Robert Kubica disappointed after BMW's top spot yesterday. He could only manage 1:24.089, finishing tenth after going off the track in the morning. Once again, Honda occupied last place. Jenson Button was 0.3 seconds behind the Pole, continuing Honda's bad form in testing. The Renault powered cars scrapped for fifth with Red Bull coming out on top today, whilst Sebastian Bourdais climbed to seventh after yesterdays tenth.

No doubt the Italian fans were pleased to see Fisichella doing so well. Not so pleased to see Ferrari come second. The teams will return to Monza for Friday practice on September 12th.

Results

To introduce myself, first a self-conducted interview with myself:

Hi, what's your real name?

My name is Suzy. It's Zsuzsi in Hungarian, one way to nickname it is "Zsuzso" that appears in the blog's name. I'm sorry but I won't tell my surename in public.

Where are you from?

I'm from Hungary (not "hungry" :) ), the middle of Europe.

Why did you decide to write a blog?

This is not my first blog. I have two in Hungarian but both are specific blogs, they are about my passion, Formula One and sports. I have also been writing a blog on Livejournal once, but to be honest I neglected it so I don't even know where to find it any more. I want to make this blog less specific than my F1 blogs, I want to cover more segments of life than just sports. But I will probably write about sports too. About just anything that grabs my attention.

Ah, so you are a motorsports fan? Isn't it a bit surprising from a woman?

Not so much these days. I know a lot of girls and women who are fans of F1 or motorsports in general.

What's so great in cars going around in circles?

I have been a fan of F1 for about 10-12 years now, so from time to time you get this question. And it makes you think too: really, what's so great about it? There are many different aspects of being a F1 fan. Some like it because of the technology or because of the speed or because of the cars. Or because of the good-looking guys, hehe!

For me it all started when I saw Michael Schumacher driving, back in 1996-1998. I just loved the agressive way he drove and the agressive mentality he had on the track. Often he had an inferior car still he drove his heart out to beat guys in better cars - and often he did! But I think to really become a fan I needed to get attached to him as a person too. I like him as a person too, not just as a driver. He is dinamic, cheerful and a guy with strong values - you know he is a dedicated family man. And he is very intelligent too. Not in the educated way - he is not highly educated, but when I hear him talk in interviews I always think he is something else compared to other drivers. He is intelligent and articulate and you can see he has a big heart too, even when he tries to play the tough guy. There are other drivers who I'd call intelligent too, but not to the extent that Michael is.

But back on the original question, so I got hooked on F1 because of Michael and as you can see that mainly has to do with a driver's mentality and personality. Even today, when Michael is not in F1 any more that's the main attraction of F1 to me: not the technical side, but the human side, drivers' personalities. You know, F1 is like a high-pressure cross-section of society and human behaviour. You see a lot of different personalities in drivers and this high-pressure "aquarium" that they are in here brings the best and worst out of them which is very interesting to follow and then you inevitably get to like some drivers and dislike others.

Other than Schumacher who do you like? And why?

On the current grid I like Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel the most. Vettel is the only guy in F1 who comes close to Michael in being this "happy to live", cheerful personality. Massa too is a cheerful guy, he is Brazilian, but the reason I like him is more the way he managed to defeat his weaknesses one by one over the years and how he turned from an underrated underdog to a serious title contender. I don't think he is the greatest talent out there, but he has worked so hard on himself that now he has a realistic chance for the 2008 title. Maybe many still don't take his challenge very seriously but I think that is a mistake and I would LOVE to see him take it!

What about Britain's darling Lewis Hamilton, or double World Champion, Fernando Alonso or defending Champion, Kimi Räikkönen?

Those are definitely three of the top guys in F1 now, but I don't like either of them very much. Hamilton is a bit too much for me with his pompous personality and the hype around him. Having said that, I think as a driver he is the most talented one since Michael. I even think there are similarities in the way they drive the car. Because of that - and because he was showing Alonso his limits - I even supported him last season. But then I felt it more and more difficult to tolerate his pompous comments and personality until the point I didn't want to tolerate it any more. Not to mention the fact he is driving for McLaren, the team I dislike the most. But I admire him as a driver - in the way he is driving and with his agressive and spectacular approach on the track he reminds me of Michael. A shame his personality doesn't fit in with my taste.

Alonso too is a personality I cannot like. One of Michael's virtues was to be always loyal to the people who work for him, his teams. Now that's an important principle to me, and Alonso broke that too many times, starting from whiney comments like "some people in my team don't want me to win" back in 2006, then what he has done at McLaren in 2007 and even some comments he made on Renault this year. I know 2007 is controversial, there are many different views on whose fault was what, and I don't think what happened was Alonso's fault alone, but I don't see Alonso has proven himself to be a teamplayer. He more looks like an egoistic guy who is ready to stab people in the back when that suits him. He also looks like a bitter, paranoid guy. But as a driver I have to say I think he is probably the most complete on the current grid. I think Hamilton is technically more skilled (I mean his driving technique) and more talented, but Alonso is more clever. If you'd put the two together plus Vettel's personality, that's when you'd get a Michael Schumacher ;)) .

