16–18 March 2007
Kimi Räikkönen takes pole position and then produces an inspired win in Melbourne. As Räikkönen streaks to victory, the other podium places go to his former team, McLaren Mercedes. Double World Champion Fernando Alonso is second, ahead of 22-year-old Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton impresses in his first Formula One race: his third place is the best debut finish by an Englishman since 1966. The highlight of the race is Hamilton flying off the second row of the grid and beating Alonso to the first corner. Hamilton stays in front of Alonso for 42 laps but yields when the champion is able to stay out for two laps longer on his second stint and Hamilton is held up by the Super Aguri of Takuma Sato on his way into the pits. Felipe Massa takes sixth despite a gearbox failure in qualifying.
LEWIS: ‘I braked. I do not even know how I judged where I was, braking-wise. And then, there was a gap around the outside of Fernando! I just slotted in so perfectly.’
6–8 April 2007
In Sepang, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa bounces back from the disappointment of Melbourne to take pole position in qualifying. A pulsating final lap earns his place in front of Alonso and Räikkönen. Hamilton again qualifies strongly in fourth. In the race, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes sensationally claim the first one-two of the season, with Alonso leading Hamilton to the chequered flag. Hamilton starts superbly, overtaking both Ferraris and moving into second place behind Alonso who had passed Massa at the first corner. Massa overtakes Hamilton on the third lap but the rookie is able to quickly reclaim second place. This particular battle ends on the sixth lap when Massa makes a desperate attempt to overtake Hamilton and ends up sliding off the track. Thereafter, Hamilton holds off a sustained attack from Räikkönen, allowing Alonso to proceed to victory. Alonso leads the Drivers’ Championship on 18 points, ahead of Räikkönen on 16 and Hamilton on 14.
LEWIS: ‘Felipe made a couple of moves to pass me, into turn four, I think. I was lucky because I was able to lead him into a mistake…’
13–15 April 2007
In qualifying, Massa takes his second consecutive pole position and Hamilton is just behind in second, his best starting grid position to date. During the race, Massa manages to hold on for his first win of the season despite Hamilton applying pressure early and late in the contest. The Brazilian makes no mistakes, however, and Hamilton is forced to settle for second. He still snatches the headlines, though, as he becomes the first rookie to finish on the podium in his first three races. Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen is third, ahead of BMW’s Nick Heidfeld defending well to resist a challenge from Alonso who endures a testing weekend in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. The result leaves Hamilton, Alonso and Räikkönen in a three-way tie on points at the top of the world standings. Massa is five points adrift.
LEWIS: ‘After that, it was just me and Felipe in front, and we had a really close scrap, but I just could not find a way to get near enough to pass him.’
11–13 May 2007
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes are fastest throughout practice but cannot carry their speed advantage into qualifying. Massa is fractionally faster than Alonso and claims pole. Hamilton is fourth on the grid behind Räikkönen. In a dazzling first lap on race day, Hamilton passes Alonso and Räikkönen to take second place where he eventually finishes, once again behind the excellent Massa. Alonso pays the price for an audacious attempt to overtake Massa at the first corner. Their two cars touch, forcing Alonso off the track momentarily. The Spaniard rejoins the race in fourth position and eventually finishes third, after Räikkönen retires with a technical problem. At 22 years, four months and six days, Hamilton is the youngest driver in history to lead the Drivers’ Championship outright. He has 30 points, ahead of Alonso on 28 and Massa on 27.
LEWIS: ‘I couldn’t catch him [Massa], but importantly for me, I stayed in front of Fernando…I was leading the championship. That was sweet.’
24–27 May 2007
In qualifying, Alonso takes pole position, less than two-tenths of a second quicker than Hamilton. The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes exploit their front row grid positions in the race, Alonso moving to the top of the championship with a victory and Hamilton finishing second. At one point during the race, Hamilton appears to be cutting the gap on his team-mate but falls away again and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes take their second one-two finish of the season. Afterwards, the processional nature of the race causes the FIA to launch an enquiry into the possibility of illegal team orders denying Hamilton the chance to challenge Alonso. After much deliberation, the first controversy of the season ends with the FIA clearing Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of the charge. Alonso and Hamilton now both have 38 championship points, but the Spaniard’s two wins put him top. Massa, who finished third in Monaco, is also third in the championship with 33 points.
