If that mistake is a big one (Kubica sort of level), or even if it is not. What will define his true F1 career and character is how he deals with it, and comes back, or not as the case may be.

He has it coming, you cant hide from it (and no his Monaco practice crash does not count), it’s what he does to get his head back in the game that’s going to count.

Also as soon as he comes out from under the McLaren nambdy pambdy umbrella he currently hides under (everyone else is fine to be interviewed on the grid after all), he may find life a little more difficult.

That said he is a naturally gifted driver, perhaps in the same league as Colin McRae and Michael Andretti in raw inbuilt car control.

How good a real world driver he is will show when he gets a car that does not behave exactly like he likes it (a bit tail happy). Michael Schumacher was brilliant at driving around cars problems (if not as naturally talented), as is Fernando (as the current McLaren is not really designed to be driven in his ‘throw the nose at the apex’ style.)

We will see, the campaign is long and hard, although I would dearly like to see the first Black/none champion Rookie to win the title. But then it would be nice for Fernando to be the first driver in ages to maintain a title after switching teams.

At the end of the day, the British press have taken him as a beacon to champion, as we dont have many superstars anymore.