Ho Hum....

.....Ok I am not going to make any predictions of Lewis' championship fortunes. Instead I shall concentrate on a new member of the grid for Brazil. In a feature I wrote for the Bridgestone e-Reporter contest I suggested that GP2 drivers were queuing up for F1 drives and elder F1 drivers should watch their backs.

I did not imagine that my words were anywhere near close to being prophetic but 2007's GP2 Rookie of the year Kazuki Nakajima has sprung from nowhere to confirm that the GP2 orchestra of speed is in accelerado by replacing F1's Styrian harmonica Alex Wurz at Williams for the final round in Brazil. While Williams have said this is not an evaluation for a 2008 seat the experience will be invaluable for Nakajima.

With the personality that won him the GP2 Drivers personality of the year award added to his electrifying pace-winning him many fastest lap points, he has the perfect opportunity to impress and fulfil his ambition of an F1 seat as early as 2008. Certainly a good qualifying and race pace will calm worries about his consistency and propensity for mistakes. His second half season performance for DAMS suggests he has already begun to challenge such criticism and will add an interesting sub plot to this extraordinary season's final act.

However, the chance has come from Alex Wurz's retirement and without being privy to the exact reasoning behind the early retirement (one race before season's end) this is not yet a full blooded GP2 young gun cull of the big holster slingers of the F1 badlands just yet.

But somewhere, maybe just beyond the last Bridgestone Potenza shod wheel turning in anger through Juncao the well built lady is beginning to wet her tonsils and run through the octaves, just maybe......

LEWIS: A MAN OF ALL ROOKIE SEASONS.

At the start of the season I wondered if Lewis could define his season with a win on his debut but instead he has surpassed everyone's wildest expectations. Short of a catastrophic event Lewis is surely going to be a rookie World Champion and that result could (fingers crossed) be confirmed by tomorrow morning around 9ish. That is remarkable, regardless of which team he drives for he still had to get the car home. Let us not forget Jacques Villeneuve had a similar opportunity in a similarly dominant car and failed to do so.

GP2 connection

Lewis also graduated from the GP2 series as Champion which has solidly proven its Ronseal abilities as a proving ground for would be F1 drivers. Thus dismissing his feat purely because of the car he has under him is to succumb to the most British of instincts, love the underdog, hate the conquering hero. Yes Kovaleinen and Rosberg are fellow GP2 graduates and are not in the championship frame as their cars are not at the standard of the Mclaren. They have though replicated what Hamilton has done; matched their teammates with Rosberg and Kovaleinen beating theirs more often than not. Hamilton's challenge was arguably greater again. His teammate is double World Champion Fernando Alonso. The fact Hamilton got under his skin early in the season and has stayed at the top of the F1 pile should give unqualified indication of his abilities. Another telling factor is that yes, he has had Mclaren backing all through his career.

Ron Vs Red Bull

Ron Dennis though is not some old romantic. He is a phenomenally successful team boss who has seen Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna to world titles. If Lewis did not keep delivering he would have ended up lost in the wilderness between karting and F1 that swallows many drivers. Compare the Hamilton journey with the Red Bull Programme. They have had almost 30 drivers rise through their Junior ranks and hardly any have reached F1 let alone caught the eye spectacularly when they have arrived. The most promising star at the Red Bull stable at the moment is Sebastian Vettel but he also received help from BMW motorsport leaving Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi as this season's Red Bull F1 graduates. Speed has gone replaced by the aforementioned Vettel while Liuzzi is to be replaced by non Red Bull man Sebastian Bourdais.

The Real Deal

So if Lewis does take the title tomorrow do not let the Spy Scandal, Hungary Qualifying or grumbles about him being parachuted into the best team make the bubbles on the Champagne go flat. Lewis is one of the best F1 drivers on the grid and his performances have shown that. Whether he is the best only time and consistency will show that but this season of 'miracles' certainly has not done his reputation any harm at all.