.png "os2 trasparenza (1)")
After the days of Michael Schumacher, that of Ferrari. On Sunday, August 18, 2002, on the Hungaroring circuit, built about twenty kilometres east of Budapest, the Ferrari team will also be able to win the Constructors' World Championship, and it would be the fourth consecutive and the twelfth in its history. If in Formula 1 the drivers' title has always been showcased, the one assigned to the teams has become increasingly important for some years. The massive presence of major car manufacturers in motorsport has started the challenge in the challenge. And who can boast of the manufacturers' title increases the added value of their cars, showing a technological supremacy and also reliability. Ferrari is very close to repeating itself: with 65 points in the standings on the most immediate of the pursuers, Williams-Bmw, the Ferrari team will only need to lose one point against the Anglo-German team at the Hungaroring to achieve the goal. In fact, after the Hungarian Grand Prix, there will only be four races left, which means that Williams - even if it always got the first and second place at the finish line - would score exactly 64 points, barely managing to match the cars of Maranello, provided that the latter didn’t make any points. But Ferrari would have more wins if it were tied. Ross Brawn, Scuderia Ferrari’s technical director, says:
"We are now 95% oriented in the construction of the car for 2003 but we don’t lose sight of the other goals of this season. After the anticipated success of Schumacher, we must collect the prize for the work of the team. And we prepared ourselves well".
On Monday, August 12, 2002 Luca Badoer tests in Fiorano the three F2002s to be sent to Budapest. A special aerodynamics for the Hungarian track and a particular tuning of the engine and traction control are studied on single-seaters. In addition, Bridgestone will provide special tyres, the same that allowed Michael to shatter the Fiorano track record. The intention of Ferrari, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, is to conquer pole position at all costs: starting in first place from the winding Hungarian circuit is in fact a great advantage, because overtaking is difficult. The task of Jean Todt and his men, however, won’t be easy. Ferrari has two main interests: bringing the Brazilian driver to second place in the standings trying to recover the four points of disadvantage from Juan Pablo Montoya, and at the same time putting the German in a position to conquer his tenth success of the season, which would be an absolute record. Michael has a great feeling with the Hungaroring, where in the last five years has conquered three pole positions and two victories. But it is also worth mentioning that Michael Schumacher still has five races at his disposal in the 2002 World Championship to establish a new record of success. But they have to deal with their opponents.
McLaren hasn’t given up on fighting Williams for the second-force role. Both teams think they have partially recovered the gap with Ferrari and are looking for confirmation. In three weeks of rest, almost everyone worked at the factory, so already from Friday, August 16, 2002, the first day of testing, there may be surprises. Meanwhile, Minardi lives hours of uncertainty: he wants to replace the Malaysian Alex Yoong, disappointing, and has contacted the Englishman Anthony Davidson. The decision will be taken on Tuesday 13 or Wednesday 14 August 2002. As for Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s replacement at Arrows - who is about to be bought by Craig Pollock, Jacques Villeneuve’s manager - the Spaniard Fernando Alonso has been chosen. Friday, August 16, 2002 Ferrari is still a steamroller and crushes its opponents. In a Grand Prix that lives the apprehension of all the population of the Hungarian capital, with the Danube increasingly swollen and threatening, even if the circuit is far (about twenty kilometres) in a semi-hilly area, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello dominate the first sessions. The German man is in the lead, with a time - 1'16"346 - which is already better than the one scored in the race in 2001, the Brazilian man behind him, detached by 0.6 seconds.
Further away is Ralf Schumacher with the Williams-Bmw, almost a second away, then Kimi Raikkonen and the ever more brilliant Giancarlo Fisichella. Juan Pablo Montoya is behind, sixteenth out of twenty, since there aren’t two Arrows: the Colombian Fridays are always black. The car doesn’t hold the road, has little traction, and is not aerodynamically balanced. But he is always ready to make up for it on Saturday, when it’s qualifying time. Michael Schumacher says:
"We did rather well. But we’ve already experienced similar situations. For pole position it can also be a different story. I prefer to wait to see what happens. It’s still nice to get back on track after the summer break".
