Brazil – Race Analysis

Had I not seen it personally, from the backstretch grandstands of the famous Interlagos race track, maybe I would not believe the results. When I got home and watched the recorded version of the TV broadcast, it simply did not show what I saw live. Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were unbeatable and drove equally. So identically that I was glad that their helmets have different colors so I could tell who was who. Fernando Alonso was very good as well, finding every last ounce of speed that his second-race engine had. And there was a disappointing Lewis Hamilton, one that finally felt the pressure and could not perform to his highest level. In the end the champion got crowned in one of the most unlikely turn of events in the history of F1.

The Iceman kept his cool under the hot sun

Kimi Raikkonen may not be the most exciting driver out there. He certainly is not as aggressive as half of the field and almost never makes mistakes, so there is not much to watch him doing. However he is so competent and fast that no one can complain. He deserves to be the 2007 Formula One World Champion. If we consider the way he partied the night after, he probably deserved to be the 1967 champion as well... Those were the good old times when the drivers were not full-time athletes and half of the fun was just having fun.

Raikkonen drove one good lap after another. So did the hometown driver – Felipe Massa. In fact, I believe Ferrari called Felipe in earlier for his second pit stop, because it was very quick – meaning that he probably had some fuel left on the tank. By the way, did anyone notice that the official FOM TV broadcast never showed Massa’s pit stop times? Make your own conspiracy theory here, but mine is that FOM knew – we all knew! – that Ferrari would do something to switch their driver’s positions and it was a clever way not to let the occasional viewer notice it. If you are reading this, though, you are probably a hardcore fan and you know that Ferrari helped Kimi to win the race. And it makes sense, since F1 is disputed by drivers AND teams.

The crowd did not seem to believe what they were seeing. As the race went on, more and more people started cheering for Raikkonen. When he drove past Massa at the pit exit, most of the crowd applauded, although many felt that the home driver was being robbed. After the end, when Kimi drove back to the pits side by side with Felipe, the crowd finally understood what happened. He got loud cheers, but not as loud as Massa and Michael Schumacher got last year – the former for winning the race and the latter for putting up one of the most amazing drives in F1 history.

Hamilton lost the title

There is no way I can write that Hamilton’s car electronic failure was unfortunate. Yes, it cost him more than 30 seconds, but if it were not for his stupid mistakes during the first lap, he would have a better chance of scoring more points and winning the title. The failure only magnified a problem that Lewis had already caused in China. There he tried to win a race that he did not need to. How come no one advised him not to repeat the mistake? In the beginning he tried to win the Brazilian race! He should have coasted to a 4th place finish, should he not? I guess he does not know how to do it. He won everything he has ever raced before F1. He does not know how to finish 2nd or lower.

Lewis’ first mistake was to allow Alonso to overtake him. He was trying to gain momentum on Raikkonen after braking for the first leg of the Senna Esse. When Raikkonen made a mistake, Hamilton had to steer wide not to hit him, and this allowed Alonso to dive to the inside and finally overtake him exiting turn 3. Hamilton should just have braked behind Massa and simply allowed the Ferrari to go by without a fight. That way there would be no room for Alonso.

Well, Alonso had gone by. Just stay behind him, Lewis, this is all you need to be the champion. No, the kid decides to outbrake Alonso going on the outside into the left hander after the backstretch. He moved to the outside very late, and braked later than I had ever seen anyone over the whole weekend. The crowd went nuts as they knew he would shoot straight past the corner. No one could understand why he was doing that, yet it was fun to watch. Lewis kept making mistakes all around the first lap and a couple after.

Then there was the electronic glitch that cost Hamilton half a lap. He dropped back to 18th, but suddenly his car started to race normally again. I do not believe in conspiracy theories, especially because McLaren clearly wanted Hamilton to win, but it was very strange. Not so strange was his race position, though. I had seen this movie last year with Michael Schumacher. I expected the same amazing comeback from Lewis. He gave signs that he would do so when he got to a pack of 5 cars and in about 2 laps was ahead of them all. He was never constant enough, though. He made small mistakes all around the laps. He never had enough speed. He lost the championship and disappointed me a lot. Even if the media keep praising him so much, now I truly believe that other drivers would be as great as Hamilton if they had a car as good as McLaren to drive. Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica, and Heikki Kovalainen, for example. If Hamilton survives this defeat to become a better driver, he eventually will be world champion. If he cannot put it behind, his career will be ruined. This is not an exaggeration.

