By Dirk Gibson
With the conclusion of the nail biting Brazilian Grand Prix, the 2008 Formula One Season has come to an end. For the second season in a row, it was an absolute cliff hanger.
The Championships were a mixed bag between the two heated rivals in the sport. McLaren has taken the Driver's Championship through Lewis Hamilton by one point over Felipe Massa of Ferrari. In a flip of sorts, Ferrari prevailed in the Constructor's Championship over McLaren by 21 points. From the expressions of team members, it was clear the Driver's Championship was the big prize.
Both championships were up for grabs going into the final race, which made for exciting racing. The Driver's Championship was considered the more competitive contest and it proved as much as Lewis Hamilton staggered home in 5th to win the title by one point. He will find particular joy in such a narrow win given the fact he lost the 2007 title by one point.
The Constructor's Championship went to Ferrari by a wide margin, primarily due to the serious shortcomings of Heikki Kovalainen, the second driver for McLaren, who failed to not only out point either Ferrari driver, but either BMW driver as well. It has been announced that Kovalainen will return to McLaren next year, but one has to wonder if that decision will be given a second look because he is a definite weak link.
The Return of the King Award clearly goes to Fernando Alonso. Having done serious damage to his reputation given the McLaren fiasco, the little Spaniard re-established his driving reputation by developing a weak Renault car into a competitive car that he not only took to the podium, but won twice with even though the car was clearly weaker than McLaren and Ferrari.
The Future Is Here Driver award goes to Sebastian Vettel. Here is all you need to know. He drives for Toro Rosso. Before being renamed, it was better known as Minardi. Minardi was one of the worst cars in the history of Formula One, always finishing dead last in nearly every race. Notwithstanding all this, Sebastian Vettel gave the big boys a run for their money and even won the Italian Grand Prix at historic Monza. It is only a matter of time before a top team snaps him up and he begins winning championships.
The Woeful Driver of the Year Award is awarded to a clear winner again - Kimi Raikkonen. After winning the Driver's Championship in dramatic fashion in 2007, Kimi was pathetic. His lack of apparent interest was so obvious that many thought he would retire at the end of this season. A contract extension has been announced by Ferrari, but you really have to wonder if something will happen in the offseason. Kimi should be ashamed for disgracing the title of Champion. Yes, he was that bad.
The Worst Team of the Year Awards was uncompetitive, just like the "winner." Honda is our champion and the home office in Japan must wonder why it is spending millions a year on a car that can barely beat fans driving to the races, much less other F1 cars. The cars were consistently slow and twitchy. The team is so bad that despite trying to lure Fernando Alonso with truck loads of money, he has apparently begged off. There is some hope with Ross Brawn, formerly of Ferrari, now running the operation, but one cannot imagine the team being seriously competitive for at least two to three more years.
The Big Four? Formula One has long been dominated by McLaren and Ferrari. Starting in 2009, the big two may become the big four. BMW made major advances this year and won its first race at Canada. The Fernando Alonso and Renault combination was also looking very feisty by the end of the year. With an offseason of development, both could become serious contenders and make the 2009 season even more chaotic.
With the conclusion of the nail biting Brazilian Grand Prix, the 2008 Formula One Season has come to an end. For the second season in a row, it was an absolute cliff hanger.
The Championships were a mixed bag between the two heated rivals in the sport. McLaren has taken the Driver's Championship through Lewis Hamilton by one point over Felipe Massa of Ferrari. In a flip of sorts, Ferrari prevailed in the Constructor's Championship over McLaren by 21 points. From the expressions of team members, it was clear the Driver's Championship was the big prize.
Both championships were up for grabs going into the final race, which made for exciting racing. The Driver's Championship was considered the more competitive contest and it proved as much as Lewis Hamilton staggered home in 5th to win the title by one point. He will find particular joy in such a narrow win given the fact he lost the 2007 title by one point.
The Constructor's Championship went to Ferrari by a wide margin, primarily due to the serious shortcomings of Heikki Kovalainen, the second driver for McLaren, who failed to not only out point either Ferrari driver, but either BMW driver as well. It has been announced that Kovalainen will return to McLaren next year, but one has to wonder if that decision will be given a second look because he is a definite weak link.
The Return of the King Award clearly goes to Fernando Alonso. Having done serious damage to his reputation given the McLaren fiasco, the little Spaniard re-established his driving reputation by developing a weak Renault car into a competitive car that he not only took to the podium, but won twice with even though the car was clearly weaker than McLaren and Ferrari.
The Future Is Here Driver award goes to Sebastian Vettel. Here is all you need to know. He drives for Toro Rosso. Before being renamed, it was better known as Minardi. Minardi was one of the worst cars in the history of Formula One, always finishing dead last in nearly every race. Notwithstanding all this, Sebastian Vettel gave the big boys a run for their money and even won the Italian Grand Prix at historic Monza. It is only a matter of time before a top team snaps him up and he begins winning championships.
The Woeful Driver of the Year Award is awarded to a clear winner again - Kimi Raikkonen. After winning the Driver's Championship in dramatic fashion in 2007, Kimi was pathetic. His lack of apparent interest was so obvious that many thought he would retire at the end of this season. A contract extension has been announced by Ferrari, but you really have to wonder if something will happen in the offseason. Kimi should be ashamed for disgracing the title of Champion. Yes, he was that bad.
The Worst Team of the Year Awards was uncompetitive, just like the "winner." Honda is our champion and the home office in Japan must wonder why it is spending millions a year on a car that can barely beat fans driving to the races, much less other F1 cars. The cars were consistently slow and twitchy. The team is so bad that despite trying to lure Fernando Alonso with truck loads of money, he has apparently begged off. There is some hope with Ross Brawn, formerly of Ferrari, now running the operation, but one cannot imagine the team being seriously competitive for at least two to three more years.
The Big Four? Formula One has long been dominated by McLaren and Ferrari. Starting in 2009, the big two may become the big four. BMW made major advances this year and won its first race at Canada. The Fernando Alonso and Renault combination was also looking very feisty by the end of the year. With an offseason of development, both could become serious contenders and make the 2009 season even more chaotic.
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