Ferrari the team, Fernando the vindicated and Lewis in 7th place oh so surrey, Mclaren could've won the WC. Karma is a tuff lady. What a great finish, no pun intended, to one of the best, if not scurviest, season's ever. Justice has been served, as it always will be in Brazil, the great Ayrton Senna's spirit ensuring that the tables of F1 are evened out when they arrive in Sao Paolo. Let's turn it up, it's bender time in the Ferrari camp. Congrats.
They thoroughly deserve both the constructors and the drivers championship, and proved to all they are team, Mclaren's cheating aside, to beat, emulate and fear, as indeed, the Kimi R. everyone fears will now be so brimming with confidence - a return to Schumacher type dominance must certainly be in the cards once more, and the plucky, lucky, Lew Hammy and Macca have blown his best chance ever to win the WC.
With the newcomers ingratiating behaviour this year, it will be a long while before he finds the support, if ever, to get close to the championship again. Kimi won because of Phil Massa and the geat team-work of the entire Ferrari organization, versus the individualism and ego of the Mclaren Mercedes camp. That's what wins championships.
Without sounding bias, this is the happiest World Championship moment in decades, and sets F1 up well for the upcoming much mooted lower cost formula of 2008 and beyond. Hopefully, as with the excellent result of the championship, the universe will align once more, and the intelligent heads will prevail over the greedy, insecure and cheating ones to deliver a better, stronger, greener Formula 1 in 2008 and beyond, and what a perfect ending to be able to build the future upon.
Saturday, October 13, 2007, 06:00 PM GMT [General]
Fernando Alonso was highly rated this season before he joined Mclaren and his career began to unwind. Here an excellent, article explains the if's and why's and makes sense of Fernando's currently difficult situation.
Raikkonen pushes Hamilton too long on worn tyres and takes a massive win in China, ahead of Alonso and Massa, to push the title decider to Brazil. Seb Vettel in the STR finishes 4th, sweet revenge, and Tonio brings it home in 7th for Gerhard in his penultimate drive for the team. All an all a hectic race at a great facility near Shanghai.
Of course the rain really helps jumble the field as the difficult conditions also affect the teams and their operations and strategies, often, creating lottery like results.
Today, though, even as Lewis slid off in the pitlane, I feel Kimi had more in hand and it was only a matter of time until. The same will have to be said for Brazil too and with Massa the sentimental favorite, suddenly Kimi's chances have come back bigtime.
Alonso's too, who publicly has all but conceded the title - smart move politically - but deep down he still believes he can win it again and Mclaren says they play it fair.
Ferrari as well, so, after one of the most exciting, controversial, and whirlwind seasons of F1, it all comes down to one race, between three guys and two teams who couldn't be closer, in more ways than one ;-). and now it's down to all or nothing in Sao Paolo.
The collossus resources that have brought the season to this point will now cede to the pure forces of speedly hormones versus mother nature's universe. Who's been bad and who's been good, deep down inside, and all that too - will be revealed and more at sunny Brazil in a fortnights time.
Sunday, September 30, 2007, 07:55 AM GMT [General]
and leads home the field after a wet and soggy two hours in the Japan countryside, with Heikki Kovalainen 2nd and Raikkonen 3rd. Advantage to Finnish born winter driving experts being a signal of what a complete typhoon this race was. Alonso crashed out of fifth place at turn 5, after sliding off under braking. Young Seb Vettel went from super-hero to super f*** in the tongue, at any rate, after his and Mark's fabulous day in the Nippon rain ended when they collided before the safety car resumed again for the second time after the rain began to intensify.
All an all, a great race no less, yet a bit of a freak - though when it is all said and done the fastest guy shone, when behind, like in Canada it all became al unravelled. Kimi drove great but too little too late, even with the event going on and on. Heikki deserves this result and good on for him, the whole Renault team, and his poor mechanic who dropped the champagne bottle after the trophy spray. That's okay there will be more to come, for them and Renault too.
The weather served up a mixed bag, and made Fuji fun, but it will be great to be back at Suzuka next year, and for that matter China next week. Lewis looks awful set now, Fernando must be rueing breaking the code of silence with Ron. Now with Herr Dennis back in control, Hamolto looks set to become the first rookie World Cham in the history of the sport, and with a new rumoured multi-million pay packet in his Dad's briefcase all looks rosey fro Mclaren from the end of the pitlane, next to lowly Prodrive for 2008. Bravo Ron, bravo. Let's look toward China, soon.
Saturday, September 15, 2007, 02:41 PM GMT [General]
Fabulous set of sessions today in Belgium, with plenty of surprises and a very tightly bunched field. F1 delivers the goods in the wake of its worst scandal ever with a great show for the television audiences. Albeit at the end of the day it was all the usual suspects at the front, though in an unusual configuration.
Raikkonnen is the clear current 'master' of Spa and it is very evident in every lap he turns. This place is in tune with the Iceman and now so is the Ferrari, becuase Massa has a lot of speed here too. His lap in Session1, with all that traffic to end up 2nd, was absolutely brilliant. Great on-board coverage as well, wish I had the Tivo running, if I had a Tivo, and if it worked in Canada.
In any case, Ferrari are set to clinch the constructors championship with Massa and Kimi showing so well in Quali, and Mclaren are bent to win the race, and win it big. Unfortunately, Alonso as motivated as he is, was is not hooked up here, be it brakes, downforce, whatever. Over a distance who knows, but as Fernando struggles so does Hamilton, and without his settings further down the field boy wonder falls. All the way down to fourth, oh how they fall in F1, ahead of the ever present BMW of Kubica, who as anxious for a win this year they were now know their opportunities are running out.
It does not look like this will be the race either. A big surprise is Webber in the RedBull and Rosberg in his Williams. Kubica who with the engine change will drop back to 15th.
Up front, Kimi looks set to make it three in a row, and Massa, if he can keep it off the kerbs should follow him home. Alonso will come in 3rd and ahead of his teammate, and will only cut the gap by a point, both losing ground to Raikonnen and Massa, who have vowed to fight until the end. With Mclaren is dissarary, Alonso certainly on the outs, Hamilton shell-shocked of late, the drivers Scuderia believe it is a fight they can still win. Tomorrow, we shall see, another round.
