What went wrong for Lewis?

Finally, it’s all over. And the new Formula One champion is not Lewis Hamilton, sadly. Not even Fernando Alonso, mercifully. But the ‘Iceman’ Kimi Raikkonen, thankfully.

It ain’t over till the fat lady sings, right. But sorry, all that I could hear on Sunday night was sounds of moaning in the McLaren garage and across the old Empire.

But let’s get to the dreaded point without any preamble. What went wrong for Hamilton? Why did his much-delayed coronation turn into chaos in front of an unbelieving world? Was it destiny, bad luck, poor judgment, lack of experience? Or was it a simple matter of boyish exuberance proving horribly costly?

I think it was a bit of all, and much more. Like in Japan where Hamilton was just 26 laps away from annihilating the record books, the rookie was not the hunter again, but the opposite, hunted or whatever it is.

He was again the cherry on the cake, and the epicenter of global attention. Above all, Hamilton was supposed to be driving his way into history. The world was watching him alone while the rest were mere props.

Under these excruciating circumstances, Hamilton was expected to perform impeccably: display nerves of steel, loads of guts, excess will power and much more extraordinary stuff which go on to make legends out of ordinary people.

It was not a new territory for Hamilton though. He had already performed in the theatre of Formula One, and this was supposed to be the final act, a fitting finale before the curtain was to come down on an epic drama.

A combination of Hamlet and Macbeth to some, or only a parody of Comedy of Errors and Much Ado About Nothing to others.

But what unfolded astounded even the most ardent Shakespeare lovers, or the best of Hollywood wordsmiths as Hamilton imploded under unbearable weight of expectations.

The drama was over even before it began.

Hamilton’s dream went off tangent as his McLaren car veered off the track on the very first lap. I suspect the 22-year-old was trying to be needlessly brave when all that he needed to be was wise: the momentum he lost at the start could have easily been regained later as he so admirably did steering his way from 18th position to finish seventh.

But by trying to win a minor battle, Hamilton, I’m afraid, lost the war even before it began. Gearbox problems and an additional pit stop did not help in the end true, but early human error had already cost Hamilton dear. The flip side of the story is equally dramatic as the twist in the tale is reserved for the tail-end of the show.

Raikkonen, the unlikely hero, is the ultimate winner. The Finn has certainly carved out one of the most thrilling comeback victories having trailed Hamilton by 26 points at the end of the US Grand Prix.

True, it had narrowed down to seven before the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, but still the scenario looked like a bridge too far.

Raikkonen began the year with a brilliant victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for his new team Ferrari, but then went off the radar so to say till he bounced back to win in France.

In between he was pulled up for lack of will and ambition. Some said that the phrase ‘He’s so laid back, he’s virtually horizontal’ might have been invented specially for the Finn.

Also the fact that the Hamilton-Alonso rivalry and the McLaren saga (involving spying) were occupying prime time news forced Raikkonen’s slow but steady recovery into the background. But full credit to Raikkonen as he remained ice cool even as everyone around him went over the boil.

I have admired Raikkonen for long, as much for his shortcomings as a human being as for his formidable driving skills. The Finn will certainly add a lot more colour to Formula One as its new champion given his love of vokda, marriage to a former Miss Scandinavia and a rare ability (at least in Formula One) to let his hair down once in a while.

Hamilton, on the other hand, is already talking about bouncing back next year which is a very good sign. The youngster seems to have accepted fate with rare equanimity. Why not? He is already in possession of quite a few records for a rookie – most consecutive podium finishes, most wins in a debut season, most pole positions apart from having won four races.

The youngster also emerged unscathed from a 175mph crash!

Even one old man in far away St George’s in Grenada is optimistic.

“You can never win all of them. Everything is in the maker’s hands but I’m satisfied. He’s like me and like his father – we’re very determined. Next year he’ll win it,” Hamilton’s grandfather told the Daily Telegraph.

Finally, what’s genius? I like the version of an American writer who compares it to nurturing a vision. “Fame and fortune,” he wrote, “are destinations. True greatness is a journey.”

I feel Hamilton has just begun his, and he is packed and ready for the long haul.