Nigel Roebuck: Fifth Column

Monaco being the no-overtaking zone it is (particularly these days, when a driver can't miss a gear), it was inevitable that the focus should have been on the front of the grid, where sat the McLaren-Mercedes of Alonso and Hamilton.

Would Lewis try to beat Fernando into Ste Devote? In the end, that question was academic, for the world champion made a perfect start, and the smart rookie concentrated on keeping Felipe Massa from any thoughts of making a move. The silver cars were one-two at the first corner of the race, and at the last. Afterwards there was some foolish talk of 'fixed races', and one couldn't understand the need for an FIA 'investigation', but at least the matter was promptly dealt with, and the case dismissed.

As Alonso and Hamilton flew round, lap after lap, my attention wandered elsewhere, to the tail of the field, where - even behind the Spyker of Albers - one noted the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher.

I remembered a recent conversation with Mario Andretti, who as ever keeps a close eye on all things Formula 1. "I'm very fond of Frank and Patrick [Head]," said Andretti, "and

I was hoping Williams would progress this year, which seems to be happening - I think young Rosberg is a real talent. When I was at Jerez for a winter test, I was watching Williams, and I was pretty damned impressed. It's good they got the Toyota motor, although, since they're doing way better than Toyota, I'm not sure how Toyota feel about that...

"I'm told Ralf is one of the highest-paid drivers in F1, which just shows what a surname can do for you, I guess. He's been riding on Michael's coat-tails most of his career."

True enough, but there have been times, in the course of his 11 seasons in F1, when the younger Schumacher has looked extremely good in his own right. At the wheel of a Williams-BMW, he won his first grand prix six years ago, and in 2003 - in the space of seven days - won at the Nurburgring and Magny-Cours. On occasions like that, when he chimed perfectly with his car, Ralf could run with anyone.

In '03, too, Schumacher started the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position, and led briefly before giving way to team-mate Juan Montoya, who went on to win. Now, four years on, here he was in the same race, stone last.

By the time Ralf left Williams, at the end of 2004, the feeling was that it was best for all concerned. Six seasons had produced six victories, which was reasonable, but, thanks to Willi Weber, he had been extremely well paid by a team not renowned for generous retainers. BMW were very happy to have a German driver on board, and of course it didn't hurt - as Andretti pointed out - that his name was Schumacher.

These things worked in Ralf's favour with Toyota, too: the company may be Japanese, but its European motorsports base has always been in Germany, where the name of course has particular resonance. It wasn't a surprise that Toyota hired Schumacher, but, given that few teams were interested in him, it was remarkable that the contract should have been so lucrative. Take another bow, Willi.

Ralf parted company with Weber some time ago, and the Toyota contract is up at the end of this season. Before Barcelona I heard - to my astonishment - that the company was contemplating taking up its option, for two further seasons, but in the wake of lamentable performances in Spain and Monaco there are now suggestions that Ralf may be 'stood down' even before the year is out.

Perhaps this weekend he may begin to redeem himself, for Montreal is a circuit at which he has shone in the past, not least in 2001, when he caught - and passed - his brother, going on to score perhaps his best F1 victory.

If Ralf has been a disappointment in 2007, that has not been a surprise in itself. In recent weeks, on the other hand, I have found remarkable the way some have spoken of Alonso almost as if he were yesterday's man. Inevitably, with the advent of Hamilton, Fernando's performances have been closely scrutinised, and on a couple of occasions I'll concede that he has been found - comparatively - wanting. Andretti again: "Lewis keeps saying he's living the dream - and of course he's also living Fernando's nightmare..."

Undeniably the case, but I venture to suggest that Hamilton's raw speed would have shaken any rival, including Michael Schumacher, whom Alonso beat to the title in 2005 and '06. This year Fernando has won two of the five grands prix so far run, and leads the world championship, so I think it's a touch premature to start downgrading him. As Niki Lauda says, "Lewis is sometimes showing up Alonso - and Alonso is already perfect..."

That, surely, is the whole point here. If Hamilton has unsettled a two-time world champion, a racing driver without significant failing, God knows how he would have made most of the others look Monaco was a huge test of Alonso's character. In the two races gone before, he had been beaten by his upstart team-mate, and if the pressure implicit in that situation had manifested itself in trying too hard, making mistakes, Monaco would have amplified it like nowhere else.

When practice began, we were reminded of days gone by, when Senna held sway. Invariably, at Monaco, Ayrton would immediately start lapping a second and more faster than anyone else, and it was just so this time: a McLaren, with a yellow helmet in the cockpit, visibly quicker than anything else. In no time at all, Hamilton was shaving the barriers before Rascasse.

Alonso stayed calm, and towards the end of the session set the fastest time. In the afternoon he did the same again - and Lewis stuck it in the fence. While one doubts that Fernando laughed out loud, as, say, Alan Jones would have done, neither can one imagine that he was too depressed about it. In F1, laying down markers is a vital ingredient of the game, and not since Sepang had he had the opportunity.

In absolute terms, it is entirely possible that Hamilton - already - is the fastest in the business. He is not yet at a point where he makes it look as easy as Alonso, and at Monaco was more on the edge than the world champion, but on pure pace he may have it over everyone, and that is a surprise of the new season, for one previously believed that the quickest of all - not the best, but the quickest - was Kimi Raikkonen.

Through all the implied criticism of Alonso's performances (relative to those of his team-mate ), Raikkonen seems to have come through relatively unscathed, which I find amazing: Kimi may have taken pole position in Melbourne, and gone on to win the race, but, that weekend apart, he has been a considerable disappointment in 2007. When one sees red ahead of silver, one expects the driver to be Massa.

Perhaps this weekend Raikkonen will begin to turn it around. The North American tour has ever been good to Ferrari - in the 21st century the team has won 10 of 14 races the other side of the water - and Kimi needs to get scoring, to stamp out the sort of careless mistake that condemned him to a midfield Monaco Grand Prix, and remind us why he is the highest paid racing driver there has ever been. Five races in, Massa is looking like a snip.