Michael Schumacher also praises the Bridgestone tyres. Indeed, the Japanese tyres seem to give the F2002 competitiveness. It seems that the technicians of the Japanese company have developed a chemical compound of extraordinary effectiveness with which they have made tyres that hold from the first to the last lap and allow a perfect grip. The track of the Hungaroring, however, is very slippery: almost all drivers, including Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, end up off track or spin. But the worst is Sauber-Petronas, with Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld hitting hard against the barriers. Broken chassis and car destroyed for the Brazilian, while there is a slightly less significant damage on the German car, with the mechanics forced to work all night to rebuild it. And Peter Sauber is angry about the money he lost. A happy day instead for Minardi, which has found a colossal sponsor: a three-year contract with Gazpron, a Russian body among the world’s largest producers of natural gas (23% of the market), with a huge income and 300,000 employees. The figure established by the agreement hasn’t been revealed but the abolition of the Italian team, now in Australian hands but always based in Faenza, seems guaranteed. Of course this input of money will have implications: soon there will be a Russian driver at the wheel of the Minardi. He is Sergey Zobin. He isn’t a very young man: he is 32 years old and has raced in the European Formula 3000, in Formula 3 and also with a Ferrari GT in Daytona. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old British driver Anthony Davidson made an excellent debut, taking the place of Malaysian driver Alex Yoong, also at Minardi. He had never seen the car and was ahead of teammate Mark Webber. But Davidson is only on loan because he’s a BAR test driver.
Minardi wanted to take the other Briton, Justin Wilson, who has a misfortune: he is 192.5 cm tall and didn’t fit in the car. On Saturday, the Danube spares this beautiful city. The mayor of Budapest, Demszky Gàbor, says he is confident and optimistic. The beautiful blue Danube, in these days intrusive and muddy, shouldn’t represent a serious danger to the city. Although some damage was done: it overflowed in Kisoroszi, a town 50 kilometres north of the capital, where 2000 people were evacuated. Also a small district of Budapest, Romai-Part, where there are Roman ruins, was reached by water and a couple of hundred inhabitants left their houses. On Friday night the river reached about 8 metres. In the night, or more likely Sunday, at dawn, it should reach the flood wave at nine metres. The embankments in the centre are equipped to withstand up to ten metres. So in theory there should be no problems. The town, meanwhile, forbids the curious to stop on the banks and go to Margaret Island, in the centre of the Danube, where a spa hotel is housed in the troupe of Rai. The Grand Prix shouldn’t be in danger, since the circuit is about twenty kilometres east of the city. But Formula 1 is also and above all concerned about what happened elsewhere. And on Saturday Michael Schumacher repeats that he is deeply struck by the tragedies involving so many people and that he hopes that we will soon return to normal, hoping for a rapid reconstruction of the most damaged places. Meanwhile, Saturday, August 17, 2002, the paddock is now talking about two championships. That of Ferrari and that of the other, the opponents. This is because at the end of qualifying the first row is all red. Also in the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Scuderia Ferrari will be able to see its flags waving for the fourth consecutive Constructors’ World Title.
Rubens Barrichello is in front and Michael Schumacher at his side. An easy pole position, the one won by the Brazilian, at the end of a family challenge with the German champion. Barrichello’s third season, after Australia and Austria, the sixth of his career. For 0.059 seconds, with a time of 1'13"333, averaged 195.137 km/h, the Brazilian beats his teammate. And there is no fight, although the São Paulo driver should be helped to take second place in the standings. Michael Schumacher’s a little hurt. But Rubens Barrichello probably took a little more risk, unloading more of the aerodynamic pressure of his F2002. Faster, but with less grip, the Brazilian man performs miracles of balance and builds his success especially in the second sector of the track, where Michael Schumacher was slightly braked. The German driver also makes a small mistake at turn 12 of the 20 total on the winding Hungaroring track.
"Barrichello was good. I wasn’t able to do better. He will start in front and on the clean side of the track. It will be difficult for me to keep the position at the start. The race? We’ll see. Of course, I won’t be a stopper for those who follow, it isn’t in my characteristics. I will rather try to push Rubens. But one thing is clear: I won’t try to overtake him, it would be stupid. There is a strategy to be followed; In Austria we had chosen an unfortunate way to practise it, but team games always exist and apply to all teams. We have behind us the constructors' title. I don’t want to make predictions, but it seems obvious that it isn’t in question if we will win, but when. The opportunity is already good here".
Good also for an affirmation of Rubens Barrichello, satisfied with the car and with himself.
