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Secrets do not last long in F1: that of Saturday, September 22, 2007, is yet another proof of how everything in the (theoretically) armoured world of the pinnacle of motorsport ends up on the front pages of the newspapers and then on the tables of the stewards. In fact, the full and highly secret FIA report on the McLaren-Ferrari case has just been published online. A report, however, about which everything was already known. McLaren's withdrawal from the appeal was also predictable. The British team is evidently afraid of more serious penalties. It has already lost the Constructors' World Championship, it cannot run the risk of also losing the Drivers' Championship, where Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are still in the running. Jean Todt will be unhappy, he counted on it.
"McLaren Racing notified the FIA of its intention not to appeal the World Council verdict, as announced on September 13, 2007. Having had time to study the World Council's ruling with its lawyers and shareholders, McLaren believes it is in the best interests of the sport, and in its desire to win races and the World Championship, not to appeal".
The Woking team goes on to state that it is clear from the full record of the ruling that the World Council's conclusion was that the possession of illegal documents and confidential information by a McLaren employee was proven.
"Although there is no evidence that this information was used, tested or shared with team engineers, the possession of this material constitutes a violation of the regulations. To our great regret and embarrassment, the content of the emails, the existence of which was previously unknown, proved that the possession of this material was not limited to a single person, although not authorised in any way by the team. For the violation of Article 151c, a very heavy sanction was imposed on the team".
Ron Dennis, the team principal, concludes the note by recalling:
"The time has come to put this big distraction behind us. McLaren wants to win races and the World Championship. We are fortunate to have, and continue to receive, the unconditional support of our employees, sponsors and Formula One fans around the world, all of whom agree that our goal is to win the Drivers' World Championship and the remaining three races of the season".
The full spy story reports. Due to an error by Federation officials, an unprotected copy was published online. All it took was for fans to do a trivial copy-paste operation to release the full version of the report. The intention was to allow Ferrari and McLaren to keep certain technical or financial information confidential: instead, it was all in vain and it was of little use for the FIA itself to batten down the hatches and publish a version that no longer allows the omissions requested by the two parties to be read. Without censorship, one can find out the annual income of Mike Coughlan, Nigel Stepney's source at McLaren: 400.000 British pounds which, when exchanged in euros, makes 570.000 euros. No other personal curiosities or special statements, only technical aspects concerning weight distribution or the differences between the two teams in the braking system. Happy the engineers, less so the gossip lovers. In the meantime, Nigel Stepney lets it be known that he will tell his truth in a book that should be ready by spring. The title is already known: Red Mist. In the opinion of co-author Lorie Coffey:
"Stepney is not writing for economic reasons but because he feels the need to defend himself to the public".
Be that as it may, attention now shifts to the double Jap-Chinese round, scheduled for Sunday, September 30 and Sunday, October 7, 2007, two Grands Prix that could also decide the destinies of the four drivers in the race. From Maranello they collect the prize and make it known that the title won will not produce any distractions, nor will it change the objectives:
"Ferrari will now put maximum effort into the last three races of this championship to try to win the Drivers' World Championship as well".
Like Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian used to study new circuits on Thursdays, walking around them, studying the turns with the soles of his shoes, before putting the wheels of his single-seater through them. On Fridays he did the rest, several laps in the car, during free practice, to learn the last secrets and then off he went, in the hunt for pole position and victory in the race. Kimi Räikkönen at Fuji, a track that returns to the world's limelight after thirty years, of which we remember the famous October 1976, when Niki Lauda, frightened by the rain and still with open wounds from the accident at the Nürburgring, refused to race, leaving the world title to James Hunt, will try to imitate him. No simulator, reminiscent of the Playstation, these are children's games:
"'m counting on the walking reconnaissance and the three hours of free practice on Friday. That will be enough to understand everything and aim for success".
A goal that the Finn absolutely cannot fail. The triumph in Belgium has given him hope again, but the standings leaves him no choice. In the season finale he must always impose himself and hope that the two rivals in McLaren do not score many points.
"I have nothing to lose, they are the ones who cannot make mistakes. Hamilton and Alonso feel the triumph in their hands, this confidence could betray them".
