This is a subject that has been floating around the net as a topical debate amongst F1 fans worldwide. I figure seeing as I have an opinion of my own, I would throw it in there for all to see!!

I keep reading about how Hamilton has been having a really bad year, well maybe he has, but who's fault is it really? The last few screw ups have been caused by himself and he has only himself to blame. One thing is for sure, Hamilton is buckling under the pressure of both the press and the other drivers, which was moreso apparent at the Montreal race. Hamilton slammed into the back of Ferrari's Kimi Raikennen in the pit lane, the red light was on (as the safety car was being deplyed) and Kimi and Kubica had come to a complete stop. Hamilton supposedly 'didnt see the light or the car' and smashed right onto him. Hamilton was also rear-ended, but still, how can you not see that kind of traffic in front of you!!

When Hamilton returned in Magny Cours, the pressure was even more obvious on him that he wasn't handling it well. He was a very aggressive driver, bouncing all over the track and it was clearly obvious that he was not focussed on driving cleanly. I think it was Jackie Stewart who said that it was the sign of a very aggressive driver, that the fast past bouncing and bobbing off of the sides of the track might buy him a little time here and there, but it might also cost him the race if he slips up (which will most likely happen). Hamilton was already penalized 10 positions for slamming into the back of Raikonnen (started the race in 13th) and his team mate Heikki Kovalinen was penalized 5 positions for holding up Mark Webber during his qualifying.

The big controversy with Hamilton though was the passing of Sebastian Vettel. Everyone has been up in arms about whether he should have given the position back etc. What happened was that Hamilton overtook past Vettel into the turn, Hamilton failed to hit the brakes (intentionally is another story) as if he would have braked, obviously Vettel would have gotten the position back. Instead, Hamilton clearly ramped his car over the chicane so that he didn't have to slow down, and also preventing Vettel from getting past him. Those arguing said that because he already passed him, it shouldn't matter, however I beleive that because Hamilton knew he'd have lost the place from braking way too late, and losing the springback out of the turn, he hopped the curb to prevent Vettel from getting the place back. As a result, the FIA gave Hamilton a drive through penalty through ther pits, which cost him a few extra places in the race.

As quick as the officials were to penalize Hamilton for his mistake, they weren't so quick to act against Ferrari. Kimi Raikonnen broke a piece of exhaust off of his car, which was flapping around all over the place at around 1000 degrees farenheit. Even after a pitstop, the broken piece was left on the car until eventually it went flying off of the car. I feel that he should have been ordered back into the pits to have the piece removed. He did come in just a few laps after it was noticed for fuel etc. and the fact it wasn't removed at that point should have been a violation, seeing as a big piece of red hot metal is a safety hazard, and it was only held on to the car by the heat sensor. It brings up the whole favouritism of Ferrari to the FIA, which I think is bollocks in itself, but it still raises my eyebrows about why they didn't take it off. He later went on to finish the race in 2nd place. Better than his Monte Carlo finish, where he slammed into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India car with only 10 minute sof the race remaining. I was so upset to see that happen to Sutil (who had raced his heart out to 4th position) who had worked so hard to be where he was. He deserved every single point that he should hhave gotten. I was running around the house yelling at the TV after Kimi lost control in the wet weather and slammed into the back of his car.

My man in the F1 this year is Robert Kubica, the cool-headed pole who finished his first victory in Montreal, a year after he had his hair-raising crash at the same circuit. Kubica is clearly a more focused driver than Lewis Hamilton, and has yet to make any mistakes on the circuit this year. Kubica has acknowledged that he doesn't beleive that BMW will be able to catch up to the development speeds that Ferrari or Maclaren have, which in turn may cost him the title. In another interview, he also stated that he beleives he is where he is now simply because of all the mistakes made by the other teams, if they had both been in perfect form, he would have had a hell of a time keeping up to them.

Robert Kubica is definately the man to watch, with rumours already spreading that he is in negotiations with Ferrari and Renault about moving next year. I'm not sure about the Ferrari, but if he went to Renault I think he would almost be downgrading himself as they haven't been able to keep up with his BMW car. However, having said that, if Kubica ever got into a car thats as fast as a Maclaren or the Ferrari, he would almost certainly become unstoppable, dominating every race time and time again. I like his driving skills and that he keeps his cool in the most heated times, unlike Hamilton or Massa for that matter, so the guy I am cheering for this year is definately Robert Kubica. Go Get 'Em Robert!