"I liked myself. I gave up the first attempt because Button turned in front, then I pushed to the maximum. My engineer Gabriele Delli Colli worked very well, we managed to improve the performance. The Bridgestone tyres were perfect, too. Pole in Hungary is doubly important: because overtaking is prohibitive and because if you are out of the ideal trajectory and the track is dirty, you may spin. I can’t wait to race".
Behind the front row all red, there is Ralf Schumacher (who receives compliments from his brother), able to detach Juan Pablo Montoya by almost a second. Then, very good, the two Italians. In order, Giancarlo Fisichella fifth and Jarno Trulli sixth. One more reason to follow the race, since both can finish in the top six and - why not? - one of the two on the podium. Far away, preceded also by the Sauber-Petronas of Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld and the second Renault of Jenson Button, the two McLaren-Mercedes, with David Coulthard tenth and Kimi Raikkonen eleventh. This result is due to problems with unstable cars and tyres, so much so that the patron Ron Dennis takes it out on friends:
"We made a mistake with the tyres. Not today, but in January when we left Bridgestone".
Jaguar-Ford is also in trouble, with Pedro De La Rosa and Eddie Irvine in the last rows to join Toyota and Minardi. In the pits, we can see lost and dismayed expressions, in front of yet another demonstration of superiority by Ferrari. So much so that Patrick Head, technical manager of Williams, could say something like this:
"We want to make a race up to our possibilities, that is, the starting line-up. Because Ferrari is clearly, at the moment, on another planet".
Situation reiterated by the honest Juan Pablo Montoya:
"Given the superiority of Ferrari, the second row isn’t too bad".
But the Colombian man should also explain the second gap between him and teammate Ralf Schumacher. The thrills won’t be missed: at the start and throughout the race. In Hungary, only a dozen drivers sees the chequered flag. On Sunday, August 18, 2002, at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello keeps the lead without particular difficulties, while Michael Schumacher, starting from the dirty side of the track, attacks his brother, but he is unsuccessful. Further back Juan Pablo Montoya, Jarno Trulli and Olivier Panis start badly and are overtaken by many drivers, while Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button sprint well, recovering both three positions. At the end of the first lap, Rubens Barrichello passes the finish line in first place, followed by Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Räikkönen, Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld and David Coulthard. The two Ferrari drivers immediately increase their advantage over the pursuers, keeping a pace much faster than all the others. With the exception of David Coulthard overtaking Nick Heidfeld on lap two, the situation remains unchanged until lap 22, when Juan Pablo Montoya, put under pressure by Kimi Räikkönen, leaves the track, damaging the car and returning to the pits to make the pit stop. The Colombian driver compromises his race, returning to the track in the last positions. The first driver of the leading group to make the refuelling is Giancarlo Fisichella, during lap 29. At the end of the first series of pit stops Rubens Barrichello continues to lead the race ahead of Michael and Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard, who recovers a lot of ground making his first stop. In the following laps almost nothing happens until the second set of pit stops. The first to stop, during lap 51, is again Giancarlo Fisichella, who remains in front of Felipe Massa for a few tenths of a second. The Jordan driver, however, can't resist Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard, who overtake him and delay his second stop by about ten laps. The McLaren drivers get up to fourth and fifth. In the final laps Michael Schumacher sets the fastest lap of the race, approaching Rubens Barrichello to make a finish in the parade. Rubens Barrichello wins the Hungarian Grand Prix, ahead of his teammate Michael Schumacher.
Ralf Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, David Coulthard and Giancarlo Fisichella follow. This time the first two places are still the same. Rubens Barrichello first and Michael Schumacher second at 0.434 seconds are not discussed. Everything else is pure appearance. Like Ralf Schumacher, placed in third position with his Williams-Bmw, just over thirteen seconds. The truth is that if the two Ferrari drivers had really worked hard, taking some risks, they would probably have given a lap to almost eighteen competitors. The victory was never in question, as, after the start, it was understood that the Brazilian would live his day of glory. On a track where overtaking is almost impossible (even if the great Kimi Raikkonen proved the opposite with a masterpiece manoeuvre on Juan Pablo Montoya) Michael had only one chance to overtake his teammate. He should have taken advantage of the two pit stops, actions in which the German has always been the best. But maybe there wasn’t even the will to do it. The goals were two; the World Championship’s poker constructors and the second place in the standings for the Brazilian man. Both scored in full. Now Rubens Barrichello, very good, is five points ahead of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. A small margin, but incremental in the four remaining races (Belgium, Italy, United States and Japan). If in Hungary the team games may have prevailed, in the next races they will no longer be necessary, because even an arrival in reverse order, obviously always first and second, would still ensure the Brazilian driver to maintain the position. And the German man has no intention of ending the season without further success. He has only one win left to establish the absolute record of success, nine until now, which shares with Nigel Mansell. Already three times Michael Schumacher has achieved this result, now he has a good chance to overcome it. The Ferrari seen in Hungary shouldn’t be a problem. The fast lap scored by Michael Schumacher (during lap 72) is commented by himself: there is almost a second difference between the car of Maranello and its rivals. Only Ralf Schumacher and Williams-Bmw resisted.