It is difficult to hope for Felipe Massa, who is 20 points behind Lewis Hamilton, but on the Finn it may be worth betting a few euros. Fuji, an easy track with an interminable straight (1471 metres, the longest in the World Championship) and a set of slow corners, is the crossroads of this bet. Because then come two circuits, Shanghai and São Paulo, suitable for Ferrari, but this Japanese race seems tailor-made for McLaren. It is no coincidence that Fernando Alonso is excited:
"The hardest thing will be to find the right compromise between the speed on the straights and the slow corners. If we find it, there is no contest".
Lewis Hamilton is also optimistic, happy at the idea of a race with lots of overtaking,
"Because with that straight they are possible".
But Felipe Massa is also belligerent, who on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, worked on the simulator, while he has no intention of ending up at Toyota (Ferrari denies any negotiations) to make way for Fernando Alonso. The Brazilian knows that for the first time this year, the team (after a season with the drivers on an equal footing) might favour his team-mate, but he still meditates a surprise attack. As for Räikkönen, few words, but clear.
"We can do it".
Studying on foot and flying in the car.
"My chances of winning the World Championship are slim. I am enjoying my time at Ferrari, I have always worked great with the team, it matters little whether it is me or my team-mate who triumphs, the important thing is that it is the team that imposes itself. So there are no problems, I'm ready to help Räikkönen, who has a better chance, who is better placed in the standings".
Felipe Massa is a smart guy. He has understood and is the first to anticipate what has been brewing for days. From this Grand Prix, the third to last, the Maranello team is going back to the old-fashioned way: no more equal drivers, an unscrupulous philosophy but in this case self-defeating because only one can still hope for the final victory, the Finn. Felipe Massa is therefore ready to make himself available. The offer of help is official:
"Maybe next year he will be the one to give me a hand".
And it comes on the day when the Brazilian reiterates his no to Toyota:
"Never been to their headquarters to negotiate a possible contract".
And his desire to end his career with Ferrari.
"I feel great with this car, I have a contract for one more year, why should I open negotiations with other teams? I was hoping to win the World Championship, I was unlucky in five races, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Hungary and Italy, the feat became impossible, but I intend to try again next season. I know I have a very good car, I will not always be betrayed by reliability or bad luck. When you throw away so many points on the road, it would take a miracle to win the title. I regret having to give up not because of my mistakes, but my adventure at Maranello is not over. When you drive for Ferrari, you always have to think big. I do not fear anyone and I am convinced that next year I will know how to play my chances".
The opportunity will come up again. For this season, however, you have to settle for what is there and that is Kimi Räikkönen on the spotlight, and there is a clear strategy: to help the Finn and hope that with a win he can shorten the distance from the two McLaren drivers, increasing their fears. For the moment, the two seem to have none. Lewis Hamilton, the leader in the standings, appears very confident and returns to express himself with dreamlike images.
"The day of the dream is approaching, I never imagined I could win the World Championship as a rookie, I feel the goal is near. Here it would be enough for me to finish on the podium. I have nothing to lose. The world champion is Alonso, he is the one who cannot make mistakes".
To tell the truth, the Spaniard seems encircled rather than tense. He does not talk to Hamilton, he does not communicate with Dennis, he is at loggerheads with the whole team:
"Here we are favourites and I want to give the decisive blow. Even last year I arrived in Japan on equal points with Schumacher, won the race and set the stage for a second world championship. My relationship with McLaren doesn't matter, all that matters is winning".
Then there will be time to prepare for a possible breakaway. In the pits, at the Fuji circuit, on the one hand there is harmony, with Felipe Massa promising to help Kimi Räikkönen, on the other with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, with Lewis Hamilton wasting no opportunity to shoot his partner down and with Fernando Alonso afraid of mocking traps from his own team. In Ferrari everything is joy and hope, in McLaren poison and low blows. The paradox is that on track, at least judging by the first taste of Fuji, a circuit that with Friday's three hours of free practice is back in the World Championship after thirty years, the roles are reversed. It is the McLarens that are flying, with Lewis Hamilton leading everyone in the afternoon, 0.2 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso, but above all almost 0.8 seconds ahead of Felipe Massa and just under a second ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, who is also ahead of Jarno Trulli in his Toyota. Hamilton is very fast and thus reinforces his very personal thesis:
"I love the team, I've been honest and loyal to them, it's fair for McLaren to help me for the World Championship, I deserve it more than Alonso, because I've earned more respect, even if he can't understand that".
