15 laps to the finish and possibly the single most important event that will decide the World Championships happened… Probably for the first time in years Micheal Schumacher’s Ferrari blew its engine and to add salt to the wounds, Renault’s Fernando Alonso emerged victorious in a weekend that looked disastrous for the French team.
Race started perfectly for Ferrari as Massa and Michael drove without trouble into the first corner. They looked good but the getaway everyone expected never happened… Massa let Michael thru a few laps later and Michael was clearly the fastest on the track but was being matched by the Renaults all the way. The Toyota of Trulli lost to Alonso into the 3rd corner and Ralf was closely being followed by Alonso right thru the first stint.
Nothing can be taken away from Fernando Alonso, he drove flawlessly in a Renault and stood up to fight the seemingly untouchable Ferraris. The Spaniard looked in absolute control as he went past Trulli and then fought past Ralf Schumacher when it looked like he could have simply waited till the end of the lap when Ralf was pitting. The World Champ did not give an inch away and overhauled Massa in the pits. He and Michael looked in a class of their own showing the world why they are currently the two best F1 drivers in the world. They traded fast laps and were consistently 1s faster than anyone else on track.
Going to the second pitstop Micheal led by 5.9s and looked good to take the victory. But right after the pitstop going into turn 7 the right side of Michael’s engine let go. As the oil plummeted out of Michael’s car and he steered the car to the side of the road Alonso drove by to take the lead of the race a lead he would not relinquish.
The other big gainers in the race were Fisichella who drove very well to a well deserved podium. The week has been emotional for the Italian who lost his best friend on thursday. Kimi Raikkonen fought thru the field in spectacular style to finish in 5th place. The biggest losers being Toyotas, they finished 6th and 7th after a great start.
Massa’s drive to 2nd was very consistent and had Micheal finished the overall result for Ferrari would have been perfect. In all counts the Brazillian did the job that was required of him this weekend and looks good to hold on to the 3rd spot in the Driver’s Championship.
Two Incidents were very emotional to watch, Alonso after the victory was one. Despite all the rumors and speculations surrounding Alonso’s alleged comments about the team, Team-Spirit looked obvious after the race. Renault have denied any internal friction within the team and it looked very true as Renault celebrated their much awaited victory(since Hungary). The team looks set to seal both the World Championships in 2 weeks time.
On the otherside of the scale, it was heart warming to watch Michael walk and shake hands with every member of his team. Ferrari have always been a bit shy of in front of cameras (team members have hardly been caught on camera that often) but this small insight into the Red team shows what all teams are really about behind closed doors. Michael spent some time sitting in front to the times and chatting with Jean Todt and Ross Brawn. I think this race has truly let the feeling of Micheal leaving sunk into the team.
In two weeks time the World Championships will be decided. The requirements for Michael and Ferrari are clear… win at all costs and hope to get lucky with a Alonso retirement. This next race will also be the last for Michael and like his career he would like to finish it on a high. Kimi and Alonso will be looking for victory as a goodbye gift to their respective teams. And lets not forget the World Constructor Championship. There is too much at stake and for Michael nothing to lose.
Like the old saying goes “Lookout for the one who has nothing to lose… for he is the one who has everything to gain”.
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