The Nazi style scandal of the orgy with the President of the FIA, Max Mosley, widens and barges in the British Secret Services. One of the agents had to resign after finding out that his wife was one of the five prostitutes central figures of the soiree. The call girl, stage name Mistress Abi, not only did take part in the orgy that is now endangering Max Mosley’s position, son of a historic British fascist ring-leader: she is also the one who called the tabloid News of the World to sell the sadomasochistic video in which the boss of the Federation is visible in action with the five girls. Jonathan Evans, director of the MI5, the Secret Services for whom the resigning agent was working, personally kept informed of any developments the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Domestic Affairs Minister Jacquie Smith. Government sources felt important to stress that Max Mosley was not a victim of a blow orchestrated by the intelligent agency: to find out, in exchange for money (probably more than 100.000 euros) was the 38-years-old wife of the agent himself, not identified by the British media for security reasons. It appears that the man is in his forties, has served in the armed forces and had delicate duties within the MI5: he dealt with monitoring terroristic attacks, the Russian mob and drug traffickers. In spite the personnel being subjected to recurrent and in-depth checks, the MI5, from here the great embarrassment, had absolutely no idea that the man now pressed to step down had a wife whose employment was a full-time job prostitute. Mosley was hit by the scandal at the end of March and he’s highly risking to be dismayed when the vertex of the FIA will examine the events during an extraordinary meeting scheduled for Tuesday June 3rd in Paris. In spite of being presented by the British media as a sadomasochist sexual pervert and being seen in the video of the Nazi orgy while giving orders in German to the naked or semi-naked prostitutes then whipped, to then enjoy being whipped himself until bleeding, Max Mosley claims that his eccentric erotic desires are a private matter and should not disqualify him from the presidency of the FIA. 67-years-old, son of that Oswald Mosley who between the two World Wars founded the Britain Union of Fascists and manifested an excessive admiration towards Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, Mosley is convinced he can use in his favour the news regarding the MI5 agent’s involvement in the matter:
"It’s an astonishing information. I will consult with my lawyers. I have an eccentric sexual life, but that is a personal matter and Nazism doesn’t have anything to do with that".
Monte-Carlo, meaning the Grand Prix, is the opposite of present-day Formula 1: slow, outdated, narrow between guardrails and merciless walls. Nevertheless, most of all unique, fascinating, highly followed, full of history. Seems absurd racing, but unthinkable not doing it. After the Turkish Grand Prix, held in a racetrack so perfect that it could have forgone without the stands, Formula 1 enjoys this unreal horde. Here the Circus has set up camp 54 times, only Monza saw more races: 57 Grand Prix. In the era of Motorhomes as big as cathedrals, the spots are stolen on the sea, where the Red Bull’s three floors energy station is assembled, or on the mountains, where lorries and car’s parking lots were excavated. It takes great talent to win, think of Ayrton Senna’s six wins or Michael Schumacher’s five. However, without luck, you can’t go anywhere here. From 2000 ‘till today, the unbeatable Ferrari succeeded only once, seven years ago.
"It’s not even a race. It’s a show for the television".
Said Luca Montezemolo about the Grand Prix after the past season’s delusion. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are both studying how to crack the code. In 2007 there was no way: slow turns and high curbs were a weakness, the Monaco Grand Prix and the next one in Canada revealed themselves as partly disastrous, the latest defeats before the comeback that led to the Title. The Monegasque weekend therefore becomes a decisive exam for the F2008, winner of four Grand Prix out of five that took place so far, introduced again with a hole on the nose of the car, look debuted a month prior in Spain: if it’ll be strong here too, the season will be virtually closed.
Otherwise we will live until the end the rivalry with McLaren. The aerodynamic set up requires only one rule: finding the maximum load possible, with the objective to have more grip and traction in the slow turns. The top speed is just a detail, the average speed cruises around highway levels: 155 km/h for Fernando Alonso, winner in 2007 with McLaren. The circuit streams in front of the driver’s eyes like a videogame. Mistakes are not tolerated. There is no margin. The barriers are to be touched very lightly, never stroked. Overtaking is virtually impossible. There are a few exceptions: in 2005, for example, Michael Schumacher overtook Rubens Barrichello in the chicane after the tunnel. It was the last lap: the Brazilian driver wasn’t expecting an attack from his teammate. He definitely did not enjoy it and he pointed it out. Michael Schumacher tried another overtake a couple of turns ahead and with some arrogance at the expensive of his brother Ralf, he ended up crossing the line just in time. Bits of chronicle. This place has seen the history of motorsport. The first Grand Prix was organized in 1929 thanks to Anthony Noghes, founder of the Automobile Club de Monaco. Formula 1 would have been born 21 years later: the Hall of Fame starts with Juan Manuel Fangio. In the Grand Prix in which, theoretically, wins who starts on pole position and can stay ahead after the first turn, casualties that revolutionize the situation happen all the time. The Safety Car can blow up the best strategy and create the most troubles for a driver already puzzled. In 2004, a neutralized race saw Juan Pablo Montoya rear-end Michael Schumacher. It was Jarno Trulli’s day, the outsider, who still thinks about that race at night, because it remains, and it seems it's going to continue this way, his only win. Because winning in Monte-Carlo has always had a special taste to it. If weathermen hit the bull’s eye, it’s going to be a wet race. In that case, any prediction won’t stand a chance: it’s going to be an elimination race, one Safety Car in, one Safety Car out. Among Monte-Carlo magic tricks, the organization’s efficiency stands out: a crashed car can be removed in just a few minutes. The show does not slow down, not even after the engines stop running. Every year actors come here from the Cannes Film Festival.
