Why Lewis Hamilton never stood a chance

There is no doubt that at some stage Lewis Hamilton will be allowed to win the Formula One world championship. His attraction for sponsors who want to reach out to new audiences (because, as the Americans now say, he is a man “of colour”) is massive and this will need to be exploited at some point. However that time is not now, and it wasn’t ever going to be his year in 2007.
Bernie Ecelestone gave the game away with a comment to Martin Brundel on the grid before the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday. Lewis was only meant to ramp up the interest this year. Having reached out to spanish-speaking audiences for the last two years with Alonso, the F1 mafia had decided that a revival for Ferrari and a boost for scandanavia was in order. Therefore when McLaren and Lewis looked like running away with both Constructors and Drivers championships a situation was engineered to prevent that occurrence. McLaren were charged with “spying” on Ferrari by obtaining documents from an (allegedly) disillusioned Ferrari employee. If this rule was strictly enforced every single F1 team would be disqualified. (Do you really think Kimi Raikenonen went to Ferrari empty-handed?)

They were disqualified from the constructors championship, but to keep the interest of the public, Lewis Hamiltion had to be allowed to at least contest, the drivers championship. McLaren were apparently “fined” $100 million dollars, 50% of that came from prize money that had already won this season, and they will recoup the rest when Alonso (or his future employers) buy out the remainder of his contract with McLaren. It just remained, therefore, to ensure that Lewis didn’t actually win the championship, hence McLaren left him to run his tyres bald in China, and caused a reboot of his Engine Managment System in Brazil, ensuring he dropped to the back and had no chance of winning, but would provide a good TV show as he tried to overtake the rest of the field.

Not for nothing is F1 known as “Ferrari First” and the governing body the FIA known as “Ferrari International Assistance”. Max Mosley, a chip off the old block if ever there was one, enjoys hob-hobnobbing with disreputable Italians and Spaniards as much as his old Dad did.

Anyway, Lewis will win the F1 Championship, but not next year – that script is written as “a tough year fighting in the pack” with his championship coming in 2009. 2008 is “Alonso’s Comeback Year” when he will win, driving a Renault.

F1 is big business, not sport. Luck is not allowed to enter into the equations.

~ by @mmonyte on October 22, 2007.