In 2 weeks time Lewis Hamilton would have won the 2007 Formula1 Drivers championship or maybe he’ll end up in the gravel - again. If he does win, he will be a deserving champion. More so because this is his first year in Formula1. Everyone in Formula1 wants him to win. The British, the F1 experts, the commentators, the Mclaren team, the press, almost all F1 sites on the net - almost everyone! But i won’t be rooting for him. He’s a brilliant find but he still is in the best car on the grid and in my view he is as good as a Kubica.
Fernando Alonso could also win the championship but in mine and many other people’s view he won’t be a champion because champions are not just good on the track but off it too. Alonso’s continuous bitching is certainly not the hallmark of a champion. He is a great racer, and would probably even make it to the list of the best of all time but for me he is not a ‘champion’.
Kimi Raikonnen, the iceman, the other guy who could theoretically win the championship is the only one i’ll be rooting for. To many he is the best driver in F1 today and its only a matter of time before he wins the Championship. I am hoping that this time interval would be 2 weeks. Off the track, he comes across as introverted, cold and doesn’t betray a lot of passion in the paddocks too. In fact he is a lot like Schumacher(we all know which one) when he first moved to Ferrari in 96. If there was any team that can influence Kimi, Ferrari is it.
Now, Ferrari might come across like a tangled mass of entwined chaos. But you know what.. the team is the personification of passion. Mclaren might be the most professional and best run team but no other team in Formula1 wears their heart on their sleeve like Ferrari nor does any other team have such passionate fans as the tifosi. A few seasons at Ferrari will change even machines and Schumi was superhuman only when he was in a car. In a few seasons Schumi had gone from a precision German machine to an Italian anthem crooning precision German machine. Schumacher was a true champion for me because he walked on water every time he took to the track. Even when the Ferrari was a joke, Schumi was so far ahead of the field that you wondered what would happen if he had the best car too. Of course, in 2004, Ferrari did come up with the best car and then he won 13 of the 18 races that season. He is a sublime Champion for me but then i am so far biased on this issue that rationality is kicked out of the door.
Pete Sampras. Now he is a champion. There are no two ways about that statement. The extraordinary poise with which he carried himself all throughout his career is what makes him a champion for all ages. Federer will in all likelihood surpass Sampras’s 14 grand slam titles but unlike statistics, the genius of champions can only be matched not surpassed. And a performance like his 99 Wimbledon final demolition of Agassi could probably never be matched too. Federer is matching his poise off the field too but then guess who Federer’s role model is!
Sampras is playing Federer in 3 exhibition matches this November. Even if Sampras loses all three, I’ll still be proud that i started a 22,000 strong Pete Sampras community on Orkut because he is a true Champion - and true champions are timeless.
Posted in Opinions | Tags: champions, f1, Fernando alonso, ferrari, kimi raikkonen, lewis hamilton, pete sampras, roger federer
but there used to be a time when i would stop watching the match when Sachin got out - Indian cricket is much better now.
he’s good though.. and a German too. And V Anand has been India’s leading torchbearer since ever! Sad that he doesn’t get 1/10 of the prizes thats heaped upon some of the worthless cricketers!
After reading this blog probably I’ll do a bit of research.. 