The crowd collects autographs and pictures with VIPs. Everything is part of the show, all included in the weekend package, which costs as much as a vacation to the Maldives. However, Monte-Carlo is always Monte-Carlo. Thursday, May 22, 2008, one hour into the first session, officials noticed a loose drain cover in the run through Beau Rivage, and suspended the practice. Ferrari and McLaren took the top four spots after the resumption - Räikkönen ahead of Hamilton, McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen, and Massa. Behind Williams driver Nico Rosberg, Kubica was the best of the BMW Saubers in sixth; his teammate Heidfeld was forced to retire because of an engine failure, and stopped his car in Casino Square after just 13 laps. Despite further delays during the second session - both Renault drivers crashed in separate incidents at Sainte Devote, requiring the marshals to sweep the track of debris -Hamilton again proved strong, fastest ahead of Rosberg, Räikkönen, Massa, Kovalainen and Kubica. Apart from the Renault drivers, two more cars struck the barriers: Toyota driver Jarno Trulli scraped the wall out of Piscine; Adrian Sutil's Force India lost its front wing after tagging the barrier at Rascasse. It has improved. But maybe not enough. Not sufficiently to contrast McLaren, who last year on the same circuit roamed with Alonso and now threatens to do the same with Lewis Hamilton, the driver who loves Monte-Carlo, the same driver who says he has a perfect car in hands, who at the end of the second session of free practice, closed with the best time, was waving at the crowd like he had just conquered the pole position. The Brit from McLaren, who here the season prior started to wage war to his teammate, Fernando Alonso, struggling to swallow just a second place, raced like a rocket. The Ferrari defended themselves, but, regardless of the hole on the front part of the car (secret weapon in Barcelona), on the second round they had to deal with significant margin, 0.432 seconds for third Kimi Raikkonen and 729 milliseconds for fourth Felipe Massa, with the affront of Rosberg’s Williams (Patron Frank crosses the line of 600 Grand Prix) as an inconvenient intruder, second and eager for a good challenge. Raikkonen, usual sphinx, doesn’t overreact:
"Hamilton is fast, but I’m not worried".
He finds comfort in the morning’s classification when, with hard tyres, he found himself fastest, almost 0.300s better that Lewis Hamilton, with a lap time considerably lowered by the McLaren rival in the afternoon. Considered that in the battle for pole position the soft tyre (more favourable to McLaren) will be used, the Finn hopes for rain, this eve’s nightmare, meaning everyone fears it, everyone announces it (Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari’s Team Principal, is certain it will rain on both Saturday and Sunday), but no one has seen it yet. Kimi Raikkonen would not mind it:
"It’s a handicap for everyone, but it’s not certain that it will be a disadvantage for us".
It could allow to reduce the gap with the rivals messing up the picture like only a wet Monte-Carlo could do. The dry track it’s already full of pitfalls (Fernando Alonso broke the Renault’s rear wing, Jarno Trulli shattered the Toyota’s suspension) and slimy can become a trap. Ferrari hasn’t won in seven years (last Michael Schumacher in 2001) and Felipe Massa despises this track:
"You need to drive like an old lady".
The Brit from McLaren heard him and shook his head:
"It’s a track for real men only, brave ones, who at every turn gently kiss the wall".
In the meantime, Max Mosley, president on the FIA, is seen at the paddock for the first time after the scandal that involved him:
"Everything is fine, I just want to talk about Formula 1. Other question to my press office".
Then he met with the team principals. Tuesday June 3rd 2008, day of the trial and final confrontation, in close.