Juan Pablo Montoya has never worried the drivers of the Maranello team, since the start when he was overtaken by Felipe Massa and Jenson Button. The McLaren-Mercedes, driven from the rear, have been better than expected, but Ron Dennis can’t be satisfied with the fourth place of Kimi Raikkonen and the fifth of David Coulthard. The Finn driver has in any case achieved his leadership in the Anglo-German team and is, at 23 years yet to come, the most promising young driver in Formula 1. The fact remains that the supremacy of the cars produced in Maranello is undermining the confidence of the opponents. With 157 points achieved after thirteen races, the Ferrari team is set to break all records. And not only that: the position won will allow Jean Todt and his men to work more and more intensively on the 2003 single-seater, so as to keep the advantage unchanged. Before the end of the season, apart from the normal engine and tyre developments, only a few aerodynamic innovations will be installed on the car for Monza, which remains the fastest circuit of the championship. All the forces of the Ferrari team will be focused on the future, because Maranello doesn’t want to close this exciting cycle of successes too soon. Now, however, the focus is on Spa-Francorchamps, where it will be held on Sunday, 10 September, 2002. The most beautiful track of the World Championship, very close to Kerpen, the town where the Schumacher brothers lived as kids. It will certainly be a different race from those seen so far: all free from pressure and scoring alchemy, can unleash themselves in a spectacular challenge.
"Chora, chora".
The Brazilians say. That is, cry: Rubinho is on the podium. Tears of joy. Then his funny movements, which make him seem a bit cheerful, imitating Dustin Hoffman in the movie Rain Man. He is moved and doesn’t hold back. Second win after the Nurburgring, the third in his career. Coupled with the beautiful pole position on Saturday. The renunciation of the first place in Austria has already been well repaid, but Rubens Barrichello deserved it, for his efforts, also for the misfortune that often persecuted and struck him.
"Win again? I hope to get used to it. I’ve worked my whole life for this. It’s a great season. It started badly; with a series of withdrawals, and then it continued with some problems too. I couldn’t pick up what I could. But I knew I just had to wait, I had faith in Ferrari. I’m in a position that any other driver would dream of. We are now truly on the moon".
Ferrari is celebrating. The “ola” fly to the pits, with the red tide of the team gathered for the usual photos, in front of the fans in riot. In the evening there is a party at the hotel Kempinski, in the centre of Budapest.
"I had to leave for Brazil, but I postponed it for a day. I feel like flying. Everything was fantastic: the start, the pit stops, the final, an extraordinary 1-2. I knew that starting in front of me already gave me a fifty percent chance of it happening. At the start I was a bit tense: after a few hundred metres I looked in the mirrors. They were all behind, in line. I didn’t have the slightest problem. Bridgestone tyres also helped me a lot, they were super. Then I stayed calm. Agitation when there are pit stops isn’t necessary, if something happens the driver can never intervene, he has to suffer".
Did Barrichello feel protected by the presence of Michael Schumacher?
"Somewhat not. An exceptional champion like him puts you under pressure, even though I knew he wouldn’t attack me. I had to concentrate as much as I could not to make mistakes. I didn’t see Michael again. He was gone. I asked Ross Brawn if he had some trouble via radio. I didn’t have time to hear the answer, that Michael was very close, he came out of nowhere: Jesus Christ, I said to myself, he is here again".
Was it the best way to win the constructors' title?
"Yes. Because in reality it would have been enough to make a point less than Williams. Instead of a 1-2. I’m proud of this team. Michael and I also struggled a bit in the early laps. Then we gave up: better not to risk. I can’t even imagine what one could do and want better. Extraordinary".
