The Best of 2007
December 12th 2007 01:53
Driver of the year: - Kimi Raikkonen
Kimi. Cool, calm, collected Kimi. It had to be him. It had to be the one man whose composure was as sturdy as the monolithic icy foundations from his hometown of Espoo, Finland. The 2007 season was consistently shrouded with controversy, drama and extreme competition. Pure steely determination would win the crown. Now was not a year to lose one’s head. Four contenders started this year with a shot for the crown, and when the dust settled after 17 rounds of vicious scuffling….Kimi stood taller than the rest.
Raikkonen was the first to mark his intentions for the crown with a domineering drive from pole to win on streets of Albert Park. For the next few races though, the characteristic searing pace evaded the iceman. He couldn’t match teammate Felipe Massa in Bahrain and Spain – and then somehow planted his Ferrari into the Armco during Q2 at Monaco. Very un-Kimi. Teething problems in his new team? Not getting to grips on unfamiliar Bridgestone rubber? Loss of concentration? Who knows…but Kimi’s moment of calamity was short-lived and failed to keep him down.
Kimi could have sulked about starting 15th. He could have thrown his race away early with a half-serious lunge at someone, and happily strolled off to his awaiting yacht – but instead he cooly and calmly drove his way to eighth – collecting one championship point for his effort. That eighth, that seemingly unimportant drive to a seemingly complementary single point was enough to secure Kimi the title.
From there, Kimi went from strength to strength. Embarrasing Massa at Magny Cours by taking the race right from under him – then backed up to blitz everyone in Silverstone. By the end of the year, the championship battle took its toll on every driver except one. Lewis Hamilton threw it away in the final two races, Massa’s inconsistencies reared their ugly head, and Fernando Alonso was picking a fight with every member in the McLaren team in frustration.
Kimi however, did the same thing every weekend. Walked into the paddock, refused to talk about anything, strapped himself into the car and drove. No Alonso-infighting, no Massa-outspokenness, no Lewis-media mongering. Kimi just did his job. He drove. He won.
Team of the year - Ferrari
A good team requires immense depth and complexity of design and structure. If someone drops the ball, someone else should be right there to catch it before it hits the ground – and when someone does something right – someone else should be there to remind them not to get complacent. In other words, a good team needs to operate like Ferrari.
This year, according to many observers, the Scuderia was about to embark on a downward journey. The golden Brawn/Byrne/Martinelli/Schuma cher era was over – and the shuffling of top level personnel – plus the void left by the influential seven-time world champion would see the prancing horse buck and bolt into chaos. To an extent – this was true, with the Nigel Stepney drama, which is still yet to be clarified – but beyond this, Ferrari displayed all the faultless cohesion and professionalism that won them five straight titles (2000-2004). Compare this to their rivals. Championship defenders, Renault, produced a shocker of a car and were summarily outclassed by BMW. And McLaren…well in between being punished for cheating and having to deal with an explosive internal dispute between their two drivers, McLaren performed well – on track. While the MP4-22 was arguably the better car, it was the F2007 that managed to bring home the title. How? Teamwork, procedure and superior management. This was lacking at McLaren – and the resulting loss of both championships to Ferrari demonstrates the difference in the teams.
Rookie of the year - Lewis Hamilton
Well no contest here really. When you come into the sport and come within one point of clinching a title you’ve led most of the year – you can pretty safely assume you did well. Lewis Hamilton certainly knows it, which explains why, fresh from losing his head and losing his title in Brazil – he was philosophical and strangely upbeat. But he knew that year number one in F1 is about survival. About making a good impression – not stepping on toes and keeping your teammate honest.
Hamilton though, came in stomping on feet. He strung together a record nine straight podiums right from round one – including two masterful wins in Canada and the USA. The horrendous afternoon at the Nurburgring sent the Brit into the barriers, but the very next weekend – he won in Hungary, despite Alonso’s attempts at sabotage. Then of course was Fuji, where he won in conditions that only Michael Schumacher would find manageable.
For all the hype and sensation, Hamilton is undeniably the best rookie driver to emerge in a long time. And this year’s crop was very good. Heikki Kovalainen had a shaky start, but developed into a force by year’s end – and Adrian Sutil managed to impress despite driving a Spyker and Sebastian Vettel somehow made Toro Rosso competitive. But Hamilton, for at least 95% of the year was flawless. Being odd-on to win the title with two races left is big pressure for a rookie. Too much for young Lewis. But he knew he did all he needed to do in year one of his career. He awed all with his instant skill, and eventually sent his teammate into a destructive hurricane of paranoia by outclassing him more often than not. Next year, the sensation rookie tag is gone – and the out comes the serious competitor.
Most improved team - BMW-Sauber
Every race this year, no matter where you set up camp to watch the cars go by, it was a familiar sight. Red car, silver car, silver car red car…then two striking white flashes. While McLaren and Ferrari continually squabbled over superiority – it was the organised and revitalised BMW Sauber outfit that was always there to ensure the big two kept a watchful eye over their shoulders. In fact, it seemed that McLaren and Ferrari spent more time fighting off cheeky BMWs than each other. How many times did we see Nick Heidfeld giving Fernando Alonso headaches – or who’ll soon forget Robert Kubica’s hammer and tong dice with Felipe Massa in Fuji? In the end, speedy German and Polish duo combined to break the ton for the Hinwill-based team, posting 101 points to BMW’s name – 65 points up on their 2006 total. Both drivers spent the year in close company – but it was Nick Heidfeld who ultimately led the charge – taking two podiums and a swag of fourths to claim ‘best of the rest’ honours with 61 points.
