F1 World Championship 2008 Close to End

By next October 12th one of the remaining three Formula One races will be held at the Fuji Circuit in Japan; the other two races are China and Brazil respectively.

Last year in Japan, the McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton crowned himself as the winner. In this occasion, the race continues to build up more expectation as Hamilton leads the drivers' standings closely followed by the Ferrari driver Felipe Massa and the BMW-Sauber driver Robert Kubica.

It has been indeed a very different Formula One year than what we expected, especially due to all the unbelievable situations that have taken place at every one of the fifteen races that are already completed, in which all these extraordinary drivers have participated.  We, the Formula One fans, have witnessed action all around the world, since the very first race in Australia where Lewis won his first title of the year, followed by the Malaysian race where the current Formula One champion, Kimi Räikkönen showed his driving skills by grasping the title. Also, we saw how Massa's flawless performance kept growing steady as he won a total of five races for the Italian team Ferrari; a real accomplishment for the Brazilian as he is Ferrari's second driver.

Another unexpected turn was that of the Canadian Grand Prix where the Polish Robert Kubica won the race, giving the BMW-Sauber team a real push into the top three best Formula One teams, during the present campaign. Two additional surprises we need to disclose are those of the Hungarian Grand Prix, where McLaren second driver Kovalainen took the title and the incredible victory of the Toro Rosso driver, the German Sebastian Vettel, in Monza only a couple of weeks ago. Once again these situations show us how complex and uncertain these speed races are, as there is nothing secure until the first vehicle crosses the finish line.

There have also been several disappointments as better things were expected from drivers such as the Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who currently drives for the Renault team, as well as that of the world champion Kimi Räikkönen, who still has not found the winning formula to retain his title, as it is known he will not keep it for a second consecutive year.  Räikkönen has been but inconsistent in his performance, he has faced several mechanical issues and for some reason he is just not the same we saw last year. These are the reasons Hamilton, Massa and Kubica are above him in the standings and it is very likely the situation will stay as it is now.

Regarding the Spaniard driver Fernando Alonso, this was a quieter year for his professional career as he was able to get away from the spotlight that followed him while he drove for McLaren. We know his decision to drive for Renault was mainly due to his struggle in the Formula One industry and the spy saga link he was connected with. Despite his low profile performance, Alonso triumphed at the Singapore Grand Prix and gave his team the victory they had not had in a long period.

The new world champion will be crowned during the first week of November, right after the conclusion of the Brazilian Grand Prix, and this will also be a new chapter in the history of the Formula One world as neither Hamilton, Massa or Kubica have been world champions before.