This century’s Fittipaldi

Back in the 1970’s, two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi was the driver who took care of his car and always waited for the opportunity to win the race. Sometimes he got victories because the guys ahead of him could not preserve the equipment and had to retire. Fernando Alonso won two championships doing exactly the same thing, especially for the later part of the 2006 season.

Alonso had a worse equipment than his teammate and both Ferrari drivers. Because of the huge accident in Japan, he raced with a new engine in China. Since engines can be only switched after 2 races, Alonso had a disadvantage going to Brazil. His competitors could run the engine temperature a little bit higher, maybe use a different kind of lubricant, things like that. It was clear that Alonso lacked power and torque. I believe that he compensated the lack of power by having less wings, but that cost him some time in the middle portion of the track. And especially in that twisty section, there was nothing that he could do to compensate for the lack of torque. However, he just kept enough rhythm to stay third and snatch the title if one of the Ferraris hit misfortune. They did not, but last Sunday it was like if I was watching a documentary about Fittipaldi. Fernando Alonso deserved the title as much as Raikkonen. It was just not meant to be.

Brazil’s quick notes

- Nico Rosberg had a great race and his amazing battle against Robert Kubica for 4th during the last few laps was exciting enough to make the crowd stand up. With this kind of performance he is probably on top of Ron Dennis’ wish list – if Alonso leaves McLaren.

- Hekki Kovalainen’s accident was impressive. I was looking at his car when lots of parts flew from the rear end. He hit the wall that is know by fans and drivers as the Berger Wall – named after Gerhard Berger, who once hit it hard when he drove for McLaren. I am glad that Heikki is ok, because it was a pretty heavy collision going backwards. The HANS device probably helped, but I am sure that his neck will be sore for a week.

- Kazuki Nakajima showed the same form that he was known for in GP2. He was lighting fast at times – he was the 5th fastest driver of the day – and very slow at others. He needs time to settle, but I do not think he will ever be constant enough. His pit crew will appreciate, though, if he is able to stop the car without hitting them.

- Honda had a bad season, but this race was particularly bad as both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button retired because of engine problems. This sort of problem may explain why the two cars seem to be so different, with Barrichello being faster all weekend. When an engine starts to fail, it never does it in identical way. This would show in the telemetry, though. Maybe Honda already knew why Jenson was slower during qualifying.

Star of the race:

Nico Rosberg

Shame of the race:

Lewis Hamilton

--Andre N.

Schumacher’s last race – I was there

This may be a bit late or already a bit of nostalgia, but I cannot contain myself from writing about Michael Schumacher’s last Formula One race – The 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix. I have just watched the recorded TV coverage for the 2nd time and it does not pay justice to what I saw live at the race track.

Back to October 22nd, 2006: I had bought a ticket to the gigantic backstretch grandstands, which has the cheapest available seats. Interlagos is such a great track for spectators because there is a nice view of most of the action from anywhere. Some people say that A1-Ring in Austria is the only other full size road course with such great views, but I have not been there to confirm. From the backstretch you are able to see the entire track except for the pits and about a quarter of mile of the front stretch – unfortunately you are not able to see the start/finish line, but there had to be a reason for the tickets to be cheaper. The two main overtaking spots – the Senna Esse and the fast left-hander next to the pond at the end of the backstretch – are viewable if you seat right in the middle of the stands.

Since there are no numbered seats, you must get to the track very early to get a nice spot on the upper levels of the grandstands. Besides watching all the preliminary races, it allows you to feel the atmosphere. And it was quite a different atmosphere. Most people were wearing the Ferrari red, which is understandable, since Felipe Massa is Brazilian and was racing for Ferrari. But there were many farewell posters to Schumacher. Most people seemed happy to see Massa on pole, but a little bit sad due to Michael’s departure. Maybe the thought of seeing another great champion leaving reminded them of the emptiness left after Ayrton Senna’s fatal accident in 1994. It certainly reminded me.