As for Räikkönen, I don't like his Icemanish ways. I like it more when a sportsman dares to laugh or cry and show his feelings instead of just playing some kind of ice-cool image. Sometimes, when Kimi looses control it shows he isn't the Iceman at all, but I think he hides behind this image. But that's one thing, I can tolerate it. I think I'm more irritated by some of his fans than by him. And by the fact the media tends to overhype and, in my opinion, overrate him. Not these days, because these days he is getting more bashing than praise, but in the past that's how it has been. But to me the most irritating thing in Kimi is that he is lazy. I think he is the kind of guy who thinks talent is enough, but there are a lot of talented guys in F1 and if they work harder than you sooner of later you will find yourself lagging behind. I think that's what happened to Kimi recently. I respect those more who maybe have less talent but work so hard that it closes the gap to more naturally talented guys. And I hate to see it when a talented guy is lazy and wastes his talent. In other words I respect the Massas of this World more than the Räikkönens, even though I think Kimi is probably naturally more gifted. As a driver Kimi can be quick on his day, but I think his talents are limited. He needs everything to go his way so that he can bring the maximum out of the car and himself.

Enough of F1 now. Do you have other favourite sports?

Yes, I like to watch competitions. When it comes to doing them, I like swimming and cycling and ball games. I think I had a feel for ball games, but I don't play them any more as I don't have the company to do it. For example, in high school and college we used to play volley ball a lot. I liked that, but I don't have a team any more, so recently I swim and go cycling. On TV I like watching many more, from athletics to diving.

So you watched the Olympics too, didn't you?

Oh yes, of course.

How did you like it?

I liked it. I think the atmosphere of these games were great, even though my country wasn't as successful as in the past. We only won 3 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. It's not bad from a small country like ours, but it was still a shock for the nation because we were used to more successful showings. Mind you, Hungary is among the ten most successful Olympic nations ever! Not bad from a country of only 10 million people!

Which were the most memorable moments of the Olympics for you?

I think there were two big icons of these games: Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. So when I think of Beijing 2008 I will think of them. Of course, besides the Hungarian heroes. Laszlo Cseh won three silver medals in swimming, and all three times he was only beaten by Phelps! For us in Hungary Cseh is an Olympic hero. And we won two gold medals in kayak-canoe through Attila Vajda (men, C1) and Natasa Janics-Katalin Kovacs (women, K2) - in Hungary kayak canoe is traditionally a very successful sport. And our waterpolo team has made history by winning their third Olympic gold in a row! They defeated the USA in the final by 14-10.

What is the secret of people like Phelps and Bolt? What makes them special?

Maybe it's not very nice to raise this issue, but I have my doubts about whether they are racing clean or not.

You mean they are doped?

I don't know if they are doped. But their performance is so extraterristrial that it raises suspicions in my eyes.

Can't it be they are so talented and so hard working that it makes them to be so above the rest?

It can be. I don't know. I just have my doubts. And with Bolt, it wasn't just him. The whole Jamaican running team have delivered success never seen before by that country. And there are rumours that Jamaica is not a member of the International Doping Association and they carry out their tests by themselves on their island...

But they weren't caught in Beijing.

Yes, but we all know by now that doesn't have to mean they are definitely not doped. Just think of the Marion Jones story!

But if Phelps is doped, isn't the second placed swimmer, like your countryman Cseh, suspicious too?

Maybe. I'm not biased to say Phelps is definitely doped and Cseh definitely isn't. Who knows? Recently a former US doping dealer gave an interview and he said in athletics, swimming and cycling every top athlete is doped. If that is true that makes Cseh suspect too. The sad thing about it is (other than young people ruining their health for success and money) that you don't know if Phelps is so much better than the rest because he is more talented, because he works harder or because he gets better doping.

But doesn't it make the whole Olympics a bit disappointing for you? You have just called  Phelps and Bolt icons and then you raise suspicions over their performance...

Yes, I know it's ambivalent. I have to say I'm more cynical and sceptical than not when I see such performances and yes, it's a bit disappointing. But I still like watching sports, people compete, so I will watch it. And I called Phelps and Bolt icons, because as long as it's not proven they were doped, they are that: sporting heroes for this world. I can tell you though: I would find the Olympics and sports just as exciting and interesting if it wasn't about one crazy world record after another... I don't want a freak show by any means.

Let's move on from sports now. Other than that, what else is in your interest?

I like reading. I know that sounds a bit general, but I'm hungry for information all the time. I'm also hungry for news. When I come home I switch on my computer to see what happened in the world. And I like to have my opinion on things, be it sports, politics, science, whatever.

Are you opinionated?

Yes. When I have an opinion that's usually a strong one and I know why that is my opinion, so I can argue for it. That doesn't mean I cannot be convinced that I'm wrong but you have to do well to do so. I like to explain why I think something, I like to give my arguments, not just the opinion. And I expect arguments too if you are about to convince me.

Any other hobby?

Astronomy. I just like to read about it and explore the night sky. Unfortunately I have neglected it a little bit this summer.

Tell us something about your job and family!

