Excitement and fear. While waiting to find out if it will host the America's Cup again, Valencia, Spain's most enterprising city welcomes F1 with the European Grand Prix. And it has built, in record time, a circuit with which it can also compete with Monte-Carlo. Where there were Alinghi and Oracle, there is now a track around the harbor. Existing structures transformed: the old brick docks have become immense garages for the teams' trucks. The track is spectacular; there is even a walkway over a swing bridge. The Comunitat Valenciana spent 63.500.000 euros to create a technological jewel. But there is also a dark side to the coin, which concerns the dangerous nature of the track itself. More than 5 kilometers to run at more than 220 kilometers per hour average with 25 turns and 323 top speed peaks. But at the end of the long straights you have to brake violently. And there is a consistent risk of crashing into the ubiquitous concrete walls that limit the circuit. A pitfall that worries drivers, teams and even organizers in no small measure. There is even the ominous possibility of ending up in the water, as happened to Ascari in 1955 at Monte-Carlo. For this reason, a group of experienced divers has also been activated to watch over the sea. After testing at the simulators, all teams had to work at a fast pace to prepare a massive set of spare parts so that they would be ready in case of an accident. Martin Whitmarsh, general manager of McLaren, is explicit about this:
"We brought a large number of parts: ailerons, suspension, hubs, body parts. We have to be ready to act quickly because anything can happen and jeopardize qualifying or the race".
Fears, to some extent, are also swirling among the drivers. Says Fernando Alonso, who will race with mourning on his arm in memory of the Madrid plane crash victims, while appreciating the qualities of the circuit:
"We hope not to taste the protections, because that would be a disaster. And anyway it will be very difficult to prepare race strategies because the Safety car could intervene several times during the Grand Prix".
Drivers, who have studied footage of the recent F3 race and visit the track on Thursday, August 21, 2008 on foot and by moped, say that the circuit by its characteristics can be loosely compared to those in Bahrain and Canada. And one knows what happens in Montreal when a car goes off the road. Just remember Robert Kubica's carambole last season. In the Emirates this year Felipe Massa won, in the second there was the unexpected success of the Pole (given here as favorite), but in the lead, before being rear-ended by Lewis Hamilton, was Kimi Raikkonen. Ferrari's Brazilian, who will celebrate his Grand Prix number 100 on Sunday, August 24, 2008, explains Ferrari's tactics:
"We will have to push hard without repeating mistakes. We will have no more excuses. We like the track".
Lewis Hamilton, unusually cautious, makes no predictions, although he shows confidence in himself and McLaren. Last week in Malaga, Fernando Alonso's fans booed him. But right now he is more concerned about Ferrari, which has been preparing well to make up for lost points. Friday's first practice is eagerly awaited by all. Another city track, waiting for the night race in Singapore. Magic always comes out of Ecclestone's hat, able to capture attention, to make money, as a weekend seat in the Paddock Club costs 3.000 euros. Along the pier on the other side of the pits are luxury yachts moored. Of course the Force Bleue, Flavio Briatore's boat, is present, but at 70 meters it is towered over by Bangalore billionaire entrepreneur Vijay Mallya's Indian Express, a beer and airline liner. However, there are those who have already managed to make a big deal out of this race. Former Spanish driver Adrian Campos had registered the name Mediterranean GP years ago. He sold the rights to Ecclestone, who can now use the name European Grand Prix elsewhere. Friday, August 23, 2008, the very first practice session on the newly opened Valencia Street Circuit was held on a dusty and slippery track, but despite the drivers' relative unfamiliarity with the circuit there were no major incidents (though David Coulthard did hit the barriers late in the session). Sébastien Bourdais went fastest early on, but it was his Toro Rosso teammate Sebastian Vettel who posted the quickest time of the session.