The Englishman blinks, while the Ferraris trudge on; Kimi Räikkönen in the afternoon gets his set-up wrong, is forced to retrace his steps and in doing so loses almost the entire session, Felipe Massa blames the heavy gap on the different amount of fuel, but in the meantime he is behind. Ferrari, which in the first hour and a half had deluded itself with Kimi Räikkönen heading the timesheet and Felipe Massa just behind, now is in danger of turning this last chance into despair. He feared he would have to race defensively, but he knows he cannot afford to (a McLaren one-two would end the Maranello team's two drivers' championship dreams) and before the race, in a frantic race against time, he will try to bridge the gap. Ron Dennis' anxieties, however, will focus on the tattered relations between his two drivers. Lewis Hamilton is definitely the first to take action:
"Alonso as a man disappointed me, I was wrong to judge him, I thought he was different. Sometimes you think a person is one way and instead it's the exact opposite. I don't trust him any more, but it is right that I am rewarded. I never asked for special treatment, to be considered number one, even though I have been leading in the standings for months. It's since the Monte-Carlo race that we have had two practically identical cars, the same chance of winning, the same strategy, often even the same fuel. He has always behaved in a strange way: even at Spa he was laughing, joking, as if nothing had happened, not realising that the team had lost the constructors' title and been fined $100.000.000. I like to win clean. I will beat him and it will be a huge satisfaction".
A frontal attack to which the Spaniard refuses to retaliate.
"He always talks bad about me, 90 percent of the things he says are not true, but I can't waste all my time responding. Inside the team things could be better, but they are enough to win the World Championship. It is clear that such a situation cannot be endured forever. Now it’s ok, next year it won’t be".
What bothered him most was not the equal treatment, but the strategies. Why have the same fuel as Hamilton? Doing it his way, he would have done better and won more, taking away his teammate's triumphs in Montreal and Indianapolis. Just as he would have been happy (he asked for it in Budapest, in order to settle in Bmw) to be released from his contract for free and not, as now, upon payment of a heavy penalty, to end up in Renault or Toyota. Now, however, he has only one revenge on his mind: to take the World Championship away from Hamilton. Who is ready to sign for McLaren until 2012. At 16.000.000 euros per year. Saturday, September 29, 2007, although the weather had dried out by the time qualifying began, the track was still wet and all the drivers went out on wet tyres.
Qualifying one saw the two Spykers of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto and the two Super Aguris of Anthony Davidson and Takuma Satō eliminated, along with Alexander Wurz in the Williams and Rubens Barrichello in the Honda. Ralf Schumacher's Toyota also collided with Yamamoto, forcing both drivers out of qualifying. Schumacher was already through to Q2, but could not set a time in the second session and so qualified 16th. Qualifying two saw the elimination of the two Renaults of Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen, David Coulthard's Red Bull, Vitantonio Liuzzi's Toro Rosso and the Toyotas of Jarno Trulli as well as Schumacher. Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso and Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber occupied row 5, just behind Jenson Button, getting his best qualifying of the season in the Honda, and Mark Webber's Red Bull. Nico Rosberg qualified 6th in the Williams, but was penalised ten places for an engine change. This meant that Vettel qualified eighth, the best qualifying ever for Toro Rosso. Nick Heidfeld qualified 5th for BMW Sauber, and the top four was once again the two McLarens and two Ferraris. The Ferraris failed to get on the front row, with Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa 3rd and 4th respectively. Lewis Hamilton then beat his more experienced McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso to earn the fifth pole position of his career. Pole position for Lewis Hamilton at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, held at the Fuji circuit. The British driver, at his debut in Formula 1 and more and more a real surprise of the season, with his McLaren-Mercedes was the fastest in qualifying, stopping the clock at 1'25"368. He overtook his team-mate Fernando Alonso in the very last seconds: the Spaniard, defending champion, will therefore start from second position. On the other hand, the second row of the grid is all red: the third fastest time was set by Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen, who will have his team-mate, Brazilian Felipe Massa, next to him. It will be the first time in thirty years that the Japanese race, the fifteenth out of seventeen on the programme, will be at Fuji. In the standings Lewis Hamilton has a two-point lead over Fernando Alonso. Qualifying was undermined by bad weather and fog, which had first caused the indefinite postponement and then the definitive cancellation of the last free practice session. Fourteen years at Ferrari. Never has anyone won as much as him. Twelve World Championships, seven Constructors, five Drivers with Michael Schumacher. Yet often Jean Todt, 61 years old and wearing red since 1993, ends up in the crosshairs of critics. Perhaps the accusations are not aimed at him, but as he feels at one with Ferrari, he nonetheless feels surrounded. The Fuji fog (it caused a free practice session to be skipped), paradoxically, becomes a wonderful opportunity to shed light on the myriad of rumours surrounding Ferrari. Does Jean Todt know what Bernie Ecclestone claims?
