Hamilton takes first win of the season
Lewis Hamilton was able to shine a light on his dismal season with a win at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. The man from Stevenage took full advantage of the newly updated McLaren to take a well deserved victory. Kimi Raikkonen gave his Ferrari team a welcome boost after Massa's qualifying crash to finish second. Marc Webber continued his excellent form with a fine third. Jensen Button only managed a seventh place finish and must now be wondering if he can hold onto his championship lead, as Webber is eating chunks out of his points total.
However, the weekend was overshadowed by the serious accident that befell Philipé Massa in practice and the death of Henry Surtees in a Formula 2 race at Brand Hatch. Massa was hit on the helmet by flying debris that had broken off Barrichello's Brawn, causing him head and eye injuries. It is hoped that he will fully recover, but the chances of him taking part in the next few Grand Prix are slim.
How safe?
Despite all the hot air surrounding the FIA/FOTA battle, the rampant commercialism and the disappearance of 'traditional' races, recent events have emphasised once again that Motor sport IS dangerous. Travelling at speeds of up to 200 mph will put you in harms way, no doubt about it. However, motor sport is infinitely safer in 2009 than it was in say, 1974. Drivers from all classes of racing were regularly killed back then; with most F1 drivers knowing that in anyone season, more than one death was likely, not to mention serious career-ending injuries. Additionally, anyone who has read the Barry Sheene book by Nick Harris and Steve Parrish will know that the FIM Motorcycle World Championship was an extremely dangerous affair in the 60's and 70's, no matter what class you raced in.
We fortunately now live in times where accidents are less likely, due to much improved safety measures. Since the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenburger in 1994, Formula 1 has constantly tried to improve driver safety and MotoGP no longer requires riders to risk their necks on the Isle of Man and the railway crossings of Imatra. We should however understand that you can never take the danger out of motor racing entirely and accidents do occur out of the blue, no matter how much we try to prepare for them.
