Tragedies
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All world stand motionless after terrible events on last Tuesday in USA. All entertaining and sporting events are cancelled quickly in United States. However F1 bosses together with
Monza and Indy autodroms directors declared that these Grand Prix will took place in complete conformity with the calendar. Schumacher brothers
has expressed against the races in such conditions, and Ralf called it "a bad joke". Anyway, |
nobody listened to brothers and Italian Grand Prix has took it's place. By the way, CART owners decided not to cancel their race too. In a mark of mourning
Ferrari decided to race in completely clear livery, without any advertising, with black nose. There was a risk that
Jaguar will miss this Grand Prix - "The
racing cats" are the branch of an American company. A news that they will take part in race has come only on Thursday night. And the air intakes on
their cars was black too. Jordan has roll out for race with a big American flag on their cowls. In general atmosphere in the paddock was depressed. But that was not the end. The terrible news has come on Saturday night, that
Alex Zanardi has crashed in Germany during that uncancelled CART race. He was leading in 12 laps up to finish of the race on the Lauzitzring track, where
Michele Alboreto has died in the crash this spring. He has
mistaken on the exit from pits and his Reynard has spun right before the peleton. Alex Taglani has crashed into Zanardi's car. The car has split into two, Zanardi has received terrible damages of legs and has lost a lot of blood. During operation in Berlin hospital both his legs were amputated
It's very hard And I don't know what to say here...
Leave the door open
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On the background of all this events the main sensation of Italian week-end was perfectly unnoticed:
Mika Hakkinen leaves the races. And young Finn
Kimi Raikkonen will replace him in
McLaren. This season was extremely hard for Mika. At first the reliability problems, and then bad luck have deprived double World Champion of motivation and passion. In Mika's ability
to win we all has convinced in Silverstone, where he was simply magnificent. But the
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desire to race is a very difficult to understand thing. Remember
Gerhard
Berger leaving in 1997: after a colorless first half of the season he has missed three races, then has returned,
won at Hockenheim, but, despite of it all has hung up his helmet
after the end of season. Mika decided to take a year off, having declared that he will return to McLaren in 2003. Whether he will want it?
Seems that British squad is leaving the top again now and it is not known, whether Ron Dennis will be able to stop this slipping down next year
And whether there will be place for him? For Raikkonen it's undoubtedly a huge step forward, for having stayed in
Sauber for one more year he risks to lost his chances.
But who should feel himself lost in this situation - that's Nick Heidfeld. For a long he was considered as Mercedes and McLaren man.
This season he shows quite goods results, but on the Hakkinen's place have been taken his young teammate.
New team order.
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It is interesting to see the how things are changing in Ferrari. In Monza
Michael Schumacher clearly was playing a role of
second number. Ferrari tactical plan was to occupy the first row of the starting grid and then go with two pit-stops and
then all the race be faster than their opponents. But both Williams
cars was faster even with the more fuel. And when after Juan
Pablo Montoya's pit-stop Rubens Barrichello has took the lead, Schumacher should
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have been tied Columbian with struggle for position and let Rubens to create a stock of time for one more refuel. And this plan hardly hasn't worked. In this light some various interesting ideas are appearing. First - Michael
wanted to win in Belgium in any case, even if this race didn't meant nothing for him in terms of Drivers Standing. So it becomes clear how much he wanted to his 52nd race in the day of his 10 years anniversary in Formula 1. Second - how it
has come that Barrichello, who was loosing qualifying to Schumacher
during all the season, unexpectedly has become very fast. Remember, in the beginning of a season Rubinho was looking simply perfectly and constantly declared that he is going shake Michael's tree. But after
Austria, where team has act unfairly to him, moreover they have threatened him with dismissal, he has fell and
then was constantly slower then Schumacher. But when the second place in Drivers Standing has become important for Ferrari, he has
regained his speed. Seems that Rubens receives obviously weaker
engineering. Or he is so worse driver then Michael that he is capable to drive fast only after Michael's help with setup?
Debutants.
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Two completely new drivers has debuted in Monza. Tomas Enge has replaced injured
Luciano Burti in
Prost and Alex Yoong, under Magnum patronage, has occupied the cockpit of
Tarso Maques'
Minardi. The debut of young talents was middling well. Yoong has remembered us only with his spun right before leaders, and Enge hasn't noticed with anything at all, except of two burned down Ferrari engines on his cars in qualifying. But another debutant of Italian
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Grand Prix has done an impressive work. Juan Pablo Montoya finally has won his first race. From the very beginning it was clear, that Columbian will need just a little time to get close to the top. And in Monza it all has come at once. During all week-end Montoya was faster than his teammate, he has won pole position and won the race, despite of active Ferrari's counteraction. In the middle of a season he had some certain problems with adaptation, but seems that he has successfully overcome it. So the races next season will be more interesting.
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