A race to the finish

SPORTS

Not since 1984 has any Formula One season been this closely fought as it will be this year.

No Formula One championship race has seen such a closely contested battle. At least not since 1984, when Niki Lauda in his McLaren pipped his team-mate Alain Prost by half a point.

Twenty two years later, its the turn of two new McLaren drivers again who will try their best to outdo each other. Double world champion Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton go into the last three races with just two points separating them.

Hamilton has been the story of season 2007. In his rookie season, he surprised everyone, including Alonso, and is on the verge of creating history. No rookie has managed to win the world title in his debut season.

Alonso, on the other hand, has responded to the challenge thrown by his rookie teammate, though according to experts not in the right spirit. He has accused his team of favouring Hamilton and has had a few run-ins with him on the track as well.

Both these men have been having a go at each other on the track as well as off the track. So the last three races promise to be a feisty affair. And although Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen has an outside chance, it would take a brave man to bet against these two McLaren drivers to win the title.

Even though, as they say in Formula One, expect the unexpected, it would take Raikkonen to win all three races and expect both these drivers to not finish at least two races for either of them not to win.This, at the moment seems highly unlikely.

With the Spygate scandal, team McLaren has already been stripped of its constructors points and would be looking to celebrate either of it's drivers winning the world title.

Alonso has won four races, while Hamilton has already got three under his belt. Though Hamilton had been on the podium for the first eight races of the season, his performances in the second half have let him down. And Alonso has been showing the form which got him two world champion titles, so it promises to be a photo finish.

So will it be the rookie who comes out on top or Alonso will successfully defend his title? It's a close call till the finish. Expect the unexpected this season.