"What?"
That a little bird told him: Alonso stays put for a year, then goes to Ferrari. But that's not possible, because Todt is at Maranello.
"False and gratuitous indiscretion: as long as I am here, never will Alonso come to Ferrari. It is not true. That would be unfair to Ferrari. If I was sure that my team wanted him, I would say yes. My main interest is Ferrari".
You will not deny that you have always spoken ill of it.
"Premise: Alonso has a contract for another two years, he cannot come. The contract is a sacred thing, you respect it, it applies to everyone, not just the drivers. Ours in 2008 will be Räikkönen and Massa. As I demand that they respect our contracts, I have to do the same with the others".
The fact remains that you do not respect him as a man.
"I don't deny it, he didn't behave well with me in 2000, it was unfair and I felt bad about it. He could have come to us, we scheduled an appointment, he didn't show up and chose another destination (first Minardi and then Renault with Briatore). But in the meantime he has won two World Championships, he is fighting for the third, he has improved a lot in his approach to people. He is very strong mentally and focused. A different man. And as a driver I have great respect for him".
So?
"Never say never, as Montezemolo, my president, also says".
By the way: another rumour, your relations with Montezemolo have become tense and difficult.
"I have a fantastic relationship with him. There was before and there is now. Had there been any issues between him and me, I wouldn't have stayed at Ferrari for more than fourteen years. We are both part of the wonderful history of Ferrari, we have played an important role in the incredible cycle we have had".
Now, however, you want to retire. Or rather: you wanted to retire at Christmas, then in August you said you didn't want to give up, that you still had plenty of motivation. Why did you change your mind?
"My young partner gives me great motivation. Joking aside, there has also been a lot of confusion here. On October 27, a year ago I changed roles, I became managing director. I had to take care of the track on an interim basis, I didn't feel like working fourteen hours on a circuit for 200 days a year any more. But then Schumacher retired, Brawn asked to be let go, there was a need to create a new organisational structure, which we did. Like all new things it takes time to refine certain mechanisms. There was still a need for my presence on the track, Montezemolo asked me, I gladly accepted".
What now?
"I would like to take care of my main role in the company, CEO. Coordinating behind a desk".
Here is another indiscretion: in 2008 Ross Brawn takes over your role on track.
"We are discussing his return with him. One thing is certain: if he returns to Ferrari, it won't be in the same role he had before. I do not exclude anything. Even that he returns as team manager".
You have to say thank you to Alonso for delivering the famous emails with Pedro de La Rosa to the FIA. Isn't that what made him more likeable?
"The spy story is a very serious affair, it has no precedent. We asked for clarity, fortunately the public now knows the truth. But the responsibility for what happened does not lie with Alonso, but with his bosses. It was a story that should have lasted one day, two, not a hundred. McLaren should have warned us about Stepney's behaviour. Instead they tried to win by trickery, knowing our cards and not telling us theirs".
