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Hands off from Formula Ferrari-Schumacher. Michael Schumacher defends the World Championship that this year has managed to monopolize even more than the previous four. And he justifies the lack of overtaking with a bold comparison:
"It makes no sense to compare Formula 1 with the motorcycle world championship and say that bikes are more fun because there are overtakes. It’s like comparing two sports like football and basketball. Basketball scores more, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be funnier than football. It is only a matter of taste and points of view".
In the traditional rain of Silverstone, Thursday, July 8, 2004 Michael Schumacher speaks freely. In particular, he wants to defend the triumph at Magny-Cours from an aesthetic critique: a success achieved at a frantic pace, but without a single reckless manoeuvre. Alonso was in front and he, with an extra pit stop, overtook him in the pits.
"It was a fantastic win for the way we got it. Are we really sure that many overtakings are synonymous with entertainment and fun? The rules have changed many times and will change again, but nothing new will please one hundred percent of the spectators. People also enjoy seeing a car and a driver who always wins".
Talking about new regulations: following the rejection of the proposal to run two 25-minute qualifying sessions with lap times added together, Formula 1 is looking at other alternatives. The latest proposal by Flavio Briatore - reward with 10 points the pole position, then gradual points for the first positions. And on Sunday the grid, at least for the top ten positions, must be drawn - makes Rubens Barrichello smile:
"If we want to play, I prefer roller coasters. I like the current system, with the single lap, but I would like it to run with a minimum amount of fuel. Then the audience would know who is the fastest. I don’t understand who is nostalgic for the old mechanism: everything happened in the last 5 minutes, which erased what had happened in the previous 55".
In Montreal the teams signed to accept two 25-minute rounds and six laps for each driver, with the sum of the two best lap times. Then Paul Stoddard and Eddie Jordan backed down, and nothing was done. However, Bernie Ecclestone doesn’t get discouraged and comes back proposing. The British manager proposes to assign points for timed laps as in the race and to draw the top ten of the grid on Sunday. But it would be crazy. This would reduce Formula 1 to a roulette wheel, to a real circus. It is done in skiing, but it is an individual sport, often having a high number can also favor the athlete. In the car it’s different, in many circuits you can’t overtake. To improve the show, the only valid proposal concerns the rivals of Ferrari: building faster and more competitive cars. Meanwhile, Jarno Trulli metabolizes the disappointment for the mistake he made in Magny-Cours which didn’t allow him to get on the podium at 200m from the finish line.
"I went too wide in the penultimate corner. At that point I had two options: close the trajectory and risk the accident or being overtaken, as I did, and gain 5 points that consolidate my fourth place in the standings".
Despite the anger of his bosses (Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, not to name names), the Italian driver should be close to the renewal with Renault. The situation at Williams is turbulent: none of this year's three drivers will be racing for them in 2005. Juan Pablo Montoya will go to McLaren, Ralf Schumacher will officially transfer to Toyota on Wednesday, 7 July, 2004 and Gené (who also replaces Ralf here at Silverstone) will be back to be the third driver.
"We are pleased to announce that Ralf Schumacher will be our driver in 2005".
Thus Tsutomu Tomita, head of Toyota Motorsport, confirms the signing of the German driver. No comments on Olivier Panis and Cristiano Da Matta: the two will finish the championship, then they will probably be replaced (David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli are in contention, whose relations with Renault have worsened after Magny-Cours). Ralf Schumacher, now at Williams but resting from a double fracture of the vertebrae, signs a three-year contract for over 7,000,000 euros per season. After the announcement, the German says that he wants to win the World Championship:
"Success can’t be bought and Toyota won’t become the winning team with me overnight, but it could with all the strength and patience that this feat requires".
In his place Jacques Villeneuve could arrive at Williams, if he will receive long-term guarantees. One seat will be left: Frank Williams likes Mark Webber, who is now at Jaguar and - fundamental detail - is owned by Flavio Briatore. Rubens Barrichello supports the candidacy of Giancarlo Fisichella, while a promising young driver is not to be excluded. On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello remembers what happened the previous year:
"A great race. At one point I was eighth: overtake after overtake, I won".
The Brazilian driver was eighth, because a mad man had entered the track and had made him lose several positions. But in the end, that lonely invader, Comelius Horan, a 56-year-old former reverend who praised the Bible, had brought him luck.
"I never talked to him. If he’s out of jail, I invite him to see the race".
