| After just two races in the 2007 Formula 1 | | | | allowing Massa to slip by only to retake him on |
| calendar complete, it is already looking much like | | | | the next corner. Until he fooled Massa into braking |
| the two horse race that everyone expected. | | | | too late, and as the Brazilian slid past him and out |
| What nobody expected was that McLaren would | | | | into the gravel Hamilton roared past and that was |
| already be leading the race, with the sole | | | | that. Worse was to come for Massa, as he |
| exception of perhaps McLaren themselves. In | | | | watched Heidfeld go past. He would spend the |
| Australia, Ferrari had a mixed race, with | | | | rest of his race trying to get past the BMW, and |
| Raikkonen leading from pole to checkered flag | | | | it is a mark of their progress that he found it |
| very comfortably, while his team mate, Felipe | | | | impossible. Up ahead, things got interesting after |
| Massa, managed to battle his way from the back | | | | the second pit stop. The first had been more than |
| of the grid up to a very respectable sixth position. | | | | a little unkind to Raikkonen, his stop was almost 3 |
| Imagine, we all thought, how he might have done | | | | seconds longer than Hamiltons and saw him exit |
| if he had started in the top six. Meanwhile, Alonso | | | | snug between the Renaults of Fisichella and |
| had qualified just behind Raikkonen, and the not | | | | Kovalainen, where he quickly lost time on his rival |
| completely unexpected presence of Nick Heidfeld | | | | in 2nd. However, after the second pit it seemed |
| separated him from team mate Lewis Hamilton, | | | | that the hard compound was suiting the Ferrari, |
| so the McLarens were looking strong. Strong | | | | and Raikkonen quickly began to chase down |
| enough for team boss Ron Dennis to instruct his | | | | Hamilton, knocking over half a second a lap off |
| drivers to take no chances in the first lap, just | | | | the gap between them. Too little, too late. |
| get around safely. While Alonso seemed content | | | | Hamilton crossed the line in second, and ice-man |
| to follow, Hamilton (in his first ever F1 race) | | | | had to settle for third, and for second position |
| pushed Heidfeld for third, and in the process | | | | over all in the title race. |
| ended up overtaking Alonso and moving into 2nd | | | | As we near race three in the calendar, Bahrain, |
| place. There he remained, comfortably, until losing | | | | what can we expect? It seems obvious that the |
| time in the pits at which point Alonso moved back | | | | reliability problems that plagued McLaren for the |
| to second. | | | | last two seasons seem to have been sorted out. |
| The BMWs performed well, with Heidfeld holding | | | | Ferrari continues to appear to be the quickest, |
| 4th until the flag and Kubica also cruising until he | | | | but they have their own problems at the |
| was forced to retire due to gearbox failure. | | | | moment with grip. BMW Sauber are looking the |
| Fisichella managed a creditable 6th in the | | | | most improved team, having managed to get 4th |
| under-performing Renault, while his rookie team | | | | place in both races despite having bad luck. |
| mate, Heikki Kovalainen, had a debut to forget, | | | | Likewise Williams; Rosberg managed 7th in |
| managing to get home in 10th. Perhaps the best | | | | Australia and was looking good in Sepang until the |
| surprise was seeing Nico Rosberg bringing his | | | | engine went, while his team mate, Wurz, was |
| Williams home in 7th, having started from 12th on | | | | doing fine in Australia until Coulthard launched his |
| the grid. Ralf Schumacher, one of the three best | | | | car over him. In Sepang, Wurz narrowly missed |
| drivers in Formula 1 according to Ralf | | | | out on a point when he couldn't hold off the |
| Schumacher, picked up the last point. | | | | challenge of Kovalainen in the Renault. Fisichella has |
| And so to Sepang, where Ferrari looked very | | | | managed to finish 5th and 6th in his Renault, while |
| strong and the McLarens just a little behind. This | | | | his rookie team mate picked up his first point of |
| was the race Ferrari should have won, but it was | | | | the season with his 8th place in Malaysia, but it |
| not to be. Like Australia before it, almost all the | | | | looks like Renault have an uphill battle ahead, and |
| decisive action was over by the end of the first | | | | their best hope of finishing third in the |
| lap. Alonso started alongside Massa, and pushed | | | | constructors will depend a lot on how well the |
| him off his line by outbraking him at the first | | | | BMW Sauber team continues to do and whether |
| corner, allowing Hamilton to slide up into 2nd. With | | | | or not Williams can get their reliability issues in |
| Hamilton as his protective cushion, Alonso quickly | | | | order. Beyond those three will be the battle |
| opened up a gap on the following cars, getting | | | | among Honda, Toyota, and perhaps Red Bull, and |
| further ahead with every lap. Behind him, Hamilton | | | | filling up the places will be the Super Aguri, Toro |
| played a deadly cat and mouse game with Massa, | | | | Rosso and Spyker teams. |