Whether you’re an avid fan or not, this year’s Formula One season has really been eye-catching. In a sport dominated by big guns Ferrari and McLaren this season has seen all prior certainties go up in smoke. In fact, no sooner had we got used to a brand new hierarchy consisting of Brawn Mercedes and Red Bull Renault than the sport was turned upside down again by the awful accident that saw Ferrari’s Felipe Massa out for the season - and perhaps for good.
In the subsequent Grand Prix of Hungary Ferrari eerily started with only one car, and just as the famous team was starting to make inroads. Instead, the race marked the revival of McLaren and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton. The order seems to be changing once again, and now possibly four teams will be lining up in Valencia this August with a real chance to win. Championship leader Jenson Button (Brawn) has lost ground to Messrs. Vettel and Webber (Red Bull), and perhaps a revitalised Hamilton (McLaren).
It promises to be a real showdown, but even as the dust settled around the main protagonists more dramas were played out. Spain’s hero Fernando Alonso incurred the wrath of the sport’s moguls when he drove around the circuit with an unbolted tyre that eventually flew up into the air - evoking memories of the accidents involving Massa and the tragic young Surtees - and earning the Renault team a ban. The fact that the two-time world champion will not be present in Valencia is a big blow, but it has been more than compensated for by the news that none other than Michael Schumacher will be making his return as stand-in for the unlucky Felipe Massa.
Suddenly, Ferrari’s chances are hotly speculated, and the Schumacher-Raikkonen line-up will be doing everything it can to realise them. At any rate, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a showdown like this. Let the show begin…
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