It was noticeable that the crowd cheered – almost as loud as they did for Massa –as Schumacher drove by during the grid formation lap. I guess everybody was expecting something special from him. Due to a fuel pump failure in qualifying, he would be starting 10th.

As the race started, there were two loud roars from the crowd. One as Massa made it safely through the Senna Esse and the other as Schumacher did a zigzag on the backstretch looking for some room to pass the cars ahead. He passed both BMW’s on the next corner. He passed his brother Ralf on the front stretch, as he completed the first lap. He passed former teammate Rubens Barrichello right in front of me on the backstretch. The Brazilian crowd did not mind that a Brazilian had just been overtaken. The show was too good to be true. Some people were so excited that they were even jumping on the stands.

Then the safety car was deployed due to Nico Rosberg’s accident just before the end of the first lap. Schumacher was right behind Fisichella, in 6th. After a few laps, the safety car went back to the pits and Schumacher seemed to be very fast behind Fisichella. As he completed another lap, he was side-by-side with Fisichella as he went by the pit wall and out of my line of sight. Almost thirty thousand people on the backstretch grandstands turned their heads to the Senna Esse, waiting for the cars to come by. Fractions of second seemed like minutes. Then I saw a big puff of smoke as Schumacher red car was locking his brakes, closing to the inside, barely in front of Fisichella. That overtaking manoeuvre was historical. I was glad to be there, that was too beautiful too be true. The crowd was louder than anytime before during that weekend.

Unfortunately, I guess the move was not perfect. He may have been slightly touched by Fisichella’s front wing as he finished the pass. On the second leg of the esse, Schumacher almost spun out as he lost control of the rear end of the car, with a punctured left rear tyre. The crowd turned quite. If it were not for the F1 engines, you could hear your own breathing. At that time, I guess even Alonso’s fans wanted Schumacher to continue his show.

Very slowly he crawled back to the pits, where Ferrari changed the 4 tyres and added some fuel. As he came back to the race, he was almost a lap behind Massa. For the next laps, he would be a bit slow because of the heavy load of fuel. Massa had such a commanding lead that it seemed like he slowed down a little bit in order not to put his teammate a lap down.

Then there was some exciting action going on, but the TV did not show most of it. Schumacher was struggling with his car, driving every lap as he was on a hot qualifying lap. I could see him locking his brakes a few times on the trick curvy section in the middle of the track. His lap times started to improve as he burned some of the heavy fuel load.

Almost 30 laps into the 71-lap race, as the other drivers were pitting, Schumacher reached the backmarkers. Every overtake manoeuvre was celebrated on the grandstands, even if it was for a position outside the top ten. He made it to the points as he passed Nick Heidfeld for 8th with about 35 laps to go. The crowd realized that he could make even more.

With 32 laps to go, he got by Kubica on the first corner. Then something weird happened as he slowed down mid-lap and let Kubica went by. I guess we will never know for sure what that was, but it seems like the fuel pump problems he had in qualifying were back. The crowd was quiet again. But Michael regained speed and 2 laps later went by Kubica again.

He was picking up large chunks of track to 6th-place driver, Rubens Barrichello. It was visible; there was no need for a stopwatch. Barrichello pitted with 25 laps to go, and Michael would go in on the next lap. He was 8th on the return, still picking up time on Barrichello. In a couple of laps or so he got by Rubens on the Senna Esse. The crowed roared. I guess there was some resentment for the fact that the Brazilian had never been able to win his home Grand Prix.

As all drivers had pitted, Schumacher was 6h, and Fisichella was 5th. Michael got to the back of Giancarlo with about 15 laps to go. Two laps later, he had the same problem on the mid-section of the track as when he passed Kubica. But as he started to pick up speed again, the crowd forgot about that once again. I realised that the racing gods would not let him retire from his last race. The people were on their feet. It was time for payback. The TV did not show this part very well either. It was a masterful piece of driving. Michael pressured Fisichella so much that the latter lost it under braking for the Senna Esse, with 9 laps to go.

