It’s never been so tight in Formula 1. Which means it’s never been so exciting. We watch them all line up at the start  and absolutely nothing is a certainty, from anyone on the grid. Alonso managed to hang on to Raikkonen’s gear box in the opening stages of the race; Raikkonen who could only manage sixth with his shiny, red Ferrari in qualifying and was still sixth (but only after clawing a position back after the start of the race) thirteen laps in. 

As little as three races ago Ferrari seemed to have the edge on McLaren who were themselves being caught up on by a flourishing BMW team. Then Lewis flattened everyone in the wet at Silverstone, came to Hockenheim to claim pole position and then took off once the lights went green and quickly, very quickly, left everyone behind him. Within a lap of two the Brit was over a second in front of Massa. That lead stretched to 11 seconds by 18 laps in. Ferrari must be scratching their heads. 

As for Raikkonen, everyone is entitled to an off day but seriously, he’s world champion. Surely he’s got the experience to get the feel for his car to deal with whatever set up problems he’s having, with his engineers. I cannot fathom it out. If it was his first season with the team I might be able to see my way round it but it isn’t so I can’t! If the fighting Finn has dropped off the boil I’m glad he saved it for when he moved to Ferrari. 

Of course, I was concerned for Timo Glock after his rather nasty impact with the wall, for about a second and a half before I berated the arrival of the safety car. We all know how that can make or break a driver’s race. The last thing Lewis needed was to have the pack backing up behind him. In saying that though, it was hugely gratifying to watch him just take off once the safety car nipped back in to the pit lane. 

In fact, the safety car afforded us some tremendous fighting after it went back in. An already highly entertaining race went, quite literally in to over drive (pardon the pun). Kovalainen loves a good fight, doesn’t he? It’s quite handy really as he seems to always be in a position where he has to push to get through the pack. He looks like such a cute, smiley, sweet little thing off the race track and then he turns in to this aggressive monster when he gets in to the car. Happily he’s got it the right way round! 

Now, when Hamilton had to come in, after not utilising the opportunity to do so when the safety car went in, like everyone else did, it meant he had to then go out to put a move on both Massa and Piquet to reclaim first place. You had to wonder why McLaren did such a thing. At the time I presumed that, yet again the boys on the pit wall felt that they had to be protective of those all important tyres that Hamilton is not so keen to protect himself. As it turned out it seems they just made a mistake with the timing and his fuel but, with the wonderful benefit of hindsight, who cares? It set the remainder of the race up to be an absolute, edge-of-you-seat stunner leading up to the chequered flag. 

Our boy hunkered down and got stuck in. He overtook Massa beautifully. The phrase ‘candy from a baby’ immediately sprung to mind. I loved it when the Renault pit wall came on to Piquet’s radio saying “OK Nelson; you’ve got Hamilton right behind you. You need to keep pushing.” Do you think? It was a bit like saying to someone who is to drowning “Keep paddling!” Anyway, Hamilton went through him like a hot knife through butter. 

Fair play to Nelson Piquet Jnr though. He held his nerve and took a richly deserved second place. What with Alonso being a whinge bag all the time it will surely bolster the team’s spirits and help Nelson no end with his relationship with the squad. 

Nick Heidfeld’s a little master as well. He started in twelfth and then, somehow, he managed to quietly move himself up to fourth without anyone really noticing (apart form his team obviously but you know what I mean). 

Just a few lines of dedication to my biggest bug-bare of this season, if I may? Jenson, Jenson Button! What is with you this year? Please cut us all some slack. What is going on with you and that Honda? And what was with those sunglasses? I’m with Louise Goodman when I say that you might be fairly easy on the eye but even you can’t carry those horrors off! Get rid man! 

Ron Dennis apologised to Lewis on the radio after the race for making the winning of it a little bit difficult for him. Don’t you worry your bald, little head about it Mr. Dennis. God knows Lewis likes a bit if show-boating and the fans could only have thrived on the excitement of it all. I can assure you I did. It was fantastic. I’ve spent the last couple of hours leaping out of my seat and shouting at the television (there are many good reasons why I only watch all of the races I don’t get to actually go to all by myself!). What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I was so buoyed by the whole thing I even sang along to the National Anthem at the top of my voice (again, I watch the races alone for many good reasons………).  

Lewis Hamilton; two out of two, keep going son, you can do it! 

My last few lines have to go to Martin Brundle though. Yet again, another classic line from my favourite man in Formula 1 came at the hands of a spinning Nakajima when he said ‘Ambition ahead of adhesion.’ I’m sure I’ve heard him use that before but I love it. Pure class, every step of the way.

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