The Brazilian man is in great shape. Friday, July 9, 2004 he sets the best time in the first session and the third overall. He gave a show at Magny-Cours.
"I explained this a while ago. I couldn’t find the right setup with this car at the start of the season. I was running out of time. During testing, once I found the rain, another time I had to try 200 different tyres, then I was training to use my left foot to brake. Now I can do my best. And Silverstone is one of the circuits I prefer".
Michael Schumacher sets the fourth time, concentrating most of the morning's work in the fear that it might start to rain. But then it doesn’t rain and in the afternoon the Ferraris run with used tyres.
"I am satisfied. And if it rains on Sunday, there will be no problem: our wet Bridgestones are exceptional, it would be nice to be able to use them at least once".
The British Friday surprises are Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella. For an hour McLaren is back being McLaren and the Sauber looks like a Ferrari. The two of them run strong, detached by just 0.005 seconds, and the cars of Maranello finish 0.5 seconds behind them.
Michael Schumacher suspects that the two opponents set their time with little fuel. But it’s a mistake: Kimi Raikkonen runs five consecutive laps, so his car doesn’t have to be very light. The new McLaren is improving and will soon be fearsome again, even if it can only undermine Williams' fourth place in the standings. And Sauber?
"We’ve taken a big step forward in aerodynamics. The car now has a lot more grip in the back. The fuel? I had the same amount of Raikkonen".
Giancarlo Fisichella’s smile suggests that he probably had less, but his time still deserves the compliments of Michael Schumacher.
"I thank him and I appreciate it".
The bad news is that the failure of the Ferrari engine during the first practice session will cause him to lose ten positions in the starting grid, whatever his placement in qualifying is. The good news is that Williams asked Peter Sauber about his contract. Next year Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya will leave their seats. Also in contention are the Australian Mark Webber and the Canadian Jacques Villeneuve. What are the two names that Giancarlo would suggest to Frank Williams?
"I would suggest only one, mine. I haven’t had any contact with them yet, but such a team is in my dreams. If there was an offer, there would be no problem, Sauber would let me go".
How are you gonna convince Williams to hire you?
"I go as fast as I can. And I’m a good guy, right?"
For Jarno Trulli, who is back from the French disappointment, it’s a bad day:
"Here the Renault is difficult to drive and I will try to limit the damage. Then I learned at my own expense that anything can happen until the last corner".
Last year Rubens Barrichello scored the only hat trick of his career at Silverstone: pole position, fastest lap in the race and victory. To be ahead of everyone at the start, the Brazilian of Ferrari set a lap time of 1'21"209, at an average speed of 227.900 km/h.
On Friday, July 9, 2004 Kimi Raikkonen, driving the renewed McLaren, is the best in the first day of practice of the British Grand Prix, setting a time of 1'18"655, turning at an average speed of 235.300 km/h. From the two times, obtained after about twelve months, you can understand how Formula 1 continues to improve, as the performance from time to time is always better. A gap of 2,554 seconds less than in 2003 and an average top speed of over 8 km/h. Bearing in mind that, rain permitting, the results can still be improved on Saturday, the concern that has been the topic of many debates and controversies in recent weeks becomes understandable. The figures say a lot about the fact that many drivers and the president of the FIA, the lawyer Max Mosley, are right when they say that somehow it will be necessary to slow down the cars. The real problem is to find an agreement between the teams to look for solutions that at the same time do not mortify the highest expression of motorsport and partially reduce the speed of the cars.
They need to explore all areas, especially aerodynamics and tyres. Suffice it to say that until last season the tyres didn’t allow drivers to take the Woodcote curve, the one that leads to the pits, at full throttle. Now the drivers with the best cars don't even take their foot off the accelerator. However, given these premises, on Saturday, July 10, 2004, Formula 1 lives an hour backwards, in which Michael Schumacher invents a spin, Rubens Barrichello goes purposely on the grass, Juan Pablo Montoya slows down and almost stops a few meters from the finish line as a cyclist in surplace, others run at a tourist pace along the curves of Silverstone, one of the world temples of speed. So the pre-qualifying of the British Grand Prix becomes a challenge to who goes slowly. The weather conditions, a classic topic of conversation between English men, agitate team managers. Rain is announced in the second qualifying session, the one that assigns the pole. Result: everyone wants to start first, so they try to get the worst time possible in the first session. Ferrari looks for the bluff and simulates two accidents - applauded by the public - not to reveal the strategy to opponents. Michael Schumacher doesn’t even mention the counter steering to avoid the spin and, to those who ask him a reason for the error, answers seraphic:
"Can I laugh?"
