2008 Canadian Grand Prix Review

After a surprise accident that put both Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen out of the race, Robert Kubica managed to make his way over the finish line in first place. Though he is a good driver that has placed second on more than one occasion, Kubica would likely not have been able to claim the victory were it not for the untimely mishap. The win is not only Kubica’s first Grand Prix win, but it is the first Grand Prix win by a polish driver and the first win for his BMW-Sauber team.

It all happened when Hamilton accidentally smashed his McLaren into the back of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari. Raikkonen and Kubica had stopped side by side at the pit lane exit, waiting for the red light to change color before moving on. It is not exactly clear why this happened and fans are enraged about it. While mistakes do happen, they usually occur when the driver is piloting his vehicle around the racetrack at 300 km/h – not when he is cruising out the pit lane. The accident was so severe that both Hamilton and Raikkonen had to climb out of their wrecks and discontinue the race. Hamilton further seems to have been punished for his actions by being docked 10 positions on the starting grid at the next race in France. This means it will be virtually impossible for him to win.

Yet Kubica certainly doesn’t mind. In fact he thanked Lewis Hamilton for crashing into Kimi Raikkonen instead of his own vehicle. After the unfortunate incident, which he narrowly missed being a part of, he was able to drive on, regain his nerve and take the checkered flag. After the race he was seen flashing an ecstatic grin as he popped a bottle of champagne on the winner’s podium. However, not everyone is as happy as Kubica. Prior to the accident Hamilton was set to repeat his Montreal win, which would have allowed him to pull away at the top of the championship standings. He also ruined Raikkonen’s race, bumping him down to fourth place with 35 points when he was leading just two races ago. Hamilton publicly apologized to for ruining Kimi’s race but seemed reluctant to name the exact cause of the collision. Fans will now have to look forward to the next Grand Prix on June 22 to see how this sudden turn of events effects the final outcome of this year’s Grand Prix.