- 18 Oct 09, 04:20#163509Suppose in 2010 that it is LH & KR at McLaren and FA and FM at Ferrari
McLaren:
Lewis Hamiton: 50 races, 46 classified finises, 36 points finishes, 11 race wins and 15 other podium finishes.
Averages five points per race, 2.9 per race this season.
Lewis started phenomenally, possibly the most successful start to an F1 career EVER.
Over this season, he has matured somewhat as a driver, but I believe he is still consumed by something of a 'banzai' spirit, such as displayed at Fuji in 2008, and at Imola this year. People may scoff, but Lewis, by his own admission, is a racer. You don't get to the pinnacle of motorsport without being a) massively ambitious and aggressive b) massively talented and c) massively selfish.
Given the right car next year, he would be my equal odds on favourite to win in 2010.
Wisely, for most of the year, Lewis has been regining in his off-track commentary, and (mostly) just getting on with the job.
In 2010, with Kimi as a possible team mate, I'd guess he'll probably become a little more verbose, but nothing like the foot-in-mouth disease he developed in 2008.
Kimi Raikkonen: 154 races, 110 classified finises, 94 points finishes, 18 race wins and 44 other podium finishes.
Averages 3.7 points per race, 3 per race this season.
Kimi is, in my book, a text book race driver. He is Mr Consistency. When on form Kimi is one of those drivers that seems to be metronomic, almost robotic, in performance.
Kimi didn't get the start that Lewis did, but performed admirablly in the Sauber in his first year, and then struggled manfully with the very quick but woefully unreliable McLaren in 2001.
Personally, he's my second favourite race driver (after Mark Webber). However, he's almost painful to watch him in the spotlight. He just closes down when he knows a camera is on him. He also has that typical Finnish directness, even bluntness, that many ascribe to a lack of tact or respect for his interviewer, fans or whoever. Hakkinen was somewhat similar: direct and straightforward, but had a little more sparkle in terms of personality.
If Kimi is at McLaren next year, I think it will really put a rocket up him or knock him off the perch completely. Faced with an incumbent, and supremely confident, Lewis Hamilton, I get the feeling that Kimi is either going to respond gloriously, or do a JPM in 2006 and chuck it in half way through the season. I'm much more for the former than the latter.
Both Kimi and Lewis have struggled with less than stellar cars this year, and both have also seen their fortunes change as McLaren and Ferrari have brought their formidable resources to bear on resurrecting the peformance of their cars. Both of them have been on the podium four times each in the last five races. Lewis has scored 44 points in the last five, Kimi 43. If this was the start of the season, then they would be about 15 points clear of the next fastest driver.
Ferrari:
Felipe Massa: 114 races, 93 classified finises, 57 points finishes, 11 race wins and 17 other podium finishes.
Averages 2.8 points per race, 2.7 per race this season
To me, Massa is like a fine brandy. It starts out as a fiery, raw spirit, but as it ages it picks up more character and quality. Massa is statistically the least successful of the drivers in the two teams, but I also believe his is the one that has developed most as a racer, and also the most dogged and determined. Like Kimi, he started in a Sauber, but had a few more years hard graft before he got his chance with a top team.
He might be Brazilian, but to me there is very little little of the angry and passionate flashes that I've come to expect from the Brazilian temprament (having lived in Salvador for 6 months, I've experianced quite a few of those). Most of the rough edges have been worn away by what I consider one of the most professional approachs to F1 in the current driver field, something that FM has consciously cultivated.
To me, Fleipe is best at tight and controlled courses, street circuits and technical race tracks seem to suit his style. This is good news for him, as many of the old style flowing tracks disappear into the pages of hitroy (although a shame for the rest of it). It may sound a little cruel, but the more processional a race track is, the better I think it suits him.
Racing against FA, I get the feeling that Felipe may just suffer from some favouritism as the Spaniard joins the team next year.
Fernando Alosno: 133 races, 109 classified finises, 92 points finishes, 21 race wins and 33 other podium finishes.[/b]
Averages 4.2 points per race, 1.7 per race this season
I flat out don't like FA, but he is also an amazing driver. Something about him just kind of gets up my nose.
That said, if Ferrari put a good car under him, I'd expect him to beat everyone else in 2010. Even with the Renaul row boat that the put out this year, he consitently, doggedly and (it pains me to admit this) somethimes brilliantly puts the car into the points and challenges drivers in much quicker machines. He is one of the most technical, intelligent and flat out fast drivers around, and is reportedly as much at home with development as he is on race day.
FA and Ferrari a perfect fit? I don't really know. But we'll have at least three years to see.
Best guy out there to watch! Goes wrong sometimes of course, but when its good its very very good 
