Three days of testing took place at the Silverstone circuit, from 25 to 27 June, 2008. Massa set the fastest time on the first day: 1'20"188, 0.3 seconds faster than Heikki Kovalainen, but he was unable to escape the track after suffering a mechanical failure with 30 minutes to go, which forced the session to be red-flagged. Kovalainen improved on the second day (1'20"015). Strong winds caused Giancarlo Fisichella to crash heavily at the Becketts corner; he was uninjured, although medical checks claimed he was unable to do further testing in the afternoon. On the third and final day, Hamilton set the quickest time, 1'19"170, over 0.6 seconds ahead of second-fastest Timo Glock. Before the race, FIA announced that Donington Park had been awarded a ten-year contract to host the British Grand Prix from 2010, guaranteeing major renovations. The British Racing Drivers' Club, owners of the Silverstone circuit, were disappointed with the announcement stating that development plans for the circuit had been progressing well. They were also critical on the timing of the announcement, made on the weekend the circuit celebrated its 60th anniversary of hosting the British Grand Prix. Also, before the race, Red Bull driver David Coulthard announced he was to retire at the end of the season, saying:
"My decision was taken earlier this year and it is based on a desire to stop while I am still competitive".
He also explained the timing of his retirement saying:
"The decision to make this announcement at the British Grand Prix should be obvious for everyone to understand, as I have achieved two of my F1 victories at Silverstone and I am member of the British Racing Drivers' Club, which hosts this event".
Meanwhile, the battle between Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone goes on. The sentence pronounced by the FIA president, after a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on 25 June 2008 in Paris, is inscrutable:
"FIA will engage in consultations with the different teams and it will lead to a governance review in Formula 1".
It does not explain how this transformation will happen and which impact it will have on the technical and financial side. But it implies a clear threat, directed to those who have always held the commercial rights of this sport, to Ecclestone, the one that FIA president Mosley declared war on, after saving himself from the no-confidence caused by the scandal. It’s been a battle of cheap shots between the two of them, who used to be great friends in the past. Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1 financial director, was the first to go against the other.
"After the bad affair Mosley was involved in, he cannot represent our world anymore. He must leave".
He said that before the extraordinary Assembly held on 3 June in Paris, where the FIA president gained the confidence. He confirmed it later, adding:
"It is unacceptable not to have a commercial agreement with the teams. This anarchy is unbearable".
Mosley, not directly, but through the Federation statement, replies:
"We will begin wide-ranging consultations with the teams to examine different projects regarding an efficiency increase, including new championship’s technical regulations. It will also lead to a governance review in Formula 1".
A nice way to say Bernie Ecclestone is not necessary, and also that FIA does not intend to be a simple judge in the competition, but they also want to be involved in the profit sharing, increasing the amount due to every team. A battle that runs the risk of being bloody, especially since hundreds of millions of euros are at stake, in light of a Concorde agreement expired in 2007 and only renewed by Ferrari, Williams, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing and Force India – half of the teams of the World Championship. Ferrari itself, through the words of Luca Montezemolo, reaffirms:
"In other sports, the organizer does not have a percentage of revenue similar to Formula 1. 50% for the teams is not enough. We must review the agreements, even though we signed a deal until 2012 that we are willing to respect".
A speech which not in favour of Bernie Ecclestone. Max Mosley reiterates:
"It’s impossible to have a system where the competitors come to an agreement and make the rules. We need an impartial third party and it must be FIA for us".
Not even the team from Maranello is on Ecclestone’s side in the context of the fight between the two owners of this sport.
Another point worth highlighting is the new FIA project: starting a new competition in 2009, called Formula 2, for younger drivers. It will be preparatory to Formula 1 and low-cost (200.000 euros each car), but most importantly it’s a way to warn Bernie Ecclestone and to show him that FIA can organize a championship by itself. Meanwhile, in the current championship, we notice Montezemolo’s superstitious irony:
"Ferrari? There’s no chance for the world title, despite being a good team with a couple of great drivers".
And looking at the next championship, we already have a provisional calendar. An additional Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi on 15 November 2009: nineteen races, starting on Sunday, 29 March 2009, in Australia. While waiting for the first free practice of the British Grand Prix, controversy is not missing:
"Formula 2? No, Formula Lawnmower".
