Here's my usual Race Weekend Review.
Post Silverstone
We left Silverstone 2 weeks ago with a bitter taste in our mouths. The car was great, the drivers were performing well but we didn't get the result we wanted.
Never the less, Alonso said "we will win the Championships" and Massa was upbeat too. Both drivers knew coming into this weekend we would be strong. We bought with us more updates to the diffuser, a slightly adapted front wing and possibly that Red Bull constant exhaust flow system.
Practice
First practice wasn't too bad, Massa was fastest of the main guys although Sutil put in a good lap and took P1. Felipe looked very confident, finding the limit of the car and ultimately spinning and having a few off track excursions. Most people were off track at some point, Alonso was a fair way down the field, but overall the pace was there. The car looked to have pretty good traction in the stadium section and we were very quick through there all session.
Second practice went even better. Alonso was very quick and Massa was right on the pace as well. 1st and 3rd from this session looked very promising. Vettel split the Ferrari's in P2 just 3 hundredths behind Alonso.
Final practice was probably the most telling session and definitely the most exciting. The times at the top were changing on a lap by lap basis, with Massa and Alonso trading P1 times, with Vettel in the mix as well. Vettel eventually took the top spot in this session. The Red Bulls looked slower through S2 with us slightly slower in S3, but it was all pretty equal overall.
Alonso was the first man into the 15's, first man into the 14's and then in Qualifying the first man into the 13's. Very promising.
Qualifying
Thankfully, we were able to translate our practice pace into a good qualifying performance. Alonso was quickest in both Q1 and Q2 with Vettel hot on his heels. Massa was still on fire as well.
Schumacher went out in Q2 again and his estimation of being P5 in the race looked firmly out of the window, Rosberg made it in, just, being 0.008 ahead of his teammate.
The final session was tense and exciting. Vettel was first out, followed by Massa and then Hamilton. Vettel went quickest, Hamilton into P2 with Massa 3rd. Then Alonso went P1.
After the next runs, Massa put the car on provisional pole, only to be topped by Alonso and then Vettel shortly afterwards. Vettel had gone 0.136 faster than Alonso at this stage. Alonso was on his final run, going quickly, but came out of the final corner and veered to the right hand side. In my opinion this cost him pole, since he only lost out by 2 thousandths of a second - or 12cm.
Never the less, Qualifying was fantastic. Compared to the near 1 second gap to the Red Bulls at Silverstone, this 0.002 gap was somewhat closer. Massa had done a brilliant job to get the car on the second row ahead of Webber, despite his trouble heating up the tyres. P2 and P3 was a great result.
The Race
I don't think I've ever felt so nervous before the start of a Grand Prix. I think it's down to our bad luck and me hoping for it to end. We desperately needed a result today.
The start was epic. Both of our drivers got off the line extremely well, particularly Massa. Alonso was forced onto the pitwall but Vettel left a cars width. Massa simply drove around the outside of both of them and mugged them into Turn 1 with a calm and clinical overtake. I had chewed my fingernails right down already at this point and closed my eyes when I saw Alonso's front wing close to Massa's diffuser.
Vettel didn't have a chance to pass on the first lap thanks to our greater straight line speed. Massa led from Alonso and began his best drive of the season. This was the first time we've seen the 'old' Felipe this year. He's been erratic at time, unable to overtake people on occasions but today he was sublime. I'm glad to see him back to his best and hopefully that can continue at Hungary and onwards.
Both of our guys gapped Vettel slowly but comfortably, he didn't have an answer to our pace. It felt amazing to see our two drivers finally at the front of the field where they belong and should have been for the past couple of races.
It was pretty frantic. Massa was setting fastest laptimes, then Alonso was and then Massa again. I was watching Live Timing and it was just constant purple or PB sectors followed by Fastest Laps. Our drivers were so consistent, error free and calm. Vettel wasn't too far off the pace, but he gradually fell back.
Vettel came in first, pitting early on lap 12 I think. Ferrari countered that the following lap by bringing in Alonso and then Massa the lap after. We gapped him a bit more and came out a couple of seconds ahead.
Massa struggled to heat up the harder tyres for the first few laps, initially locking up 3 times on the first lap with them on, losing the rear at the hairpin and allowing Alonso to close.
Then was the part where I nearly had Heart Failure! We came up to backmarkers, with Vettel closing behind. Massa had already lost time behind one in the stadium. Alonso got incredibly close out of turn 2 and they passed one of the HRT's side by side going down the straight. Alonso was on the outside and Massa's defence was fantastic. Alonso pulled in to the left, Massa ran him out a little, the HRT was close to hitting Alonso and Vettel was extremely close to hitting one of the Virgins. Alonso slipstreamed Massa again out of the hairpin and made the wrong judgement trying to go on the inside into the following flat out right hander. He could probably have gone up the inside into the following left hander. I nearly closed my eyes again at this point, thankfully Alonso backed out of that move and held position.