That's something I'd like to keep it to myself for now. Maybe later...

Is this going to be an English languaged blog?

The main language will be English, yes. But when I feel like - and maybe on Hungarian domestic issues - I will write in Hungarian. Vielleicht auch German sometimes. These are the three languages I can communicate in.

Something that you'd like to add?

Let's go!

The European GP winner looked in fine form as he wranged the F2008 around the Italian circuit to a time just ahead of Heikki Kovalainen.

Apesar de desconhecermos a quantidade de combustível ou quais componentes cada equipe está testando, Felipe pôde estabelecer um tempo melhor que Heikky Kovalainen por uma diferença ínfima na casa dos centésimos, algo indicativo de que a batalha em Monza será apertada e duríssima.

Un petit tour sur le site de Felipe Massa en espérant glaner quelques  infos sur les interviews qu’il a donne dernièrement au FAZ et a MARCA (je ne parle ni ne lis le teuton, et je n’ai pu trouver le texte de l’interview en espagnol sur le site de Marca) vient de me permettre de découvrir (peut-être?) un petit secret de Felipe dimanche dernier…

Dans ses news du 27, parlant de la course de dimanche dernier, il dit que sa stratégie agressive était fondée sur l’absence de SC… Ainsi donc il se pourrait que Felipe et Rob -Rob ne peut être tout a fait étranger a cette idée me semble t’il-  aient décidé de prendre McLaren a son propre piège. Les british futés ont certainement chargé, un peu trop, leurs monoplaces pour s’éviter tout risque lors d’une sortie, toujours imprévisible, de la Safety Car. Il faut rappeler que dans le paddock la question n’était pas de savoir si la SC allait sortir mais plutôt COMBIEN de fois elle allait sortir.

A la réflexion cette stratégie pourrait aussi avoir été celle de Kimi, sa position de challenger direct de Lewis –avec seulement 5 points de retard- lui dictant peut-être de calquer ses choix sur ceux du leader afin de ne pas prendre de gros risques. Stratégie peut-être aussi dictée par le risque connu qui existait que son moteur, comme celui de Felipe il y a 3 semaines, ne termine pas la course…

Sur ce point aussi Felipe nous apprend que Ferrari avait préféré prendre le risque de ne pas changer le moteur de Kimi plutôt que de prendre une sévère pénalité sur la grille…

Je traduis… puisque c’est tout ce que sais faire ;-)

« Pour ma part, j’étais heureux qu’il n’y ait pas eu de période de neutralisation pendant la course, car ma stratégie n’était pas fondée sur la sortie de la SC. Cette fois  j’avais choisi une stratégie plutôt agressive parce que j’avais une voiture très compétitive. Si vous choisissez une stratégie très agressive  et que vous n’êtes pas sûr de faire la pole  c’est toujours une situation potentiellement difficile car cette stratégie peut se retourner contre vous. Quand vous savez avoir une voiture rapide vous devez vraiment faire tout ce que vous pouvez pour obtenir cette pole car c’est la meilleure manière possible de commencer la course »

Moi j’achète cette version, et vous ?

• Sua classificação foi pobre, como vem sendo ultimamente. (Os boatos é que Kimi é incapaz de fazer os seus pneus funcionarem adequadamente para uma volta lançada. A solução do finlandês é carregar o seu carro pouco mais que o de Felipe Massa e então ir gradualmente evoluindo o seu ritmo de corrida ao longo da corrida.)
• Já na largada ele perdeu uma posição para Heikky Kovalainen e por ali ficou durante boa parte de sua corrida.
• Em seu segundo pit stop atropelou o seu mecânico, que segundo Stefano Domenicalli apenas quebrou um dedo do pé e está bem.
• No mesmo pit stop desastroso, Kimi danificou um dos pequenos aerofólios laterais que são responsáveis pelo fluxo de ar que  resfria o motor, algo que acabou elevando o risco e à conseqüente ruptura.

O ponto crucial para Kimi é: em que momento ele poderá elevar novamente o seu jogo? Ele deverá se superar em Spa pois Felipe Massa está a cada dia mais próximo de ser a única aposta da Ferrari. A pergunta então é: Kimi Raikkonen seria capaz de beneficiar Felipe Massa da mesma maneira como o brasileiro fez no Brasil em 2007?

I wasn't able to watch the whole of qualifying or race this weekend, but did manage to keep up with them using a combination of online video, radio and live timing. Felipe Massa won the race and became Lewis Hamilton's closest challenger in the championship, Kimi Raikkonen had a bad race and lost out completely when his engine 'let go' and he had to retire. Massa was lucky not to be penalised for a pit stop incident, and Hamilton was happy with his eight points for second place (increasing his lead in the championship by one point) - especially in view of his neck problems which nearly prevented him from racing. Robert Kubica was third.

The new Spanish street circuit in Valencia looked good, but I'm not sure about it's potential as a great F1 circuit! What do you think? Please feel free to comment!