Jenson Button swallows the bait, or perhaps has more accurate weather forecasts, since BAR gets information from a helicopter flying on the circuit, or he still wants to make a good impression being the only Englishman in the race; his will remain the best pre-qualifying, ahead of Felipe Massa and Olivier Panis, two who never reach the higher places of the classification. In short, the trick becomes obvious. Everyone slows down. After paying between 85 and 310 euros for the ticket, the public sees an unprecedented race of slowness. But it was useless: rain is not seen all day; a look at the sky would have been enough to guess it. Meteorology is a 50% exact science, in the sense that it gets it right one time out of two, more or less like a mere mortal guessing.
"It isn’t the meteorologists who made the mistake, it is the circuit that is out of place; it rained everywhere except on the track".
Michael Schumacher, who is particularly ironic, explains. The only one who benefits from this is Jenson Button, who gets third place. The pole position, the first this year, but the third of his career, is taken by Kimi Raikkonen, who is in front of Rubens Barrichello’s Ferrari. Michael Schumacher is fourth: he will start from the dirty side of the track. The Finnish man brings McLaren back to the top:
"The new car is going strong. If it weren’t for my mistake you would have already noticed in Magny-Cours".
But more than his feat, what makes people discuss is the behavior of the drivers during pre-qualifying; article 151 paragraph C of the regulation punishes unsportsmanlike behavior. Kimi does not blame himself:
"We did our best, which is not necessarily the best for spectators. The rules? Well, I don’t know them".
At Ferrari, they say:
"At least we put on a show".
Jarno Trulli, fifth, adds:
"Drivers didn’t invent this format. We adapt to get the best possible result. Briatore’s jokes about me? It’s part of his circus, I don’t mind".
The 65-year-old three-time World Champion, Jackie Stewart, cheers his racing colleagues:
"They did their duty, that is to seek the best result".
Who had a little fun is Bernie Ecclestone, patron of Formula 1:
"A driver should be proud to be the fastest, but today they joked about it. Anyway, these pre-qualifying are stupid".
On a day in reverse the starting grid is inevitably upside down: Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella, Gianmaria Bruni and Zsolt Baumgartner lose ten positions for replacing the engine. But Olivier Panis will start at the bottom of the group: the French driver is penalized because at the end of his qualifying lap he slowly re-enters the pits to end up hindering the next competitor, Felipe Massa. The risk of rain remains for the race. Kimi Raikkonen dreams of a moment of glory, Michael Schumacher continues to win even if for four races he has been failing to win pole position, Rubens Barrichello remembers the victory of 2003 and assures:
"If I decided to bet, I would bet on myself".
On Sunday, July 11, 2004, at the start of the British Grand Prix, Kimi Räikkönen, who keeps the first position, has a good start. Behind him the positions remain almost unchanged, with only Takuma Satō able to conquer a position against Juan Pablo Montoya. After just one lap, Kimi Räikkönen already gains 3.5 seconds on the pursuers, led by Rubens Barrichello. The Finnish driver makes the most of the Michelin tyres, faster to get to temperature than the Bridgestones which are fitted on the Brazilian’s Ferrari. Michael Schumacher, who started with a two-stop strategy against the three main rivals (as well as Giancarlo Fisichella and Mark Webber), settles to follow Jenson Button closely, without ever attacking him. After three laps, Juan Pablo Montoya overtakes Takuma Sato, recovering the seventh position; in the lead, after the initial extension of Kimi Räikkönen, the situation stabilizes, with the Finnish driver maintaining a lead of about three seconds over Rubens Barrichello. The first to refuel is Fernando Alonso, who stops in the pits already during the eighth lap; during lap 9 Rubens Barrichello enters the box, while Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button and Juan Pablo Montoya all pit during lap 11. Michael Schumacher takes the lead, increasing his pace and, after refueling on lap 15, returns to the track ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, slowed by a difficult overtaking on Takuma Sato. The McLaren driver, having a much lighter car than that of his rival, begins to press Michael Schumacher, but without succeeding in overtaking him. Behind them there are Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Coulthard. There will be no major events until the second series of stops, opened by Fernando Alonso on lap 25, during which Rubens Barrichello takes back the third position at the expense of Jenson Button. Leading the race, Michael Schumacher continues without Kimi Räikkönen behind him; the two-stop strategy is a winner for Giancarlo Fisichella too, who finds himself in sixth position, behind Jarno Trulli and ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya. The Renault driver refuels on lap 32. Then, on lap 37, Michael Schumacher is back in the pits, returning to the track in first position. Once again, Kimi Räikkönen tries to put pressure on his rival but, unlike him, he still has to make another stop. During lap 39, on Jarno Trulli’s car the left rear suspension fails in a fast curve; the Italian driver loses control of the car, which crashes against the barriers, destroying itself.
