What I got to see in the next few races, got me so involved in the sport that I soon became a hardcore fan of Schumi. If winning 6 of the next 7 races since Senna's death appeared surreal what he went on to achieve in the next decade or so got almost all F1 record books re-written. When Schumi finally announced his retirement at the end of the 2006 season these were some of the records he held:
- Most Drivers' Championships ( '94,'95,'00,'01,'02,'03 &'04)
- Most race victories (91)
- Most number of fastest laps (76)
- Most pole positions (68)
- Most points scored (1369)
- Most races won in a single season (13 in 2004)
and the list goes on....
Unlike most sports lovers who enjoy the game only when the competition is intense, I also enjoy any sport when one player/team dominates his/their era.
I've always enjoyed
- the way the Aussies have cornered the cricket teams of all test playing nations into submission time and again
- King Federer's saga on the lawns of Wimbledon
- Nadal's almost equal dominance on the clay courts
and my list is endless..
Not very suprisingly I was always glued to the TV every Sunday when Schumi would get into his scarlet Ferrari to make a mockery of others racing beside him.
However, as Schumi's time at the top came to an end and younger rivals took over, my interest in the sport did take a hit but the 2007 season has got me interested in the sport yet again and the reason happens to be a 22 year old McLaren rookie, Lewis Carl Hamilton. At his debut race in Australia, earlier this year, Hamilton not only became the first F1 driver of African ancestry but also finished on the podium to earn his first F1 points.
Hamilton's hardly 6 races into his Formula 1 career but has got the record books buzzing and here's a brief account of Hamilton's first season in F1 so far -
Race #1 - Australia(18-Mar-07)
Starts 4th on the grid and finishes the race at 3
- podium finish on debut!
A commendable feat but one accomplished by 12 other drivers before him :-(
Race #2 - Malaysia (08-Apr-07)
Starts 4th on the grid and finishes the race at 2
- 2 podium finishes in 2 races
An indicator of times to come, but written off as beginner's luck :-(
Race #3 - Bahrain (15-Apr-07)
Starts 2nd on the grid and finishes the race at 2
- First driver in F1 history to finish on the podium in the first 3 races of his career (a record which seems to be extending beyond 3 with every successive race. He's finished on the podium in all of his 6 races so far!)
Finally the world makes note of a champion in the making and accolades start pouring in :-)
Race #4 - Spain (13-May-07)
Starts 4th on the grid and finishes the race at 2
- Becomes the youngest driver ever to lead the drivers' championships
In serious contention for the championship now and the intra McLaren rivalry heats up :-)
Race #5 - Monaco (27-May-07)
Starts 2nd on the grid and finishes the race at 2
- Tied on 38 points with team mate Alonso but slips to second position on the championship due to Alonso having more victories in the season.
And the pendulum swings away :-(
Race #6 - Canada (10-Jun-07)
Starts on Pole and leads the race all the way to the chequered flag
- Regains the championship lead from Alonso
- Becomes the fourth youngest driver to win an F1 grand prix
- Becomes the first in the last 5 years to win a race in the debut season
Back on top in 2 weeks :-)
If the recent past is any indicator to what lies ahead, then we have a lad who's gonna take F1 racing to new heights. More than anything it's the Alonso-Hamilton clashes I'm looking forward to, it been quite a while since 2 drivers of the same team raced for the championship and I sense some really exciting races in the offing.
I sometimes wonder whether champions are born or made.. but on hindsight it really doesn't matter - If you are a champion, you stand apart and the world looks up to you!
4 comments:
i hope aaj hamilton jeetega...will be watchin da race..
I hope so too.. really happy that my blog has got you to see the race :) well after 20 laps hamilton's still setting fastest laps so things looking gud.. but hardly 10 secs splitting the top 4 so cant really say anything much at this stage.. i was hoping the McLarens would start pulling away from the rest of the pack by lap 15 but doesnt seem to be happening.. lez wait n see..
Ahem, doesnt surprise me that u love it when its a one horse race!!! Aussies thrashing everyone in their sight in cricket, Schumi's dominance et all.. Considering that u ruthlessly held the 1st rank in school continiously from 7th std to 10th std :) And the 2nd ranker wud be atleast 50 marks behind.. lol.. Competition used to be for the 2nd rank.. never for the 1st... lol.. I still remember those days man. Gosh, the fact taht u sat next to me, and still stood first in class surprised me the most :) heheh..
And about Hamilton doing a schumi, well dont be so sure about it ;) Its too early to call.. U know why.. heheh
haha.. johny boy you've jus said one half of the story... wat happened after 10th?? My ranks were on a downslide :-(
Dude Schumi and Ham are in different leagues man.. but you really cant take away the credit from this rookie.. Jus like some of Schumi's feats had no precedents, what we're witnessing now with Hamilton has no precedents either.. they're records of a different kind but he's sure etched his name in the record books and there's more to come!
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