosberg (Ger) Williams – Toyota 1 lap
13 A Wurz (Aut) Williams – Toyota 1 lap
14 T Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri – Honda 2 laps
15 C Albers (Ned) Spyker – Ferrari 2 laps
DNF V Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso – Ferrari
DNF J Trulli (Ita) Toyota
DNF A Davidson (GB) Super Aguri-Honda
DNF S Speed (US) Toro Rosso-Ferrari
DNF R Schumacher (Ger) Toyota
DNF A Sutil (Ger) Spyker – Ferrari
DNF M Webber (Aus) RedBull – Renault