Saturday, May 24, 2008, while light rain fell in the morning, Kovalainen set the fastest time in the final session, before losing control at Piscine and damaging the rear of his car. The rain increased as the marshals cleared the debris, and in the ensuing poor track conditions Kovalainen's time remained unbeaten. Hamilton managed second fastest, ahead of Räikkönen, Rosberg, Kubica and Massa. A few hours later Felipe Massa clinched his third pole position of the season with a time of 1’15”787, and was joined on the front row by teammate Räikkönen. Hamilton took third place on the grid, with a qualifying time just 0.052 seconds slower than Massa's. Kovalainen edged out Kubica to take fourth, the latter struggling to get heat into his tyres for his final run. Rosberg's attacking style took him to sixth; Renault driver Fernando Alonso, Trulli and Red Bull driver Mark Webber occupied the next three places. Webber's teammate David Coulthard ended his second session in the barriers after the tunnel, after his car jerked sideways at the crest under braking. Although Coulthard was unhurt, the position of his stricken car and the subsequent caution flags surrounding it denied many drivers the opportunity to make their final flying laps in the session. Honda driver Jenson Button, who took 12th behind Timo Glock of Toyota, blamed the disruption for his performance, having prepared his car specifically for the final run. Heidfeld suffered from similar tyre problems to his teammate and managed 13th; Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima and Honda driver Rubens Barrichello took the next two places ahead of Bourdais in the new STR3. Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. lined up from 17th and Vettel managed 18th before his gearbox penalty demoted him to 19th. The Force Indias of Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella qualified slowest; Fisichella's penalty for a change of gearbox after morning practice meant he started from 20th on the grid. During the Monegasque weekend, the first day that counts is painted Ferrari red, on a track where the team from Maranello hasn’t won since 2001, for one reason or another.
Last year, the team from Maranello was penalized by an extreme choice: their 2007 cars were characterised by good pace - the distance between the front and rear wheel tyres - the longest of the lot: this specific feature pays on faster tracks but is highly penalising on tight mixed ones. This year, the red cars’ measures are average. Nevertheless, the 2008 season’s evolution, with the initial defeat on a street circuit - Melbourne - and the following prospect’s overturning on real tracks, led to fear that, this year, the Principate’s Taboga was going to be taboo once again. Obviously, before having hasty certainties we are supposed to wait the first 30 minutes of the race: only then, indeed, we’ll know how much fuel will have boarded the tanks of each team. There’s also to consider the variable of the rain, capable of destroying strategies and predictions. However, the scene of Ferrari condemned at the start to struggle at the back of the grid between the Casino, Loews and the Port seems only a memory. Felipe Massa took pole position with his second attempt during the third manche of qualification.
"The first attempt was a good lap, but I was lacking a bit of speed. I knew I could improve, but I thought that the others could do the same. Instead I improved a lot: I braked pretty late at the first turn, a traditionally difficult point. In that moment I told myself I needed to the same for the rest of the track. And I did".
The F2008 has grown during the weekend.
"On Thursday I was struggling a bit in the first sector, but then we managed to make everything right. The car feels great, that’s why we managed to get pole position. Tomorrow is another day, the race will most definitely be difficult. Everything can happen, without considering the rain".
Raikkonen will start right behind his teammate:
"Last year it was a little bit different, that’s why we improved the car even though we didn’t know how it was going to be today. We are capable of seizing the win. It went well, even if I had to recover a little bit after the first three turns. It’s not a positive thing, but maybe tomorrow we’ll have completely different conditions".
Crackles the voice over the radio:
"I can’t believe it, you’re on pole. How did you do it? It’s incredible".
Rob Smedley speaking, track engineer of Felipe Massa, the driver who, until Saturday morning, hated Monte-Carlo and know considers it a magical, fantastic place:
"Where getting pole position, the first for me here, is sensational".
Massa in front of everyone, never happen before. There’s astonishment in that voice over the radio, his closest collaborator believes in his champion, but he did not think he could get such a joy on a track so unbearable for his favourite. And there’s amazement, feeling of the challenge, also in the Brazilian, who still laughs while talking to Smedley without being able to stop. Not Lewis Hamilton, the predestined, the man who was waving enthusiastically at the crown on Thursday as if he was already on pole. The king of the Principate is Felipe Massa, 0.028s faster that his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, 0.052 faster himself that the rival in the McLaren.
Minimal gaps, more puffs than blows, but enough to radically change a driver’s career. In 2006, here in Monte-Carlo, Felipe Massa felt like a wretch. He had been mortified by Micheal Schumacher, at the time his teammate at Ferrari, now his special fan, to the extent that on Thursday he was suggesting to him what line to maintain at every turn. 1s gap from a driver that has the same car as you is not easy to swallow, the Brazilian seemed gutted and in that state he confronted himself with Rob Smedley, already back then, since just a few weeks, his track engineer. The conversation was useful, because it started to build the psychological reconstruction of Felipe Massa.
"There are no uncomfortable tracks, you have to be good at everyone, because you can win everywhere".