MASSA DEIXA OS BOXES EM VALÊNCIA - o único momento na corrida em que Kimi pôde ver o brasileiro bem de perto)

Durante a era Schumacher, a Ferrari estabeleceu uma política de unilateralidade no direcionamento dos recursos técnicos e estratégicos da equipe em benefício de apenas um piloto. Essa política de gerenciamento de seus pilotos acabou não apenas rendendo os frutos que culminaram com os cinco títulos seguidos de Michael Schumacher, mas também com um dos maiores escândalos na história do esporte, o GP da Áustria em 2002 em que Rubens Barrichello foi obrigado a entregar uma vitória tranqüila e bem construída no colo de Schumacher, tudo em “favor do campeonato”. A Ferrari manchou a sua imagem desportiva naquele ano e Michael Schumacher acrescentou à sua já manchada reputação a constrangedora e patética cerimônia do pódio em que ele pôs Barrichello no lugar mais alto de vencedor.

Tal foi a dimensão do escândalo que a FIA foi obrigada a intervir na questão, estabelecendo regras punitivas a jogos de equipe que pareçam ações explicitas para o fã de Formula 1.

Com a saída de Michael Schumacher em 2006, a Ferrari estabeleceu um novo padrão no gerenciamento de seus pilotos: a equipe só focará recursos e benesses estratégicas em um piloto quando o seu companheiro/oponente estiver matematicamente fora da disputa do campeonato. Foi assim no ano passado quando Felipe Massa abandonou em Monza e ao que parece está próximo de ser assim esse ano.

Enquanto Felipe Massa parece numa curva ascendente de desempenho, Kimi Raikkonen parece a cada corrida mais longe de se estabelecer como a melhor aposta da Ferrari na luta com Lewis Hamilton pelo campeonato de pilotos. A sua última vitória foi em abril, no GP de Barcelona, daí em diante ele acumulou um punhado de falhas mecânicas (França), má sorte (Canadá) e desempenhos abaixo da média para um campeão do mundo que pilota o carro mais rápido do grid esse ano e que ganha 40 milhões de dólares, 30 milhões a mais do que o seu companheiro. Além da questão interna dentro da equipe, há sempre o rumor circulando pelo paddock sobre a falta de comprometimento e motivação de Kimi. O finlandês nunca deixa claro se cumprirá ou não o seu contrato com a Ferrari que vai até o final de 2009.

Enquanto isso, entre inconstâncias (Alemanha) e provas quase vexatórias (Inglaterra) Massa ainda assim pôde acumular pontos e vitórias cruciais, 4, empatando com Hamilton, e momentos que levantaram e fizerem vibrar todos os membros do seu boxe, como a sua largada no GP da Hungria em que deixou Lewis Hamilton para trás. Em espírito, a Ferrari parece estar visivelmente do lado de Massa, mas mentalmente ainda parece acreditar que Kimi possa ressurgir da sua apatia.

Há ainda 6 provas para o final da temporada e o tempo hábil para dar suporte a um de seus pilotos expira a cada corrida para a Ferrari, com Lewis ponto a ponto aumentando a sua liderança.

Quando a Ferrari tomará a decisão? A questão deverá ser definitivamente resolvida em Monza. Até lá Lewis Hamilton parece disposto a aproveitar a indecisão da Ferrari e deve torce como nunca para que os dois pilotos da equipe italiana se digladiem até a última prova no Brasil. Se assim acontecer, ele estará bem próximo de comemorar o seu primeiro título mundial.

Despite looking a little industrial, and with significant building work around the track itself appeared a joy to drive with long sweeping straights and high speed corners. It is not without problems though, and im sure they will be addressed.

Felipe Massa started on pole, and ultimately after a terrific start that was where he was going to end with some terrific driving that put Kimi Raikkonen into the shade. If Massa is looking for Ferrari's support for the DWC then this was the occassion to prove himself.

Not without problems though, Ferrari have incurred a fine for Massa's drag race with the backmarker Sutil who in all fairness should have just got out of the way.

Lewis Hamilton cemented second, he drove a quiet race and was fairly consistent pumping in some fast laps when Massa was heavy after the first stop. He admitted after that he hoped his McLaren was reliable because once again the Ferrari's had got the edge with speed.

Robert Kubica was 3rd, another podium but complained after because he had to drive the whole first stint with debris affecting his front wing and ultimately his handling. 40 seconds off the pace of the leaders, he was well ahead of Heidfeld who was 9th.

Kovalainen was 4th, he just cannot force the pace out of the McLaren like Hamilton.

Trulli was 5th and Vettel 6th, both drove good races and benefitted from Kimi Raikkonen's late departure with engine failure. That wasnt all of Kimi's problems though, at the second stop, he wanted to beat Kovalainen out of the pits and left on the red light (lollipop down) and pulled his fuel man with him and ran into the lollipop man. He stopped but they couldnt get the fuel rig off quickly, and the main fuel filler man was on the floor wincing in pain. He is okay thankfully.

Glock and Rosberg propped up the points, driving quiet but good races.

The Veterans struggled with the track, Rubens Barrichello was just slow, and David Coulthard spun a few times but at least he was trying to overtake.

