16/07/2006
NEWS STORY
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In case the number of offs witnessed during the three free practice sessions wasn't enough to tell us that there is a grip problem here, the various shenanigans during the two GP2 races are more than enough proof that drivers will struggle here this afternoon.
Although we don't expect the situation to be as bad as it was in Montreal, we are going to see drivers struggle as the race develops.
The other factor will be strategy, with some teams possibly going for three stops.
In the GP2 races we saw that the best overtaking opportunities presented themselves at Adelaide (the hairpin), and this will almost certainly be the case this afternoon also.
We saw Michael and Fernando checking one another out during the final phase of qualifying, and if that's any indicator of what to expect this afternoon, we could be in for a decent race… for a change.
Renault, still smarting from its defeat at Indianapolis, will be keen to win on home soil, while Fernando will be eager not to allow Schumacher to take any more points away from him, having seen the German close to within 19 points.
The other drivers to watch out for this afternoon will be Massa, clearly getting better with every race, while Jarno Trulli is another driver on a roll. Other than Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella, it's going to be worth seeing how BMW and Honda, in particular, deal with the nightmare that was qualifying. Both teams expected much more here.
Ahead of today's race we learn the Tonio Liuzzi will start from the back of the grid following the decision to change his engine for the second successive race. The Italian had qualified seventeenth, but would have started from sixteenth, following Nico Rosberg's engine change.
As the field prepares to head off on the warm-up lap, the air temperature is 34 degrees C, while the track temperature is 51 degrees. It is bright and beautiful, but very, very warm.
As the cars head off on the warm-up lap, Takuma Sato clearly has a problem, the Super Aguri unable to get off the grid.
They're away, and despite Alonso's best efforts, Massa holds him off, which is great news for Michael Schumacher. At 180 the Spaniard locks up in his efforts to hound the second Ferrari.
At the end of the first lap, Michael leads from Massa, Alonso, Trulli, Ralf, Raikkonen, Fisichella and Webber, who has made a superb start. De la Rosa is ninth ahead of Heidfeld.
As Michael enjoys a 1.2s advantage, Alonso is clearly frustrated and locks-up again. Elsewhere, Takuma Sato's race is over, the Japanese driver having pulled off track.
Massa and Alonso trade fastest sectors, as the Brazilian rides shotgun for the Ferrari number one.
Other than the leading trio, the battles to watch are those for sixth, with Raikkonen under pressure from Fisichella, while de la Rosa is all over Webber. Barrichello, in twelfth, is having trouble fending off Speed, Villeneuve, Klien, Button, Rosberg and Liuzzi. Monteiro is busy hounding Montagny.
After 6 laps, Michael enjoys a 3.2s lead, as Alonso continues to shadow his teammate. Barrichello continues to lead the sort of 'train' we've grown used to seeing behind Jarno Trulli.
A new fastest lap from Michael (17.784) on lap 8, as Alonso posts 18.24. The leading seven are now running over 7s ahead of Webber, who, like those behind him, is running over a second off the pace.
As Michael posts a new fastest lap (17.761), de la Rosa makes a move on Webber at Adelaide but is unable to make it stick. Elsewhere, Monteiro pits… however, it looks as though it's more than just a normal pit stop. Ah ha! The replay shows that he had a moment when he clouted the kerbs at the chicane, which subsequently launched the Midland in orbit. The Portuguese driver's race is over.
On lap 14, Michael posts another fastest lap (17.581) as Villeneuve is all over Barrichello, the Canadian gets past the struggling Honda. The ugly versus the doomed.
The Ferrari crew is out in the pitlane, and at the end of lap 16 Massa stops for fresh rubber. Back on track Alonso is 8.1s down on Michael, but he pits next time around, as does Raikkonen.
As de la Rosa and Webber continue their titanic struggle, Michael pits at the end of lap 18, as does Fisichella.
Trulli leads from Ralf, but both Toyota drivers have yet to stop. Michael is third, ahead of Massa, who has just posted a new fastest lap, Alonso and Raikkonen.
At the end of lap 19, Webber pits, as Barrichello slows then pulls off track. Honda's misery continues, as Button continues in fifteenth.
Trulli pits at the end of lap 20, which promotes his teammate to the role of race leader, albeit a temporary position.
At the end of lap 22, race leader Ralf Schumacher finally pits, handing the lead back to his brother. It's a disastrous stop for the German driver, who returns to the fray in seventh position. Elsewhere, Button and Rosberg have pitted, the Englishman now running in seventeenth.
Back where it matters, Michael leads Massa by 6.1s, with Alonso a further 5s down the road. Trulli is fourth ahead of Raikkonen, Fisichella and Ralf. Heidfeld is running eighth, ahead of Coulthard, Speed and Villeneuve, though all four have yet to stop.
At the end of lap 25, Heidfeld pits, as Raikkonen gets past Trulli to take fourth. Elsewhere, Ralf is closing in on Fisichella, who, once again, is not matching the pace of his Renault teammate. Elsewhere, Villeneuve and Speed have both stopped, leaving Coulthard, Klien and Liuzzi as the only drivers yet to stop. That said, at the end of lap 29 the Scot pits. A brave strategic gamble, but will it pay off?
After 30 laps Michael leads Massa by 6.8s, with Alonso 5.6s down the road, just 7.1s ahead of Raikkonen, who is setting a blistering pace. Trulli is fifth, ahead of Fisichella, Ralf and de la Rosa.
At the end of lap 31, Klien and Liuzzi both pit. Next time around it's Kimi Raikkonen that stop… has McLaren changed its strategy? It's a bit of a slow stop, and the reply suggests the Finn had a tyre problem.