Jarno Trulli is unscathed, but the race management sends the safety car to the track. Several drivers, including Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Giancarlo Fisichella and Kimi Räikkönen, take advantage of the opportunity to refuel; the gap between Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher is zeroed and the Finnish driver can count on the greater effectiveness of the cold Michelin tyres. However, between the McLaren driver and the Ferrari driver there are two lapped cars; when the safety car returns to the pits during lap 45, Kimi Räikkönen quickly passes the two lapped drivers, approaching Michael Schumacher in a threatening manner. The Finnish driver is 0.2 seconds away from his rival, but without being able to overtake him; after the moment of superiority of the Michelin tyres, Kimi Räikkönen has to follow the Ferrari driver, defending himself against Rubens Barrichello’s comeback. Further back, Giancarlo Fisichella undermines the fifth place of Juan Pablo Montoya, but the Colombian successfully defends himself. Michael Schumacher wins the British Grand Prix and takes his tenth victory of the season. The German driver precedes Kimi Räikkönen, Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Giancarlo Fisichella, David Coulthard and Mark Webber.
"Fear? I didn’t have time".
Jarno Trulli tells. His face is pale and pinched, but he doesn't even have a bruise. He even found his voice back. He survived without a scratch to an impact at 250 km/h, four spins and a twist in the air which lasted a couple of seconds. It was lap 40 of the British Grand Prix. On July 11, 1999, Michael Schumacher fractured his leg at the Stowe corner. Sunday, July 11, 2004 the accident in which the Italian driver remains involved takes place at Priory, in a part in which the escape route is short because there is no likelihood of accidents. Unless there’s mechanical failure. Renault talks at first about a break in the left rear suspension, then Flavio Briatore asks for an extra tyre investigation. The only certainty is that something collapsed in the left rear of the car. The car escaped the driver’s control and ended up against the protective barriers, which, in addition to cushioning the impact, acted as a pivot and triggered an impressive series of spin. Luckily, the impact wasn’t frontal.
"I remember everything. In my eight years in Formula 1, something like this had never happened to me. Of course, I’ve had other accidents, but nothing like this. Given that it had to happen sooner or later, I wanted to do things right".
The story is detailed: Jarno feels the car skid and tries to correct the trajectory in counter-steering. Then he realizes that he can do nothing more and reacts as per the good driver’s manual by removing his hands from the steering wheel to avoid fractures to the wrists or thumbs. Then he raises his hand to reassure on his health conditions, then comes out of the cockpit.
"I would have needed a couple of seconds to get back on my feet, but a very agitated marshal took me by the arm and forced me to run. We were on the sand and we couldn’t stand on our feet".
The television images show Jarno Trulli at the edge of the track gesturing rather annoyed.
"All the safety systems worked perfectly: chassis, belts, the Hans system that protects the neck, protective barriers. The only note that’s off-key is that marshal. After such an accident, a driver needs to be helped, reassured for a few seconds, not dragged out by force. I talked to Syd Watkins [the medical director, ndr], they have to calm down".
Transported to the medical center of the Silverstone circuit, Trulli is visited.
“First they wanted to know if I remembered the accident. I think I convinced them that my head was fine. Then they measured my blood pressure and oxygen. Everything was fine. As usual, they held me for half an hour, so I had time to call my mom and Barbara [his girlfriend, ndr]. They were both crying. I said: if you cry when I’m well, what will you do the day I get hurt?”
His father Enzo, who followed the race in the Renault motorhome, was calmer:
"On television they showed first that Jarno was fine, then the accident. Otherwise I would have had a stroke".
After the check-ups, the doctors recommended a week off. Trulli will quietly celebrate his 30th birthday.
"Saving my skin is the best gift I could make for myself. I didn’t see the accident on television. It was enough for me to live it".