Team boss, Dr Mario Theissen deserves a great deal of credit for the German carmaker’s success. The restructuring process conducted last year laid down the foundations for this year’s impressive campaign. While rivals Renault and Honda fell flat on their faces with dogs of cars, BMW stood head and shoulder above the midfield pack with a car that was well-balanced, quick and able to maximise grip from the Bridgestone tyre. Next year, the roll must continue. Podium visits must be regular – and wins always a realistic possibility.
Most improved driver - Nico Rosberg
Last year, Nico Rosberg charged into the F1 fray with a full head of steam. He charged through the field with his Williams-Cosworth in Bahrain, setting fastest lap in his first ever outing – and two weeks later, the son of 1982 champ, Keke, lined up third on the grid. But the dream debut began to fade as the young man’s wheels became bogged down with unreliability and inconsistency. Nico ended his rookie year by crashing into his far more impressive teammate, Mark Webber off the startline.
But, the winter break did a world of good for Nico, and he returned with Williams armed with a year’s wisdom and new Toyota power. He began 2007 in similar fashion to last year, bagging two points with a strong seventh place – but this time, he kept the momentum for the rest of the year. He completely overwhelmed Alex Wurz, qualifying miles ahead of the Austria consistently – putting his car among the Renaults and BMW’s while Wurz struggled to keep Toro Rosso at bay. The last race of the season was Rosberg’s best, scoring a career high fourth, after battling both BMW drivers in inferior equipment. Nico’s final tally of 20 points earned him a credible ninth place on the ladder – and re-affirmed the fiery talent we all thought went missing half-way through 2006. Nico is now searing hot property, and Sir Frank Williams has done a masterful job of keeping him at Grove.
Renault could have taken this title by going from title winners to also-rans – but Honda drew attention to themselves by painting their car with an ambitious, and noble, likeness of planet earth, only to embarrass the planet with head-scratchingly hopeless performance. Jenson Button rescued some dignity for the team with a fifth in China – but with 80 less points to their name than in 2006, Honda was by far the most disappointing and embarrassing team to watch.
Drives of the year
Lewis Hamilton - Japan
The title still in the balance, and seconds ticking down…Lewis approaches the line…pole! Seven thousandths of a second ahead of Alonso – utterly brilliant. The next day? Lewis again prevails – keeping his head through the rain and the mist to win an incident packed GP in Fuji. Hamilton’s veteran-lime win in Japan confirmed his place as title favourite.
Nick Heidfeld - Canada
Quick Nick’s arse was well and truly on fire in Canada. He pulled off a brilliant Q2 lap under pressure form the clock – and split McLarens and Ferraris with third on the grid. In the race, Heidfeld tailed Hamilton right to the finish, and brought it home a well deserved second.
Kimi Raikkonen - France
Before France, it was Massa who was emerging as Ferrari’s title hope. Raikkonen dominated Australia – but the feisty Brazilian claimed back-to-back wins in Bahrain and Spain, while Kimi planted his car into the armco during qualifying at Monaco. But at Magny Cours, the Finn found his wings and stole the win from his teammate, who had no answer to Raikkonen’s monotonous speed. It was like watching a shark casually devour its prey. Kimi showed everyone in France that he was boss at Ferrari.
Fernando Alonso - Nurburgring
In the most exciting races of the year, it was the double-world champ who eventually claimed victory. Rain, restarts and a deluge of crashes was not enough to faze the Spaniard, and in the dying stages, he utilised his better-preserved tyres to barge past a hapless Felipe Massa and take the chequered flag.
Overtaking Manoeuvres of the Year
Quite a lot of passing was done in 2007 – proving F1 is far from the procession people moan quite readily about. When there’s pride and points at stake – all manner of fireworks go off. Here are a select few of the best passes of 2007:
Heidfeld vs Alonso – Sakhir
Heidfeld stunned everyone as he muscled past Alonso early on at Bahrain. The BMW driver caught a run into turn 3 and pushed Alonso into submission with a fearless dive around the outside. It was the first of many scraps between the two.
Sato vs Alonso – Montreal
Yes Alonso was struggling for grip, but who cares – Taku’s ballsy move on the Spaniard in a Super Aguri was magical stuff. A big tow down the straight and a lovely in and out around the outside into that final, scary chicane makes Sato’s move a season highlight.
Massa vs Kubica – Fuji
This long, sliding, adrenaline drenched duel was perhaps the best of the year. On the final lap, in slippery conditions, Kubica challenged Felipe’s skating Ferrari to pass him around the outside, but going into the last corner, Massa came back and took back the advantage only to run wide onto the runoff as the two went up the hill. The Brazilian kept his foot planted and crossed the line a fraction ahead. Gasping brilliant!
Alonso vs Heidfeld – Magny Cours
Alonso and Heidfeld sparred all year, but this was Fernando’s sweet revenge for Bahrain. The McLaren driver was recovering from poor grid position (thanks to gearbox woes), and he approached Heidfeld’s BMW with intent to kill. He pulled up right behind the German, before darting inside and hanging his combatant out to dry with an aggressive, forceful move.
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