Bernie Ecclestone mocks the new FIA project, willing to propose a new championship in competition with the current GP2.
"What is Mosley aiming to? If he wants to divide the money, he needs to have it first".
The answer? It came from a letter to the teams:
"F1 is getting unsustainable. The main constructors require 1.000 people to put two cars on track. It is unacceptable in a time when we have to deal with the financial difficulties".
Mosley says then:
"We need to cut the costs and we need new rules for 2011: make suggestions before 3 October".
The FIA president ends saying he wants fuel consumption to be halved by 2015. Coming back to the scandal he was involved in, Max Mosley had already said:
"I have an eccentric sex life, but that’s my own business".
And now, the president reveals what he means with eccentric, at least in bed. He explains it in the sworn statements he made for the defamation lawsuit against News of the World, English weekly that some months ago published the pictures of a sadomasochistic orgy, where prostitutes were wearing uniforms of the Third Reich or prisoners of Nazi lagers. Mosley denies a Nazi connotation of the orgy, saying he could not imagine anything less erotic. Then, he adds his definition of sadomasochism:
"It’s about corporal punishments among consenting adults. It includes a role play, to make sure you have a reason or excuse for that punishment. Physical pain is of course the main component of a similar activity, but it wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t accompanied by something that justifies the fact - and it makes it better. As far as I know, every participant takes pleasure from it. People who play the victim want to be the victim. Some women want to be dominant, some want to be submissive, others accept both roles. It’s an individual decision, and the same goes for men".
In his deposition, Max Mosley denies that being the son of Oswald Mosley, founder of the British fascism and friend of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, has had an impact on his sex preferences. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing shakes the driver market confirming Mark Webber for 2009, while David Coulthard will retire at the end of the season to become advisor for Mateschitz’ team. On Friday, 4 July 2008, Felipe Massa set the fastest time in the first session (1'19"575), despite a crash forcing him to miss the last 30 minutes. Fernando Alonso's Renault engine failed, leaving slippery oil on the racing line at Stowe corner. Massa approached the corner and lost control of his car, spinning off the circuit and colliding with the barriers. He was unhurt, but his car was too damaged to continue. The session was stopped for 18 minutes to recover his car and cover the oil with cement dust. This accident left the track in difficult conditions, and nobody could beat Massa's time in the remainder of the session. It ended with Massa ahead of Kovalainen and Hamilton by less than one-tenth of a second; Räikkönen and Kubica were the fourth and fifth-fastest, respectively. In the second session, Kovalainen was the fastest, over half a second ahead of Red Bull driver Mark Webber, Hamilton, and Webber's teammate David Coulthard. Massa missed the first half of the session as his car was still being repaired, and he was the eighth-fastest. Both Toyota drivers had problems: Timo Glock stopped on track with a clutch problem; and Jarno Trulli crashed heavily at Stowe after a problem with his rear wing, although he was not hurt. A fright for two. For Felipe Massa, whose car skidded at 300km/h against the barriers, and for Fernando Alonso, who saw an uncontrolled missile crashing into him. In hindsight, the Spaniard cheerfully says he has now understood the stewards’ worries:
"When they see us going off track".
The accident, highlight of the Friday in Silverstone, happened at 10am: Alonso’s Renault engine goes up in flames, resulting an oil leak. The first driver behind him is the Brazilian, who slips and crashes destroying the rear of his car, while Fernando Alonso takes a fright:
"I didn’t know what to do. There were no getaways. He crashed ten metres away from me. I was hoping not to be hit by any debris".
The Brazilian was the main victim, along with his mechanics, forced to an unexpected and extraordinary urgent work.
They quickly did an amazing job, so much so that Felipe Massa was able to complete eighteen laps in the afternoon, content with his car setup, in contrast with the World Champion: Kimi Räikkönen’s lap time was unsatisfying.
"Track conditions changed, and the car was not good enough. A performance that doesn’t reflect our true value".
How about the rivals? Local hero Lewis Hamilton (despite the tabloid rumours about his nightlife) is third the whole day:
"An encouraging performance, reference point for qualifying".
