Hill: Kimi's the favourite to win the title

by - 8/04/2008 12:08:00 a.m.

Damon Hill is ready to back Kimi Raikkonen to repeat his Formula One World title triumph.
Hill would have put good money on Lewis Hamilton to realise his dream of Championship glory this season ahead of a Hungarian Grand Prix won by his McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen.
Although Hamilton managed to marginally stretch his lead to five points, with seven races remaining it is Ferrari star Raikkonen who now gets the nod from retired former Champion Hill.
The Finn has remarkably not won for seven races, yet somehow still finds himself within touching distance of Hamilton as no driver is able to take a stranglehold on the campaign.
Hill said: "Last season was remarkable and it is the same for this season. "It is just so tight, with good drivers in both teams - Ferrari and McLaren.
"Right now they are all in with a shout, which is very good for the sport because you don't want it to become predictable and you don't want number one drivers in a team.
"But at this stage you just cannot call where the title is going to go. It could be any one of four.
"I wouldn't even discount Heikki, even though he knows he has pace to find on Lewis.
"But he will be boosted by winning a grand prix, so the ingredients are there, with all four looking more like seasoned drivers which is helping.
"If you had asked me before the race, though, who I would put money on, I would have said Lewis, but I have to say I would want my bet back.
"I'd be saying, 'Wait a moment, that Ferrari looks strong', so as an outside bet, I'd put my money on Raikkonen."
The race should have brought Hamilton a third successive victory, becoming the first Briton to do so since Hill in his title-winning year of 1996. But Hamilton was blown away by Felipe Massa at the start before a sidewall puncture on lap 41 at the Hungaroring ultimately resulted in him finishing fifth.
assessed Hill.
"You really do have a much more difficult task to win three grands prix on the trot than you did back then."
Hill also had a word of sympathy for Massa who had driven the race of his life according to Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, only for his engine to blow three laps from home when cruising to victory. "He made a great start, it was a great move - it was a Senna-esque overtaking manoeuvre," extolled Hill.
"But then he had such bad luck, and it can be quite difficult to pick yourself up from that.
"There is a huge gulf from something that is there on paper and what is real.
"To get within three laps, having a commanding lead, and then to have the engine blow like that after having driven such a great race is quite cruel."

"It is so much more competitive than when I was driving
in my championship year with Williams,"

[via Planet F1]

You May Also Like

0 comments