I must be like a lot of Formula 1 fans who have been waiting for a season like this for a long time.
A season in which we could possibly see a new name crowned as the best driver the sports ever seen and a season which could be the catalyst for a young driver who will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on the sport.
Lewis Hamilton kicked off the 2021 F1 campaign with a win at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend.
The first race of the season had everything a fan could want and the last five laps set the scene for what is going to be an epic battle between young and old in the shape of 23-year-old Max Verstappen who finished second on the day and seven time champion Hamilton, 36.
I already knew the result when I sat down to watch the replay of the race but it was still a tense affair seeing the Red Bull driver put it all on the British champion.
It’s a sign of things to come.
Many have been tipping Verstappen to be the heir to the crown for a while now and you get the impression that while the burning ambition which has seen him step on the podium 43 times in 120 Grand Prix races, winning ten of them, will propel him to yet more honours, spoiling the Hamilton charge towards greatness serves as yet further fuel in his already quick motor.
I’ve respected Hamilton ever since I interviewed the Stevenage-born racer at the genesis of his F1 career at McLaren. The respect grew as I saw him at close quarters perform miracle after miracle which has seen him equal the great Michael Schumacher in terms of championship titles won.
He embodied the spirit of a man on a mission, always has to be fair and in Verstappen I see similar qualities.
The Dutchman never seems satisfied.
In the past this has come across as arrogance but as a Hamilton fan I see it as hunger. He’s starving. He knows he’s got the tools and wants to climb to the precipice of greatness.
In Hamilton though he has a mountain to climb.
If anyone thrives off of competition it’s the seven time champion. All of these elements coupled with the superior driving ability both have in bucket loads will serve as a wonderful basis for some hard racing this year.
Listening to both in the post-race press conference made me glad this was just the beginning.
Hamilton said: “It was one of the hardest races I've had for a while so I'm really grateful for it and massively thankful for the men and the women back at the factory and here, for continuously pushing the boundaries and never giving up, even if we do feel we're behind.
“But we love the challenge, I love the challenge, I love what I do.”
Verstappen said: “Last year we would have been super-happy with this result and now we are disappointed, so we definitely made a good step forward and of course it is still a very long season. So… yeah… we just have to get on with it and try to do better.”
Game on …
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