Even a little spite of the World Champion to the winner:
"I took away his fastest lap, he did it with me at Silverstone".
The joy of Rubens Barrichello, embraced on the podium by Michael Schumacher. For the Brazilian driver it is the second victory of the season, is the World Championship title closer?
"We still have to wait, there are 40 points up for grabs before the end. We’ll see in Belgium. I like the track very much, we will take satisfaction, there is no doubt about that. But now I also think of my family, we will have a few days of vacation together".
Michael Schumacher also flies away, awaited by Corinna, Gina Maria and Mick. But first he smokes a huge Havana cigar, the kind reserved for special occasions. And he says:
"I’m really happy for Rubens, Ferrari and myself. It was a tough race. I was on the dirty side of the track, it felt like I was on ice. I started badly, but I was able to recover thanks to the engine that always has an increase in power. At the first corner I extended the braking point to overtake my brother. We know each other well, I knew there were no dangers. As usual he was very loyal. It was no secret that Rubens needed ten points. So I had no reason to try to overtake him. And anyway it would have been very hard, because he was fast, he kept a very high pace".
Michael Schumacher, however, did a small spite to his teammate, taking away the fastest lap he held.
"I gave him back what he gave me at Silverstone. The team told us to slow down a few laps from the end and he responded with a very quick pace. Well, I didn’t do it against him. I just wanted to have fun".
For Ferrari fans it is another festive Sunday, thanks to the 1-2 of Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher in Hungary. And for Luca Montezemolo, after winning the Drivers' World Championship early with Michael Schumacher, this is the confirmation that the cars of Maranello are at the top of Formula 1 and motorsport in a challenge that aligns the major industrial complexes.
"It is the highest moment in the history of our company, there has never been a Ferrari so strong and, for a car company such as we are, to win the Constructors’ World Championship, moreover for four years in a row, is the greatest satisfaction that rewards the work of all. I believe that words are useless in the face of such important results. I’m proud of my men, all the men at Ferrari. The merit of this magnificent victory is first of all theirs: drivers, technicians, mechanics, together with sponsors and suppliers".
While in Hungary they celebrate the victory of the Constructors' World Championship, in Maranello many tourists join the local fans. The loyal Ferrari fans came from Argentina, as well as from traditional Germany. The moment Ferrari scored its 1-2, joy exploded in the village. As usual, Don Alberto Bernardoni, the priest, rings the church bells, and then with a trumpet he joins the procession in celebration. Dozens of cars travel the streets. Horns and flags are the emblem of enthusiasm. In the procession a nice red Fiat 500 spreads the Hymn of Mameli from the car radio turned on at full volume.
"I believe that, with this team and this passion, for two or three more years at Ferrari can go on from success to success. No one can reach us".
Alberto Beccali, president of the Ferrari club, is also very happy, full of members and visitors. The mayor of Maranello, Giancarlo Bertacchini, is not with his fellow citizens, but doesn’t forget Ferrari: he is a guest of the Festival of the cream puff of Orentano, in Pisa, which already in 2001 dedicated the event to the feats of Ferrari.
"Last year I was here when Schumacher won the drivers' title, now I’m back, and on the same day Ferrari also won the Constructors' World Championship. The feast of the puff brings us luck".
The Tuscany Region has decided to award its most important prize, the Pegaso, to Ferrari. This is what the president of the Regional Council Claudio Martini says by accepting a proposal from the Regional Union of sports reporters, motivated by the achievement of the twelfth world title.
"We are proud to give Ferrari the Pegasus for the sport, also because there is a bit of Tuscany in these victories. It is on the Mugello circuit that Ferrari tests its red cars by developing a car that this season has known no rivals".
While the silky Danube finally gives the impression of falling level, giving a breath of relief to the Hungarians, on Monday morning the Ferrari team returns home. The departure of the charter flight, scheduled for Sunday evening, is postponed for a few hours to allow Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Luca Badoer and the team to party at the Kempinski Hotel until late at night. The arrival at Bologna airport of the team is greeted by the applause of the fans and immediately after in Fiorano the Ges meet to make a toast with president Luca Montezemolo and the three drivers. Words of circumstance are said, but one perceives the presence of great pride and the awareness of living a fabulous moment. A moderate party, however, at the end of which the head of the Sports Management, Jean Todt, exclaims:
"And now back to work".
