the superman on the podium is david coulthard, sort of literally, although only 13th fastest during the race. and the superman off is michael schumacher, after storming from the pitlane to eventual fifth with the fastest lap of the race. at monaco, that's a superb effort.
although a great race to watch, but i just can't help thinking about the 'what it should have been'. we should have been watching the two champions duke it out at monaco; instead all we got was a lousy victory from alonso as he cruises around the track. they should have just given the trophy to him before the race started, as well as the championship.
no disrespect to kimi and webber, as they did brilliantly till they retired, but there were moments i doubted whether they can pull it off, i.e. beating alonso. kimi didn't get to do it at the first pitstop, although they clearly fueled him up more. and at the second pitstop under safety car where they came in the same time, kimi was again behind. what the hell? furthermore, it's almost expected that the mercedes engines under kimi would break down like little girls.
you can't blame me for being crude, because what other team can we really bank on to beat renault and alonso other than michael and his ferrari? if we are not to support ferrari, we might as well not watch the season because we all know who will win. unless you're watching it for the politics and non-overtaking maneuvers, and maybe some interesting podium like we saw for monaco.
i'm also disappointed that the championship is basically over. alonso just has to be on the podium for the remaining races, and it would have been all over. i can be optimistic that the fight is still on, but i just don't see it happening. the miracle we need is for alonso to crash out and break down for one race, and it's all different. seeing that reliability and consistency are their strong points, it's very unlikely.
let's not mention about the infamous schumi-gate incident because everybody has their own opinion. however, it's disappointing that many people who commented online didn't actually watched it live. they watched it after knowing what happened, and by then they already had their mind made up. i watched it live, and my initial reaction was, "bloody shit! he fucked up his lap!" that was until the commentators mentioned it must have been a tactic, where new thoughts came in. whatever it is, it's not for me to judge, but i did not let media sway me.
personally, i feel the sport itself is dying anyways. with michael gone, what is there to look forward to? we have driver who parties and drinks like nobody's business. we have driver who act like animal when he wins. driver who performs only when he wants to. driver who whines like little girl and criticizes everyone but himself. a driver who never won but thinks he's a future champion. and bunch of pointless drivers knocking into each other's ass during a race. now, teams are owned by giant auto-corporations which constantly threaten with boycotts and break-away series unless anything they demanded is met.
what else to look forward to?
keep going michael!
winner of the race:
david coulthard. right place at a right time.
few selected quotes sharing my sentiments on the whole "schumacher cheat" incident. got them off planetf1.
You can't speculate what you can't prove! It's very simple. Formula One Drivers are Human, they are not perfect. It should be expected that they can make mistakes - as big as this one was.
Aside from that the stewards really had no right to make effect to such a punishment without substantial evidence. All they had was the opinion of 5 or so angry drivers and a protest from the Constructers leaders - big question mark.
The fact that Michael had posted his fastet first sector time that last lap is evidence to support his argument- but why is it completely disregarded. As guilty as he may be- and he probably is, from a legal perspective, it was only speculative to see him as guilty.
Meena Hanna
He Deserved The Benefit Of The Doubt
I do hope Michael did it! However, if he, as so many others do, just made a mistake then what have the stewards done? I can see the conspiracy theorists and Ferrari haters would love a cheating move but...come on! If I were Michael and retirement was a consideration in the near future and I were punished in such a damning way, based on opinions not fact, I would be gone tomorrow. He over-cooked it, locked up, kept it out of the wall and was in a very dangerous place to reverse. I would not like to be in a sport which treats incidents like this in such a way. However you read it - there should be the benefit of doubt here.
Rob Stevens
some words for michael schumacher:
Genius Is Always Flawed
Michael supporter since 1992, and yes I would forgive him anything, including killing his own brother...
Whether he did it on purpose or not, none of us will ever know but I ask, is it really that important?
Please just try and imagine the sport without him and be grateful for the entertainment, brilliance, inspiration and yes controversy he has given the sport over an extraordinary 15 seasons of formula 1.
Yes, maybe he did bad, but the dragging out of "wise heads" like Jackie "only 3 world championships" Stewart to condemn him is much worse. The partisan view of a man that has said Michael should retire every year for the last 10 years is of questionnable value. They may never have driven on the same track, but as F1 drivers, they are rivals.
And Andrew Davies who normally sits around till at least Tuesday afternoon before gracing your site with his post race editorial, could obviously not contain his glee and posted his condemnation within 30 seconds of the end of qualifying.
Well, Andrew, unlike you, I took some to reflect and consider this objectively, well try...Everyone is entitled to their views about yesterday's incident and a good proportion will take the view is deliberate. Fine, but I beg of the press and public, accept Michael's flaws (maybe even love him a bit for them and stop taking life so seriously!) and balance those against what he has given us over these years, as well as having proven many a time that he is a really nice fellow (off the track!). This is his maybe his last year in the sport
His dedication, commitment, man management and professionalism are an example to everyone in formula 1, and should be an inspiration to everyone outside of it as well.
The envy and ill spirit of his competitors and the press in their condemnation is easily as unattractive as the alleged act itself.