Massa and Hamilton finished second and third, with Bourdais just behind them. Following the session, the drivers and personnel observed a minute's silence for those killed in the plane crash in Madrid two days previously. Kimi Räikkönen topped the timesheets in second practice, having traded fastest times with teammate Massa for the majority of the session. Fernando Alonso had the set the quickest time late, but was surpassed by Räikkönen in his final flying lap. A notable incident in the session involved Nico Rosberg spinning under brakes in the final corners, and narrowly missing Mark Webber on the inside, before rejoining the track with no damage done. Surprsingly, usual back-runner Jenson Button, driving for Honda, finished third. After the session, Fernando Alonso, driving for Renault, was reprimanded and fined €10.000, after crossing the pit lane entry line early on in the second session. Rain overnight meant that the Valencia track began with almost no rubber on the surface, but Robert Kubica was still able to carry enough speed to become the first man of the weekend to break into the 1’38”0, with Rosberg and Bourdais close behind. There were minimal mishaps, with only Hamilton and Timo Glock spinning. Jarno Trulli spent the majority of the session in the pits with gearbox problems, completing only two laps.
Although Kimi Raikkonen was the fastest (and he hasn't been able to in a while), the mood is the usual one:
"Nice circuit, not bad car, we still need to improve".
The Finn is unchanging, for better or worse. During the post-free practice interview ritual, protected by a barrier, the Ferrari driver whispers his usual thoughts. Never negative, never enthusiastic. In recent times, overdoses of criticism have rained down on him. Yesterday he returned to driving after the August break and immediately set the fastest time, magnificently at ease on the Valencia city track that no one knew. But Stefano Domenicali advises:
"It's only Friday, let's not get ahead of ourselves".
Ferrari's team principal cut his vacation short, four days in the mountains, so as not to interrupt work at a crucial time of the season. Crucial for the championship, poised between Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. And decisive for the future of the Finnish driver himself. Under contract until December 2009, the Ferrari driver has not yet decided what he will do after that date.
"If I have fun I will go on, otherwise I will stop".
Simple and straightforward. In Maranello they confirm:
"We have talked to each other, there is no rush to finish".
Time around them has stood still. Three weeks ago in Budapest Bmw wanted to announce the drivers for 2009, a dream team with Robert Kubica and Fernando Alonso, but was forced to postpone. Honda first expressed confidence in Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, except to specify through the words of Ross Brawn:
"Nobody has ever talked about reappointment".
The situation will unravel in three weeks in Monza, where some decisive meetings are on the agenda. Fernando Alonso, who has already had contact with Ferrari, will know whether from 2010 he can race in the red single-seater of his dreams or consider himself free.
In the first case he will stay for one more season at Renault, vice versa he will give in to the enticements of Honda, which has made the most attractive offer (and Rubens Barrichello will retire), or Bmw, which at the moment has a better technical potential (and Nick Heidfeld will join the unemployment lists). So many fates tied to Kimi Raikkonen. And not only to him. The future depends yes on the Finnish driver's motivation, but just as much on his performance: because to get married you need two, while to leave you need only one. If Kimi does not regain his lost polish, perhaps even he will not receive an irremissible offer from Ferrari. That is why his result in the free practice of the European Grand Prix takes on extra value. On a circuit designed around the foundations of the America's Cup, spectacular in its bridge passage, a little bit Melbourne and a little bit Sakhir in its layout and with the colors of Monte-Carlo, Kimi Raikkonen regained the class of the good times. Above all, he set the fastest time after eight consecutive laps, a sign that the F2008 treats the tires kindly and on race pace is unrivaled. A sign of destiny, the second time is Fernando Alonso's, in great form despite the 10.000 euros fine for stepping on the white line at the pit entrance: 0.020 seconds apart, practically a tie. The future is at stake. On Saturday, August 24, 2008, after the third practice, but before the qualifying session, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile safety delegate, Charlie Whiting, announced that he had moved the pole position slot on the grid to the right side, after observing the cars' behaviour during the practice sessions. Saturday afternoon's qualifying session was divided into three parts. In the first 20-minute period, cars finishing 16th or lower were eliminated. The second qualifying period lasted for 15 minutes, at the end of which the fastest ten cars went into the final period, to determine their grid positions for the race. Cars failing to make the final period were allowed to be refuelled before the race but those competing in it were not, and so carried more fuel than they had done in the earlier qualifying sessions.
