Lewis Hamilton wins his second race in his rookie year.  What more can I say?  The kid is really good!  I think I am now one of his fans.

Lewis led a McLaren one-two ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “What a dream,” said the young British star, who won in Canada last week in his rookie season.

“To come to two circuits (Montreal and Indianapolis) that I didn’t know and to really come out with such pace and to see the team moving forward is great. I hoped maybe I could get a podium at some point but I have been on the podium the last seven races. It’s insane.”

Hamilton stayed cool even under the continuous pressure applied to him by his team mate and current defending world champion.

“The first couple of laps were close and then I managed to pull a slight gap. In the middle stint my tyres just started to grain and Fernando was right up my tail.”

At one point, both McLaren drivers were side to side in Indianapolis’ famous long main straight.  Hamilton held firm however and began to pull away.

“It was very tough, he fought very well but at the end I managed to pull a gap which I was able to maintain and control the race.”

Hamilton currently leads the 2007 driver’s championship, 10 points ahead of his team mate and defending world champion Fernando Alonso/

Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber F1 Team had one of the largest crashes in F1 for the last decade or so:

Can you guess what his injuries were? If you think he died, you are wrong. If you think he broke several bones, you are wrong again. He escaped that crash with a sprained ankle, some bruises and a mild concussion. He wasn’t even wounded!

This crash is a testament to the strict safety requirements enforced by Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA. From even more rigid survival cells (the part of the car surrounding the driver), better energy absorption zones (the stuff you see flying off the car act as a cushion and absorb some of the kinetic energy from the crash), to better driver restraints (HANS, safety belts, etc) and really fast emergency response teams.

Formula 1 has really become safer, but this is a sobering reminder that the sport still has its risks. I was watching this live, and after seeing his limp motionless body in the cockpit I thought I just watched another F1 driver die.

I’m glad that he emerged ok after the crash, and he may drive on the next GP at Indianapolis USA only a week after this large shunt.