Fernando Alonso got taken out from behind by Kazuki Nakajima on the first lap, the Spanish crowd many of whom had travelled many miles to see Fernando were less than impressed.

Results:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
1.  Massa         Ferrari               (B)  1h35:32.339
2.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +     5.611
3.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)  +    37.353
4.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    39.703
5.  Trulli        Toyota                (B)  +    50.684
6.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +    52.625
7.  Glock         Toyota                (B)  +  1:07.990
8.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +  1:11.457
9.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +  1:22.177
10.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  +  1:29.794
11.  Piquet        Renault               (B)  +  1:32.717
12.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +     1 lap
13.  Button        Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
14.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari   (B)  +     1 lap
15.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +     1 lap
16.  Barrichello   Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
17.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +     1 lap

Driver        Team                      On lap
Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)    46
Sutil         Force India-Ferrari   (B)    42
Alonso        Renault               (B)    1

No início da noite a assessoria de imprensa da Ferrari divulgou a causa da explosão do motor de Kimi Raikkonen: a quebra de uma biela, produzida pela empresa austríaca Pankl. A peça fazia parte do lote que gerou o abandono de Felipe Massa no GP da Hungria, dia 3.

O próprio site oficial da Formula 1 publicou ontem uma pequena análise técnica da configuração dos sidepods (laterais) da Ferrari, específica para ajudar na ventilação e atenuar temperaturas altas e úmidas com as de ontem.

O Formula 1.com sustenta que a perda de um dos pequenos aerofólios laterais da Ferrari de Raikkonen durante o seus desastroso pit stop, foi a principal causa do superaquecimento e posterior rompimento do motor do finlandês. Ao menos dessa vez, ao que parece, a culpa foi do piloto.

(Aerofólio quebrado por Raikkonen em seu desastroso pit stop)

Nesse momento a questão da confiabilidade dos carros da Ferrari deve estar deixando o time de Maranello de cabelo em pé, algo que pode, como em 2006 (quebra de Schumacher no Japão), entregar o título para o seu principal oponente. Este ano, apenas nos carros da Ferrari, já foram embora 4 motores, enquanto os carros da McLaren parecem simplesmente indestrutíveis.

Por causa justamente da baixa confiabilidade nas últimas corridas, a diferença no campeonato de construtuores simplesmente evaporou em duas corridas. A suspeita é que a Ferrari pode estar indo ao limite do desempenho de seus carros afim de descontar a pequena mas significativa diferença de desenvolvimento que a McLaren pareceu estabelecer nos testes antes do Gp da Inglaterra. Logo após estes testes a Ferrari teve duas de suas mais fragorosas derrotas no campeonato até aqui.

Não será surpresa se a Ferrari for estratégicamente mais conservadora e tiver um desempenho na Bélgica abaixo dos das duas últimas corridas, como forma de evitar mais um rompimento em um dos motores de seus carros.

Last weekend, we witnessed another great drive by Fillippe Massa who is now second in the championship behind Hamilton.

Kimi unfortunately failed to do well during qualifying which meant that he spent most of the race in 4th position behind Heiki in the Mclaren. To make matters worse, by rushing his pitstop, one of the Ferrari mechanics got hurt and the chance of going past the Fin was once again lost. Kimi's race a few laps after however came to a hault, giving us supporters a quick flashback of Massa's blown engine in Hungary last week.

It was a close call with the stewards for Massa who lucky came clean with a fine. I admit it was dangerous however Massa backed off in time, lost a few seconds and rightly continued to lead the race.

With regards to Hamilton, he played his cards right by maintaining position and scoring 8 points to keep him on top.

The race was not particularly exciting except for the start. The Valencia track was a beautiful setting but once again overtaking was extremely difficult for drivers and left little room for outbreaking.

Spa is next up and Ferrari have always proved to be a dominant leader of this rather hot circuit. With the points in the championship so close and both Ferrari drivers doing their best to maintain contact with leader Hamilton, who will lead Ferrari in the final few races? Kimi would have to up his game if he stands any chance and Massa must keep consistent. As for Ferrari, reliability needs to be sorted out and uncharacteristic petty 'avoidable' issues like those witnessed last Sunday ought to be seriously addressed.

            The race was a big grand slam for winner Felipe Massa though. I’m sure his 10,000 euro fine won’t even phase his happy mood. That will be one check he will write out with a grin on his face. He completed the Grand Prix Grand Slam by winning pole on Saturday and then setting fast lap and winning the race on Sunday. He is now only six points behind title leader Lewis Hamilton heading into Spa-Francorchamps in two weeks, and as we all know, anything can happen there.

            The race itself, though was fairly predictable. There was very little passing, and it seemed like the crowd was almost non-existent after Fred left the building. I like how the race turned out, of course, but I am not sure that this is the way forward for F1. Having two F1 venues in one country is not a good idea. But that is the subject for another day. Back to the race. It seemed like a big processional out there behind Massa. He led from the start and was only relegated to as far back as fourth following his pit stops. He dominated the race just like he did three weeks ago and should, hopefully, continue to dominate until the end of the season in Brazil. Now wouldn’t that be a party!