Ferrari demanded justice. Has this been done by the FIA with the Paris ruling?
"If a car is illegal it is clear that the drivers also have an advantage and should have been penalised. But I wasn't interested in the two World Championships, the Constructors' one we won, the Drivers' one, the thing that mattered to me was that people realised how serious it was".
Luca Montezemolo called it a polluted World Championship. Does he agree?
"He is right. So much so that we will continue our battles, civil and criminal, in Italy and England. No truce with the people involved".
Many are baffled: how did Jean Todt trust someone like Nigel Stepney? To give him free access to all those secrets?
"I made a mistake, it is true, I trusted too much. But I'm at peace with my conscience, I couldn't imagine a man losing his mind like that. He had been at Ferrari for fourteen years, he had arrived before me, Barnard had brought him. Not an easy person, bad temper, but an excellent professional. With Brawn leaving, perhaps he hoped to strengthen his position within the team, but that doesn't justify what he did, spying daily on our entire organisation. An impulsive guy, his mood was constantly changing. One night he told me: I don't want to come to the races any more. And I said: sleep on it. The next morning he wouldn't talk about it any more. At the umpteenth time I believed him, I had a great feeling with him, I created a new role for him. I wanted to give him space, I didn't think he would behave like that. When you're a boss, that's the price you have to pay. Sometimes you make mistakes about people".
Now he will write a book.
"What editor can give credit to this gentleman after what he has done?"
Maybe he will throw in the letter he sent to Jean Todt on August 30, 2007, as well as to Max Mosley and Ron Dennis, in which he claims that he did not give the documents to Mike Coughlan, but that he stole them from him.
"I certainly won't buy it".
On Sunday, September 30, 2007, at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix, in the pouring rain, Ferrari started both drivers on intermediate tyres, in the presence of an FIA directive that obliged all teams to start on wet tyres for safety, and which the Maranello team did not sign. In the early laps, behind the safety car, both Ferrari drivers returned to the pits to mount wet weather tyres, relegating them to the back of the pack; Felipe Massa was then given a drive through for overtaking behind the safety car, which he served under the green flag. The Safety Car remained at the head of the pack for a full nineteen laps. At the real start, the McLarens broke away from the pack, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way. Jenson Button immediately attacked Nick Heidfeld to take third place from him, but the two cars came into contact and the Englishman lost his front wing. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber took advantage of the confusion to move up behind the two McLarens and ahead of the two Renaults. On lap 27 Fernando Alonso pitted for the only refueling envisaged by his race strategy, returning to the track in eighth position, behind the pack led by Giancarlo Fisichella. Lewis Hamilton, who was three seconds ahead of his team-mate, pitted on lap 28, managing to stay ahead of the Italian Renault driver and thus gaining a big advantage over Fernando Alonso. It was a very spectacular phase of the Grand Prix in which Sebastian Vettel climbed into first position, for the first time in his career, for four laps, before relinquishing the lead to Mark Webber for a further four laps. Meanwhile Giancarlo Fisichella made a mistake and lost two positions to Heikki Kovalainen and Robert Kubica. The McLarens, with a high fuel load, were at this stage slower than the cars around them; Fernando Alonso was overtaken by Nick Heidfeld and then also attacked by Sebastian Vettel who made contact with him and sent him into a spin at the first corner, after the German had just come out of the pits; Kimi Räikkönen, in a comeback, also took advantage of this to pass. Lewis Hamilton also struggled and suffered the attack of Robert Kubica who had just passed Heikki Kovalainen; the Pole touched the Englishman's car and both ended up spinning, overtaken by Kovalainen.