And the technicians come together to analyse the data collected at the Hungaroring. A few words and many facts. Hired in 1993, after a difficult first period, the French manager won seven world titles, three for drivers and four manufacturers. What is the feeling now?
"I’m happy, not so much for me as for all the men on the team. Winning is the best gratification. It means having achieved the goals for which they have committed themselves to the maximum, from the first to the last. The balance is really positive: having debuted with the old F2001, after thirteen races, we have eleven wins and for the first time in the history of Ferrari we won four consecutive world titles. At this point we can’t hide that it is a real positive cycle".
What are the secrets of these successes?
"It is simply the result of the confrontation of a group of winning people. Everyone has played their part. Everything is decisive. As for me, I have always tried not to neglect the details. So you get to make the right choices".
When you arrived in Maranello, where did you start working?
"I did what you have to do when you go to a new company: inventory. I tried to figure out what was there and what was missing. Then the investments started, in technology and in people. Sometimes I even felt tired. But the effort passes, the victories comfort and this isn’t only true for me, but for everyone. The problem now will be that of not letting all this go to our head. We want to stay at the top and we know that it won’t be easy. We will have to improve again. For example, we had great results with Bridgestone. The tyres were a decisive factor. Our relationship is extraordinary, but we can do better, we must always learn something".
Can you say that this year the car has made a difference?
"If the F2002 is what it is, we owe it to everyone. To Schumacher, Barrichello, Badoer and Burti, to every technician. Michael was one of the fundamental players in the history of Ferrari, because he won for us even when we weren’t the best on the track. But it is true that this year’s car is remarkable. I don’t want to name names, but I think I have seen in the past drivers who became World Champions passing to other teams, and on other cars they have found some difficulties".
The secrets of the F2002 aren’t revealed. We only know the basic qualities: very sophisticated and effective aerodynamics, cutting-edge electronics, top-level engine, excellent weight distribution, brakes always up to the needs. The very low sides allow air to be conveyed to the rear with maximum efficiency. And then exceptional reliability. In practice there was never an engine problem in the race. Engineer Paolo Martinelli, head of the department that manufactures the V10 engines, tells the Ferrari philosophy in this field:
"We don’t experiment. We have ideas, we have a program, and we take it forward step by step. Sometimes even just adopting a new little detail can be a great achievement".
Just enough to make the technical director Ross Brawn, always very measured, pronounce an unexpected sentence:
"If I think about the doubts we had in March, I can only say that this is an incredible season. If the F2002 is extraordinary, it also depends on the commitment of Michael Schumacher: in the past thanks to him we won in technical conditions of inferiority".
The rivals of the Ferrari team are gasping. This year they collected little: a victory for Williams-Bmw with Ralf Schumacher, when his brother Michael Schumacher had bumped into the start with Juan Pablo Montoya, a statement in Monaco of McLaren-Mercedes, thanks to David Coulthard, able to overtake the Colombian at the start and then to resist the attacks of the German champion. A poor record, even compared to the already poor 2001, when the two Anglo-German teams had won, overall, in seven races out of seventeen. There is a general sense of malaise. Gerhard Berger, head of Bmw, says:
"Ferrari always has a six or seven month advantage. We have to chase and it isn’t easy".
The opponents of the Maranello team have made plans to seek revenge in the next championship. McLaren operates on different fronts. On the one hand, it focuses on the new technical centre, called Paragon, a little pompous. The best of the best in equipment available. But it won’t be fully operational for several months. Meanwhile, a dispute opens. Mercedes engines have so far been designed and built at Ilmor, England. It seems that from Stuttgart this has changed: they will make them in Germany now. Ron Dennis has revolutionised the organic. Promoted, and then removed Adrian Newey, paid tens of millions to snatch him from Jaguar with whom he had signed a contract. Neal Oatley rises instead. But the task of designing the new car goes to Mike Coughlan, torn from the Jordan, while gearbox and transmission will be the work of John Sutton, the technician who participated in the design of the F2002 gearbox in Ferrari. The drivers are confirmed. No revolution at Williams, but it refines its weapons. Ralf Schumacher is confirmed, Juan Pablo Montoya is negotiating. The team would like a long-term deal, Juan Pablo is opposed: something should be known in Belgium in two weeks. Bmw has been working for a long time on a new engine, even more powerful. And maybe it is thinking of a team of its own after 2004. The others, beginners or almost - but aspiring to the top- are in similar situations, even if they have long-term programs. Renault goes ahead with a very innovative engine, but wonders if the technical manager Pat Symonds is still up to the task.
