F1: Hamilton And Donington
(7 July 2008)
There can't be any doubt that one of the highlights of the 2008 Grand Prix season so far has been Lewis Hamilton's fantastic drive in the wet at Silverstone. He drove beautifully, he obviously wasn't fazed at all by the conditions, and from what I could see he was really enjoying it, though I suppose that if you're six seconds a lap faster than everyone else you're bound to enjoy yourself!
There are bound to be comparisons with the way Ayrton Senna dominated the European Grand Prix back in 1993. It's difficult to say who drove better, in the same way that it's silly to try to find the top 20 drivers across a long period. You can say that certain people were the top men in their era, but quite frankly I don't think you can go further than that.
However, if you've got a guy like Hamilton not only out in front but going several seconds a lap quicker than the opposition, obviously he's got to be pretty good. I would say that he was at least the equal of Senna in that situation.
The 1993 European Grand Prix was held at Donington Park, which we now know will be the venue for the British GP from 2010. From the point of view of transportation this makes sense - it's within three or four minutes of the M1 motorway, the A50 runs close by, and East Midlands Airport is right next door.
The big question, though, is how it will compare with Silverstone as a circuit for F1 cars. I must say that Silverstone is one of my favourite tracks, with very fast single corners such as Copse and Stowe, the high-speed Maggots/Becketts complex and then, after the cars have gone under the bridge, some nice twisty bits towards the end of the lap. It has all the requirements you should have on a Grand Prix circuit, and it stretches not only the drivers but the cars as well.
As it stands, Donington does not present as much of a challenge. The Craner Curves (a fast right-hander leading into a downhill left) is good, as is the McLeans section (fast left-hander into a much slower right), but apart from that there really isn't much to the circuit. On the whole I think it would be even less acceptable in 2010 than it was in 1993.
But it's unfair to make comparisons until we see the plans for the £100 million redevelopment - and we will surely be given some idea of those plans fairly soon. The lie of the land means that there are likely to be a lot of ups and downs which could add a different dimension and challenge compared with Silverstone, which of course is very flat.
On the other hand, there are no corners at Donington as quick as the fastest ones at Silverstone, and that is what the place needs to become a suitable Grand Prix venue. Keep the basic character and add some really fast corners, and you could make Donington into a very interesting circuit.
And if that doesn't work, and Donington is unable to remain as the home of the Grand Prix, I'm sure the developers could get their money back by turning it into a gigantic housing estate.