Then Lewis Hamilton lost another two positions to Giancarlo Fisichella and David Coulthard. Meanwhile, pit stops followed one another and, after Mark Webber, it was Heikki Kovalainen who led the race in first position for three laps, then left the lead to Giancarlo Fisichella for another two laps. Robert Kubica had to make a drive through for the contact with Lewis Hamilton, while Kimi Räikkönen refueled on lap 40. Lap 42 started with Lewis Hamilton again leading the race, ahead of Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. At Turn 6, Fernando Alonso lost control of his car and crashed, stopping in the middle of the track. The driver was unhurt, but the car was too badly damaged to be able to restart, and the Safety car had to come on again. Lewis Hamilton was leading the race, followed by Mark Webber, who had said in a team radio earlier that he wanted to retire due to vomiting, recovering shortly afterwards, and Sebastian Vettel. On lap 46, still under Safety car, Lewis Hamilton suddenly slowed down in the final part of the lap. Mark Webber noticed, but not Sebastian Vettel, who rear-ended the Australian driver's car, causing both to retire. This collision allowed Heikki Kovalainen to move up to second place, followed by Felipe Massa, David Coulthard, Giancarlo Fisichella, Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Räikkönen. At the restart, the Ferrari's Finn went wild, immediately overtaking the two ahead of him, and then also David Coulthard with a fine overtaking move at Turn 6, eleven laps from the end of the race. Shortly afterwards Felipe Massa had to return to the pits for a short refuelling, completing a strategically disastrous day for Ferrari, while Kimi Räikkönen attacked Heikki Kovalainen right up to the finish line, without succeeding in overtaking; for the Renault driver it was the first podium in his career, as well as the only one of the season for the French team. Lewis Hamilton calmly controlled under torrential rain and won the Japanese Grand Prix, followed by Heikki Kovalainen, Kimi Räikkönen, David Coulthard, Giancarlo Fisichella, Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil. This was after Felipe Massa fought bitterly for sixth place in the final laps; the fight was even decided at the last corner, with the Brazilian overtaking the Pole and winning the sprint. There was also the first and only point for Spyker obtained by Adrian Sutil, thanks to the penalty imposed on Vitantonio Liuzzi, penalised by twenty seconds for overtaking the German in the presence of yellow flags. Again Scuderia Toro Rosso appealed, but without a positive result.
He will go down in history. Lewis Hamilton, 22 years old, the first rookie to win a Formula One World Championship, as well as the youngest ever champion, a statistic that must make him enjoy it, as he snatches the record from his hated teammate, Fernando Alonso. He will go down in history and this, perhaps, is the right race to do it, with its concentration of absurdity and emotion, a start in the pouring rain on time, rather than delayed waiting for better weather, but behind the safety car for 19 laps, in which there can be no overtaking and therefore no fight, two Ferraris taken out of the way by an email that arrived very late, because the other teams knew they had to start on the extreme wet tyres, while Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen (by choice of the Finn) opted for the intermediate ones, banned by the race stewards, and by virtue of this forced to return to the pits immediately for the tyre change, with the result of plummeting to the back of the field. And then the accident to Alonso, on lap 42, the Spaniard who already had his car in tatters (he had previously been rear-ended by Vettel's Toro Rosso) and who finally destroyed it with a terrifying bang (without any physical consequences) at the end of the straight, an accident that also removed him from the race for the World Championship victory. And again Webber, the Australian of Red Bull, who at a certain point, between retirements, accidents and Safety car, was second, but was knocked out again by Vettel, for the Germans the future Schumacher, but at Fuji a danger for himself (he was third) and for others, so much so that the FIA decided to punish him and in the next Grand Prix in China will demote him ten positions. A crazy and exciting race, which also delivered the first podium of the season to Renault and of a lifetime to its Heikki Kovalainen, who in the last few metres brought to life an overtaking of yesteryear by Felipe Massa on Robert Kubica for the platonic sixth position, which brings David Coulthard (fourth) and Giancarlo Fisichella (fifth) back to the honours of the world and which late in the evening also makes Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italian of the Scuderia Toro Rosso, despair. He had scored a point, but it was taken away from him because he overtook Adrian Sutil under yellow flags (a dangerous situation, forbidden to overtake anyone). Spyker's German was the beneficiary of the sentence: from ninth he became eighth and his team blessed him.