And now little Felipe, twelve pole positions in his career, three out of six races this year, 28 points conquered (with two wins) in the latest three Grand Prix, discovers that you can be great on tight tracks too, in the golden corner that allows the residency to him, as rich as the others, as well.
"I’m starting in front of everyone else at Monte-Carlo, it’s exceptional, I didn’t even dare to dream it. Today, though, was a weird day, maybe someone else was driving instead of me and in that case I hope he’ll be back tomorrow. Did I give Schumacher my helmet? I was faster in the first sector and in the second one as well. So I told myself: I can do it. I drove like crazy and now here I am, on pole, on a circuit where Senna was a monster, capable of giving a one-second gap to Prost".
And where Brazil, in last few days, rediscovers old joys, considered that also Bruno Senna, Ayrton’s nephew, triumphed on Friday in GP2.
"It was emotional to see all the fans screaming Senna’s name. I would like to imitate him here, but I don’t want to fill my head with ideas. But let’s wait, the rain could change everything".
The hope of the annihilated rivals, the defeated McLarens, but also of Kimi Raikkonen, once again forced to chase down his teammate. The Finn admits:
"I made a mistake at Saint Devote, the first turn, I was too careful".
Fatal uncertainty. And now at the start he’s on the dirty side of the track, just like Istanbul.
"But if it rains before the race, it’s the best spot".
So-so, fancying some scuffle.
"We’ll have some fun with the track wet".
So Felipe Massa becomes less unreachable. It was 1979, 29 years ago, the last time the two Ferrari started at the front in Monte-Carlo. Jody Scheckter, who then went to win the Grand Prix, on pole and Gilles Villeneuve second. On June 4th 2000 Michael Schumacher got pole position for Ferrari, but on race day he didn’t manage to win. It was David Coulthard’s honour of winning. Who lives by awe, dies by awe. Lewis Hamilton left everyone amazed in Istanbul with three pit stops (in reality force by Bridgestone for safety reasons), in Monaco sincerely manifested his amazement.
"To tell you the truth, I was not expecting Ferrari to be so fast".
And it’s a hard punch to take, for both the Brit and his ambitions. Because if McLaren were not to win on a traditionally favourable track, the gap with Ferrari will increase and a comeback would become more and more difficult. It was definitely a hard pill to swallow for Lewis Hamilton: everyone in the paddock was pointing at him as the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix; on Sunday afternoon, however, he is going to start on the second row of the grid:
"And yet my two laps were good, even if I have to admit that maybe, in the last sector, I lost a bit".
There’s so much disappointment and surprise in his voice. But the number one of Maranello’s rival team does not want to lose his faith, a little institutionally, a little because this track remains one of his favourites. Where the driver can still make a difference. Last year already, Lewis Hamilton was left unsatisfied: he got a taste of the win, then Fernando Alonso stole him the first place (and at the next Grand Prix, in Canada, Lewis Hamilton gave back the favour so the rivalry between the two erupted). In 2008 too, it seems like everything is conspiring against him:
"But starting from third is not the worst of evils, yesterday we didn't have any traffic problems. I repeat, I am happy with the choices we made for the Grand Prix".
Repeats the Brit, trying to convince the crowd.
"The team did a great job, the car goes, we have good pace, we’re fast".
However, Ferrari is ahead.
"It’s true, but we’ll see".
The strategies of the various teams, plus the unknowns. Lewis Hamilton says it clearly:
"Rain can throw off any reasoning, any calculations".
Since the dawn of time, Monte-Carlo’s strategies expect, and include, multiple Safety cars.
"If it rains, as the meteorologists say, anything can happen. Then we need to know how much fuel Ferrari has".
The experts confirm on a light Ferrari, but not enough to predict a win for Lewis Hamilton, who instead will have to watch out for Nico Rosberg's Williams and perhaps even Jarno Trulli's Toyota. And there's another noteworthy outsider to consider, Fernando Alonso. He has announced an aggressive race strategy:
"I don’t have anything to lose anyway, I’m not fighting for the title".
He does not like seventh place at all. And, speaking of announcements, the Monegasque gossip concerns the ex-World Champion indeed:
"Alonso has signed: from 2010 onwards he’ll be at Ferrari".
It's the afternoon's refrain, which Radio Paddock immediately spread.
"Raikkonen retires, there's an open seat with Massa".
At Ferrari, in response to direct questions, they smile. The Spanish driver doesn't even seal his lips, while his manager Garcia handles it with jokes:
"Obviously he has signed. With BMW, Red Bull Racing, Honda and Toyota too".
Instead, what is certain is that Max Mosley was waiting for everyone in his Monegasque office at 4.00pm. he had an appointment with the six power units manufactures: Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Renault. No one showed up. Another sign, another slap in the face. In response to the FIA president's invitation, the teams wrote a letter and sent it to Charlie Whiting, the technical representative of the Federation.