Massa clinched pole position with a time of 1’38”989, and was joined on the front row by championship leader, Hamilton. Kubica took third place on the grid, with Massa's teammate Räikkönen taking fourth. Hamilton's teammate, Kovalainen, took fifth; Vettel, Trulli and Nick Heidfeld occupied the next three spots. The two Williams cars of Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima finished ninth and 11th, with Bourdais in between. Alonso qualified 12th, with Timo Glock of Toyota behind him. Mark Webber of Red Bull was 14th, with Nelson Piquet Jr. of Renault 15th. Jenson Button of Honda qualified 16th, and the other Red Bull car, driven by Coulthard, qualified 17th. The two Force India cars driven by Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil finished 18th and 20th, with the other Honda car driven by Rubens Barrichello qualifying 19th. Later, both Barrichello and Sutil were forced to change their gearboxes; as a result, both drivers started from the pit lane. When the dream dies, the best cure is to start another one right away. Felipe Massa, accustomed to ups and downs, to sinking and then rising again, knows this well, and in Valencia he succeeded in his goal. Screaming first sector and winning the pole position, the most appropriate way to be able to win the race, but above all the most apt way to bury the great disappointment of Budapest, that engine going up in smoke less than three laps from the finish line, that blow to the heart that would have knocked out anyone, but not this leathery Brazilian, one who draws strength from frustrations, because they give you stimulus, they increase even more your desire to win. Felipe Massa put his head on the wheel, at more than 300 km/h, and threw himself into yet another chase after Lewis Hamilton's lead, a chase that could increase its chances if the Brazilian could repeat himself in the race, without mechanical troubles or driving errors that in this unseen, small-town track and just a few meters from what was Luna Rossa's reign, with the wind constantly changing direction, can always be lurking. The asphalt is slippery, dirty, vividly reminiscent of a port area. Says the Brazilian driver:
"Doing a perfect lap was an impossible feat for everyone".
He, too, had to bow to blunders, a couple of corners not at his best in the second part of the fast lap, but he was adept at making fewer mistakes than the others and especially at creating an important groove in the early part:
"The one that made the difference in the end, proving decisive".
Felipe Massa in the first corners was a phenomenon, Lewis Hamilton on the other hand made mistakes, first at turn 1, then at turn 3:
"And in those lost tenths I gambled the pole position. Nothing is lost, we are close to Ferrari, but not being able to beat them a little bit annoys me. I was hoping for it, now I start on the dirty side and everything is likely to get complicated".
Yes, because in Felipe Massa's joy there is double good news. The pole exalts him:
"The team and I suffered a lot from what happened in Budapest, it was right to start again in this way".
But he is also cheered by the judges' decision to change the side of the track from which the driver in pole position starts. It was originally on the left:
"An absurdity, because that is not the ideal trajectory, if they had not changed their minds, it would have been better to end qualifying in second place".
Shortly before the start of qualifying it was decided to move it back to the left:
"Which is much more correct, because now starting in front is a real advantage".
It is for the Brazilian driver, it could be a ballast for Lewis Hamilton, because the dirt on the asphalt in Valencia is greater than on other circuits and it is no coincidence that the Englishman, instead of thinking about overtaking at the first corner, hopes to resist the assault of Robert Kubica, who will start from third place.
"I would like to take a revenge on Massa, who cheated me in Budapest at the start, but this is not the best place to do it, I would already be happy to keep my position. Then the race is long and I can play for it".
On the other hand, it is hard to see what Kimi Raikkonen, fourth at the end of qualifying and therefore disappointing, can hope for. Dirty start for him as well, after a lap with several mistakes. In the second section he lost half a second:
"I locked the wheel twice".
Perhaps, but the fact remains that out of twelve qualifying sessions, Felipe Massa finished eight times in front.
