Formula One: The Sophomore Report

A lot of articles take a look at how the rookies do halfway through the season, I would like to take a look at those who are racing in their second season in Formula One, regardless of whether they were dropped in last year or not.

Adrian Sutil

Maestro Sutil, an experienced piano player and without a doubt, a driver with potential. He wasn't able to produce the same as his compatriot, Marcus Winkelhock, who had a one-time drive last year at the Nurburgring, and led the race for a few laps, in a Spyker, but he got his team's first and only point that season with a really stellar eigth place finish at the soaked out Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji.

While everyone was focusing on the battle at the front between a rookie, a double world champion teammate and a Ferrari freshman taking over the great one's work, Adrian Sutil was working with an unruly car that would conk out on him. Apart from taking a point in Japan last year, his best moment of 2007 was harassing David Coulthard in the faster Red Bull for 12th place at the Belgian Grand Prix.

This year, with Spyker's new identity of Force India, Sutil is in a bit of a frustrating position. He has been able to produce a few stellar drives, like his very mature run in Monaco, but more often than not, his car would go out on him before he could do anything. Anyhow, he's only in his second year, and once Force India are up to speed, we should be able to see this talented German make some stellar performances.

Heikki Kovalainen

Young Heikki was a test driver for Renault before Fernando Alonso moved to McLaren in 2007 and had some big shoes to fill when it came time for him to drive. Heikki is a very different person than his fellow Finn, Kimi Raikkonen, and it shows in his openness and his ability to use more than one tone when speaking!

He had trouble at first with the Renault and was outclassed by his teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella. Once Heikki started getting into the hang of things, he was soon able to outqualify and outrace Fisichella, with many thinking that a retirement announcement is not too far away for the veteran Roman.

Without a doubt, Heikki's best moment came at the soaked out Japanese Grand Prix, when he took the team's only podium, a second place, after being put under immense pressure by his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen in the much faster Ferrari.

After Alonso and McLaren signed their divorce papers at the end of the 2007 season, a lot of speculation was floating around about Nico Rosberg or Adrian Sutil filling the vacated seat at McLaren. However, many were shocked to hear that it was a straight swap with Alonso returning to his beloved Regie and Heikki getting the McLaren with Lewis Hamilton.

A lot of expectations have been put on the young Finn's shoulders, and apart from a third place in Sepang, lady luck just hasn't been on Heikki's side. A combination of bad strategies, engine stallings and first corner touches have not played very well for him. Hopefully he can make something of his season.

Lewis Hamilton

Need I say more? He started his rookie season with a bang and it just got better by taking nine podiums in his first nine races, including two wins in Montreal and Indianapolis. More podiums were to follow and two more wins came about in Hungary and Japan. No doubt that Lewis was a force to be reckoned with, and only in his first year. A top drive in your first year is something that every young driver dreams of, and young Lewis Hamilton was dealt a very good hand.

He lost the championship to Kimi Raikkonen by only one point in the final race, and was equal to his teammate, Fernando Alonso.

In his second year, Lewis has been making some rookie errors, errors that were very few and very far between last year. Although with two wins to his name, the same amount as last year at this point, Lewis has been faltering a bit. It probably has everything to do with the fact that now that he is seen as a viable candidate for the world championship, the expectations are high and he is pushing himself too hard to achieve that.

There is no doubt that Lewis Hamilton can be champion, he just has to be patient and do what he did last year when the expectations didn't really exist for him.

Sebastian Vettel

A young driver that is linked with a drive for the Red Bull team, Sebastian Vettel is certainly showing himself to be talented. In 2007, he was the youngest driver to score a point after replacing Robert Kubica in the US Grand Prix. He was given a drive for Toro Rosso after Scott Speed and Dietrich Mateschitz had a falling out. During his short tenure, he was regularly outraced and outclassed by his more experienced teammate, Tonio Liuzzi.

In the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix under wet conditions, what could have been Red Bull's finest moment turned to disaster after Vettel collided with Mark Webber under a safety car. To add insult to injury, Webber and Vettel were running second and third respectively. A truly low moment, and one that reduced the young German to tears. A week later in China, that all changed when he was able to bring his STR racer home in fourth place. His performance had him both linked to a McLaren seat after Alonso walked away and got him a place in the Race of Champions alongside Michael Schumacher.

2008 had a fresh start with a new teammate, Sebastian Bourdais. Vettel had problems right from the getgo, and wasn't able to finish a race until the Turkish Grand Prix. After the STR3 made its debut in Monaco, Vettel was able to shine, albeit with a five place penalty for a new gearbox and the misfortune of other drivers. Still, Monaco is a track where concentration is key and being able to get through it is amazing. Vettel was able to make two points scoring events after taking an eigth in Canada and holding off Heikki Kovalainen in the faster McLaren.

Overall, the future is looking bright for Sebastian and the other young sophomores of Formula One. Here's hoping that the second year drivers here can all become race winners and add a bit of young blood to the mix that is Formula One.