"Thank you for the invitation to discuss the future power units regulations, a topic of utmost priority for our companies. However, we need some time to prepare for the meeting, and we would appreciate it if you could postpone the meeting by a couple of weeks".
So after Tuesday June 3rd 2008, the day of Max Mosley’s trial. The latter is never mentioned in the letter, but is, of course, the intended receiver. Expected for Saturday’s qualifications, Max Mosley is nowhere to be seen. Has he got the point? It is a mystery, but from Japan, Setsou Tanak, number one of the federation, has made a move: he asked Franco Lucchesi (FIA vice president) to attempt a final approach to Max Mosley before the verdict in Paris, requesting him to step back, to avoid divisions and conflicts. The Italian will try and will probably point out how much the situation has got worse. After all, as the experienced politician he is, the leader of the FIA has now realized that the support he was seeking has gradually dwindle. He only has one last card to play, his personal influence over the members of the FIA. Will it be enough? We shall see. On Sunday, May 25, 2008, the Grand Prix starts on a wet track, with the rain still falling: every driver chose intermediate tires, except for Nelson Piquet Jr., who starts on full wet tires. Heikki Kovalainen stays on the grid during the formation lap and starts his race from the pit lane. At lights out, Felipe Massa keeps the lead, while Lewis Hamilton manages to squeeze himself between the two Ferraris, followed by Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg. The latter touches the Spanish at Loew’s, damaging his wing, while Jenson Button does the same with Nick Heidfeld at the Piscine; both of them are forced to box. The rain increases after a few laps, Timo Glock, seventh behind Jarno Trulli, spins at the last turn and damages his wing too, needing to box. The duo in the lead builds up a certain advantage until, on lap 6, Lewis Hamilton hits the barriers at Tabac turn, gets a puncture and pits, also refueling. Thanks to the gap built by the leaders, he drops to fifth place. A few moments later Fernando Alonso hits the wall at the Massenet turn and is forced to box because of a puncture on the right rear; things go worse for David Coulthard and Sebastien Bourdais who make the same mistake and exit at Massenet, one ending up in the back of the other. The Safety car enters in action on track to allow the two cars to be removed. Felipe Massa is first, followed by Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica, Lewis Hamilton, Nick Heidfeld, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. The Spanish now has full wet tires. After the restart Kimi Raikkonen has to serve a drive through penalty, because at the signal three minutes before the start the tires were not fixed correctly on the car: he does so on lap 13 and starts again behind Lewis Hamilton.
On lap 14 Fernando Alonso, after overtaking Mark Webber at Mirabeau two laps prior, touches Nick Heidfeld trying to pass him at Loew’s: behind them a little jam is created and they are both forced to the pit lane. Thanks to these events, Adrian Sutil climbs to sixth place. Two laps after Felipe Massa goes straight while braking at Sainte Devote, reverses on the escape lane and rejoins the track, but Robert Kubica takes the lead. The two leading drivers battle each other one fastest lap after the other now that the track is drying and the fuel diminishes. Robert Kubica pits to refuel on lap 26, Kimi Raikkonen overtakes the Polish, who is exiting the pit lane but, maybe distracted, goes straight at Sainte Devote and is forced to box again to change the front wing. The Finn drops down to sixth place, behind the incredible Adrian Sutil. Later Lewis Hamilton increases the pace, while Felipe Massa pits on lap 33 and rejoins the track ahead of Robert Kubica, with a ten second gap to the Brit, now leading the race. On lap 38 Timo Glock spins at Mirabeau, damages his tires and is forced to change his rear wing, while Giancarlo Fisichella, who celebrates his 200th Grand Prix, retires due to gearbox issues. The track dries up and with the tanks emptying even Mark Webber, who is fourth and Rubens Barrichello, seventh, are setting fastest laps. Except for the first three and those who had damages to repair, no one else has refueled. With the track drying up, contrary to the forecasts that leaned towards a return of the rain, all the drivers can now think of switching to slick tires. On lap 44 Fernando Alonso, whose race was ruined by the decision of putting on again full wet tires, pits and switches to slicks, imitated by Nelson Piquet Jr. (who switches from full wets used from the start) two laps later: the Spanish does not force too much on the first laps, the most difficult ones, while the Brazilian makes a mistake and hits the wall at Sainte Devote, retiring.
