I'm a little chagrined at the moment. Two nights ago, Barack Obama succeeded in doing something I didn't think I'd live to see, and I'm only 32. I couldn't be happier at the outcome of the national election, and yet I'm filled with disappointment in another area of my life. I can take some solace in the fact that 2008's F1 title race went down to the last corner, of the last lap of the last race. It's almost certainly the closest finish in F1 history, and it didn't go my way.I'm not a fan of Lewis Hamilton. I'm a fan of a bunch of guys who will never be champion, but even excluding the likes of Nick Heidfeld and David Coulthard I'm still never happy to see Hamilton win. It may be that I've been poisoned by all the commentators who've been busy crowning Hamilton the greatest driver ever since a week after he showed up on the circuit. Certainly the man's accomplishments speak to a degree of talent, but his attitude, and his tactics leave me a little nonplussed. I'm not ready to have the sport I love revolutionized by a driver who cannot overtake without driving into the side of his opponent. Also, I'd like to see what he's capable of doing with a mid-field car, instead of one of Ron Dennis' specially prepared Lewis-mobiles.
And so I found myself hoping to watch balding, baby-faced Felipe Massa come out on top this year. In the absence of anyone interesting to root for, I chose the guy with a chance against Hamilton and Dennis. I had reason to be hopeful too because Massa showed great form all year, and an ability to tame Ferrari's notoriously tricky F2008 that team mate and 2007 champ Kimi Raikkonen never seemed to master for a whole race. Massa deserved to be champion just as much as Hamilton, maybe more as most of Massa's missteps this year came ion the form of mechanical failure, whereas Hamilton managed to crash himself out of a couple races. But by mid season, it wasn't Massa I really wanted to win.I've also never been a real fan of Fernando Alonso. He's never really had the attitude I like to see in a champion, the self confidence that would border on smug if it weren't so obviously a statement of fact. It's a nebulous idea that can take many forms. From the quiet assurance of Jim Clark, to the instructional tone of Jackie Stewart, to the aristocratic demeanor of Alain Prost. Senna was my favorite in this respect. I'm not a fan who labels Senna "the greatest ever" in full ignorance of his record, but he was my favorite. I think it has more to do with growing up in a certain period than it does with Senna's actual ability. Alonso always seemed to have half the idea down. He won two championships on the trot, and was established as a farce to be reckoned with at the age of 25, but his attitude seemed mostly bluster, without the passion to back it up... could I have been more wrong?
Last season at Mclaren Alonso came in as the defending WDC and went home third, behind Hamilton. All season long Mclaren had been involved in a scandals and back room politics as Ron Dennis' "no team orders" policy came up against a desire to watch his protege succeed in his rookie year. Quite apart from the scandal with the Ferrari documents (in which Alonso may have had a part) the team had managed to center itself around its junior driver, at the expense of the champion on whom they'd spent a small fortune. It was not a stellar year for either Mclaren or Alonso, and they went their separate ways with a touch of bitterness. this year he was back at Renault, and thus was a non-starter as far as the championship went. I'll not mince words here, the car that Renault produced was a dud, a flop, a mobile chicane... it was almost a Honda. I started to think that 2008 could be the beginning of the end for the two-time champ.
And then something happened, Fernando drove the wheels off the car. It never finished that high, not at the beginning of the season anyway, and Fernando could be heard at the end of races whining about the cars lack of ability. But on track, he was showing the way home to a lot of better seated drivers in a way that made his complaining sound less like whining, and more like the facts of the matter. It's been a long time since I've watched a driver put in a better overall performance, especially in a car that didn't deserve the effort. All this effort on his part made the team listen, made them build a car worth going out and driving. The result was victory at Singapore and in Japan. Next year the rules change, and very little of this years development will be carried over. very little is certain in F1 anyway, but the new aerodynamic rules make the field wide open.But with Alonso at Renault, I finally have someone I can hope wins instead of just rooting against Hamilton.
