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