All of the Friday strategies might be frustrated because of weather conditions: English weathermen swear it will rain, both today and during the Grand Prix.
Anything else is about politics, with various announcements: first of all, Bernie Ecclestone supports Mosley’s plan about a cost reduction and he hopes for peace in the name of Formula 1; then, Melbourne, securing a race until 2015 but postponing the start to 8am, European time; and, last but not least, a swap with motorbikes regarding the venue of the English race, since F1 goes to Donington in 2010 and MotoGP moves to Silverstone. Donington has already hosted a Grand Prix in 1993 and its organizers guaranteed the allocation of 100.000.000 pounds to make it a dream circuit, worthy of the British pride.
"My life is weird".
Catapulted in Formula 1 by McLaren just the past year, Lewis Hamilton is certainly the driver who has impressed the most on his debut from the days of Gilles Villeneuve and the legendary Ayrton Senna. Genius and recklessness, heavy foot and light head, but, most of all, a great talent in terms of speed. The thing that fans love the most in this sport. Angel and demon: fans adore him (they bought 240.000 tickets to see him racing at the British Grand Prix, making it a record attendance); media, even English media, destroyed him after his mistakes in Canada and Magny-Cours. It’s Hamilton-mania. Giant pictures of the driver in the circuit, autograph chase, cheering crowd. And a lot of pressure. After fighting for the World Championship until the last race of 2007, with six wins, the 23-year-old driver of Caribbean origin is already the best-paid English sportsman, surpassing David Beckham. According to specialist magazines, he is the fifth most popular champion, behind Tiger Woods, Beckham himself, the American basketball player LeBron James and the tennis player Maria Sharapova. Hero on track, with worldly trends and a thousand girlfriends. True or attributed. Starting from his historical girlfriend, Jodia, that he broke up with some months ago, to Sara, daughter of Mansour Ojjeh, McLaren co-owner; passing through Naomi Campbell, Vivian Burkhardt, Miss Grenada, and Cemre Mirel who advertised herself by saying that Lewis used to talk about engines and play PlayStation in bed; ending with Nicole Scherzinger, Pussycat Dolls singer, seven years older than him. Hamilton actually refuses the playboy label.
"I am not a party animal. I’m not into clubs and I don’t like drinking. The only thing I love is driving. But it isn’t easy to simply drive a car. This is why my life has been weird lately. In a day, I go back home in Geneva and train for eight hours. The next morning, I take a flight to Waking to talk to the McLaren engineers and I spend the afternoon taking pictures. At night, I go to London to meet Mandela. I go to bed and get up at 6am to start the tests in Silverstone. And this is just the start of the week. It just never ends".
Of course, driving a car is not enough to take millions of euros to the bank. You need to satisfy the team, but also sponsors, many in his case: Johnnie Walker, Reebok, Tag Heuer, Banca Santander, Mobil, Hugo Boss and some more. Photos, movies, interviews.
"I feel surrounded. But I never forget I’m a driver who wants to win the World Championship: my comeback starts here in Silverstone after an unlucky time. My rivals must be very fast to beat me".
On Saturday, 5 July 2008, Fernando Alonso set the fastest time in the final practice session, which took place in damp conditions following rain earlier in the morning. Early laps were attempted on extreme wet tyres, but the track dried throughout the session, prompting a move to intermediate wet tyres and, with around 20 minutes left, a further switch to dry tyres. Webber finished the session in second place, a quarter of a second slower than Alonso, and Kovalainen was third fastest ahead of Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel. A few hours later, Heikki Kovalainen took his first Formula One pole position with a time of 1'21"049, half a second faster than anyone else. Webber would start alongside him on the front row, the Red Bull team's best qualifying result to date, and Räikkönen would start from third. Hamilton qualified fourth, opting for a more conservative approach to his second flying lap after he had pushed too hard on his first run and slid into the gravel. Nick Heidfeld was the fifth quickest for BMW Sauber, ahead of Alonso, Alonso's teammate Nelson Piquet Jr., and Vettel. Championship leader Massa could only qualify ninth after a slow tyre change in the final session left him unable to record a second timed lap. Kubica did not set a time in the final session due to a technical problem with his car, meaning he started from tenth (the first race all season he had qualified behind teammate Heidfeld). Webber's teammate David Coulthard qualified eleventh for his final British Grand Prix, narrowly missing out on the last part of qualifying, and detected problems on his car earlier in the day, which had reduced his practice time. Sébastien Bourdais was thirteenth separating the two Toyota cars of Glock and Trulli. Kazuki Nakajima was the slowest in the second round of qualifying, and he would start the race fifteenth. Both Honda drivers failed to get past the first stage of qualifying, but they were ahead of Rosberg in eighteenth, who had suspension problems. Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella finished in the last two positions for Force India. Felipe Massa runs away from his car and from the cameras for some minutes. Qualifying has just ended and the Brazilian is only ninth on the grid. His disappointment is visible since the beginning of the weekend: on Friday, he damaged his car because of an off-track due to the oil leak from Fernando Alonso’s Renault. And now the Grand Prix might be compromised and there’s nothing he can do about that. Thus, while going back to the garage, the championship leader wants to know why they ended up in that position, the worst of the season. Felipe Massa, can you tell us what happened in qualifying?