I think it was around this point that Alonso said "this is ridiculous" over the radio. Clearly frustrated and at this stage slightly quicker.
Massa though, was having none of it, and gapped Alonso by around 3.5s. Taking a clear second out in a single lap. Whether Alonso was in fuel saving mode or something I don't know, but Massa was flying. Rob said to Felipe over the radio that they needed to keep the gap to Alonso behind, so he needed to push. I wonder if he had been told he had to stay consistently ahead without holding Alonso up - or they'd 'do the switch'. Who knows.
Then Alonso started to close quickly, suddenly setting purple sectors again and closing at around 3 tenths or so per lap. Then came the radio call from Rob. "OK, so, Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?". Massa moved over a lap or so later.
From this point, Alonso pulled away by around 3s, Vettel closed in on Massa as he got held up in more traffic and ultimately we came home with a 1-2, 43 points and a better championship position. We also came home with 1 unhappy driver, a $100,000 fine and a tarnished reputation.
The switch
There are 3 opinions here. The first is that the team was right to do what it did, for the drivers championship. The second is the team were wrong to deny Massa a certain victory. The third is that the team were wrong to do it at all.
I believe the first is true, but I also believe they handled it slightly wrong. I don't like the switching of positions at any time, especially when McLaren do it, but in this instance I agree with it. Mathematically, both of our drivers have a shot at the WDC still. Realistically however, it's only Alonso who has a chance to win it. He's far behind, but not too far. He needs every single point he can get. If we get to the end of the season and Alonso takes the title by a couple of points, I doubt anyone will be saying this was still the wrong call. Ferrari want to win both championships and only one of their drivers has a chance, so they'll do what they can do get him to win. Whether they do this again or not, I don't know - I doubt it.
I feel the switch today took nothing away from Massa's drive. He was fantastic and deserved the win. But when he looks at the situation after he's had a chance to cool down, he will realise they made the right call. If the roles were reversed, I'm sure he'd feel the same as Alonso does now. It's never going to be nice to give up victory, or take victory in this was from your friend and teammate. What I have taken from today is an even greater opinion of Felipe. What a guy! Not many people would have his attitude and whether he looked grumpy or not is besides the point. He played the team game and he did it very well. If he is ever in Alonso's situation, he will expect the favour to be repaid and I'm sure it will be. Let's not forget, this isn't the first time Massa has moved over or has been given a position by another teammate.
However, there wasn't ever really a call made by the team. And this is the sticking point. Nobody on the pitwall ever told Felipe to move over. It was a piece of information rather than an instruction. Rob told him Fernando was quicker, it was therefore Felipe's choice to move over. As Rob said - he was magnanimous. Again, it's the team game and Felipe is a team player. He knew what they expected and he would have known beforehand too.
Because of this, the way Massa let Alonso past was possibly wrong. Although the situation is awful and Massa would have felt like parking the car right then, the way Alonso went sailing blatantly past has probably caused the most up-roar. If Massa had blocked a brake into the hairpin and Alonso had gone past, nobody would have batted an eyelid. Of course, we aren't used to doing this, unlike McLaren and their 'fuel mixture 5 Heikki, fuel mixture 5' radio transmissions. Felipe was clearly annoyed and wanted the World to know he was moving over. Trouble is, that's made it all look worse. He's not to blame of course.
What Ferrari have come away with today is a driver who is 7 points closer to the top of the standings and the same points for the WCC as they would have had without the switch. The team wins in terms of Championship position. We just lose in terms of respect, reputation and support.
Ferrari have always been under the spotlight for things, let's not forget when we've had flexing rear wings or parking manoeuvres in Monaco which we backed, or whatever else. Ferrari's reputation has always been tarnished to some extent. The FIA used to be known as Ferrari International Assistance, for a reason.
Whether the call was wrong or right, the result and performance in Hockenheim this weekend has definitely been firmly extinguished. Our car was fantastic, the drivers were fantastic, the pit-crew, strategies and the race itself were all fantastic. Yet, we've come away with this.
Let's move onto Hungary. Massa will be strong, wanting to let the team and everyone else know he's got his speed back, Alonso will be on fire and we can challenge for the win again. The title isn't lost yet!
What the FIA need to do
The FIA have two options.
They can either completely ban team orders or they can completely allow them.
Team orders not being just position changes, but also orders such as 'hold position'. Let them race fair and square.
Alternatively, bring back team orders so that teams are allowed to move their drivers around IF they need to, for the sake of the championship. It's a team sport in the end, so if people don't like it IF this rule is made, then support someone else.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Tifosi
Did he deserve to win Brazil 07?
I believe we done the right thing.
)... nah, it was a bit of a facepalm moment when Rob's voice came over the radio - I knew what was going to happen but it didnt make it any easier to watch!
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