After a five month wait The Formula One season is set to begin all over again on Sunday with drivers today gearing up for their final qualifying sessions in Melbourne.
Two Seasons Of Intensely Close Competition
The last two seasons have produced the most thrilling conclusions in the history of the sport, and in both years it was Lewis Hamilton who was at the centre of the action.
In 2007 the young Brit went within one point of doing what is considered an impossible task – claim an F1 title in your rookie season. He was pipped at the post by his Finnish rival Kimi Raikkonen who was the epitome of Scandinavian composure, winning the last two races of the season to leapfrog the British rookie and claim the title by a single point.
2008 once again saw an incredibly close race, with the consistency of Hamilton’s performances seeing him needing just a top five finish in the final race to snare his maiden championship win.
Things could not have been more tense for the 23yr old, who rounded the final bend in sixth place but was able to capitalise on a poor choice of tyres by rival Timo Glock to clamber up into fifth position and claim the season title…by a single point.
Will 2009 Match The Epic Showdowns Of The Past Two Seasons
So expectations are obviously high for another close championship in 2009. This will be the final season under the current points scoring system where drivers are awarded points for finishing anywhere in the top 10. The new system will see the F1 title going to the driver with the most race wins, and the governing body had originally planned to run with the new format this year. It was met was such fierce opposition from drivers and teams that it has been pushed back until 2010, and will force a major rethink when it comes to strategy and teamwork.
But for now the title will in effect go to the most consistent driver, and Hamilton has shown that to be one of his strengths in his first two seasons at the top.
Performances in testing have been a little underwhelming for the Brit this year, but the good news is that so far none of his rivals have handed in any electrifying performances of their own.
In an interview yesterday Mark Webber commented on how level the competition seemed to be at this stage. “It is literally us, Toyota, Williams and BMW” Webber said. “We have all at certain times, done the business. And the Renault as well”.
Who will do the business this year?
In a bit of a surprise a resurgent Jenson Button has come back from obscurity to be installed as favourite to take the Australian Grand Prix at odds of 4/1. He is closely followed by Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen with last years champion well back in the betting at this stage.
Crooksy