            The street race in Valencia will be a fixture on the calendar for a couple more years I’m sure, but I believe that the track holds no lasting value. It is too boring. Even most of the European Press agrees with me (and yes, I wrote this before that story was published). I was very excited before the weekend began, but after watching the race, it really left me feeling cold. The race track has no personality, and there was nothing to hold me glued to the TV except for Massa. If this is the way that this circuit is going to be, then I say ditch it, lick your wounds and bring some F1 back to the States, so everyone here can show Bernie what he is missing out on.

            I’m sorry Valencia, but I am not the biggest fan of your Grand Prix. My mind has moved on and I am ready for the classic speed and unpredictability that only a true Old Style Grand Prix Circuit like Spa can provide. [gallery]

Na pós-conferência logo após a corrida, Lewis Hamilton confessou que teve febre e dores no pescoço, deixando de prontidão o piloto espanhol Pedro de La Rosa:

“Eu realmente tive um terrível final de semana. Eu estava gripado quando acordei, o que me deixou com fortes febres e muito fraco. Além disso, tive muita dificuldade com espasmos no meu pescoço, algo que quase me levou a não correr esse fim de semana.”

Apesar de todos esses problemas, Lewis fez uma corrida consistente e segura, arriscando o máximo apenas na largada contra Robert Kubica, que aproveitou o lado mais limpo da pista para quase ultrapassar o inglês.

Mesmo doente e fraco, ainda assim ele foi capaz de aumentar a sua liderança no campeonato em um ponto, tendo agora como seu perseguidor direto o brasileiro Felipe Massa.

Quem melhor definiu a consistente fase do piloto inglês foi Martin Whitmarsh:

“Lewis é um piloto inteligente, ele é absolutamente comprometido em vencer cada corrida e adora acabar cada sessão como o mais rápido, mas eu acho que ele está ficando mais relaxado em seu enfoque e entendendo que o que realmente importa é vencer o campeonato no fim do ano.”

Sim, Lewis parece finalmente em uma linha estável de performance, muito ajudado também pela incrível confiabilidade mecânica de seu carro.

Olhando para trás e vendo o desempenho de Lewis no ano passado, foi exatamente nesse ponto do campeonato que sua curva de desempenho ficou mais instável e é essa, substancialmente, a diferença que vem fazendo a má experiência do ano passado: na largada da Hungria desse ano Lewis recolheu e deixou Felipe passar, na corrida de ontem não se arriscou tentando ir ao limite em um circuito em que qualquer deslize poderia ser fatal para as suas pretensões.

A notícia, obviamente, é péssima para Felipe Massa, que terá que ainda que se livrar de seu companheiro de equipe nas próximas provas para ter as atenções de todo o time para si.

Track was amazing. It seemed like a dangerous one, but turned out to be safe. Only Sutil drove into the wall, but you cannot blame the track for that. The view was fantastic and good camera work made it perfect. Aerial view of Ferrari passing over a bridge was a real treat. Steve Slater expressed a valid concern about the camera work. It was evident from the qualifying session that we would have seen Local Hero (or Brat!!) Alosno for the better part of the race. But he retired on the first lap itself (courtesy: Nakajima...god bless him!) so dodged a bullet there. Did not have to see him at all!

Kimi's season looks grim. He expressed concern over qualifying performance. He improved that by qualifying 4th. But lost track position to Kovalainen on the starting grid itself. Things got worse during 2nd pit stop when Kimi started with refuelling hose attached in a hurry to overtake Kovalainen, dragging the refueller with him. Scene was pretty ugly. As if this was not enough, Kimi's engine blew on the following lap. Thats 2 in a row. Man, whats up with Ferrari? Fisichella and both the Torro Rosso Ferrari engines survived with relatively good results but the main Ferrari engine blows with 9 laps to go.

Hamilton has taken important lead of 6 pts over Massa. Things are not turning out in the right direction for Ferrari even after a win.

Palavra do especialista: Alexandre Henrique Reis Almeida

A exemplo da corrida de 3 semanas atrás, Felipe foi o fator chave desta corrida, sobrou de novo desde sexta feira. A diferença foi o final da prova que não teve seu motor arrebentando o meu coração em fumaças. Desta vez, a bola da vez foi o Kimi, que após seu 2° pit, no exato momento em que ele acelerava sua SUPER FERRARI para rasgar na reta principal deste GP, teve seu motor literalmente abrindo o bico e cuspindo fumaça pra tudo que é lado. E ao contrário da reação do Massa na Hungria no momento em que saia de seu enfumaçado SUPER FERRARI que quase arrancava os seus cabelos de desespero devido à situação que ele ficara no campeonato até então, o Kimi sai do carro com ar de como se tudo estivesse normal, tranqüilo e que não perdeu nada com aquilo. Que contraste de comportamento. O cara imparcial!

