Eddie's money is on a Lewis win
I remember when I had my first big accident in Formula 1 and it was in testing at Magny-Cours. I have to say that it really didn't affect me at all or leave much of a lasting impression. In fact I had to think for a while about when and where my first big shunt in F1 was! That's what racing drivers are like and that's exactly what I expect of Lewis Hamilton. His crash at the Nurburgring, though big, is history now and he'd have forgotten all about it. I doubt if it will affect him as he is such a head-strong and focused individual.
Alonso: Tiger or mouse?
Lewis was unlucky at the Nurburgring with the loose wheel-nut that caused the crash and hampered his qualifying and then with the weather conditions in the race. It meant the team really had to take a gamble on tyres. Fair enough, Fernando Alonso drove an absolute stormer of a race but that's exactly what he's like. He's a tiger when his team-mate's not around to challenge him and a mouse when he is. That's exactly how he was at Renault with Jarno Trulli around. If you remember when Jarno really got on top of him, it rattled Alonso and it was only when Flavio got rid of him (to satisfy certain managerial ends) that Alonso felt comfortable again. Great for Alonso but tough on Trulli!
No point in appeal
In my last column I predicted that nothing would happen to McLaren in the so-called 'spy-gate' saga. There's absolutely no point in Ferrari appealing and they're right not to. Everyone in the Appeals Committee is hand-picked for the job by the FIA and it's really not an Independent Body. They ruled that the title race was unaffected by McLaren's possession of secret Ferrari documents and I don't believe that McLaren even saw them. If they did, then maybe McLaren might have been able to tell in which areas Ferrari had gained over them but to comprehend how one area of a car affects another is extremely difficult as the parts are dependent on one another. My hunch is that the guilty parties were going to take the data to another manufacturer.
I'd put money on a Lewis win
Next up it's Hungary and I think Lewis will do very well there. In fact I'd put money on it that he wins. It's a high downforce circuit and really tight and twisty. I expect McLaren to hold the advantage here as it's a little like Monaco and Ferrari have a slightly longer car that's better suited to a less twisting track. I actually loved driving the circuit because you're constantly working hard as a driver and I found long straights boring!
I'm on a good run of predictions at the moment so I guess I'm due for a slip-up soon! But I'm going to go for Lewis to get back to winning ways in Hungary to make it two consecutive British wins at the circuit after Jenson last year. I'll pick Alonso to finish second and Kimi third. If anyone wants to hire me as a Betting Consultant, you know where I am …….. I am jetting back to New York for Fashion Week and I expect to be around the Med in my yacht over the Summer for some serious partying - before heading back to the UK for some more TV work - which I am loving at the moment.
Enjoy the race!
Eddie Irvine.
2nd August, 2007
