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Was Hamilton’s Spa penalty just? Have your say here
When a young driver wins his first Grand Prix it can often send a shiver of excitement through the sport. You might wonder, is this the coming of age of the next great Formula 1 star? Depends on who it is, of course, and the circumstances of how he scored his victory – but for most of us who love racing Sebastian Vettel’s brilliant shock win at Monza was a seismic moment. One to remember, and almost certainly the first of many.
We’ve watched three men win their first GPs this year – something memorable in itself – but only one of them beat the best fair and square. Heikki Kovalainen inherited his success late in the day in Hungary, and Robert Kubica benefited from Lewis Hamilton’s red-light moment with Kimi Raikkonen to win in Canada.
Deserving’s got nothing to do with winning, and Kovalainen and Kubica earned their success by being good enough to pick up the pieces thrown to them. But the style, maturity and coolness of Vettel’s win, in an unfancied car, making the most of the horrible conditions and leading almost the entire race, is likely to make the Italian GP the biggest highlight of an incident-packed GP season. And that’s why we felt compelled to honour Vettel – F1’s youngest ever winner – with his first Motor Sport front cover this month.
Nigel Roebuck was certainly impressed by the performance, as you can read in this, the November issue – and he makes a fascinating comparison between Vettel and a legend of the sport’s past…
Elsewhere, Alan Henry talks to David Coulthard about a career that delivered 13 GP wins but not the coveted world title. Coulthard has never been the corporate automaton sometimes portrayed during his McLaren days, and there have been signs in his recent Red Bull years that he has lost his patience with the media. There’s a frosty edge to this interview – and it’s not to be missed.
Another British star of the 1990s graces the November issue, too. Johnny Herbert’s story of fighting through the pain of an early career smash is well-known. But I’ve never heard him speak so candidly as he does to Simon Taylor in the latest ‘Lunch with…’ feature.
Other highlights? Chris Witty’s very personal tribute to his friend Gunnar Nilsson; Nigel Roebuck’s retrospective on Casablanca 1958, when two drivers duelled to become Britain’s first World Champion; and a wonderful track test by Andrew Frankel, showcasing three classic sports racers of the 1950s.
As for my contribution, from the co-driver’s seat of a rally car, I’ll say very little. All I’ll add is that I’m not exactly delighted with the lead photo chosen for the feature…
Enjoy the issue.