If only we were all so perfect as Mr Villeneuve, Stewart, Alonso. God help the world.
James Nixon
Schumi's Mistake Was Not Hitting The Wall
If he had hit the wall no-one would have said a word. You can see as he turns left the car twitches, he then straightens the wheel to avoid the slide and brakes hard, the front right locks and then he turns hard right again but runs out of space. Nothing wrong with any of that as far as I can see. If he had gone off two laps earlier no-one would have complained. If hit the wall, as several in F1 have said, that would be ok too. He is a genius. Just because 99% of drivers would have hit the wall in that situation doesn't mean he would.
Adrian Matthews
Not Guilty, My Lord
That is out of order stripping him of his pole! He made a mistake at Rascasse and managed to stop the car in time without damaging his car! If anyone like Fernando Alonso or Kimi Raikkonen did it they would investigate and not do a thing! Why should Michael be penalised for making a mistake! Sorry but formula 1 has turned into a boring crap motorsport and if it doesn't get any better we might as well stop it altogether! Its all a ploy to get at Schuey!
Andrew Lawrance
What an absolute typical event! Michael Schumacher does something that is considered 'cheating' and what happens? He gets penalised for it! If this was anyone else no one would've even looked at it twice but because it is Schumi, with his past actions haunting him every corner he turns, he automatically becomes the target of accusations and ridicule. With all the people against him, how could he possibly not have been found guilty?
There was no chance. This is what angers me the most, he was found guilty before a trial had even commenced. This is a seven-time world champion. A man who has demolished pretty much every record in the F1 book, a man who should be respected and treated like a king. But instead he is told he should retire and walk away while he still can!
In pretty much any other sport he would be respected, but not Formula One! If this was Alonso would this have happened or even have the same impact? Of course it wouldn't. If Michael drove for Renault would it be the same? Of not.
The FIA seem so hell bent on making F1 so anti-Ferrari that they may as well just ignore their existence. At least that way Ferrari might actually get some fair treatment.
Ben Waterworth
...The man cannot do anything without being questioned. I recall Brabham loosing it there on the last lap and the race. Do you know for a fact what he was experiencing or doing inthe car? There are a hundred and one things that could have happened but you choose the worst possible explanation.
The press has never been kind to him...yet McLaren and Williams can enter into the most astonishing "deal" to claim a championship in 97...and nothing is said. Imagine if Massa had spun in Spain instead of Montoya...another conspiracy theory would have been given birth!
James Passanisi
that's the question everybody will be asking after michael schumacher's car got (deliberately?) stranded on track, causing the other cars to slow down and potentially missing the opportunity at pole.
although the guilty verdict is already out on michael, where he's stripped of his pole and move to the back of the grid, we can't help but wonder what actually happened in this controversial event.
personally, i think the whole thing needs to be taken into consideration carefully. the racing stewards are definitely in a tight position, because whichever decision was made towards the incident, it is bound to get further dramatic. there was a lot of negative pressure from everyone else other than ferrari, in which they believe the action was disgracefully deliberate. however, i feel they jumped into their 'crucifiction' mode too quickly, and have swayed the final decision.
without proper investigation, many people have passed judgement and publicly commented on their conviction to the media. you got the likes of jackie stewart, alonso, flavio, montoya and kimi commenting on the event as though they were in michael's head. i don't agree with actions like that, because what can you expect them to say? however, regardless of how obvious the situation looked, it just wasn't their call.
ultimately, their influence was critical and i believe that's how the final judgement came about. the racing stewards have no choice than to punish michael schumacher. they actually eliminated the 'benefit of the doubt' of driver error! if i remember correctly, years ago ralf schumacher in a williams actually made an error at the exact spot, and had to use his reverse gear to move out of the corner.
it didn't help michael that his career has been marred with tons of controversial incidents. planetf1 took the liberty to dig them out for all to refresh their memories. it is unfortunate that the past ghosts are set to haunt him for the rest of his careers. it is also unfortunate that everybody is practically waiting for him to make a wrong move just so they can use the old ghosts to pound on him.
whether it was a legitimate error by michael or not doesn't really matter. he should have known they are going to come after him anyways.
what to say about the race tomorrow? the judgment basically killed the championship fight, at least for this race. no doubt alonso will win again. with the mclaren taking at least one of the podiums. fisichella looked strong, so i'll have him taking the last spot on the podium.
while bridgestone cars suffer understeer, the michelin of renault performed brilliantly. the qualifying times were very impressive, with the renault taking the front row followed by the ferrari sealing the top four. extremely close battle.
fisichella did brilliantly, and most importantly qualify in front of michael schumacher. alonso will be banking on fisichella to play the role of a 'road block', while he storms off to a unsurmountable lead. unless michael can do a renault-rocket-start and leapfrog fisichella, the race could well be decided right after the first corner.
ferrari might have tremendous straight-line speed (although under suspicison from other teams), but this track is another difficult one to overtake; therefore it would most probably all come down to pit strategy, again. if fisichella were to slow down his driving, the ferrari might think about changing their strategy - possibly pitting early and pumping in more fuel for a longer first stint. they ought to go for the win, not just the podium, else the championship cannot be won.
