28/01/2008
NEWS STORY
While some, despite some great racing and the arrival of a number of potential World Champions, still have a bad taste in their mouth following the scandals that dogged the 2007 F1 season, FIA President Max Mosley is confident that the sport will emerge stronger, that it will benefit from the scandals that took it onto the front pages for all the wrong reasons.
"I think Formula One comes out of things like this stronger," he told reporters in London today, "because I think it has demonstrated a willingness on our part to do what we had to do to make sure it's fair.
"Lewis Hamilton's success, and also the success of some of the other younger drivers, has given renewed interest to the whole Formula One image," he continued.
"There are an awful lot of people who would be superstars if it wasn't for Lewis," he added. "Vettel for example, and I think Bourdais will probably surprise a few people this year. Then there's Kubica, Rosberg and Sutil, if he gets half a chance in a car."
Much to the delight of the British media, 'Mystic Max' predicts a bright future for Hamilton, indeed, the Englishman believes he is capable of eclipsing Michael Schumacher's achievements.
"If he goes on winning races for as long as Michael did, he may well beat Michael's record," he said. "But there are some very good young drivers about so he is not going to have an easy time."
Then again, there could be another spy saga, or team orders saga, or bringing the sport into disrepute saga, or impeding another driver during qualifying saga, or use of the phrase 'witch hunt' saga, or....