Mark Webber as well switches to slicks on lap 48, but it’s too soon and he’s overtaken by Rubens Barrichello, still on intermediate tires; after a few laps going slowly, having a hard time putting temperatures in the tires, by lap 50, anyway, who has slicks on sets competitive lap times compared to full wets. Felipe Massa’s lap times have increased by over two seconds per lap, and Lewis Hamilton was able to extend his advantage by over half a minute, while Robert Kubica is now getting closer to the Brazilian’s car. The race is decided between lap 53 and lap 56, because Robert Kubica switches to slicks, while Felipe Massa stays out. Lewis Hamilton has now created a sufficient gap to pit for slicks and come out still in the lead, on lap 54. Jenson Button spins thanks to Heikki Kovalainen at harbour chicane. Felipe Massa delays his pit stop, done on lap 56, and when he rejoins the track he finds himself third, behind Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica. The order of the first three does not change up to the finish line, with the Brit controlling the situation without apparent struggles. Adrian Sutil climbs up to fourth place, and even Kimi Raikkonen is ahead of Mark Webber, who has lost much time in the first few laps after switching to slicks, while the great Sebastian Vettel, author of an impeccable race, is seventh. Rubens Barrichello closes the drivers in the points. On lap 62 Nico Rosberg closes an afternoon to forget violently hitting the wall on the chicane of the Piscine, forcing the Safety Car on track. The Safety Car is forced to complete six laps because it needs to allow lapped cars to unlap themselves and join the group again. The race restarts on lap 68: exiting the tunnel, Kimi Raikkonen makes a mistake while braking and turbulently touches Adrian Sutil. The Ferrari pits to change the front wing, while a prestigious result vanishes for the Force India, due to damages to the suspension after the impact. The race goes on smoothly until the checkered flag, waved two laps early due to reaching the two-hour time limit. Lewis Hamilton wins the Monaco Grand Prix, followed by Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa. Mark Webber is Fourth, followed by Sebastian Vettel, Rubens Barrichello, Kazuki Nakajima and Heikki Kovalainen. Winning in the Principality feels like being on another planet. All the lucky winners have said that. And it holds true for Lewis Hamilton too:
"I’m on the moon".
It’s easy to understand that this Grand Prix has another meaning, it’s not just about earning ten points.
"Here Ayrton was winning. I was thinking about him in the last few laps".
Ayrton as in Ayrton Senna, the most winning Brazilian in Monte-Carlo.
"I have won where my hero dominated".
Continues the young Brit, new leader of the Driver Championship. He couldn’t choose a better Grand Prix for a comeback: They even carry him triumphantly, a gesture perhaps a little excessive, not even halfway through the season. However, McLaren-Mercedes needed this win. Because after the Australian Grand Prix, the Anglo-German team's certainties seemed to have vanished, with Ferrari having won in Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain, and Turkey, and appeared to have taken control of the World Championship, even with a one-two in Saturday's qualifying sessions. And the gossip had already started in the paddock:
"See? Without Alonso helping him to develop the car, Hamilton isn’t going anywhere".
The Englishman, unfazed by criticism, responded in his own way. Behind his kindness (now a shield), he contemplated his return to the top. He was waiting for Monte-Carlo, McLaren's circuit, for redemption. He succeeded, but he needed an extraordinary dose of luck: not only for the risk at the Tabac turn that, on lap 6, could have forced him to retire, but also for the premature conclusion of the race:
"If it had lasted one more lap, I don’t know if Lewis would have finished the Grand Prix".
Reveals Martin Whitmarsh at the end, McLaren’s CEO.
"His right front tire had a puncture and it was gradually deflating".
Extremely lucky, Lewis Hamilton, and he admits is with sincerity:
"I was really, really lucky. This win is the peak of my career. It’s a triumph, today’s, that I’ll remember all my life"
Unforgettable moments: the royal stage, Prince Albert with his sister Caroline, Ron Dennis on the podium together, the champagne shower for the team, who carried him on their shoulders.
"Maybe it’s difficult to understand for you, but this is the race of my life: since I was a child this circuit made me daydream, with the tunnel exit, the Piscine chicane. So spectacular, it struck my imagination. Time did not change a thing: it’s my favourite race".
It almost feels like he doesn’t want to talk about the World Drivers Championship being reopened, the overtake on the Ferrari, the next Grand Prix in Canada, where he won for the first time in his career. Monte-Carlo, magical place, is the only thing he’s interested in this Sunday.
"We have won thanks to the team’s times reaction, to the rapid change of strategy. We have won because I’ve always believed in myself. The Championship? There’s still a long way to go…".
The Grand Finale of Monte-Carlo awaits another great result for Lewis: a night of celebrations.
"There are days that need to be celebrated".
So first family dinner, mum included of course. Then clubbing with the whole team.
"I owe it to them from the bottom of my heart. They were already asking me over the radio when a was just a few steps away from the finish line: ‘tonight, drinks are on you’ said to me one of the engineers. I was about to say ‘No problem’, when I heard Ron (Dennis) say: ‘Don’t worry Lewis, I’m buying drinks tonight’. So…".