mentionable qualifying effort from barichello, beating his teammate for the second time. as barichello gets more comfortable with the car, his performance improves. now he needs to beat button convincingly in the race. if his performance level continues to improve, you can probably even bet on barichello winning honda's first race. imagine how the british media would react to that?
splitting the honda is the impressive toyota. they are the second fastest bridgestone team, and they out-qualify a honda, two mclarens, the williams and bmws. the management should be quite happy with that. just like the honda, they need to translate great qualifying to great racing.
finally, i thought sato did a pretty good job. he was able to drive the old super aguri within a second of the slowest midland. when the new car comes out, i think super aguri can get themselves out of last place and compete with midland.
so, can alonso finally win his first spain gp? or will ferrari pull some tactical magic out of the hat? personally, i hope the championship will get closer. it would be great to get mclaren or toyota into the mix a little. if alonso wins this race, then i'm pessimistic of an exciting finale for the season.
here's my prediction for the podium, in no particular order: alonso, fisichella, michael schumacher. no renault 1-2 this time though.
Michael Schumacher has breathed new life into the World Championship race by winning the European GP. Fernando was second, but Michael proved that his victory at Imola was no fluke by out-pacing the Renault during his second stint. Not bad for an old fella...
not bad indeed for someone who is seen to be over the hill and out of the element. michael schumacher looked in control of the race, and he did what was predicted of him. he followed alonso throughout the race, breathing down his neck and never let him off the sight. although the first pit didn't go in their favor, they beat renault in the second, by a mile. fantastic!
not only that, i believe ferrari has deceived the renault crew pretty well in terms of fuel strategy. i don't believe michael came in the first stint at a pre-planned time. i feel that they bring him in to confuse renault, and hopefully get a chance to jump alonso, but at the same time putting in more fuel. we clearly see that michael was able to be out longer in the second stint, and then only pitted for 6.8 seconds. that meant he still had fuel in his car, and didn't need more.
furthermore, nobody actually knew the pace of the ferrari. after imola, everyone thought that ferrari has race pace issues, including renault. however we saw today that ferrari was in fact very quick, and quick enough to keep pace of renault. plus, michael has the fastest lap of the race. so has ferrari played their strategy for nurburgring since imola? now that would be true brilliance.
massa made it sweeter for the team as well, getting his first ever podium. ferrari is now second in the constructor's championship. seeing massa's pace and how he was able to never lose sight of alonso and michael during the first stint, i think the team will be feeling very optimistic for the fight.
on the other hand, alonso wasn't very happy on the podium. i think he looked just a bit worried. however he insisted that he is quite confident of the next race, when the tyres are to perform better. besides, it will be home court advantage.
i'm still quite upset with the performance of other teams. mclaren, williams, honda, and even toyota need to step up more! how long will it take for them to finally blow the championship wide open? ferrari is back in the hunt, it's about time the other teams get into the game. all teams are almost there, but reliability and speed continue to be issues.
more drivers need to take points away from alonso, else if michael is to continue winning but alonso continue getting second, it'd take michael 7 races to overtake alonso. now that's just bullshit! kimi isn't so far off, and he definitely can get into the mix as well.
so will ferrari's top form continue? well, only less than one week to find out. it's getting interesting now.
winner of the race:
ferrari did a superb job. refer to above.
loser of the race:
red bull has totally messed up this race. with four cars on the grid, the only finisher is scott speed. liuzzi took out himself and coulthard after the first corner, and klien's car just died. i don't think their current performances justify the amount of money the owner spends on the teams. hopefully they'll get their act together soon, and bring the fun back to formula 1.
the european leg at nurburgring, although unliked by many, will be one of the more important races this season. san marino may be the first european race, but we can't really tell much from that race. with nurburgring, a track with totally different characters, we can finally have a sense of the teams' performance.
alonso is strong as ever. he hasn't been terrible in any of the races so far, basically he has been untouchable. it's no wonder he is on pole position for the race. although renault admitted to trying a different strategy, i believe they are still onboard to a victory. the renault under alonso is super fast, super stable, and just plain super. their strategy to pull off a huge lead and get off traffic might just work out perfectly.
the team that is surprisingly strong is ferrari. at a track that supposedly don't favor the ferraris, michael managed to qualify second, and massa was third. besides, their practice times have been very fast and consistent. if their strategy works out for the race, then they might have something to shout about. what michael really needs to do is to keep up with alonso at the beginning laps. let alonso lead, but just keep close. when the pit comes, he should be able to do something about it.
one other factor to consider is tyre degradation. it seems that bridgestone has brought a super soft tyre for the race. if the tyres are as shit as the ones ferrari used in imola, then it might be game over before they even started. michelin has been superior and more consistent. therefore if the tyres come into play, a michelin team should be able to win it.
mclarens should really step up. they have such a beautiful car, with great aerodynamics, great tyres, and finally a reliable, powerful engine, yet they are still struggling. the championship needs more car capable of beating alonso and renault. at the moment, one car beating alonso is of no use to the championship. teams need to start taking points away from alonso.
why can't sato or monteiro knock alonso out of the race for once?
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