Spyker and Scuderia Toro Rosso were the Cinderellas of the Constructors' World Championship (McLaren is at zero as a punishment), this point passed from one side to the other is worth millions. But in a race in which overtaking was seen again, it was Lewis Hamilton (positively) and Ferrari (negatively) who made the headlines. The McLaren driver, triumphant for the first time in the wet, dominated, only trembling when Robert Kubica crashed into him. As for Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, the former mathematically out of the fight for the World Championship victory, the latter finished third and continues with slim hopes. For the Brazilian, they should have always been behind the safety car, the Finn insisting that you could not see a thing. Fernando Alonso, 12 points behind Lewis Hamilton, appears resigned:
"I have to be realistic, by now it would take a miracle for the World Championship, although it is obvious that I won't give up. I didn't do it with Schumi, I won't do it now".
But he reminds us, as if it were needed, that two victories are not enough:
"It will depend on Hamilton and I would need him to retire in at least one of the two Grands Prix".
Honestly, that is asking a bit too much of fate. Now the Brit has his hands on the World Championship. And to seal it, he does not miss a thing. The icing on his title will be this triumph (his first) in the wet: because every self-respecting phenomenon knows how to win even in extreme conditions. The real danger, for the Englishman, was in the aftermath of the race, when word spread that he was under investigation for his continuous braking behind the Safety car. But he was only a witness, not the accused. In fact, he could have been blamed for once again fanning the flames of controversy with new words against Fernando Alonso, but the outcome of the Grand Prix effectively dismissed everything. So Lewis, it is almost done.
"Almost, indeed. Anything can still happen".
But in Shanghai you will have your first match point.
"There, somewhere in the brain, I think about that. It will be the subconscious, that's why I just have to stay focused".
When things have to go a certain way you can tell: Alonso against the wall, you unscathed by the contact with Kubica.
"I was lucky, it's true. I had neither seen nor heard him, and he touched me. Who knows, maybe he was too far away to try to overtake me".
No worries, then.
"I felt a vibration, but over the radio the team told me that the car seemed OK".
Did you have problems driving?
"Well, I think that during the race many people had the idea of stopping, but at times it was easier to drive".
How did you survive?
"I, especially at the beginning, couldn't see out of the rear-view mirror and at one point drops of water got inside my helmet, and I couldn't open it while driving".
So what?
"So nothing. It was the longest race of my life. Non-stop".
A difficult moment?
"At the second Safety car: the others were getting too close, I got a bit nervous".
What about his braking before the restart? Was there any trickery involved?
"Absolutely not. I needed them to warm up the brakes, if I didn't keep the temperatures up there would have been trouble".
His rival, Alonso, had troubles.
"I first noticed the residue on the track, then I knew it was him by looking at the giant screen".
And rejoiced....
"Actually I was already quite calm because, after the first pit stop, he had finished behind me, I think in fifth place".
The Spaniard is now twelve points behind.
"I think I just took another step forward".
At some point modesty and superstition might as well be put aside.
"There is another race on Sunday and all I have to think about is the Shanghai circuit. Because you always forget one thing...".
Which one?
"I am a rookie, a debutant. And to have won four Grands Prix in the first season is a record".
Only Jacques Villeneuve in 1996. But no one has ever won the World Championship on debut.
"That's why I think about the races. There are still two to go, and nothing will distract me".
What did you think upon arrival?
"I thought of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost".
Wow. And may I ask why?
"I am achieving something worthy of them, who were my idols. I am trying to become like them".
The anger of the Ferrari team explodes on the second lap of the decisive Grand Prix. The voice of Charlie Whiting, the race director, on the radio is peremptory.
"You are breaking a rule, you have fitted intermediate tyres on the car, not extreme wet weather tyres, go back in and change them now".
Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari's sporting director, the regulations expert, is amazed:
"What rule? We made a tactical choice, we have the opportunity, it is part of our strategy".
Yes, but for the FIA discretion was not allowed at that time. The three race stewards, as a matter of safety, imposed a certain type of tyre, the FIA warned the teams before the race, sent an email at 12:35 p.m., 55 minutes before the start, all the teams received it at 12:37 p.m.. All except Ferrari, which knows nothing. At that moment, on lap two, Kimi Räikkönen was third and Felipe Massa was fourth, they had the same positions as at the start, so far they had all been in single file in the pouring rain and behind the safety car. The two drivers, with their risky choice, with the intermediate tyres struggling to stay on track, were hoping to mock the McLaren. Maybe it stops raining, the track dries, the others return to the pits and the Ferraris fly towards the finish line. Charlie Whiting with his order resets any ambitious programme.