Dance music and mojitos, McLaren’s weekend ends with sky-high good spirits. And they have every reason to do so. On the opposite side, Felipe Massa was hoping he could finally love Monte-Carlo. Instead, the joy remained stuck in his throat. A Saturday as here, for the first time in his life on pole position, a Sunday full of regrets. Is Felipe Massa disappointed with this third place?
"When you’re starting ahead of everyone else, you’re always hoping to win. Unfortunately many things didn’t work out. We’re taking home six points, let’s grin and bear it. For a reason or another Monte-Carlo remains a bewitched track. This time too I felt like I was the fastest".
Then why didn’t you win?
"Because of a strategy mistake. We took a risk and we paid for it. We gambled on the rain, we were convince that towards the end it was going to rain heavily , but the rain didn’t come".
What did all of this mean?
“That we loaded the car of fuel for nothing. The team decided to switch from a two-stop strategy to just one. A lot of fuel, full wet tires, me getting to the finish line while the others box. Instead the track started to dry up and I didn’t have any grip with those tires. I could have easily beaten Hamilton, instead he overtook me with no problems”.
Do you mean that that strategy mistake cost you the win?
“Absolutely”.
Why didn’t you pit right away to switch to slicks?
"I told them that, but they insisted: go ahead, you’ll see, the rain will come. Often we won thanks to tactics, but not this time".
You’re talking about a vanished success. But you even finished third.
"Again because of the tires. I should have boxed one lap early, considering that Kubica was way faster than me with the other tires. Maybe I would have avoided the overtake".
There’s also your mistake at Sainte Devote?
"In a race so complicated and confusing, mistakes can happen. I lost mi concentration for a moment and I immediately paid for the hesitation. I went over a yellow strip, the car slipped and I couldn’t keep the trajectory anymore".
Be honest: do you think you’ve lost an occasion?
"We were in a very good position forget about the unbeatable McLaren. Now I hope I can get my revenge in Canada. There’s one consolation: Ferrari is strong everywhere".
Adrian Sutil cried. He was about to achieve his first great result in Formula 1, perhaps the result of a lifetime. The German driver, who with his Force India usually battles for last place on the grid, was fourth. He was seeing the finish line and maybe a nice gift from the billionaire Vijay Mallya too, the owner of the team, who wears diamond earrings worth 100.000 euros at least. On lap 68 he was rear-ended by Kimi Raikkonen.
"I still cannot believe it, I was almost on the podium. I could have done something incredible for myself and for my team. This is a huge wound that’s going to take time to heal".
Force India makes come complaints, asking for a penalty for the Ferrari driver. But the stewards rejected them:
"Normal racing incident".
A horrible Sunday. Terrible. Kimi Raikkonen hopes to forget it quickly. The Finn who goes dry, who is overtaken in the standings by Lewis Hamilton, who loses, who makes too many mistakes and is also victim of the team’s uncertainties. Not only that: Kimi Raikkonen who makes Adrian Sutil cry. Because he hits him, putting him out of the race, making him lose five points, that for the Force India driver represent an unrepeatable occasion. Kimi Raikkonen, let’s start from here. What happened?
"I feel sorry for Sutil, I told him I was sorry, but it was not my fault. The wheels locked up, I didn’t make a mistake on the brakes. It was a racing incident".
However, Kimi ended up under investigation.
"The judges recognized my good intentions and decided to absolve me. Those points were important for me, but especially for Sutil. I get his discouragement, but I am not responsible. Something like that can happen".
Are you sure you weren’t fighting for fourth place?
"Absolutely. Fourth or fifth didn’t make any difference for me. It wasn’t worth it to take any risks".
Lewis Hamilton is now leading the World Drivers Championship.
"We made too many mistakes, it was a bad weekend. I wasn’t comfortable with the car. Not once I could get the right temperature in the tires".
Do you fear for a vanished World title?
"Because I’m three points behind? Are you kidding? It’s too soon to think about the championship, even if I’ve lost four points here, that I hope I won’t regret at the end".
On the eve, Tifosi were hoping for a different result.
"Me too. But a negative day is not the end of the world. On the positive side, the car was way better here that last year. Compared to 2007 we’ve made a great step forward, huge progress. And now I hope the same thing happens in Canada".
Right, last year it was difficult for you in Canada as well.
"But now everything could be different, I have faith".
And you slow start, the drive through, going straight on at Saint Devote?
"It happens. It was a disappointing Sunday. Let’s forget about it".
How to hurt oneself. Usually, the red manual is filled with brilliance; this time instead it’s overgrown with mistakes. Mistakes that the men of the Maranello team don’t hide, accusations that quickly become self-criticism. Luca Baldisserri, the team manager, the man who often made his drivers great with the power of tactics, is very honest:
"When mistakes follow one another, these things happen. We could have won, instead we have to deal with a third place".
