Surprise, surprise! Who would have guessed that the top four qualifiers for the Spanish Grand Prix would be the Ferrari and McLaren drivers?

As a McLaren fan, I am pleased to see my team doing well this season. It has been a difficult few years, and even with Kimi Räikkönen, who I regard as one of the best drivers in the world right now, we neither had the car nor engine to realistically give him the opportunity to challenge Renault or Ferrari.

I understand his decision to switch to Ferrari. On the back of a number of disappointing seasons, it was to be expected that he would move on to our bitter rivals following Michael Schumacher’s retirement. One could speculate as to how he would have fared in the MP4-22, which has proved to be far superior to previous models.

'For some of the world’s media, you would think Hamilton has just walked in from nowhere and landed a drive with one of the biggest teams in the sport'


I’m yet to be won over by double world champion Fernando Alonso, and while he has done well in his first three races with McLaren since his switch from Renault and is joint-top of the standings, I still haven’t taken to him as a driver. He is quick, but that’s about all that is appealing. If he brings us the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, I will be happy, although I would rather see Räikkönen take the drivers’ and McLaren the constructors’.

It annoys me at how much fuss the press have made about Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in F1. Where the hell have they been for the last few years? Last year, Hamilton drove for ART in the GP2 series and beat Nelson Piquet Jnr  to the title with some stunning drives, often coming from down the field to take a podium place and including two double wins in a single season, a feat never before achieved.

For those whodon’t know, the 2006 GP2 series took place across Europe on largely the same tracks as the F1 circuit, and so the press that would have been chasing the big names in F1 should also have noticed Hamilton’s rise through the feeder ranks, with the GP2 Series now the expected route into F1. Nico Rosberg, the 2005 GP2 series winner, also made the move to F1, with the Williams team.

I was lucky enough to see Hamilton on several occasions last season. I even talked with him several times while around the paddock, which was especially lucky. Having seen his talent, and the way he handled himself both on and off the track, it is no surprise to me that he is doing exceptionally well already in F1. But for some of the world’s media, you would think he has just walked in from nowhere and landed a drive with one of the biggest teams in the sport.

He has talent in abundance. He’s a natural racer, but unlike a number of drivers, including Räikkönen, he is hot on the technical side as well. He is exceptionally quick but, as he proved last year, he can come through a field, if necessary – something that your average driver fails to do well. If Hamilton is stuck behind you and he’s quicker, you can guarantee that he will have a go at getting past you – he’s demonstrated this already this season in Melbourne by going round the outside of Alonso at the beginning of the race and finishing third, having qualified fourth.

Capturing Alonso was a coup for Ron Dennis and McLaren. You lose your best driver, but replace him with the only driver who will enter the 2007 having won a championship, in Alonso’s case, twice now. But who would replace Juan Pablo Montoya? For me, the only realistic option was Hamilton, despite talks of Pedro De La Rosa retaining the drive he had taken over from Montoya, while fantasists hoped two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen could also return – something that was never likely to happen.

We had been struggling and with promise of a better car for 2007, we needed two drivers who could utilise the power and reliability that it would offer, and that is what Dennis has delivered.

Räikkönen is long overdue a drivers’ title, but with Alonso and Hamilton in arguably the best car in the field, he will have to do well not to end another season as ‘so close, yet so far away’.

Alonso can win championships for years to come, and with Hamilton alongside him, they will push each other to better themselves; it will not be long before Hamilton becomes a world champion. Dennis has two of the best drivers in F1 at the moment and the longer they are together, the more dominant McLaren will become. Despite all the regulation changes and new venues coming in for 2008, the future is bright for them.

And who will win the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend? Your guess is as good as mine, but as long as they drive for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I will be happy.

Well, who WILL win in Barcelona? Leave a comment below or, if you prefer, write an article for Sportingo.