The Team
2006 was perhaps a year that McLaren would want to forget. The MP4-21 was a beautiful car to look at but it’s performance and reliability was dismal. They did manage third in the constructors’ but the loss Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari and early departure of Juan Pablo Montoya, summed up the year. The only saving grace was Pedro de la Rosa who took to the seat in fine style.
So 2007 is an all-new driver line up is full of promise and have outpaced Ferrari in an earlier Sakhir test.
In the latest Bahrain test the MP4-22 has not been out of the top ten, nearly being in the top five through out all winter testing.
So once again we begin a season where McLaren are serious title contenders both in the constructors’ and drivers championship.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso brings with him a double world championship and the number one to the MP4-22. He has consistently been on the pace and seems comfortable with his new seat. Can this partnership bring about a third world drivers’ championship? Only time will tell and as testing so far shows, Fernando has the car and the skill but will the likes of Ferrari stop him in 2007.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is the first black F1 driver in its history. Fresh from his Championship win in GP2, plus the F3 Championship in 2005 and the British Formula Renault in 2003, this guy has all the potential to be big, very big in F1.
He is supremely confident and has an ice cool temperament and has shown he can handle the MP4-22, never being out of the top ten during testing and has out-paced Fernando once.
Is Lewis a title contender? Will he be able to handle being Fernando’s teammate and a rookie in 2007?
His capacity to do this is enormous but so is the pressure in him!