I’ve neglected my blogging duties rather a lot recently and even this is a few days late but I wanted to pick up on it again before the season draws to a close and what better subject matter than Lewis’s return to the top step. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix wasn’t quite the borefest that some feared and the DRS zones certainly made a difference, but it’s unlikely to ever provide the on-track excitement as some of the F1 favourites.
Lewis back to winning form
What a season it has been for Lewis – the former World Champion admits that it has been his worst season to date and the facts speak for themselves. His fair share of personal problems, coupled with Button’s sensational form throughout the season really put Lewis’s nose out of joint in the mid-season. It’s safe to say that when a driver’s mind is elsewhere, or when they’ve been beaten down by some less-than-perfect performances, it affects their driving and it seems to go one of two ways. When you’ve been through hell, you either let it haunt you, or you rise above it and I for one was relieved to see Lewis in a much better place this weekend. I think he still has a lot to learn in terms of his attitude and the way he carries himself, but no-one can take away the fact that he’s a fabulous, exciting racer. Granted, he’s pushed and exceeded the boundaries this season, but he’s been noticeably more measured of late and in a season where Seb has dominated so devastatingly, it’s a relief to see a driver with the pace to compete with the Red Bulls.
Of course, Seb didn’t have a chance to challenge Hamilton this weekend and it was nice to see how gutted he was to be out on lap one – that’s not some kind of schadenfreude, I mean it’s lovely to see quite how passionate he is and that despite winning the Championship in utter style, the idea of missing out on another victory devastated the double World Champion. Would he have beaten Lewis? Who knows – Lewis had scintillating pace all weekend, though and was desperately unlucky to miss out on pole so I’m sure he’d have been challenging Seb for victory all the same. He drove a measured, controlled race and, most importantly, he tasted victory for the first time since Germany and he was evidently delighted to win after such a drought. I just hope, for the excitement of F1, that it does mark a new start for him.
Encouraging signs from Ferrari
Yes it’s late in the season…almost the end…but I expect Ferrari were more than happy with Fernando’s efforts this weekend. If anyone can be trusted to get the best and more from a car that’s not performing, it’s Alonso and while he has only racked up one win this year, he has consistently challenged the McLarens at the front and even given the Red Bulls a run for their money, frequently outperforming Mark Webber. I don’t think Alonso could have challenged Hamilton for victory on Sunday and there was more than a difficult stop in it but he kept a faster car honest and really that’s all Ferrari can hope for right now.
A race without Seb…
It almost didn’t make a difference not having Seb in the race; his dominance has been so staggering this year that most races have been a race for the final two spots on the podium. A bizarre and unfortunate occurrence spelling the first retirement for the German since Korea in 2010 and an incident which was neither down to driver error nor to a mechanical problem actually further highlights the fantastic job Seb and the team have done over the season. It was a difficult weekend for the Red Bull team as Mark Webber suffered more woes in a frustrating season for the Australian as he missed out on a podium after a sticky first pit stop and a risky three-stop strategy.
