(from autosport) Former world champion Damon Hill fears that Ferrari's return to form in the Hungarian Grand Prix could mark the start of a fresh period of difficulties for Lewis Hamilton and McLaren. On the back of Hamilton's wobble at the end of last season, when he failed to score just the handful of points he needed in the final two races to secure the championship, Hill is worried that the young McLaren driver could be poised to hit trouble again. And Hill now reckons Kimi Raikkonen is the favourite for the title. "I'm sure Lewis wasn't happy about being pipped at the start in Hungary and I think there was a point when he thought, 'hang on, this is now looking a little bit worrying' because on qualifying pace he should have been able to hound the Ferrari, but he couldn't get close," Hill told the Daily Express. "You start to get worried when things are not going according to plan and then, of course, he got the puncture. "He said before the race 'I'm not counting any chickens and getting ahead of myself'. But I'm absolutely certain he thought it was in the bag. "Ferrari's pace is the real danger. We're getting to Ferrari territory at the races from now on. If you had asked me before the race in Hungary who I would put money on (for the title), I would have said Lewis, but I have to say I would want my bet back now. "Ferrari look strong so, as an outside bet, I would put my money on Raikkonen."
What's the emoticon for me scratching my head? So, let me get this straight: 1) Hamilton out-qualifies Ferrari, making him the Championship favorite in Hill's eyes 2) But Wait!! Massa makes a career start to jump into the lead at the Poor-Man's Monaco. He basically controls the race, making the new favorite...his teammate? Did Hill forget Hamilton blew a tire during the race? Did he forget that McLaren won the race? Or that Ferrari had a breakdown while leading?
IMO, Kimi's last few race results are a bit misleading. If you look at Canada, he was in position after his stop to exit the pit lane in the lead and in all probability, win the race. The collision was obviously not his fault. France was all his until the exhaust broke. In Britain he was right under Lewis' rear wing at the first pit stop but fell back after a bad call on tire strategy. In Hungary his 6th place grid spot was on the dirty side of the track and enabled Alonso to get past and hold him up for most of the race. His true speed was shown after the second stop. Only in Germany was he way off the pace. With tracks like Monza and Spa coming up, I'd be willing to bet he comes on strong. Not sure if it will be enough to beat Lewis and Mclaren at this point but he definitely won't fizzle.
+1 Even with all that's happened to him, Kimi is still in second and only 5 points away from LH. He's definitely not the all dominating WDC that MS was but I don't mind that at all...Kimi has a knack for keeping it interesting all the way to the finish.
