John Kerry will undergo surgery to repair his right shoulder. He originally hurt it when he suddenly switched positions on Iraq.
‹Craig Kilborn›
Atlantis: the domain of the Stingray
18Jun
2007
Mon
00:58
author: Stingray
category: My Ramblings
comments: 0
trackbacks: 0

My Interest is Re-Piqued

Formula 1 and Team McLaren

In high school, I developed an interest in auto racing, and this developed more in my college years. Now, in case you didn't know, I went to high school in the "deep south"—Augusta, GA. So, you're probably thinking I developed an interest in NASCAR (the premier sport of the south, it seems), and you would be wrong. And while its true I followed CART (the predecessor to IndyCar and Champ Car)—I do prefer open-wheeled racing—my real interest was with Formula 1.

I quickly became a fan of the McLaren Team, their sponsorship with Marlboro notwithstanding (perhaps it was the similar scheme of Team Penske from CART, my favorite team there...their sponsorship with Marlboro notwithstanding). In 1994, Mika Häkkinen became the primary driver for the team, and I had myself a favorite driver.

The late 90s and early 2000s were good years for McLaren and Häkkinen, and I enjoyed them, too, as a Formula 1, McLaren, and Häkkinen fan. 1998 and 1999 saw Häkkinen win the driver's championship, and McLaren won the constructor's championship in 1998. The team and driver were competative through 2003, but by that time, my interest was waning.

After the 2001 season, Häkkinen took a sabbatical from driving, which eventually lead to his retirement from Formula 1. Following that, there really wasn't a driver I followed. To be sure, I cheered every McLaren victory, but it became harder and harder to watch the sport as Michael Schumacher dominated (something, I think, that was helped by Häkkinen's sabbatical/retirement).

Now, Schumacher is retired and there is more competitiveness amongst the drivers. McLaren announced that the reigning driver's champion, Fernando Alonso, was signed and would be driving for them in 2007. So, I figured good times would be ahead for my team.

What is so surprising, to everyone in the sport, is the surge their number 2 driver has made. Lewis Hamilton is a McLaren product, having come up through their system and finally joining the Formula 1 team this year as a race driver. As a rookie, he is currently leading the driver's championship standing by 10 points over his teammate, Alonso. He has finished on the podium in EVERY race this year (7 rounds, so far, out of 17), having won the last two races (Canadian and US Grands Prix), and he has never finished lower than he has qualified for a race. This "kid" is making headlines and breaking records. Big names in the sport are saying good things about him, predicting that the best is yet to come.

All-in-all, I think I've found my new favorite Formula 1 driver.

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