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Hamilton gets off to a flier in Oz
It's a dream start to the season for Britain's rising star.
By James Disdale
18th March 2008
British star Lewis Hamilton enjoyed the perfect start to 2008 as he finished on top Down Under.
The 23-year-old powered his McLaren to a dominant victory in an incident-packed opening to the grand prix season in Melbourne, Australia, that left title rival Ferrari floundering. After securing pole position, Hamilton eased through three safety car periods and a major first-corner accident to reach home ahead of the BMW-Sauber of Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg’s Williams-Toyota.
Only six cars made it to the chequered flag, after crashes and mechanical woes affected the vast majority of the field, including reigning champion, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn had a miserable weekend, which saw him start from 16th on the grid following an engine failure in qualifying. During the race, he fought his way back up to third, before spinning off into a gravel trap while trying to overtake fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen. Raikkonen eventually took eighth place, picking up a single championship point.
Two-time champ Fernando Alonso had better fortunes on his return to the Renault team. Despite starting from 12th on the grid, the Spaniard used his experience to stay out of trouble, and brought his car home in fourth. He was closely followed across the line by Kovalainen, who dropped from second after a poorly timed pitstop from his McLaren team.
But it was a torrid day for the F1 newcomers, with Toyota’s Timo Glock suffering a spectacular exit when he ran off the circuit and hit a bump that launched him into a wall. Nelson Piquet’s afternoon ended early when mechanical problems forced his Renault to a halt, while Sebastien Bourdais dropped from an excellent fourth place after his Toro Rosso’s engine died in a cloud of smoke. But the high retirement rate meant the former ChampCar king still bagged two points and seventh place. Aside from Hamilton, British supporters had little to cheer. Both Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson were knocked out in the first corner crash.
David Coulthard’s race lasted until lap 26, when his Red Bull was knocked off track by Felipe Massa’s hard-charging Ferrari. Shortly afterwards, the Brazilian was forced to retire himself, when his engine failed.But it was Hamilton who was the star of the day. Speaking at the finish, he sent out a warning to his fellow competitors. “It’s probably the best race I’ve had so far,” said Lewis. “But it’s not the perfect win. There are a lot of areas in which I can improve.”
The next race is in Malaysia on 23 March. After his disappointing start, Raikkonen will be even more determined to peg back the Brit.
The 23-year-old powered his McLaren to a dominant victory in an incident-packed opening to the grand prix season in Melbourne, Australia, that left title rival Ferrari floundering. After securing pole position, Hamilton eased through three safety car periods and a major first-corner accident to reach home ahead of the BMW-Sauber of Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg’s Williams-Toyota.
Only six cars made it to the chequered flag, after crashes and mechanical woes affected the vast majority of the field, including reigning champion, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn had a miserable weekend, which saw him start from 16th on the grid following an engine failure in qualifying. During the race, he fought his way back up to third, before spinning off into a gravel trap while trying to overtake fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen. Raikkonen eventually took eighth place, picking up a single championship point.
Two-time champ Fernando Alonso had better fortunes on his return to the Renault team. Despite starting from 12th on the grid, the Spaniard used his experience to stay out of trouble, and brought his car home in fourth. He was closely followed across the line by Kovalainen, who dropped from second after a poorly timed pitstop from his McLaren team.
But it was a torrid day for the F1 newcomers, with Toyota’s Timo Glock suffering a spectacular exit when he ran off the circuit and hit a bump that launched him into a wall. Nelson Piquet’s afternoon ended early when mechanical problems forced his Renault to a halt, while Sebastien Bourdais dropped from an excellent fourth place after his Toro Rosso’s engine died in a cloud of smoke. But the high retirement rate meant the former ChampCar king still bagged two points and seventh place. Aside from Hamilton, British supporters had little to cheer. Both Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson were knocked out in the first corner crash.
David Coulthard’s race lasted until lap 26, when his Red Bull was knocked off track by Felipe Massa’s hard-charging Ferrari. Shortly afterwards, the Brazilian was forced to retire himself, when his engine failed.But it was Hamilton who was the star of the day. Speaking at the finish, he sent out a warning to his fellow competitors. “It’s probably the best race I’ve had so far,” said Lewis. “But it’s not the perfect win. There are a lot of areas in which I can improve.”
The next race is in Malaysia on 23 March. After his disappointing start, Raikkonen will be even more determined to peg back the Brit.
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