Kimi Raikkonen was the next. The feeling was that he would allow Michael to go by easily since he was already hired by Ferrari for 2007. That did not happen, and I am glad it did not. With 4 laps to go, Schumacher tried an overtaking manouvre on the front stretch, but Raikkonen closed the door to the inside. On the next lap, Raikkonen thought he had closed the inside, but Schumacher found some room between the McLaren and the pit wall. I could barely see the red car as it came towards the Senna Esse, since he was so close to the guard rail. He made his last overtaking manoeuvre, riding wheel-to-wheel with Raikkonen on the first leg of the Senna Esse.

The crowd went nuts. Grown men were in tears.

Schumacher did not have time for any other overtaking manoeuvres. He finished 4th, but that was one of the most amazing races I have ever seen. Everyone was happy. The likeable character that is Felipe Massa had won his hometown race. The competent Alonso was the world champion. The brave Jenson Button finished 3rd after starting 14th. Yet, it was the spectacular Michael Schumacher who had put up one of the greatest shows in the history of Formula One. He will be missed.

--Andre N.

Inheriting the King’s Seat – Heikki Kovalainen

The King is gone. Since this a Formula One blog, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably the fact that Schumacher has retired. This is not referring to Schumacher, as he is more than a king; he is an entity to say the least.

Let’s define ‘king’ first. One who is very powerful indeed, considered as the leader of a given group of people. Although Schumacher is one of the greatest – if not the greatest – F-1 drivers of all time, he was not the ultimate leader of the 2006 championship. That was Alonso. He is currently the King of F-1. He is the man to beat.

In one aspect, the world of F-1 is more complex than any kingdom we have heard of, in reality or fiction. No king would ever give away all his knights to somebody else. Alonso has left a seat at the mighty Renault open for Heikki Kovalainen to fill. No war was necessary, he simply left.

Is Kovalainen worthy of taking the King’s seat? He certainly is a great driver. If we consider the drivers who have driven an F-1 car but have not yet won a race, he is up there with the top drivers of the new generation: Lewis Hamilton, Nelson Piquet Jr., Sebastian Vettel, Robert Kubica, and Nico Rosberg.

Some may say he is a more complete driver than Nico Rosberg. I am one of them. When Kovalainen lost the 2005 GP2 championship to Rosberg, you could not tell by the final results how many great races he had. If you only read the final standings, you will see no mention of the epic race at the Nürburgring, in which he won after starting 17th on the grid. Or about his ability to be constantly fast while conserving tyres, which allowed his team to define many race winning tactics that no one else would dare to risk – Something similar to what Ross Brawn used to design for Schumacher.

I also have to point out that Nico Rosberg only won the title in the final four races. And the last two were wins, in Bahrain. They were a clear example of the great track engineers ART Grand Prix (Rosberg’s team) had for that season. I am not saying that Nico Rosberg is not a great driver – he is on my list two paragraphs above. But ART found something in their setup that no one else found. It was clear that both their drivers – Rosberg and Alexandre Prémat - had that extra edge on speed, especially on the second part of the season. That made Rosberg’s job a little easier.

Kovalainen is much more than the driver who was the 2005 GP2 runner-up. As in many professions today, a racing driver’s résumé must contain much more than the ability to perform on the track. The driver must know how to work in – and for – a team. He must communicate well with the people around him, making sure he gets what is needed to be faster. He must adapt his driving style to the circumstances. He must admit his own mistakes. This is the greatest thing about the Renault Driver Development programme, of which Kovalainen is part of since 2002. It teaches young kids what it takes to be a racing driver outside the car. Kovalainen is its best alumnus to date.

As a Renault F-1 test driver in 2006, Kovalainen has not only been constantly fast, but also confirmed his potential to fit within the team. This is the main reason why all title hopes for Renault in 2007 rely on him. This is not an exaggeration. If Fisichella were the main driver for 2007, even Flavio Briattore would bet all his money on Ferrari. They would not even need Raikkonen, Massa alone could handle the task as he has already beaten him in 2006. Renault believes in Kovalainen. So do I.

Heikki Kovalainen is not the King of F-1 yet, but chances are he will be one day.

--Andre N.