LEWIS: ‘I stuck behind him [Alonso] to the end. After the race it was evident my team were not happy, but I said, “I’m not here to finish second.”’
8–10 June 2007
Hamilton’s maiden Formula One pole position is secured at a circuit he has never raced on before. In a reversal of their qualifying performance in Monaco, Alonso joins Hamilton on the front row. Then, as his main rivals falter, Hamilton cruises to his first Formula One victory, ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Alexander Wurz. The race is notable for four Safety Car interventions and a high-speed crash involving BMW’s Robert Kubica. Alonso finishes seventh after an eventful race, losing second place to Heidfeld at the first corner and then dropping to thirteenth after a ten-second penalty for making an enforced pit stop in a Safety Car period. Räikkönen is fifth for Ferrari and Massa is disqualified for leaving the pits when the pit lane exit was closed. Hamilton moves to 48 points in the championship, with Alonso on 40 and Massa on 33.
LEWIS: ‘Each time the Safety Car came out, I was thinking “Uh-oh, someone doesn’t want you to win this”…It did not get to me, though. I thought it was a good challenge – and it kept me busy.’
15–17 June 2007
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is another track that Hamilton has never driven before but in qualifying he takes his second pole position in eight days. Again, Alonso is second on the grid, unable to match the pace of his team-mate. On race day, Hamilton wins from the front for the second consecutive race. Alonso makes one desperate attempt to pass and manages to pull alongside Hamilton on lap 39. The Spaniard seems destined for the lead but after some stubborn Hamilton defending, the World Champion is forced to settle for second place. Felipe Massa is a distant third for Ferrari and Räikkönen is fourth, while BMW’s 19-year-old Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest ever Formula One point scorer. Vettel, standing in for Robert Kubica, takes eighth place in his debut race. Hamilton, whose run of podium finishes now stretches to seven races, has 58 World Championship points. Alonso has 48 and Massa 39.
LEWIS: ‘At one point, we did battle almost literally wheel-to-wheel, but he [Alonso] was not coming past. I am no pushover – if anything, I am one of the hardest drivers to overtake…’
29 June-1 July 2007
Massa takes pole position at Magny-Cours with a lap less than a tenth of a second faster than that of Hamilton. Räikkönen starts from third but Alonso, hit by mechanical problems, will have to work through the field from tenth. In the race, the Ferraris show that they are far better suited to the circuit than the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Hamilton is never in the hunt for a third consecutive victory as Räikkönen wins from Massa to revive his championship aspirations. Räikkönen roars past Hamilton at the opening corner and then overhauls Massa during the second round of pit stops. Alonso suffers a frustrating race, never managing to make inroads through the slower cars in front of him, and finishes seventh. Despite Ferrari’s dominance, Hamilton extends his championship lead to 14 points and his record run of consecutive podium finishes to eight. He has 64 points, with Alonso on 50, Massa on 47 and Räikkönen on 42.
LEWIS: ‘All I saw was Kimi Räikkönen come flying past me in his Ferrari…I thought I was quicker than him in the first part of the race, but sometimes in Formula One you have to be seconds faster to pass someone, so I never had a chance.’
6–8 July 2007
A record 80,000 Silverstone crowd for qualifying watches Hamilton, the local hero, grab pole position with a dramatic last-gasp flying lap. But on race day, Räikkönen steals the limelight by grabbing his second consecutive victory ahead of Alonso. Hamilton is slightly off the pace and fails to capitalize on a decent early lead. His progress is further hindered by two untidy pit stops. Both Räikkönen and Alonso pass Hamilton during the first round of stops and then move quickly away, leaving the championship leader to a lonely third place. Massa’s Ferrari stalls on the grid, forcing him to start the race from the back of the field. He slices through the back markers superbly but can only manage fifth place behind Kubica. After his ninth consecutive podium, Hamilton leaves Silverstone still top of the World Championship with 70 points, ahead of Alonso on 58 and Räikkönen in third on 52.
