Monday September 11, 2006

The Italian GP

At last the pieces start to fall into place regarding the driver line ups for 2007. Renault promote their test driver to a race drive for 2007 with Heikki Kovalainen taking Alonso's seat. Their team manager Briatore is also staying working for the team for two more years. After the race in Italy Ferrari were to annuonce their driver line up for 2007 with Kimi was expected to join them. Wether Schumi is to stay on - we would have to wait. As I was away on holiday I missed the qualifying but the post qualifying news was that Alonso already down on the grid after technical problems was to be pushed further down to P10 after alledgedly baulked Massa on the track. Everyone will be pointing their fingers at the Italian stewards with the championship so delicately balenced but this won't be the last time this sort of thing happens in F1. Kimi grabbed pole off Schumi with Heidfeld a surprise P3.

 1.  3  RAIKKONEN    McLaren Mercedes  M   1'21"484  255.937 Km/h  
 2.  5  M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari           B   1'21"486  255.931 Km/h  
 3. 16  HEIDFELD     BMW Sauber        M   1'21"653  255.408 Km/h  
 4.  6  MASSA        Ferrari           B   1'21"704  255.248 Km/h  
 5. 12  BUTTON       Honda             M   1'22"011  254.293 Km/h  
 6. 17  KUBICA       BMW Sauber        M   1'22"258  253.529 Km/h  

Alonso is back in P10 alongside his teammate.

The race; as luck would have it the DVD recorder failed in its efforts to record the race so I was left watching the final nineteen laps live. With those laps to go Schumi was in the lead followed by Kimi then Kubica. He was being caught by Massa, Alonso. With fifteen to go the final pit stops started with Kimi first to blink. Schumi then pitted and retained his lead followed on the next lap by his teammate. Twelve to go and Alonso, Kubica pit and Alonso sneaks ahead after a run out of the pits side by side. He is also ahead of Massa - P3 would minimise Schumi's ten points today. Nine to go and Massa has a big off blinded by smoke out of the back of a terminally damaged Renault. Alonso's race is over. This meant after Massa got back on track that he had a damaged tyre and an extra pit stop meant he was back in P9. Schumi goes on to win and Kubica gets his first podium after three starts.

 1.  5  M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari           B   1h14'51"975  245.814 Km/h  
 2.  3  RAIKKONEN    McLaren Mercedes  M   +  0'08"046  245.375 Km/h  
 3. 17  KUBICA       BMW Sauber        M   +  0'26"414  244.377 Km/h  
 4.  2  FISICHELLA   Renault           M   +  0'32"045  244.073 Km/h  
 5. 12  BUTTON       Honda             M   +  0'32"685  244.039 Km/h  
 6. 11  BARRICHELLO  Honda             M   +  0'42"409  243.515 Km/h  
 7.  8  TRULLI       Toyota            B   +  0'44"662  243.394 Km/h  
 8. 16  HEIDFELD     BMW Sauber        M   +  0'45"309  243.360 Km/h 

Any hope I would have of seeing some highlights during the rest of ITV's broadcast were dented with the news that Schumi had told Ferrari he would retire on the slow down lap after he won the race. Meanwhile the championship is 108 for Alonso, Schumi 106. Ferrari have overhauled Renault in the constructors championship. This was the ninteeth race win for Schumi his seventy first for Ferrari. During the race questionaire Schumi said he was going to retire. He clearly was very emotional. Later as expected Kimi would be announced as his replacement on a three year deal. With China, Japan, Brazil left this is potentially going to be a very tight championship and traditionally that has brought the worst out in Schumi. He might also remember he has never gone well in China.