"If you don't bring the two cars into the pits immediately you will be disqualified".
Stefano Domenicali does not understand, but is forced to comply. So Felipe Massa makes his first (unscheduled) stop and finds himself 20th, Kimi Räikkönen 21st. There is the safety car, it will remain there until lap 19, but there are also all the rivals in front, except Vitantonio Liuzzi. Ferrari's race is over, any strategy has been compromised. The Japanese Grand Prix represented the last chance, it turned into a wreck. Little does it matter if in the end Kimi Räikkönen took an important third place, if Felipe Massa finished sixth, they are points (a few) that count for nothing. The Ferrari men leave Fuji with infinite anger in their bodies. Says Jean Todt:
"It's inconceivable, we didn't know anything. We are not stupid, if we had known that mounting those tyres was forbidden we would never have made that choice. The problem is simple, we received the FIA email at 1:37 p.m., seven minutes after the start of the race. We are not going to appeal, we decided to let it go, but to tell us after the start how we should have behaved before is absurd".
Stefano Domenicali pulls out the printout of the incriminated e-mail. Once again (after all the ones that came out with the spy story) an email ends up fooling the Maranello team. Stefano Domenicali takes the proof of the Ferrari hoax to the FIA, which asks for it in the evening.
"How is it possible that you only got it an hour later?"
The Federation is perplexed. But so it must have been if at 10:00 p.m. the FIA produces a document specifying that it will continue to notify the teams by email, but that this system will be flanked by an older and more reliable one: written communication, on a sheet of paper, with acknowledgement of receipt. Says Stefano Domenicali:
"There are documents that are too sensitive to be entrusted to an email, and if you are not in front of a computer, what do you do?"
Ferrari also denies that since the end of July the start behind the Safety car requires the fitting of extreme wet weather tyres.
"It is always a choice of the race stewards, a recommendation not an imposition".
Thus the Maranello team loses its last chance to win the World Championship. However, the mistakes also remain: the intermediate tyres were not the best (Räikkönen wanted them, Massa did not) and the Brazilian's miscalculation on fuel, forcing him to come into the pits for the second time in the final, is surprising. Jean Todt says again:
"They forgot about us, the climate sent the stewards into confusion".
Yeah, maybe even his men a little bit. After the disappointment of losing perhaps their last chance, Ferrari is left with the consolation of an apology from the FIA. After the controversy erupted over the indications on the tyres to be used in the race, the Federation issued an apology to the Maranello team. The warning about the compulsory use of extreme rain tyres had been given via email instead of in a more formal manner, through a paper note, as required by the regulations. Stefano Domenicali repeats:
"At the end of the race we went directly to the stewards, just to understand what had happened, and they actually understood our point of view, since the message came from them, and basically apologised for using the usual e-mail system, used for normal communication, for these instructions as well".
Despite the FIA admitting the error, Ferrari does not intend to appeal. Jean Todt explains:
"It would not solve the problem, the race is over. We want to better understand what happened, how it happened, but I think opening a new controversy would not be fair to the sport".
However, the French manager remains convinced that Massa and Räikkönen were penalised in no small way. Ferrari, Todt reconstructs, had decided to start with intermediate tyres, and not wet ones, because there was a light rain before the start, which led them to decide to use that compound.
"Once the race started, the rain increased significantly, and if we had known that the rain would intensify like this, our choice would probably have been very different. However, we chose the strategy before the start of the race from what we saw. If we had been informed that we had no margin for tyre choice, that we would all have to start with the same compound, it certainly would have been easier for us".
However, Ferrari's team principal shows that he is not yet resigned to a McLaren victory.
"You know that what happened to Alonso could happen to Hamilton next week. I have been informed that the forecast for the weekend is still rain, so we know that a lot of eventualities can happen, just when you consider how many cars have been involved in accidents. I think we have to think race by race, lap by lap and then see what happens".