Changes are not excluded, Flavio Briatore is working on them. Toyota is happy with the engine, but the chassis isn’t great, because Gerhard Brunner, the designer, arrived when the season had already started. Will they trust him? Probably, at least for a year. There are doubts about the drivers: Mika Salo is good, Allan McNish a little less, but they are two old men. The leaders of the Japanese team based in Cologne asked Frank Williams the Brazilian test driver Antonio Pizzonia. He’s very young and skilled, but he won’t be able to make a difference right away. For everyone, the road is still long and Scuderia Ferrari is still too far away. Giancarlo Minardi is among the first to congratulate Ferrari, he is happy these days. Although he is no longer the owner of the team he founded, he takes care of it as a son and at the beginning of the week, thanks to the credibility he has earned in many years of racing, has personally found a sponsor who should not only ensure the survival of the team but also make interesting plans for the future. The three-year agreement with Gazprom, the largest natural gas producer in the world, will allow Minardi to buy first-class engines for next year. Since the relationship with Asiatech seems to have run out, Giancarlo Minardi knocks on two doors: that of Ferrari and that of Ford.
"We hope for Ferrari. It was ready to supply the Prost that then had to abandon. We will try, even with the money of the Russians of Gazprom, to give guarantees. However, a decision should be taken as soon as possible, because we are already in the process of building the car for 2003. We are convinced that, if we succeed, we will make a qualitative leap".
Eddie Jordan, meanwhile, signs with Ford. On Monday, August 19, 2002, Honda officially announces that at the end of the year it will no longer give its engines to the Irish team, but will focus on Jacques Villeneuve’s BAR. The Japanese company will also collaborate with its technicians to build the car. Jordan will instead have the engines of Ford Cosworth, which wants to relaunch the RS brand already used in Rallies. It won’t be a duplicate of the V10 engines used directly on the Jaguar: the engine will have a different opening angle. The news also makes Giancarlo Fisichella, who will obviously be part of the team, happy. In Hungary the Italian driver struggled for a long time in fourth place after an extraordinary start.
"But, in the end I had to give in to the McLarens that were much faster. However, a sixth place is fine for me. It’s always a breath of fresh air. I couldn’t do anything more, these are our current limits. We hope to grow".
Returning back to the topics related to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen is a guy who speaks little, and when it happens he always does it quietly, but pushes hard on the accelerator. Without reverential fears. A young Mika Hakkinen and maybe even a little more aggressive. In Hungary, however, after a strong fourth place, he lets go and makes a longer speech than usual. The Finnish driver explains his challenge, won, with Juan Pablo Montoya, on an opponent who for some time is considered the brightest and fastest driver among the new Formula 1 drivers.
"Considering my starting position and the considerable difficulties to overtake on this track, I am happy to have managed the race well so as to bring home some points. I made a good start and gained a couple of places in the first lap. I then found Montoya on my way and we had a good fight for seventh place. On lap 22 we were side by side. He tried to resist. I entered the second corner almost at par and so I tried to get into the next one inside his Williams. He must have made a mistake and gone out. After that I was also lucky: Button spun right in front of me and I could overtake Fisichella and Massa in the pit stops. To do better, we should have qualified better. Given how things went, the podium was at hand because we had chosen the right strategy. When I was able to push hard it was too late. However, I am satisfied with my race".
A difficult race for Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian first had a slight collision with Jenson Button and then, when he ended up on the lawn in a duel with Raikkonen, slightly damaged the car. He thought he had a flat tyre, but something was wrong. He wanted to go back to the pits and retire. Technical director Patrick Head had to intervene on the radio to convince him to continue.
"Anyway, this wasn’t a positive weekend for me. The track is not my favourite. After the start someone hit me and broke a part of the body of my Williams. I had a terrible understeer. There were moments in which it was impossible to drive the car. In fact since last Friday I have never been able to find a good tuning. I’ll make up for it in Spa, Belgium".
Ralf Schumacher has the same intention.
"If we have the right tyres in Belgium, I will be competing again for the podium. Although I don’t see how we can beat Ferrari".