"I just got stuck during the pit-stop".
Tyre problems?
"A problem with the replacement of a tyre, the rear right. Precisely, a wheel nut that the mechanics couldn’t screw. And that’s why I lost so much time".
You couldn’t even try the final push for pole position.
"Exactly, even though it must be said that I couldn’t aim for the best time. Pole position was unreachable".
Are you sure?
"Yes. We couldn’t fight for pole position, but a podium was possible".
Something similar happened to Kimi Räikkönen, didn’t it?
"In Monte-Carlo, on the grid, just before the race start. Engineers said this time is different, though".
You still have to start from the fifth row.
"Right, that’s a shame. I was at a standstill in qualifying. I had no time to go back on track and there’s a lot to complain about, since I’m fast in the second half of the track. A shame. What a pity".
But Ferrari didn’t seem to be in their best shape.
"We have not been as fast as last week in the tests, and I know the team wants to understand why".
Did Massa get some idea?
"No".
So what now?
"Nothing but fighting as always. We’re expecting a tough race but we will give our all to bring home a good result. I’m always confident".
Technically speaking, what has not worked compared to Friday?
"I really don’t know. Honestly, the car balance wasn’t as good as the day before and it was also pretty windy. It was annoying".
Neither Hamilton did so good: he made some mistakes.
"McLaren is fast here, though. We know they’re strong, but I was not expecting such a pace. They are faster than us".
We might have a surprise: the rain, predicted by the weathermen and even evoked by several drivers.
"I’m with them, hoping it will rain. But something else helps me psychologically".
What is it?
"I’ll start ninth. Points, or even more than that, are at hand. Being penalized and ending in the back of the grid would have been much worse".
A new couple is in the lead, increasing the number of surprises this Grand Prix may offer: Heikki Kovalainen and Mark Webber in the front now. Not even the most imaginative of the bookmakers would go for it. The Finn from McLaren and the Australian from Red Bull Racing. But that is what is happening in Silverstone, on a Saturday that was supposed to be rainy, but that was hardly hit by the storm (the weathermen swear it’s coming). In addition, it seems that Ferrari has to be on defence in their rivals’ home race, because the Anglo-Germans from McLaren-Mercedes might be better.
If the current World Champion, Kimi Räikkönen, got away with a podium in extremis, championship leader Felipe Massa wasn’t so lucky: England doesn’t seem to bring him luck. Something that may cost dearly to the Brazilian. Even Ferrari’s team principal Stefano Domenicali apologises:
"We are sorry because we prevented him from taking his chances".
At least, according to Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Lewis Hamilton didn’t benefit from that: the Pole starts in tenth, while the Anglo-Caribbean is fourth with various driving mistakes (including a stroll on the grass), meaning that peace of mind is not at his best. Lewis Hamilton has 26 points less than 2007 and he probably feels the pressure of the ten points he has to recover on Massa.
"I had an oversteering problem and then I pushed too hard in my last attempt wearing the tyres out. But I feel confident for the race: I’m fine with the fourth place, the car is good and I’m thinking of a one-two".