There were moments of fear even at the Minardi pit wall, when Gianmaria Bruni left before the refueling man pulled the dispenser out of the pipe union. The mechanic was dragged for a couple of meters, without getting hurt. But the tension went up. Formula 1 is afraid.
"Too many alarm bells, we must do something".
Flavio Briatore says. The series of thrilling accidents continues: Felipe Massa during a test, Ralf Schumacher in Indianapolis, now Jarno Trulli. The Italian manager proposes engines that last two races to stop the escalation of power and only one set of tyres per race to immediately limit performance. Jean Todt praises the Federation:
"Extraordinary work has been done on security".
And Pierre Dupasquier, head of Michelin sports management, ensures:
"Reducing performance? We are ready to discuss it".
There has been much talk in recent weeks about the excessive speed (on the single lap) achieved by Formula 1 cars. Also at Silverstone the record recorded in the race by Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari is amazing: 1'18"739, at an average speed of 235.049 km/h. Only 0.029 seconds more than he had done in qualifying on Saturday. But above all, about 3 seconds less than the previous limit marked by Rubens Barrichello last year on the same track. With cars that are too fast, the slightest problem can become a terrible risk. At Indianapolis, Alonso’s Renault and Ralf Schumacher’s Williams crashed. Here Jarno Trulli was the protagonist of an almost shocking off-track, in which his car not only shattered against the protections, but after being thrown into the air and being turned on itself, turning upside down, to get back into the correct position on the sand, became a junk. Well, in these three terrible accidents, only Ralf had some physical consequences, two mini vertebral fractures and some bruising. A miracle? Perhaps in part because even a 50 km/h crash can be fatal. Much depends on the dynamics of the collision.
One thing is certain. Despite his many flaws, Max Mosley has fought for active and passive safety during his years as FIA president. Circuits have been improved (widening of escape routes, removal of possible obstacles, increasingly effective protection systems). But it was above all on single-seaters that the Federation poured its attention, imposing strict rules on the chassis. For several years now, the thickness of the carbon fibre chassis has been increased each season, with particular attention paid to the arrangement of the fibres themselves. The crash tests that cars undergo before the start of the season are very severe. They are carried out in specialized environments, one of which is located in Milan (precisely in Bollate). These tests consist of very strong impacts to the front, side and rear of the car. Basically, the chassis are crushed by special presses with high loads or hit by hammers that simulate very destructive impacts. If the survival cell fails the examination, it must be redesigned or otherwise reinforced. We are, of course, speaking of tonnes of force. The safety of the drivers is also guaranteed by their physical preparation (Jarno Trulli trains, like Schumacher, for several hours a day, six times a week) and the Hans collar (Head And Neck Support) that was made mandatory last year. A German specialist commissioned by Mercedes carried out the studies on it. Starting from years ago, Formula 1 has adopted very valid fire protection systems, with tanks of aeronautical origin. The only problem not yet solved concerns the wheels. Despite the adoption of cables that retain them, they still come loose in case of impact.
But their rapidity of detachment is still slowed down. Renault, after some initial doubts, says that the accident of Jarno Trulli was caused by the failure of the left rear suspension. At first it was also thought of the sudden collapse of a tyre. The suspension arms and wing connections are still among the weakest points of the single-seaters. Also because the designers do everything to lighten them. Throughout this story Jarno Trulli got off with a fright. And he was a great gentleman: after being scolded by both Briatore and the technical director of Renault, the Englishman Pat Symonds, for the mistake made at Magny-Cours when he was overtaken at the penultimate corner by Rubens Barrichello, at Silverstone the Italian driver wasn’t allowed to say a single word against his team and its managers. And he would have had many reasons to lash out at his detractors. Speaking of the British Grand Prix, does anyone remember when, in Monte Carlo, Michael Schumacher was hit by Juan Pablo Montoya and forced to retire? At that moment the German driver, back into the pits, strangely lost his patience and threw his helmet against the wall. Many thought he was furious about the accident. But they were wrong: the German driver was angry because he was taken away the chance to win the race. He, a former mechanical student from Kerpen, is like that, he likes to come first in front of everyone. It’s his game, his fun, the rest is not important. For this reason, when they ask him where he finds the motivation to continue with the maximum commitment, he always answers that it is natural, that this is his life. But this time it was harder. It was perhaps the most difficult and uncertain race of the season.
