Congratulations To Robert Kubica
Yesterday was an interesting and great day for Formula 1. Sadly, I missed the race, but it is worthy of writing about here anyway.
Yesterday was the Canadian Grand Prix. The Canadian Grand Prix is well known for being unpredictable and full of incident, and this year was no different. Last year, the race was won by Lewis Hamilton, with his first Grand Prix victory. This year would feature another first-time winner, but with a little more drama along the way. Usually, the drama is to be found in the picture above - the exit to the main straight, known as "Champions' Wall", because it is famous for taking out so many previous champions who have brushed the wall in the past. Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve have all crashed there, and Fernando Alonso has crashed at another corner before now, so it is a track that has pedigree.
However, yesterday was not a day for incident at Champions' Wall. Yesterday, all the main action was in the pit lane. The safety car was called out following an incident on the track - not unusual in Canada - and so most of the leaders came into the pits for a fresh set of rubber and for tyres. Lewis Hamilton did have a sizeable lead before the safety car came out, but it was wiped out as they pitted. Hamilton pitted from first, Kubica from second and Raikkonen from third. Kubica exited his pit box marginally ahead of Raikkonen, but the red light was on in the pit lane, so he had to stop and wait. So did Raikkonen. The two sat at the end of the pit lane, waiting. Hamilton, meanwhile, took on enough fuel to finish the race, and so exited his pit box last. He didn't see the red light. He didn't stop. As he approached the end of the pit lane, he suddenly faced two stationary cars. He darted left, trying to avoid them, but couldn't, and ploughed straight into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. He looked like a bit of a prat, and he probably felt it too, since he'd just taken himself and Kimi Raikkonen out of the race. Crashing out on track is one thing, crashing in the pit lane - that's another.
So, with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen both out of the race, the Grand Prix was now wide open, and potentially, the championship too. Felipe Massa in the sister Ferrari and Heikki Kovalainen in the sister McLaren were both down the field, so the BMW-Sauber of Nivk Heidfeld led the race, having not come into the pits for fuel. Once the safety car came in, however, Kubica set a searing pace, was allowed to pass Heidfeld and then made the gap he needed in order to make the extra pit stop he needed to make in order to beat his team mate, meaning the BMW-Sauber team came home with their first, Kubica's first win, and the first win for a Polish driver in Formula 1.
With that win, Robert Kubica also became the leader of the Formula 1 world championship. This is quite a feat. There is no doubt that the BMW-Sauber car is not quite as fast as the Ferrari or the McLaren. It isn't far behind, but it is just that little bit slower. However, at the hands of Robert Kubica this year, the BMW-Sauber car has been scintillating to watch. He has consistently been at the front and was close to winning in Monaco. His pace has been absolutely stunning this year, but more than that, he has been consistent and error-free. I'm sure the errors will come, and there is very little pressure on him, but his form has been great to see nevertheless. Massa made mistakes in Australia, Malaysia and Monaco; Raikkonen made a serious error in Monaco; Hamilton in Canada; Kovalainen has just plain had wretched luck, and been slightly off-pace at a couple of tracks. Kubica, however, has been superb. He is a future champion in the making. I just hope he stays with BMW-Sauber and provides them with their first world champion - that is, if his consistency doosn't bring it to him this year. I don't believe it will, as I think the Ferrari will prove too strong over the course of the season, but if he does win it, it will be thoroughly deserved and hard-earned.
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