Eyes on the start, then. Felipe Massa will give it a try, looking for some space from behind. But Kimi, fatalistic as always, will do the same:
"I think we improved after working on the car set-up. Balance was not bad and understanding the track was not easy because its conditions constantly changed. Third place is not that bad because we have to come to terms with the others to know how much gas they have. In circuits like this, the quantity of gas weighs on the performance".
No other variable influences the Finn:
"Rain? We gave proof of being competitive even in the wet. We are ready for anything".
On Sunday, 6 July 2008, persistent rain in the morning left standing water on track, although it decreased by the time the race began. The track temperature was 16 °C, while the air temperature was 15 °C. All drivers chose to start on intermediate wet tyres. Rosberg started from the pit lane after a number of set-up changes. The front three drivers (Kovalainen, Webber and Räikkönen) all struggled for grip off the start, allowing Hamilton to take the lead on the first corner. However, Kovalainen had the best line and he retook the lead after making contact with Hamilton, who managed to slip behind his teammate. A number of drivers struggled with the standing water on the first lap: Webber spun coming onto the Hangar straight, falling from fourth to last place; Massa spun going into Bridge, where he was passed by everyone except Webber; and Coulthard and Vettel ended up in a gravel trap after a collision, forcing them both to retire and bringing out the safety car, which was deployed for one lap and pulled off into the pit-lane on lap two. Alonso showed a good early pace, passing Piquet and Heidfeld on lap two and three respectively, and setting the fastest time of any driver on laps four and five. Massa spun again during his third lap, dropping to the back of the field. Hamilton shadowed Kovalainen closely for several laps, and passed him going into Stowe on lap five. The English driver quickly extended his lead over Kovalainen, and he already had a six-second gap by the tenth lap when Kovalainen spun and he was passed by Räikkönen. However, as the track dried, Räikkönen showed the best pace - particularly in the last two sectors - and the gap from Hamilton was under a second by the time they both pitted on lap 21. McLaren gave Hamilton a new set of intermediate wet tyres; in contrast, Ferrari gambled that the track would continue to dry and refuelled Räikkönen without changing his tyres. Despite his pit-stop being longer by half a second, Hamilton exited just in front of Räikkönen (Heidfeld briefly took the lead until his pit-stop on the following lap). McLaren were vindicated in their decision almost immediately: the rain returned and Räikkönen was unable to find grip, losing up to eight seconds each lap from Hamilton. By lap 27, Kovalainen and Heidfeld had caught the struggling Räikkönen.
As Kovalainen overtook his compatriot, Heidfeld passed them both to take second place. On the same lap, Fisichella spun out and retired; his Force India teammate Sutil had already retired after a spin on lap 11. After being passed by Kubica and Piquet, Räikkönen finally pitted for fresh tyres on lap 30, dropping to eleventh place. Kubica overtook Kovalainen for P3, shortly before Kovalainen pitted for the second time. Despite the rain getting heavier, he opted for a new set of intermediate tyres. Both Kubica and Glock left the track and re-joined; however, Glock lost a place to his teammate Trulli. On lap 37, both Honda drivers chose to pit for extreme wet-weather tyres, Button queuing behind his teammate in the pitlane while waiting for his turn. Nelson Piquet Jr. spun off the track and he got stuck in a gravel trap, ending his race, while in separate incidents within a few moments from each other Hamilton, Kubica, and Massa all lost control of their cars and travelled over the grass before re-joining the track, without any damage. Räikkönen also spun off on the same lap, re-joining the circuit without damaging the car. Hamilton, leading the race by around 30 seconds, made a pit-stop to change tyres and refuel on lap 38, opting for a new set of intermediate wet-weather tyres, as the weather forecast predicted the rain would decrease. Second-placed driver Heidfeld pitted on the following lap, opting for the same tyre choice as Hamilton. There was a gap of 26 seconds between the two drivers. Kimi Räikkönen spun off in his Ferrari for the second time in as many laps but he avoided contact with the barriers and was able to re-join the track. With 20 laps of the race remaining, Rubens Barrichello on the extreme wet-weather tyres was around nine seconds a lap quicker than the majority of the field and quickly moved his way up to fourth place by passing Kovalainen and Alonso. Robert Kubica retired from the race after losing control of his car and ending stuck in a gravel trap. Nico Rosberg ran into the rear of eighth-placed Timo Glock as he attempted to overtake.