"It was really a nice challenge. I had a different strategy than my main rivals. And I was surprised when I found myself in front of Kimi Raikkonen after the first pit stop. Although I pushed hard in the laps I had to do after the Finnish stopped in the pits for his first stop. At first he managed to create a gap, but gradually I recovered. It was the entrance of the safety car that complicated my life at the end. It took away the tranquility that I had conquered in the first part of the race".
The most critical moment was the return to the pits of the race direction car. McLaren could have attempted an attack.
"I was a bit lucky. The safety car was very slow and I was worried because I knew I had cold tyres. Behind me, however, there were Da Matta’s Toyota and Klien’s Jaguar. The two cars were in front of Kimi and this gave me a moment of breathing, I could warm up the tyres and I managed not to get them too close to me. I mean, we did it".
Once again, with a right and different strategy.
"It was all calculated. We had sacrificed qualifying to be competitive in the race. There was more fuel in the tank of my F2004. And that allowed me to make those four or five quick laps before I stopped for refueling, so I got an advantage over Raikkonen. But these strategies are possible mainly because of what the guys do in the garage and on the track. We at Ferrari have the best Formula 1 package, like technology, organization, team spirit. Perhaps the people who are outside of racing don’t understand how much work and effort is behind these victories".
Anyway, to beat McLaren, he had to go to the limit.
"Sure. I pushed. Then I could control the race. Raikkonen was good. And congratulations also to McLaren. I always knew and said that they would come back to the top. I was right. Since the debut of their new car in Magny-Cours they have made other steps forward".
In 2003, the Finn fought for the title until the last race in Japan. Will he become a formidable opponent again in the challenge for this World Championship?
"At this point of the season, looking at the championship, my most fearsome rival remains Rubens Barrichello. He scored points in all races and is second in the standings. However I must admit that I didn’t expect a Raikkonen so strong, so determined, thanks to a competitive car. I don’t mind. Having good competitors is an extra incentive to improve".
Michael Schumacher was able to see Jarno Trulli’s accident?
"I noticed that there was a very damaged car on the track but I didn’t immediately understand who it was. After the race, however, I was able to watch the images on television. I am very happy that Jarno didn’t get hurt".
The Italian Renault’s off-track resembles that of Ralf Schumacher. Among other things, Williams doesn’t seem to get out of the crisis and these days has also understood the value of his brother for the team.
"There is little to say. Ralf is the first driver, Marc Gené is good but he is a third driver. There must be a difference".
Speaking of differences, have you already prepared a surprise strategy for the next race at the Hockenheim circuit, in the German Grand Prix, which will be held in two weeks?
"We’ll think about it. The important thing is to do the right things at the right time. This is vital to win. We are quite sure that we can still do well. But we must beware of opponents who are fierce. McLaren, BAR and Renault are improving. And who knows. Nobody gifts anything to us".
They watched him jump from the lower steps of the podium. Rubens Barrichello, the most consistent driver this year (eleven points, nine second and third places) and Kimi Raikkonen, who hasn't had the pleasure of a top-three finish since the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix. To be honest, the Finnish driver, who is always short of words and doesn't like to show his emotions in public, doesn't seem euphoric. Maybe he dreamed of winning, of beating his rival, but he had to postpone the appointment.
"Even if we didn’t win, it was an exciting race. But, above all, I’m happy for the team. They have worked hard. And the development of the MP4/19B paid off. I think I made a great start. At the first corner I already had a second of advantage over the others. I could push as hard as I could. Unfortunately I found a bit of traffic at the exit of my pit stops. Sport is like that, sometimes it rewards you, sometimes it punishes you. With the last set of tyres I also had problems with the back of the car that wasn’t balanced in the slow corners. That’s why I couldn’t attack Schumacher and pass him at the end. But I’m optimistic for the last part of the season, we can only improve. The worst is over".
Rubens Barrichello is still looking for the first success of the year. After coming close to victory at Montreal and Indianapolis, he felt he was close at Silverstone as well:
"A good but difficult race. After the start it was clear that the tyres of Kimi went immediately up to temperature. It was impossible for me to keep up the pace. Then I regained ground, detaching Button who was chasing me. After the first stop I felt that the car had become harder to drive and that I was in trouble. But the biggest problem is that when I got back on track I found myself behind a series of drivers fighting among themselves. I lost a lot of time. At that moment I lost second place and maybe even a possible victory. At the end I reached Raikkonen but he was faster in the last sector. In any case once again Michael was outstanding. Bravo".
