While the results of the race may seem like it was just another Ferrari/Schumacher boring win, the race was anything but boring. I'm really trashed right now so I'll just run down the highlights...
Kimi Raikkonen, who came in 2nd, started from poll with the new MP4-19B McLaren-Mercedes and made a decent go of it in the race. This version of the chassis (they say it's just a slight modification of the MP4-19A but it's truly a new car) really looks good. There's a great opportunity for McLaren to salvage the rest of this season.
This is Michael's 80th win in vintage Michael Schumacher style. When he was able to take the lead he ripped off blazing lap after lap. It's almost unreal the way he can just tear through any circuit and pick up 10 or 15 seconds on cue. Right now the combination of Ferrari and Bridgstone (tires) and Michael is something magical. He's got 100 points in 11 races on the season and there's still 7 races to go. Last year he won the Drivers Championship with 93 points over the entire season.
Rubens Barrichello had another great race. Starting from second he ended up in 3rd place for his 9th podium in 11 races. He's the only driver to score points in every race this season. Michael is winning but Rubens is really doing a great job for the team.
Giancarlo Fisichella, in his Sauber-Petronas, is really turning some heads this season. He started dead last and ended up taking 6th. Over the last couple of races he has been making a habit of starting way back in the grid and climbing his way into points. If it weren't for a bad pit stop he could have had a real chance to take 5th from Juan Pablo Montoya in the Williams-BMW. As a side note, the Willians cars are not performing well this season. It's a credit to JP that he is able to take this car and get points with it.
Then there was the big crash. Jarno Trulli's Renault lost it on lap 40 (of a scheduled 60 laps) and he slammed into the wall hard at an estimated speed of 275 kph (170 mph). After he hit the wall he went into the gravel pit and flopped a couple of times. This was a very bad looking crash but Jarno was completely unhurt. The safety designs in the car did exactly when it was supposed to do. It's amazing what these cars can do.
Lastly, Takuma Sato's BAR-Honda didn't blow out on him. But he finished 11th and was noticeably slower than his teammate Jenson Button, who took a disappointing 4th on his home track. The general censuses is that the team cut back the throttle on his engine. Honda really needs to figure out what's going on with their engines.
Now it's on to Hockenheim and the German Grand Prix. Will Michael and Ferrari continue to dominate? Will Renault be able to push enough horsepower to match the great chassis? In the McLaren MP4-19B the real deal? Can it bring the glory back to the once dominant team? We'll find out in 12 days.
I'm going to bed now.
Tathiane, I agree with you partly that F1 is Senna. He is my "hero" driver. But Ferrari has always been part of my heart even in the old "Chinese fire drill" days.
ReplyDeleteLove or hate him, Schumacher is the most increadible driver I've ever seen (including Ayrton, who was nearily god-like). He will go down in history as the greatist F1 driver ever. Until the next great one comes along, of course. There are times when I think about what the last 10 years would have been like if Imola hadn't happened. Would Michael have 6 (well, effectively 7) championships? My personal opinion is that if Ayrton were still around and driving in a halfway decent car Michael would still be winning races but only half as many as he has now.
BTW, I live in the States now, too. I watch F1 on the Speed Channel and get info from http://www.formula1.com.