LEWIS: ‘I thought I saw the lollipop move a little bit, but I was wrong…I let the clutch out too soon…I had to stop again and it was all a bit of a mess.’
20–22 July 2007
A problem with his front right wheel forces Hamilton into a 160 mph crash in qualifying, meaning he starts the race from tenth on the grid. When the session resumes after half an hour, Räikkönen takes pole position. But Räikkönen is forced to retire from the rain-affected race, leaving Massa and Alonso to fight for victory. Alonso eventually comes out on top after overtaking Massa in the closing stages of a thrilling battle. Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing takes a surprise third place. Hamilton’s bad luck continues during the race. After moving up to fourth place, he suffers a puncture and is then one of several cars to slide off the track in a sudden torrential downpour. He is placed back onto the track by a crane but his run of podiums ends with a ninth place finish. Alonso’s victory closes Hamilton’s championship lead to just two points, with Massa a further nine points behind.
LEWIS: ‘I saw the two BMWs starting to slide backwards…As I was on the outside, they collided and then Robert was rolling backwards…I could only hope his car would not touch mine, but it did…It left me with a puncture and, from then on, everything became more and more difficult.’
3–5 August 2007
An incident involving Hamilton and Alonso overshadows qualifying for the Grand Prix. Then in the last seconds of the session, Alonso claims pole and Hamilton lacks enough time to respond, leaving him second on the grid. Afterwards, FIA Stewards announce that they will investigate the incident. The outcome is that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes lose any Constructor’s Championship points they might earn in the race and Alonso is penalized five grid positions, leaving Hamilton on pole. The tight, twisty circuit produces an uneventful race in which Hamilton holds off Räikkönen to win and Heidfeld takes third place. Alonso finishes fourth. Hamilton moves to 80 points in the championship, ahead of Alonso on 73 and Räikkönen on 60.
LEWIS: ‘I started from pole and I knew I had to concentrate and just do my job. I think it worked out reasonably well in the end, but it was not the kind of victory that put a smile on everyone’s face.’
24–26 August 2007
Massa, winner of the corresponding race last season, takes pole position in Istanbul ahead of Hamilton with Räikkönen third and Alonso fourth. The Brazilian then repeats his 2006 success with an impressive victory, leading from start to finish. Räikkönen and Alonso are second and third respectively. Near the end of the race, Hamilton is running third and seemingly headed for a comfortable podium finish but his left front tyre blows and he is forced to nurse his car round the track on three wheels for an unscheduled pit stop. Alonso and BMW’s Nick Heidfeld move past a helpless Hamilton who has to ease his damaged car to the finish, desperately defending a late charge from Heikki Kovalainen to hang on for fifth place. Hamilton moves on to 84 points with Alonso now just five behind on 79. Massa holds third place with 69 points.
LEWIS: ‘…I was heading for a comfortable podium…until I saw bits of rubber flying off my front right tyre. Then, as I braked for the next corner, it just exploded…The wheel just locked up and I was very lucky I did not end up in the gravel or, even worse, in a wall.’
7–9 September 2007
As the controversy with Ferrari intensifies in the background, Räikkönen escapes with only a stiff neck after a massive crash in practice. The Finn is able to take part in qualifying but is unsurprisingly off form, finishing behind Heidfeld, Massa, Hamilton and Alonso who takes pole position for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. In front of a partisan Monza crowd the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers keep their cool to complete a one-two in the race at Ferrari’s home circuit. Hamilton is unable to prevent Alonso running away with victory and has to pull off a remarkable overtaking manoeuvre to snatch second place from Räikkönen who is eventually third. Räikkönen had slipped past when the rookie made his second pit stop and the Finn seemed surprised when Hamilton immediately moved to take back his position. Alonso’s win again closes the gap in the championship race. He is now just three points behind Hamilton with four races remaining. Räikkönen is in third place with 74 points.
LEWIS: ‘I knew I only had one shot…I late-braked Kimi at the end of the straight and took my second place back. That is where I finished in the end, which was respectable.’