At the end of lap 34, Massa pits, rejoining in third ahead of Trulli. Elsewhere, Alonso is stuck behind the Liuzzi/Klien battle. The Spaniard is really throwing the car around.
Oh the indignity… Jenson Button is at the receiving end of a hand gesture from Alonso as the Spaniard prepares to lap him. What was that Nick Fry said about blue skies? Elsewhere, de la Rosa makes quick work of Heidfeld, who makes no effort to stop the Spaniard overtaking him for ninth.
At the end of lap 38 it is Michael that pits, rejoining behind Fernando Alonso, who still has to stop again. The German was leading by 16.1 and rejoins just behind the Renault and immediately all over him. Elsewhere, Trulli and Webber have pitted, the Australian suffering a delaminated tyre which had previously caused him to go off.
Trulli, who was leading not that long ago, has dropped down to eleventh, before pitting, his race apparently over. Meanwhile, Webber has pitted (again) with another problem with his tyre on the same wheel as before. The crew works on the car, but the Australian's race is all but over… however, they'll want to know what caused the tyre problem.
At the end of lap 42 Alonso pits, handing the lead back to Michael Schumacher. The Spaniard rejoins in third, behind Massa, but ahead of Fisichella and Ralf.
Michael posts a personal best time (17.281), increasing his lead over Massa to 13.6s, as Alonso languishes a further 10s down the road with Fisichella fast closing in. Meanwhile, Webber is back on track, showing a lot of pace.
Fisichella and Rosberg both pit at the end of lap 45, the German was running fifteenth.
Michael posts a new fastest lap (17.111), as he extends his lead to 16.8s, as Ralf and Button both pit. Alonso is 10s behind Massa with Raikkonen 6.1s down the road and closing in.
So, at the end of lap 47, it's Michael, ahead of Massa, Alonso, Raikkonen, Ralf, Fisichella, de la Rosa, Coulthard, Heidfeld and Speed.
Although Alonso has taken 0.2 out of Massa's 10s lead, Raikkonen is now within 5.3s of the Spaniard and sensing a place on the podium.
De la Rosa makes his third stop at the end of lap 51, as Speed makes his second. Meanwhile, WilliamsF1 is now experiencing delaminating problems with both cars. Indeed, Webber makes his fourth stop, and then returns to the fray.
This is a tour-de-force from Michael, who now leads Massa by 21.1s, while Raikkonen is just 3.1s behind Alonso.
At the end of lap 53, Massa, Raikkonen, Coulthard and Liuzzi all pit. Villeneuve, Klien and Montagny pit next time around.
At the end of lap 55, Michael makes his final stop, the Ferrari crew putting a brand new set of boots on the 248 F1.
With 15 laps remaining, Michael leads Alonso by 18.7s, though the Spaniard will no doubt have to pit again. Massa is third, 6.9s behind the Spaniard, but 12.1s ahead of Ralf, who is, in turn, 1.8s ahead of Raikkonen.
Another pit stop for Webber, that makes five thus far, just a lap after Nico Rosberg made his third stop. This time it's terminal, the Australian climbs from the car.
In the large grandstand opposite the pits, the Renault clad spectators watch silently as Michael holds a lead of 17.6s over their hero. Meanwhile it's all over for Button, who drives into the pits and is then pushed into his garage, another miserable weekend for the Englishman and his team.
With six laps remaining, it appears that Alonso does not need to stop, which means that the Spaniard has grabbed the second spot back from Massa. Great driving from the Spaniard and superb strategy from Pat Symonds.
Three laps remaining, and Michael leads from Alonso, Massa, Ralf, Raikkonen, Fisichella, de la Rosa, Heidfeld, Coulthard and Speed.
At the chequered flag, the German slows beside the pitwall, for a second it looks as though he's going to grab one of the Italian or Ferrari flags that is proffered. He doesn't.
It's a superb win, and he's made it look so easy. As he climbs from the car he is ecstatic, his hunger for victory as great as it was sixteen years ago. If this is the look of a man (seriously) considering retirement, we'd hate to meet someone who is really up for it.
As he climbs the podium, and makes the traditional victory leap, he looks as fresh as a daisy, it is the considerably younger Alonso who looks drained.
Despite the win, Michael has only taken two points out of Alonso's lead, reducing it to 17, however, today's result is clear proof that Indianapolis was no blip and that we have a serious championship fight on our hands.
Alonso did his best, and can surely thank Pat Symonds that he was able to salvage second place this afternoon, however, the Spaniard now knows that he faces a tough battle in the months to come, Ferrari is back, Michael Schumacher is back.
It's unclear quite what went wrong for Felipe, but it was a strong performance nonetheless, the Brazilian demonstrating that Ferrari would be wise to retain him next season.
Despite the retirement of Jarno Trulli, Toyota can take some comfort from Ralf's strong finish in fourth, another five points to the tally at a time when Japanese rival Honda appears to be going backwards.
An odd day for McLaren, with Raikkonen finishing fifth and de la Rosa taking eighth, despite his engine giving up on the slow down lap.
Not a great race, but then again not as bad as some of the stinkers we've seen this season.
On a weekend when we celebrate 100 years of Grand Prix racing, its worth noting that this was the 750th Grand Prix in the history of Formula One - assuming one doesn't count the 11 Indianapolis 500s that featured in the World Championship between 1950 and 1960. How appropriate therefore, that Michael Schumacher takes a historic eighth win here, and another step towards a possible eighth title.
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