The collision damaged Rosberg's front wing, and he was forced to pit to change it. By that moment, the rain had stopped, but the track surface was still wet. Barrichello caught and passed Trulli and Heidfeld for second place, however a refuelling problem at his earlier pit-stop meant that he would need to stop again. He built up a twenty-second gap over Heidfeld before pitting on lap 47, opting to change to the intermediate wet-weather tyres. He re-joined in third place, behind Heidfeld. Kovalainen passed Alonso for fifth place at the Bridge corner. Trulli then pitted, promoting Kovalainen to fourth. Felipe Massa spun on the exit of Woodcote corner, managing to recover without any damage. A few moments later, Mark Webber made a similar error at the same location. The following lap saw a spin from Kovalainen, which allowed Alonso and Räikkönen to get past while he recovered to the circuit. Massa, the last car on track, still running in 13th position, spun for the fifth time during the race. He continued without any damage, and made a pit-stop on the following lap for new tyres and refuelling. The final few laps saw a battle for fourth place, as Räikkönen first and Kovalainen then passed Alonso. Hamilton crossed the finish line on lap 60 to win the Grand Prix by 68 seconds from Nick Heidfeld in second. The margin of victory was the largest since the 1995 Australian Grand Prix. Rubens Barrichello finished in third position for Honda's best finish of the 2008 season. Kimi Räikkönen finished in fourth ahead of Kovalainen and Alonso. Räikkönen also set the fastest lap in the early stages of the race, for the sixth consecutive race. Jarno Trulli finished in seventh position, and Kazuki Nakajima in eighth. The triumph that the British have longed for has arrived, wet and blessed by the heavy rain, that stopped Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton wins in Silverstone. It’s his first time in his home race. Other than McLaren’s merits, the weather determined the result. The race has surely entertained the spectators and given a meaning to the cost of the ticket. At the end of the race, Hamilton gets out of his car and he opens his arms as if he wanted to embrace all of those 90.000 fans. He jumps on the podium and looks at the grandstands, where he used to sit only a few years ago to watch the drivers he is now racing and to steal their secrets. Lewis Hamilton did it.
"The best race of my life, but also the hardest".
Are you saying this because it’s your home race?
"I’m saying this because I couldn’t see a thing. I had to raise my visor occasionally. The rain was so heavy that I couldn’t even see the line in some corners, like Abbey. I started praying in the last laps, when I noticed the people in the grandstands were all standing and cheering".
Really?
"I was telling myself: Finish this race, cross the line. You have no idea what I was feeling at the end. It’s impossible to explain".
What is worse: Silverstone, or Fuji last year?
"Japan. This time it rained less but it was tougher, because you couldn’t see a thing. As I said, my helmet became foggy and I had to clean it more than once. Not easy at all".
It was worth it anyway. You got back in the fight for the World Championship, joining the two Ferrari drivers.
"There’s a long way to go until the end of the Championship. I want to think about my family now and I want to dedicate them this memorable day".
Mandatory dedication.
"Of course. These last weeks have been hard and my family stood by me".
Criticism. How did you deal with it?
"I actually wasn’t feeling in my best shape when I woke up before the Grand Prix. I was in low spirits. Luckily, I managed to talk to my parents, to my family. My Dad told me: Keep calm, everything will be okay. Those words cheered me up".
And you won in this state of mind.
"But there’s something else".
What is it?
"When I entered the paddock, I met some fans. There were children. I was touched by their encouragement. As if their energy was contagious. I felt better, stronger. Thanks a lot to everybody".
On the other side, Ferrari recognizes its faults. They admit their guilt, hoping for future clemency and leaving their mistakes in the UK. Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen and Stefano Domenicali all confirm that Ferrari made mistakes. The latter more or less repeats the same words as in Melbourne, after the catastrophic debut in 2008.
"Let’s reflect and let’s stay together. No hysteria, no panic".
After all, Ferrari has made progress since the Australian Grand Prix and its drivers are still in the lead, even after such a disappointing race as in Silverstone. But Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says:
"We need to discuss about what we did this weekend: that is not our standard".
