Formula One: Yearning and learning - Lewis Hamilton
The season of 2010 had been a challenging year for the British driver Lewis Hamilton, by the end of which he declared himself to be quite relieved. Lewis arrived at Abu Dhabi finale with a 24-point deficit to Fernando Alonso and by the end of the game could
only muster 18-points on the 2nd place at the podium.
If he wanted the championship title, he had to win the podium and for his rivals to fail, but even though he had his rival Fernando Alonso finishing at 7th place after the race, still the 24-point deficit could only lockup at a 12-point. 2nd
in the race (and fourth in the standings) was the best he could muster. A thrilling end to a tiring year, but it wasn’t all filled with disappointment, for Hamilton very nearly pulled it off proving that against all odds, supreme fast and consistent driving
skills can predominantly challenge those with the quicker cars.
Hamilton started off in glorious passion at 3rd place in Bahrain behind the Ferraris in McLaren’s innovative F-Duct super car. This high charged performance was not quickly tempered by the poor weekends & 6th place in Australia and
Malaysia.
A brilliant recovery was seen as he finished at 2nd place in China behind team-mate Jenson Button with his superb strategy and some aid by the fortunate safety-car timing, despite the superior pace of the Red Bulls Renault. He was right behind
the RBR on the Barcelona grid too and even managed to split them on the track but a disappointing first DNF as he had to face a stone-induced wheel failure to rob him of P2 moments before the checkered flag.
As time lapsed, reaching Monaco it was becoming increasingly clear that McLaren’s MP4-25 was of no match for Red Bull’s RB6 majorly through the tournament, lying fifth in the standing here, Hamilton’s aim to the title was seeming be fading away.
The next, Turkey went good for McLaren when Hamilton split the Red Bulls in qualifying and then beating them both from the grounds after a brief, but intense wheel-to-wheel battle with Button. This had put both the team-mates back at the title hunt, as they
capitalized at the next round in Canada bringing him at the top of the table too, but only just.
Then an eventful European Grand Prix extended his championship lead thanks to Mark Webber’s airborne retirement when Hamilton survived a drive-through for passing the safety car and finishing second just behind Sebastian Vettel and again trailing Mark Webber
at Silverstone, his home race, to another second place.
Hamilton was on the go retaining his P1 standing in the season even after the Grand Prix at Germany when he finished 4th. However, McLaren could not live with the speed of the Ferraris or RBR and things got worse with the worst race of the season
for the team at Hungary, when a failed gearbox had him loosing his championship lead. Yet Hamilton managed to keep a cool head and took a memorable victory from team-mate Webber in the ever changeable track conditions.
Succession in DNFs for Hamilton was foreseen at Monza and Singapore as well and the title hopes seemed be fading at this spot when ambition got the better of him. Hamilton even had a collision with Webber in the similar woe especially with the MP4-25 continuing
to struggle for pace.
Hamilton had to drive much of the race with only 4th to 7th gear cause of some transmission problems and he must be grateful to make it home in the 5th. Helped by the failure of both Red Bulls to even finish at Korea, a strong
2nd had him just about in the hunt but after the 4th place at the penultimate round in Brazil, Hamilton put down his weapons waiting for a miracle in Abu Dhabi to take him the championship title.
But fate was in-favour of Sebastian Vettel who experienced a miracle at Abu Dhabi where he took the pole position, race win and the driver’s title too in quick succession, whilst Alonso and Webber, a close call, could only blame themselves for the championship
sliding away from hand.
Hamilton could foresee that the title success would have been tough this year competing against the speed and technical sound of Ferrari and RBR yet he managed to stay in the running up till the last race should be a compliment to his skill and determination
in the driver’s seat.
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