Formula One

I became a Formula 1 fan way back when Michael Schumacher was at Benetton, in the sad year when Senna was killed due to a mechanical failure of a Williams car. I was seriously wondering if I would find it as interesting this year with Michael gone, even with the obvious talent of Alonzo.

Now the question is: Why is Lewis Hamilton better on tracks he has never seen?


I think the answer is two-fold. Despite his great talent, there has to be a learning curve involved in running that kind of car in competition rather than just on test tracks, so it could just be a coincidence that his first two poles and first two victories have come on tracks he did not see until he arrived in North America. However, I think the answer is that his talent shows when he gets on a new track. He might be held back a bit on a track he previously raced with a less capable car, remembering a racing line that is less suited for an F-1 car.

The remaining questions are:

Did McLaren realize just what a talent they had coming up, while they were grooming him for Formula 1?

Can he carry this new knowledge with him to France and on to a championship?