Felipe Massa repeats, recognizing his own mistakes:
"We made too many mistakes. Too much rain, I couldn’t even drive".
Maybe Ferrari had to do what Honda did with Rubens Barrichello: taking risks.
"We all made mistakes".
These are the words of the Brazilian driver, who was hoping to increase the gap after this Grand Prix, but he actually ended being caught up by Hamilton and Räikkönen. The Finn is not critical:
"We only made one mistake: keeping the same tyres after the pit-stop. We thought rain would stop, but it continued. But we are a team and that was a joint decision".
Kimi Räikkönen has no doubts:
"We do things together. We made the wrong choice. It can happen".
The World Champion could win, but he has no regrets.
"I started eleventh and made up some positions. And I told myself: See? Never give up. As Schumacher said".
The real accusation, rejected by Ferrari, is that the team from Maranello is allergic to rainwater:
"It’s easy to talk in hindsight".
Domenicali replies, pointing out the technical side to focus on:
"Ferrari struggles getting tyres up to temperature, with low heat, while McLaren doesn’t. Then we have to recover the gap".
There’s a problem with the weather, even though every team gets the same information, since the supplier is the same.
"But everyone organizes its own way".
Räikkönen and Massa, fighting shoulder to shoulder, must be looking for a reliable weatherman. The Finn comes out better from Silverstone, remembering how these last four Grand Prix have been hard.
"This is why I say it’s not bad at all being on the lead, after all".
It’s more or less the same consolation as Massa’s.
"At least I didn’t get passed. We’re there. But we know there’s a long way to go until the end of the Championship".
At the end, Räikkönen tries to cheer up the team:
"We know we have a competitive car that can bring us wins. There a few races left; we only need to push on the accelerator".
A speech that makes complete sense. However, the team is disappointed and ready to take responsibility.
"There’s no point in having a competitive car and throwing away the opportunity of bringing home good results".
Montezemolo himself (who usually has to hold back to avoid criticism) condemns the performance of the team, who served on a silver platter the win of the British Grand Prix to Lewis Hamilton.
"I hope we win the eighth title in ten years. We will make it if we don’t do anything stupid. Of course, I’m not pleased by what happened on Sunday. I wish we learn from that. I’m pretty sure of that because I know my men. We’re halfway through the Championship, in the lead and we have lost too many opportunities. It means we can’t lose any in the second half of the season".
Luca Montezemolo involves himself too. And since he doesn’t like making mistakes, he will make his voice heard at Gestione Sportiva. The strategic error made in the first pit-stop during the race, when the mechanics left the old wet tyres on Räikkönen and Massa’s F2008, is not only about weather. Making a wrong decision is normal, mostly in the middle of England, exposed to numerous drafts. Experience is the real problem. When you see Lewis Hamilton pitting for new tyres a lap before, you must keep that in mind. There is no need to take risks as Fernando Alonso does, because he has nothing to lose now. If you do the same thing as the driver in the lead, you are on the same level at least. At the same time, begging for the return of Ross Brawn is stupid. Surely, it would be better not to trust Météo-France, since they’re wrong from time to time. But probably Ferrari does not miss their former technical director, great tactician but not always flawless humanely. They do miss a driver like Michael Schumacher, who had the right charism, temper and sensitivity to make such decisions. His opinion counted a lot. Kimi Räikkönen says:
"The team made its choice".
But only the driver is on track, and he should know which tyres to use. It doesn’t change the fact that Ferrari has two drivers in the lead, with the same number of points of the phenomenal Lewis Hamilton, also victim of some mistakes that affected his performance. Hats off to his driving, though. The English is on fire again. His McLaren improved, also thanks to a new front wing that guarantees great grip in slow corners. Other than that, Valencia and Singapore, two street circuits that he really enjoys, are on calendar for this second half of the season. In such conditions, the only driver who can stop him is Kimi Räikkönen, who’s constant and who did good in Silverstone, considering the circumstances (definitely more than Felipe Massa, fast but too inconsistent). Ferrari did wrong. But, if they did the right move, we would be here talking about a wave of a magic wand, instead of holding trials.