Afternoon Ennui

The mid-day shower brings reprieve to the haze that plagues our region. And I am trying my best to keep awake…

Formula One News: Brazil 22 October 2006, Interlagos

Felipe Massa is on pole position for his home Grand Prix, but qualifying was no cause for celebration for Ferrari, as Michael Schumacher will start only 10th on the grid in his final race - one he must win if he is to stand any chance of leaving with an eighth world title.

All morning, and all through the first two sessions of qualifying, Ferrari seemed a shoe-in for the front row of the grid, as Schumacher and Massa traded fastest times. But when the cars streamed out for the final session, Schumacher’s stammered and banged its way round its sole lap with a fuel feed problem, before heading to the pits where it remained.So, while Massa celebrated, Schumacher had a long face, surely proof that he had not really conceded his drivers’ title hopes at all. The fuel problem ruined his chances, and dropped him immediately to 10th place on the grid.Between the two Ferraris there are plenty of fast cars, the one driven by his arch-rival, Fernando Alonso, in fourth place after the Spaniard’s best lap of 1m 11.567s for Renault. He is separated from Massa by Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren and Jarno Trulli from Toyota. With Ralf Schumacher seventh on 1m 11.695s, ahead of the BMW Saubers of Nick Heidfeld (1m 11.882s) and Robert Kubica (1m 12.131s), the battle for fifth place in the constructors’ championship is as hot as that between Renault and Ferrari for overall honours.

So, the scene is set for an epic race, with Massa torn between an understandable desire for victory on his home ground and his wish to help his team mate to retire with yet another championship crown; and Alonso needing to play a sensible game while keeping clear of any threat from Michael. It could hardly be a better script.

As for myself, I will stay updated for the results of the F1 race. If Ferrari wins the constructor’s title, or Schumi comes in first, I will don on my Ferrari shirt and bomber jacket to dance the boogie woogie. =P
And take a goofy pic while I am at it. Now, that’s will be a darn interesting follow-up to the victory, won’t it?

Stunned: Schumi’s Scorched at Suzuka!

Alonso steals title stranglehold

Alonso gave Schumacher a run for his money at the latest Grand Prix held at Suzuka, Japan. He was the smooth operator of the day, fighting up from fifth on the grid to take victory in the Japanese Grand Prix from Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella. Yea, despite his recent whining of the Renault team’s focus on winning the constructors' championship and ‘sabotaging’ his drivers' crown, Alonso has turned that into determination to gain the one-upmanship against his rival from Ferrari.

Ferrari looked all set for a one-two finish in Japan after Michael Schumacher swept past team mate Felipe Massa in the opening stages and proceeded to build a healthy lead. All that changed on lap 37 when smoke began to pour from the rear of Schumacher’s car, forcing the German to a halt with an apparent engine failure. It was the German's first engine failure since 2001, coming at the worst possible moment.

Alonso then cruised into the lead as Schumacher looked philosophical as he trudged back to the pits. Mark Webber meanwhile tried to steal the headlines with a spectacular slide and crash in the tyre barrier in the final corner. All that was left was for Alonso to stroll to his seventh victory of the season and the fifteenth of his career ahead of Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Alonso's victory puts him ten points ahead of Schumacher meaning that all he needs to in Brazil is score one point to be sure of his second championship. For Schumacher there is a faint glimmer of hope, but to take the title he will need to win in Brazil and will need Alonso to not score any points. So, unless Alonso’s Renault gets too hot to handle in Brazil…Schumacher will not end his career on a high note. =''(

A case of genius, talent and good rubber!

Schumacher takes championship lead in China

Conditions started off perfectly for Renault as the tracks was damp and greasy. Alonso was leading the pack with Fisichella behind him. The rain however, had stopped falling and the tracks were beginning to dry. So, here comes the exciting part that caused a turn of events. Pit stops visits became a must.

On lap 35 Alonso pitted for dry tyres, but the team struggled to get the rear right tyre on, costing him another four seconds to Schumacher. By lap 39 Alonso was a second faster a lap than the leaders on the grooved tyres and Ferrari responded instantly pulling Schumacher into the pits. Fisichella pitted on the next lap and despite emerging comfortably ahead of the Ferrari, lost it completely in the first corner and let Schumacher just waltz through into the lead.

Why did Fisichella let Schumacher past during the corner turning??? Cos, he pitted 1 lap after Schumacher. The Ferrari driver had 1 lap allowance to ‘warm’ up his dry Bridgestone tyres and knew that even if Fisichella managed to stay ahead of him after his stop, he would have the chance to pass Fisichella going into the first corner as he would be in trouble with the temperature of his tyres and that is what happened.

This, my friend, is called strategy.

And with this, Michael Schumacher scooped his seventh win of the season, his first points in the Chinese Grand Prix ever, and crucially the lead in the drivers' championship in a completely intense and unpredictable Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai.

What an extraordinarily beautiful sport Formula One racing is!

P/S:
Kimi Raikkonen is an exceptional driver. However, Mercedes McLaren is seriously doing his skills and talent a great disservice. On Lap 14, Raikkonen finally dispatched Fisichella for second place and immediately set a new fastest lap of the race, cutting Alonso's lead by half a second to 16 seconds. Unfortunately, Raikkonen's hopes disappeared on lap 19 when his McLaren slowed and spluttered to a halt in the middle sector. ARGH!!! No wonder he’s ditching McLaren for Ferrari next season. Enough is enough. 2007 is the time for Kimi to win.