Esta corrida marcou também pelos erros causados pelo excesso de modernidade (excesso sim), pois uma simples plaquinha poderia ter evitado o acidente de Kimi nos boxes que feriu seu mecânico. Não sou contra modernização, mas colocar um “semáforo” no lugar da plaquinha que ficava incomodando o piloto e o ameaçando a todo o momento caso ele ouse sair sem a ordem daquele que a segura foi pra mim um exagero. A Ferrari sempre inova, e neste caso não foi a 1° vez que ela o fez, cito aqui a época da guerra dos pneus onde se dava bem quem conseguia se adaptar às condições da pista e do clima durante toda prova sem trocar os pneus. A Ferrari instalou na boa, velha e eficaz plaquinha um espelho para que seus pilotos no momento do reabastecimento pudessem ver como estavam seus pneus e agirem de forma a poupar o que mais desgastado estivesse. Não sei se o Kimi se precipitou como foi dito na transmissão, mas que é fato que se tivesse um cara ali segurando a plaquinha ele não iria sair com a eminência de tomar uma placada na cara. Também não iria liberar o Massa no momento em que Adrian Sutil da Force Índia estava com mais velocidade saindo dos boxes causando risco de acidente entre os dois naquele momento tão tenso. Erros existem e devem ser bloqueados ou minimizados, o que levanto aqui é a complexidade do assunto, onde tendo uma pessoa em cima do momento no calor da intenção de acertar (estando esta em pé segurando uma placa a frente do piloto) esta veria a situação como um todo, diferente do caso de uma pessoa dentro dos boxes que só apertaria um botão sem estar totalmente envolvida com este calor que mencionei acima.

Rubinho de novo brigando com seu carro e desta vez, os freios foram o vilão. Quem já viu um Fórmula 1 travar pneu traseiro? Eu nunca havia visto e o vi neste fim de semana, coisa absurda até então... Para os entendedores, fica claro a dificuldade então do meu querido Rubens. Ele terminou só em 16°.

Nelsinho terminou em 11°, um resultado nada bom, mas que lhe dá regularidade e constância em termos de terminar provas. Alonso de novo não completou.

ATENÇÂO: Os motores da Ferrari não estão se mantendo para 2 corridas, o que está acontecendo com as SUPER MÁQUINAS? Que ela nas últimas 2 corridas superou as Mclaren’s isso é fato, mas também que nestas 2 últimas corridas seus motores não deram conta da corrida inteira estando em sua 2° corrida é fato também, e fato este que nos preocupa, pois a indícios que a Ferrari para bater a Mclaren está sacrificando o rendimento de seus motores em troca de potência sem conseqüência.

Então é isso, Massa em franca recuperação se mantendo em 2° lugar no campeonato com 64 pontos, Hamilton (que nesta corrida não ameaçou em nenhum momento nosso brasileiro) continua em 1° agora com 70 pontos e o super imparcial Haikkonen em 3° com 57 pontos.

OBS.: Barba cabelo e bigode é igual à melhor tempo na Sexta de treinos livres, melhor tempo nos treinos do Sábado também, vitória no Domingo com direito a melhor volta da prova.

O resultado só não foi melhor para o brasileiro porque o inglês Lewis Hamilton acabou a corrida em segundo lugar e tem agora seis pontos de vantagem na liderança da temporada. O inglês da McLaren foi para 70 pontos, contra 64 de Massa e 57 de Räikkönen. Robert Kubica, da BMW, completou o pódio.

Mas, apesar de não ter conseguido colar no líder, Massa provou com a vitória que não estava blefando quando disse logo após a prova da Hungria que ainda acreditava em conquistar o título da temporada. Na prova de Hungaroring, disputada há três semanas, o brasileiro largou em terceiro, assumiu a ponta ainda na primeira volta, mas teve problemas com o motor nas voltas derradeiras e viu o finlandês Heikki Kovalainen herdar a vitória.

Uma performance dominante de Felipe Massa, estabelecendo a pole, volta mais rápida e soberba vitória no Grande Prêmio da Europa, realizado agora há pouco em Valência.

O grande temor de todo o grid, uma escapada de algum carro, algo que implicasse na entrada do safety Car e que tornasse a corrida uma loteria, acabou não ocorrendo. Sem ultrapassagens ou brigas diretas por posições e com os líderes mantendo ritmos constantes a prova acabou sendo a mais aborrecida do ano.

Para a decepção e frustração dos espanhóis, o seu herói, Fernando Alonso, acabou abandonando na primeira volta ao ser atingido atrás por Kazuki Nakajima. Kimi Raikkonen, que antes do inicio da prova sustentava a vice-liderança do campeonato, foi vítima do mesmo problema que Felipe Massa na Hungria, o rompimento de seu motor e abandonou logo após a sua segunda e desastrosa parada nos boxes: o finlandês saiu antes de ser liberado pelo comando de boxes da Ferrari, atingindo assim um mecânico com a sua roda traseira esquerda.

Lewis Hamilton aumentou em um ponto a sua liderança, agora de seis pontos. Depois de uma largada agressiva para reter sua segunda posição diante de Robert Kubica, o inglês não achou em nenhum momento um ritmo de corrida que fosse capaz de rivalizar com o do brasileiro, contentando-se em fazer uma corrida sólida e livre de erros, demonstrando nessa reta final de campeonato maturidade e tranqüilidade. Ele ainda é o favorito ao título.