Under accusation, Felipe Massa said it right after the end of the race, there’s especially the strategy change during the race. The forecasts from Meteo France are to blame, say the men from Maranello team. They predicted the first drops of rain 20 minutes before the race, then the rain’s arrival 10 minutes before the race, a mid-race break and again a storm towards the end. They were right before, why not trusting them during the race? Then the strategy changes, it goes from a two-stops to a one-stop. Felipe Massa pits and the tank is filled with fuel. He switches to full wet tires, he has to stay on track until the end. When the others, because of the rain, will stop to box, he will fly towards the triumph. But the rain does not arrive. Instead, the temperatures get higher, the track dries up. Explains Domenicali, Ferrari’s team principal:
"With those tires and that fuel load, we didn’t need to box again and we would have won easily. Obviously, in hindsight, we would have opted for another choice, but it’s easy to say now. We had different information, we made a mistake".
However, it is surprising, given Ferrari's renowned reactivity, that the men from the Maranello team are the only ones to have made a mistake, considering that Meteo France provides information to all the teams. Also, you can lose the first place to Lewis Hamilton, but the second place obtained by Robert Kubica is the result of uncertainty. Luca Baldisserri adds:
"We kept Massa on track too long, one lap too many".
He was struggling, Robert Kubica was recovering, when the Brazilian, after his pit stop (because with the rain not arriving, they took a step back and decided to change his tires) rejoined the track, he found himself behind the Polish driver from BMW. Another note: Kimi Raikkonen had a drive through, because the mechanics fixed his tires too late compared to the start. Stefano Domenicali explains:
"The wheel nut wasn’t working".
The nut wouldn’t screw in, the penalty arrived inexorably. Luca Baldisserri adds:
"It’s the most serious mistake, it mustn’t happen. We indulged too much and couldn’t remedy the inconvenience".
Now even the drivers are clean: a few mistakes by Massa, many by Kimi Raikkonen. But Domenicali says:
"No trials, a bad race is not the end of the world".
Especially if the reaction is the same after Australia. Disaster in Melbourne, then four wins back to back. You can put your signature on it.
At the end of the day, the Monaco Grand Prix had been a disappointing chapter last year as well, in 2008 not much has changed, the only missing element is the point strongly earned by the Finn the previous season. One can find comfort in flipping through the pages of the memories album, the Principate has been bewitched since 2001, last triumph with Michael Schumacher, however everyone at Ferrari knows it’s not right. Because this time the picture was different, the cars from Maranello were the fastest, the numerous mistakes on track and in the pits (admitted by the drivers and the team) compromised a well-deserved win, gifting the success to the rivals at McLaren and to the dreaded foe Lewis Hamilton. A suicidal inclination, already talked about right after the race. on Monday, May 26, 2008, the technical meeting leads to nothing new. The mistakes are reiterated, the betrayal of the weather forecasts which turned a daring strategy (changing, during the race, the number of pit stops while waiting for a never-arriving storm) into an enormous flop, the uncertainties before the start with the tires fixed too late on the car, which weighed down, with the drive through misfortune, Kimi Raikkonen’s race, the drivers’ slips (both off-track on turn 1, Sainte Devote) costed some pace and precious time. Stefano Domenicali and Luca Baldisserri, team principal and team manager, cannot do anything more than to reiterate what was acknowledged on Sunday:
"Many mistakes, too many, to analyse and to not be repeated. We had to to better, what’s left to do is thinking about Canada and to an immediate redemption".
The horrendous Sunday, after the mea culpa, is to be set aside quickly. This is the watchword at Ferrari. Nevertheless, self-flagellation brings negative thoughts to mind, that take inspiration from the standings and risk to drift towards other paradoxical mistakes. Looking at the standings, it’s easy to see that Ferrari, authentic leader of the season, is not leader of the Drivers’ Championship anymore. This is because Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa have more of less the same points, they equally shared the triumphs, they have raced on equally, white McLaren bets everything on Lewis Hamilton, who has won two races just like the drivers from Maranello, but leads Kimi Raikkonen by three points and Felipe Massa by four. Ron Dennis’ team is inferior (maybe not in the next race in Canada, but the team from Maranello announces important developments) and doesn’t have a choice: for the moment he has completely abandoned Heikki Kovalainen. Would is benefit Ferrari to have a different approach? Maybe not, but Stefano Domenicali is not swayed by criticism:
"Our way of thinking does not change, the two drivers stay equal".
After all, who could be the chosen one, considering that Felipe Massa only is one point behind? For the gamble to pay off, we have to hope for many one-two finishes, like in Bahrain and in Spain. Otherwise, among the two contenders, only Lewis Hamilton could benefit.