The formula for success in Formula one - the driver is the key

A talented podium at Melbourne

On the podium at Melbourne we saw not just the reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and his most likely successor Kimi Räikkönen (both proven and outstanding drivers) but also the precocious and clearly hugely talented Lewis Hamilton. The biggest grin at the circuit after the race was on the normally stern face of McLaren boss Ron Dennis. Dennis pulled off the biggest coup in years when he pinched Alonso from under the nose of Renault team boss Flavio Briatore at the end of 2005 and in his first race in the McLaren colours Alonso certainly didn't let Dennis down. But even more satisfying than this for the British team boss was the brilliant drive by the 22 year old Hamilton who has been Ron Dennis's personal protégé for more than ten years. The last British driver to win a world championship in a McLaren was James Hunt in 1976 - before Dennis's time and, whilst he is always a pragmatist before he is a patriot, there is no doubt that Ron would love to see the young man become his first British winner.

Driver skills always make the big difference

Critics of Formula one generally argue that it is a sport in which the technology is far more important than the driver. Whilst not downplaying the important of the equipment I believe, on the contrary, that it is really driver skills which make the difference. The mathematical formula for success is something like D x (e+c+t) where D is the driver, e is the car's engine, c is the chassis and t is the tyres. Note that D is a multiplier! In other words whilst you have to get the right car, engine and tyres the factor where you can really succeed or fail is the driver.

Top drivers bring out the best in the rest of the team

The success of Michael Schumacher at Ferrari was of course principally attributable to his special skills behind the wheel, and to his innate racecraft. But Schumacher brought far more to Ferrari than just his racing talent - he also inspired others to work for him. If the dozens of people involved in the design, development and preparation of a formula one car believe that they are working for a very good driver then they will be extra motivated to do their best. Schumacher inspired a virtuous circle of success at Ferrari because every single employee of the team wanted to give him the chance to turn his supreme talents into victory. It was the same with Fernando Alonso at Renault - look how off the pace Renault were at Melbourne last week without him.

McLaren have the ideal driver combination at last

Since the brilliant Mika Häkkinen retired in 2001 McLaren has struggled to find a winning driving team. Kimi Räikkönen was developing as a fine driver but somehow, in the face of Ferrari's dominance and Renault's success with Alonso, he never quite realised his potential in his five years with McLaren. And Juan Pablo Montoya, a flamboyant, unpredictable and ego-driven racer was the antitheses of a McLaren pilot - not Mr Dennis's style at all! Now Ron has Alonso a man who matches the talent of the great McLaren drivers of the past like Lauda, Senna, Prost and Häkkinen. In addition McLaren have Hamilton who on the evidence of one race is moving effortlessly into the top racing formula of all. Indeed had it not been for team orders young Hamilton would probably have beaten his World Champion teammate into second place at Melbourne.

Let's keep driver skills as the main factor in F1 success

The 2007 F1 season is a mouthwatering prospect for F1 fans principally because it is likely to be a struggle between highly talented drivers, not between technologies. Already one of the factors in my mathematical formula has been removed (teams are all running on the same tyres this year) and despite Schumacher's retirement Fernando Alonso can expect a real challenge to his crown to come from Räikkönen, Hamilton, Massa and the 22 year-old Robert Kubica at BMW-Sauber. But for the future there are worries about the possible iintroduction of a technology that would significantly reduce the contribution that drivers make to F1 success. Formula one's governing body is in talks with motor manufacturers about the introduction of something called 'stability control' into F1. Stability control is an electronic system that is already used in road cars, which applies computerised corrections to override the driver. For example if the driver goes into a corner too quickly, the computer takes over and brakes the four wheels independently to ensure the car does not go off the road. A great safety feature if you overdo it in your Toyota Corolla on the way back from the supermarket - but surely not something we want to see in F1!