A direção da prova ainda tem sob investigação a saída perigosa de Felipe Massa dos boxes na segunda parada. A probabilidade de punição ao piloto é baixa e se vier será administrativa, possivelmente uma multa a equipe ou na pior das hipóteses, Felipe perderia posições no próximo grid de largada.

RESULTADOS

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(ATUALIAÇÃO: Felipe Massa foi advertido pela direção do Grand Prêmio da Europa por sua segunda e perigosa saída dos boxes, quando quase colidiu com Adrian Sutil.

Além da reprimenda dos fiscais de prova, Massa foi multado em 10.000 Euros.)

]]> http://ychittaranjan.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/european-grand-prix-massa-wins-as-kimis-engine-blows/ Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:58:01 +0000 Chittaranjan http://ychittaranjan.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/european-grand-prix-massa-wins-as-kimis-engine-blows/ A Ferrari Engine blew up for the second race in succession but this time around, it was Kimi Raikkonen's which let go in a plume of smoke at the 47th lap. Teammate Felipe Massa had the misfortune last time around but he put that behind him and put in a flawless performance and won the first-ever Grand Prix at Valencia's street circuit. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton didn't have the pace to challenge the lead Ferrari and had to settle for second place. BMW's Robert Kubica took the third place ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen and Toyota's Jarno Trulli. Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel converted his excellent qualifying performance into a sixth place finish and was followed by Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg in 7th and 8th place respectively.

The race was expected to have a few Safety Car periods but there were none! An early on-track incident involved Nakajima running into the back of Fernando Alonso which took out the Spaniard at his home grand prix in the first lap itself! Adrian Sutil drove into the barriers as a result of brake problems and those were the only two on-track retirements. Kimi Raikkonen's too was an on-track retirement but that was more as a result of the Engine letting go rather than a driver error. There were a couple of pit-lane incidents and both involved Ferrari! Felipe Massa almost ran into Adrian Sutil as both exited the pit-lane at the same time and that incident will be investigated after the race. The second was a more serious one and it involved Kimi Raikkonen. He and Heikki Kovalainen came into the pits at the same time and in his eagerness to beat the McLaren out of the pits, Kimi lifted off well before the light turned green and brought down the fuel-rig person. The car's rear wheels hit the mechanic as he was coming down and he was taken into the medical center for medical check-up. This cost Kimi oodles of time and he lost two places after the stop. But of course, the engine failure dealt a bigger blow for the Finn as he picks up no points from the race and Massa overtakes him in the Drivers' Championship.

As it stands, Lewis Hamilton still leads the Championship with 70 points with Massa in second place with 64 points. Kimi Raikkonen drops into third place with 57 points with Robert Kubica 2 points behind. Ferrari's lead in the Constructors' Championship dwindles to 8 points - 121 to McLaren's 113. The next grand prix is at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium where Ferrari scored a 1-2 last year.

Em entrevista após a classificação Fernando Alonso pareceu preocupadíssimo com a possibilidade de Safety Car ao longo da prova, “algo que pode catapultar você do meio do grid para a primeira posição ou pode arruinar em definitivo as suas possibilidades de bom resultado na prova”.

Alonso tem absoluta razão: o safety car pode fazer dessa corrida uma bela loteria. Para tranqüilizar o espanhol, a notícia é que a prova da GP2 de hoje a tarde não teve muitos incidentes que levassem à saída do safety car.

Já Felipe Massa pareceu soberano com os seus dois décimos de diferença para Lewis Hamilton na classificação, mas a Ferrari não tem a exata noção de quanto de gasolina o inglês leva em seu tanque. Lewis foi quem menos deu voltas nas duas partes da classificação.

As equipes geralmente fazem um cálculo tendo como base o desempenho dos carros adversários tanto no Q1 quanto no Q2 aonde os tempos são melhores e subtraem do tempo mais alto estabelecido no Q3, aonde eles já estão carregados para a corrida, por isso a incógnita no caso de Lewis. Dois décimos é uma vantagem muito grande entre os dois equilibradíssimos carros e a tendência é que Lewis pare algumas voltas depois de Felipe. Será crucial para o brasileiro manter a primeira posição na largada e Charly Whiting deu uma ajudinha ao brasileiro antes do treino, movendo a posição do pole para o lado direito, o lado com mais aderência na pista.

Heikky, como Ron Dennis declarou, está mais pesado que Lewis, mas ainda assim parece longe do desempenho do inglês. Kimi ainda não achou o seu ritmo na classificação, por isso é quase certeza que fará uma primeira perna de corrida mais longa que Felipe e dependendo de sua largada (ele larga no lado com menos aderência) pode sim ser favorito à vitória também.

Enquanto todos parecem se voltar para a soberba classificação de Vettel, é bom observar que seu companheiro, o francês Sebastien Bourdais, está ali bem pertinho de Vettel na décima posição, o que leva a constatação de que o motor Ferrari que empurra a Toro Rosso fez a irmã mais nova da Red Bull deixá-la definitivamente para trás.

Amanhã cedinho uma corrida emocionante e, principalmente, imprevisível.

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