Formula 1: McLaren consolodate lead in Driver's and Constructor's Championship
Round ten of the Formula 1 season saw the teams make a return to the Silverstone circuit for the British Grand Prix. This means that the Championship has now crossed the half way mark as there are nineteen races on the calendar this year. In terms of the title chase, things are becoming more and more transparent. It seems as though now it’s a two horse race in terms of the Constructors title while the Drivers title is up for grabs between the fours drivers from McLaren and Red Bull.
Of the ten races completed, Mark Webber is the only driver who has won three. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, his team Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel have all gotten two wins under their belt. Alonso has the only race win so far of the season for Ferrari, but as the season goes on, it seems unlikely that they will be able to make a charge for the race win without any incidents happening at the front.
But the more interesting story is the fact is that Red Bull seem to have a car that is miles ahead of the rest yet they aren’t in the lead in either the Constructors or the Drivers Championship. So far they have been able to bag nine out of the ten pole positions but have often enough lost the plot during the race.
McLaren on the other hand have played it cool and now seem to be eking out slight margins when it comes to Sunday. On paper, this seems like the more volatile team in terms of teammate selection. Hamilton won the Driver’s title back in 2008 with McLaren. The year prior to that, saw him lose out by only one point. At the time he was teamed up with the then World Champion Fernando Alonso.
This year it seems as though the case is the same as he takes to the track with the current World Champion Jenson Button. While it seems like a carbon copy of his rookie year, this time around the partnership is proving very useful for the McLaren team.
During the 2007 season, the battle was very close as three drivers had a shot at the title when they reached Brazil for the final round of the Championship. It was the first time since 1986 that such an incident had taken place. But as the race unfolded, it was Kimi Raikkonen who was victorious in the race as well as the Championship.
When they entered the race, it was Kimi who was trailing the two McLarens in the battle but ended up taking the title by a single point. Raikkonen ended the season with 110 points while both Hamilton and Alonso were tied at 109 points, right behind him.
This season seems to be quite different though. Both drivers in the team are British. Infact the team itself is a British outfit. In all the interviews and press conferences, it seems the two are the best of friends. Also, no one would suspect that the two are at the top of the Drivers title with only twelve points separating the two.
When the Championship boils down to such a close margin, drama is inevitable. But this year, the two have watched the team concentrate even harder. The team's srategy has been second to none. Their decisions with tyre choices lead to Button’s win in the rain during the Chinese Grand Prix.
In Valencia, it was the same story as Button made his way from eight on the grid to finishing third behind Hamilton. While the two Red Bulls made contact on the track during the Turkish Grand Prix, Hamilton and Button made passes at each for the lead and came out unscathed.
This consistency of finishing both cars close to the front is what is allowing the McLarens to be so competitive in this year’s title charge. Red Bull on the other hand habitually get one car to finish at the front of the grid while the other is low on points. And while the Red Bull team seems to be internally combusting, it is the McLaren outfit that is consolidating the points at the front and seems to be a well oiled ‘British’ machine. If they keep this up, Red Bull could see another repeat performance of last year where they finished second best.
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