For Giancarlo Fisichella the sixth place is equivalent to a victory. Last at the start, sixth at the finish line. The Italian Sauber driver once again proved his qualities as a fast and reliable driver. And he could have done better if he didn’t have a little pressure problem with the pneumatic valves that made him lose some time during his second pit stop. A few seconds faster and the Italian driver found himself behind Juan Pablo Montoya who was slower than him, but impossible to overtake.
"I think I had a great race. It wasn’t easy, as you can imagine, to start behind the whole group. I knew right away that I could keep up a good pace, as I showed in Friday’s practice, before I had the engine problem that forced me to abandon qualifying. By the way, I could have finished in fifth place, but I had to stay behind the Williams of the Colombian for many laps".
Giancarlo Fisichella, as is well known, seems to be at the center of the driver market, perhaps in the list of Williams and Toyota. But he has a contract with Sauber that binds him until the end of 2005 to the Swiss team, unless one of the three top teams calls him: Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. He confirms the rumors in a generic way:
"There are open talks, but I still have nothing concrete to talk about. I just hope to have left another positive sign at Silverstone. I’ve been doing my best all my career, so far I’ve collected too little. I always hope to make progress, but a strong team is needed".
The Sauber car, however, seems to have improved.
"It is true. With the use of the new wind tunnel the car is more balanced and allows me to fight with cars that previously had a huge advantage over us. And we also fitted the latest version of the Ferrari engine. I’m very confident for the upcoming races. The rain? Unfortunately it doesn’t happen often, like last year in Brazil. Before the start, I had bet that if the track had been wet I would have at least managed to get on the podium. But I’m happy".
Michael Schumacher has outdone himself: 100 points, seven more than last season. Ferrari has reached 174 points: in 2003 it closed the season with 158. Even Jean Todt admits:
"We are favored, but we continue to work without decreasing concentration".
The two cars of Maranello will be back on track Tuesday, July 13, 2004, for four days. Luca Badoer at Monza will develop an evolution of the engine that should be used at Spa and in the Italian Grand Prix. At the same time, first Rubens Barrichello and then Michael Schumacher will work at Jerez on a series of aerodynamic innovations. The only detail that Ferrari won’t experience before Hockenheim is the party: if Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello get 13 points more than the pair of Renault drivers, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso, the Maranello team will win the sixth consecutive Constructors' World Championship. Drivers will have to wait for at least the next race. If Michael Schumacher scores 13 points more than Jenson Button, the title fight will be restricted to him and Rubens Barrichello. And it isn’t difficult to predict how it will end. At Silverstone the two Ferrari drivers were running at a similar pace at the start of the race. The difference was in the weight of the car: the German driver's had about fifteen pounds more fuel, which in terms of performance is worth about 0.5 seconds per lap. That’s why with Michael Schumacher any strategy works. Opponents alternate in the role of pursuers: McLaren is quickly returning competitive. Or so it seems, even if Jean Todt thinks differently:
"Not so fast, it took 11 races. They have made a great step forward, but on the other hand they are a very good team, supported by a giant of motoring. I am amazed how the little red Ferrari can resist such giants. It shows that we are an extraordinary group, a company that with its suppliers does everything, chassis, engine, at home".
Bild calls Michael Schumacher the king of the box. The popular German newspaper spends the usual sober words to exalt the tenth victory out of eleven races:
"The German people bow before Schumi the Great, the monarch of Formula 1".
The British Grand Prix was watched on television by 11.000.000 Germans. In Italy, Auditel has 10.000.000 spectators, equal to 63.5% of share. Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo admits:
"I am very, very happy, how could I not be? It is a demonstration of a team, a spirit, an extraordinary technological ability".
The president also comments on the frightening incident of Jarno Trulli:
"We need to work on reducing engine power. Progress has been made in security over the years, because what happened on Sunday shows that Max Mosley’s policy has been rewarded. We need to move forward, because the cars go too fast".
Michael Schumacher cares a lot about the German Grand Prix.
"It’s not a good track, but neither was Silverstone and you saw how I reversed the prediction".
Before arriving in Hockenheim, the German driver has a full agenda: in Algarve (Portugal) he will be the guest of the All Star Match, a match organized by the Luis Figo Foundation. As last year, he will play alongside the likes of Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo, Ballack and Figo himself. The following week, in Mannheim, there will be another charity meeting, the proceeds of which will be donated to UNESCO. In addition to Figo, who will return the favor, they will be Hitzfeld, Effenberg, Matthaus, Kohler, Riedle and Reuter.