SofaF1

Whilst many people will be analysing what and how Schumacher said what he said in the post-race press conference (his over-emphasis on helping out Massa, for example), there is a bit of light relief to be found in the answers of Kubica:

Journalist – Robert, what a fantastic result in only your third Grand Prix; could you ever have imagined that at the start of this year?

Kubica – No.

Journalist – And a big battle with Nick at the first corner?

Kubica – It was big?

Journalist – Mr Kubica, can you tell us about the key to your success in getting a third position in your first year?

Kubica – What key?

It really seemed like Michael doesn’t want to retire. Winning the Italian grand prix, closing down to within two points of Alonso, it seemed like it was almost the happiest moment of his life – why doesn’t he want to go on winning? They itv-team hinted a few times at the idea that Ferrari almost pushed him out, and he seemed to suggest it too, mumbling something about Massa and it not being fair on him, and then praising, but not naming, the man Ferrari signed (some time ago, it appears) to replace him: Raikkonen. It makes me think, as I posted earlier this week, that he might retire, but the urge to race will be too strong and he might come back. It will certainly be hard, as they said, to fill that void in his life.

a salty otter

Martin Brundle is brilliant

Will Ron stop him racing in the rest of this season?

Have Pedro ad Lewis Hamilton for the rest of the season?

A lot of people say that F1 isn’t really a sport as they understand it. Partially because overweight people are instrumental to winning. The engineers play such an important part in the Formula 1 team’s speed that people watching seem to think that it is so removed from other sports to perhaps no longer be one. Of course the fact that engineers are so vital to the sport is also the reason that so many other people love Formula 1.

What Alonso is talking about is something else, he thinks that people are arbitrarily making decisions at the end of each session and are fundamentally affecting the outcome of the race or championship.

First a quick history of qualifying:

Old style – Everyone in eachothers way, if you caught traffic then it was your own fault and you didn’t get to the front. But you could go around as many times as you liked. People said that too many good laps were being ruined by traffic.

Mid style – You could only go around once but you were guarnateed not to be impeeded. People said it was too boring because there wasn’t enough going on at the same time.

New style – Limited number of runs, people going out at the same time and then if they get in each others way a punishment.

I think that you can’t have it both ways in the long run. If people are nervous of getting in each others way then you will loose the excitment of the new format and go back to boring (it never was for me but as perceeved). If you deliberately get in somebody’s way then you should get punished, but everything else if fair game.

However in this instance I think Alonso did deliberately get in the way of Massa. He was deliberately going at quali speed on his outlap to get round in time to be included on his fast lap. So he was deliberately doing something other than standard practice. So it then comes down to another thing which is was he close enough to impeede Massa. And the answer to that seems to me to be no. He wasn’t in the way because otherwise Massa would have been faster not slower. On the final straight I can still remember Martin saying “he’s not close enough to get a tow off him”. And that to me looks right. I think the one lift they used as an excuse was a mistake by Massa and was unrelated to Alonso.

So I don’t think he should have been punished, and I do think the punishments should be less arbitrary. They should set out some plain rules on the subject and stick to them. Perhaps using something like distance between cars.

So there were some pretty funny things said by the commentators in today’s session; perhaps the funniest thing ever by James when he and Martin were wondering why Liuzzi was still in the car when he was out of the top 16. He said*: ‘Liuzzi there maybe pondering the magnitude of what’s happened and perhaps not understanding it’.

Then Martin came up with some classics. First, on Jenson during the pointless fuel-burning stage of qualifying: ‘I imagine he’s probably thinking about whether to buy a cream or a white sofa for whatever new house he has’.

And, secondly, on what the drivers do through the Curva Grande: ‘at this part of the track they now just get their sandwiches out and read the financial times’.

However, they did annoy me in that they didn’t understand for a minute at least the importance of Alonso’s tyre failure. They didn’t act shocked or astonished when it happened, and then it took them a long time to say ‘this could really affect the championship’. I was almost off my seat when they first showed Alonso’s wheel gone. All right, in the end it didn’t matter too much, but it could have been vital.

*All quotations are based on my very shaky memory four hours after the event, and are thus not exactly exact.

I have suddenly realised something about the situation that I hadn’t done before.

Ferrari senior management – especially their sponsorship people – will want a swansong season of Michael going to each race as it is his last and the ticket sales that will generate and the media attention. Remember Murray’s last season? They have to want something like that.

There’s simply no way that Ferrari would let Michael retire before saying goodbye to the Tifosi in Italy. And the announcement is going to be after the race. That to me says next year for his retirement.

As I suggested yesterday morning Honda’s engine plan could leave them Hero or Zero:

Zero

Flav has been suggesting that he almost got an along and Kimi super team and would have got away with it if it hadn’t have been for that pesky Renault senior management.

Renault seem to have some pretty fast cars over there and if they had managed to sew up Kimi and Alonso it would have been a pretty mega situation for them. We might be about to have a superteam at Ferrari but it can’t be for too long whereas with Alonso and Kimi both at the beginning of their career it would have been a very interesting proposition.

However you have to say that Flav might have been the one to blow it himself – not that he’s mentioned it of course. The fact that even he wouldn’t commit to next year in case it all went wrong must have sent a very destabilising feeling through both Alonso and Kimi. No wonder they both went elsewhere.

So despite what you might have read in the popular press as well as the announcement of the Ferrari line up this weekend the F1 world will be also holding a race.

Monza is an old style ultra fast circuit. It’s one of the only places, like Monaco, where they have a totally different aero package than everywhere else. And it’s also one of the only places, like Monaco where the driver genuinely seem sacred to drive. And the reason for that? It’s so fast. Whereas the aero package at Monaco is designed to stick the cars to the floor here it is designed to just let them fly.

Generally three things happen in Monza. Bridgestone tend to dominate, Ferrari tend to be in the lead and the winner of the race tends to be decided on a Saturday. Maybe that’s why the Ferrari boys decided they should give us something to talk about on the Sunday.

But perhaps this year they didn’t need to bother. The V8 engines are making some big changes to the way that the tracks are working by seriously messing around with the breaking zones. This has meant on some circuits like Silverstone that there is less chance of overtaking but in others suddenly chances have been opening up. And Webber, Button and Coulthard seem to be the fastest at throwing away the planned racing line and taking advantage of the one that means you can overtake. Perhaps they are the ones paying most attention at GP2.

So it’s possible that there will be more chance for overtaking than in previous years and add to the mix the weather and we could have something very interesting. Although supposed to be dry on Sunday it’s apparently likely to rain on Saturday and a mixed up qualifying could make for a very interesting Sunday.

Ferrari are looking strong at the moment everywhere, so on a circuit where they have traditionally gone well they have to be dead certs.

Renault are doing less well at the moment, but Alonso is outdriving his car at every turn. If he can get ahead of a few people down to the first corner he’ll make that Renault as wide as a tractor on a Sunday afternoon drive.

McLaren have been getting stronger and stronger and they clearly are desperate for a win before the end of the season. They’re unlikely to get it here but if an upset qualifying puts them near the front expect them to be able to keep the Renault’s behind them.

Toyota have been running better for a while, and the Bridgestone advantage might play well into their hands.

Honda as a team are still on a high after Jenson’s win. They have brought their new engine to Monza. Bringing a new engine is one of those Hero or Zero moments. It could be much faster and on a high speed circuit that could be a boon, but it might also break. And basically on a circuit where overtaking has been harder before you better be good off the start line – and Honda aint.