It has been called the best junior season in Formula 1 history. 2007 was the year the current world champion and record holder of several other records debuted in Formula 1. This time in unforgettable races: the first podium for Lewis Hamilton in 2007 Australian Grand Prix.
The 22-year-old Lewis Hamilton started his career with McLaren. After qualifying fourth in Australia, the race began as well as the season opener like The Rocket. Not only did he outgrow Kubica after driving after the first few meters with Hamilton, but he also immediately went over to Fernando Alonso in turn. Fernando Alonso was Lewis’ teammate of the McLaren team at the time. Kimi Raikkonen, who started at Ferrari in first place, had already left after the first turns.
Hamilton did nothing throughout the weekend and stunned the Formula 1 circuit positively. Unfortunately, there was a little “slipper” to be found during the race, when he made a trip through the grass in turn six, with Alonso on his tail. However, this was not a cause for panic. Meanwhile, Raikkonen had gone away and could no longer be tracked.
The Dutch touch
To give this unforgettable 2007 race a Dutch twist, Christian Albers thought, at the time he was driving the Spyker F1, that it was time to get some camera shots. Unfortunately, this was not in the most positive sense, because the Dutchman in an orange F1 parked the car against the wall. This happened at the same angle as Hamilton had thought about mowing the lawn a few laps earlier. Unfortunately, this means the end of his race with Albers.
The final result
Midway through the race, the three stops mark the top three at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. Alonso introduced the softer tires under his car while he stopped, allowing him to drive times faster than his teammate Hamilton. This resulted in a final result in which Kimi Raikkonen won the race, Fernando Alonso was McLaren’s first on the podium, and newcomer Lewis Hamilton finished the top three with a beautiful third.
Lewis’ stage at the opening of this season was the first of its nine stages in total that year. This is still a record for the junior season. Hamilton quickly made a name for himself in Formula 1 and would eventually not only become the most successful British driver ever, but would also end up in the ranks of big names like Schumacher, Sina and Prost.
Read more: Unforgettable races: 1996 Australian Grand Prix
Read more: Unforgettable Races: 2002 Australian Grand Prix
Read more: Unforgettable races: 1996 Monaco Grand Prix
Read more: Unforgettable races: 1998 Grand Prix of Belgium
