THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness…”

Could there ever be a more appropriate primer to verbalise the 2008 Formula One season than a Dickensian platitude?

If A Tale of Two Cities juxtaposes the lavishness of the aristocracy with the misery of the poor, as a broader metaphor, the early 2000s were no less a symbol for Ferrari’s dances with boom and, later, gloom. The dynastic period bookending 2000 and 2004 is inked in lore, less so 2005 and 2006. Glory returned by fluke once more in 2007 before enduring the most devastating and stilllasting loss in 2008.

Of course, we must acknowledge the deciding seconds of the season, the dramatic 2008 Brazilian finale, where Ferrari’s Felipe Massa lost