14–16 September 2007
Ferrari have the edge on the track at Spa-Francorchamps. Räikkönen and Massa take the front row in qualifying, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes having to settle for the second row with Alonso just ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari dominate the race, Räikkönen securing a third consecutive win at the legendary circuit. Massa is second, Alonso third and Hamilton fourth. The post-race intrigue focuses on a first-corner exchange between Hamilton and Alonso. Hamilton had had the better start and as he tried to overtake his team-mate, Alonso cut across, forcing him to take evasive action and swerve temporarily off the track. The manoeuvre forced Hamilton to yield and he never had another opportunity to challenge for third place. Although Alonso and the race Stewards saw the move as a fair one, Hamilton disagreed. The title race heads to Asia with Hamilton leading the championship on 97 points from Alonso on 95 with Räikkönen on 84.
LEWIS: ‘As we exited La Source, he [Alonso] swung his car out across mine and effectively forced me off the track. He left me no room whatsoever…There was plenty of room for both of us and he deliberately pushed me as wide as he could.’
28–30 September 2007
Hamilton takes pole position in the wet at Fuji ahead of Alonso, Räikkönen and Massa. Forty-two laps into the race, Alonso loses control of his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and crashes into a wall. Hamilton, meanwhile, survives an aggressive overtaking move from Kubica who is later penalized by Stewards for nudging Hamilton off the track temporarily. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are forced to retire from the race after clashing in a Safety Car period, allowing Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen to finish second and Räikkönen third. Räikkönen and Massa (who was eventually sixth) were handicapped by having to pit on the second lap after starting on intermediate tyres rather than the ‘extreme’ wets demanded by race officials. Hamilton’s win stretches his championship lead over Alonso to twelve points with Räikkönen a further five points back in third.
LEWIS: ‘Like everyone else in that race, I was under a lot of pressure to look after my car, my brakes, and deal with the conditions.’
5–7 October 2007
Hamilton seems to take a major step towards the championship by taking pole position in Shanghai. Räikkönen is second fastest in qualifying, with Alonso only fourth on the grid behind Massa. But the title race takes another twist in the rain-affected Grand Prix. Hamilton establishes a substantial early lead but, as his tyres wear on the drying track, he is clawed back by Räikkönen who manages to overtake on lap 29. Then, shortly afterwards, Hamilton suffers a disaster. As he enters the pit lane to change his now seriously bald tyres, Hamilton slides off the track and into a gravel trap. It is the rookie’s first retirement of the season. Alonso takes advantage of his team-mate’s misfortune to claim second place and take the championship to the final race. Massa is third for Ferrari. Hamilton now leads with 107 points from Alonso’s 103, with Räikkönen on 100 points.
LEWIS: ‘I started turning into the pit lane corner and…just lost the back end. I had good front tyres but just no rears at all…I wasn’t to know it was going to be just like an ice rink and that I was going to go off and get stuck in the only gravel trap in a pit lane in the whole world.’
19–21 October 2007
Felipe Massa takes pole position in front of his adoring home crowd, edging out Hamilton by less than two-tenths of a second. Räikkönen is third on the grid ahead of Alonso. In the race Kimi Räikkönen takes the 2007 Drivers’ Championship in the most dramatic style possible. Räikkönen is helped by his Ferrari colleague Massa who leads much of the race before moving aside for his team-mate to take the glory. Alonso finishes third but the Spaniard is never able to compete with the Ferraris. He finishes the season a single point behind Räikkönen, as does Hamilton who suffers a poor start and slips down to fourth place, behind Räikkönen and Alonso, by the first corner. He then tries to re-pass Alonso and ends up off the track, rejoining in eighth place. There is further drama eight laps into the race as Hamilton suffers a gearbox problem that costs him 40 seconds and, as it turns out, the World Championship. The rookie switches to a three-stop strategy and battles to make positions from the rear of the field but despite his best efforts can only finish seventh.
Lewis: ‘The car lost its drive and I was stuck in neutral, just coasting as I downshifted going into turn four, the Subida da Lago, again. In a flash, I could see everything passing me – all the other cars, the whole season, everything we had done.’