As mentioned, the Valencia circuit is so new that the Spaniards made a mistake in drawing the starting grid. They had tucked the pole position to the left, in the portion of the track least used by the cars. And on the dirt there is a lot of sliding, risking, especially at the start, being in surplace. It took race director Charlie Whiting to rectify the mistake, with Massa in pole position on the right. The first two days of testing the track confirmed its theoretical qualities. A true racetrack that has little to disappear with the authentically city circuits like Melbourne and Monte-Carlo that live once a year. A permanent facility has been built here, with perfect and efficient facilities. However, the drivers approached the track with caution, apart from Robert Kubica, who performed rallist numbers. No major accidents occurred. The track is very wide and promises ample overtaking opportunities, considering the two long pseudo-straights with thrilling braking.
Guaranteed spectacle for the more than 100.000 spectators even if insiders remain cautious. Sebastian Vettel explains:
"I followed several cars in practice, and I realized that there are chances to overtake, on paper. But the risk is big. It will be very difficult, the layout of the circuit does not allow easy maneuvers. If you get out of line to try to overtake, there is a danger of running into a wall".
The most favorable spots are at Turn 2, Turn 12 and Turn 17. On the unknown of the walls points those who remained at the back of the grid. Fernando Alonso, disappointed with his qualifying, openly reveals this:
"It will be a tough race. However, we are on a road course and anything is possible. We have to study a good strategy and be ready for every eventuality, especially the intervention of the safety car, which is quite likely here".
Teams have studied tactics that take into account the slowdown of the race. And some who are not among the top 10 on the grid have opted for a single pit stop, hoping precisely on the safety car incident. But they will have to deal with the wear and tear on the tires, and the even more risky wear and tear on the brakes, which are stressed to the limit by the many braking sections. The only one laughing it off, no problem is Michael Schumacher:
"La pista mi piace, ma non ho nostalgia. Potrei fare un giro a piedi, in bici o con la moto".
On Sunday, August 24, 2008, the sun shines on the Valencia street circuit. At the start of the European Grand Prix all the leading drivers hold their positions, except Kimi Räikkönen, who is overtaken by Heikki Kovalainen, while Robert Kubica tries to attack Lewis Hamilton but the Englishman defends himself well. Black day for home idol Fernando Alonso, rear-ended by Kazuki Nakajima and forced to retire. Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton immediately pick up the pace, but the Brazilian still manages to build a small margin. Robert Kubica struggles for a few laps, but then in turn manages to pull away from Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen. Sebastian Vettel and Jarno Trulli keep up the pace as the rest of the pack pulls away. On lap 15 Felipe Massa refuels and re-enters the track just between Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen. On lap 17 Lewis Hamilton also pits, and on re-entering the track he remains behind the Brazilian driver, despite having set the fastest lap in the meantime. Between laps 18 and 22 the other drivers in the top ten also refuel, with Jarno Trulli moving up to sixth place at the expense of Sebastian Vettel. In the second segment of the race Felipe Massa extends his lead to almost ten seconds ahead. The race continued without excitement and Felipe Massa won the European Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica at the finish line. Heikki Kovalainen is fourth, followed by Jarno Trulli, Sebastian Vettel, Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg. Outstanding Felipe Massa. Pole position, Grand Prix win and fastest lap. Impossible to do and expect more. Disastrous instead Kimi Raikkonen even before in the final his Ferrari broke the engine forcing him to retire. On a circuit where there is no overtaking, he never even attempted to make one, if only to show that he was alive, well and buoyant. After the disappointing test in Hungary, where Felipe Massa was stopped by engine failure, and after previous disappointing experiences in Germany and Great Britain, we were all waiting to see a sign of awakening from the sleeping Kimi Raikkonen. Instead, nothing. But he also continues to never have the car right for either qualifying or the race, as well as being the victim of perplexing strategies that it is unclear whether they are only due to his own ideas or also those of the team. The fact is that the reigning World Champion looks like someone else. Of Felipe Massa, on the contrary, one can only speak well. He is giving a lot to Ferrari and if the season is not yet lost it is mainly due to him. With his victory in Valencia, he made up for the points lost in Hungary due to engine failure and is now just behind Lewis Hamilton. There is no doubt that in such a situation he is the team leader, but the fact is that Ferrari right now needs both drivers to give their all to maintain dominance in the constructors' standings. It would take another Kimi Raikkonen, not the current one, and perhaps before long it would also be a case of whether or not Ferrari is interested in getting Fernando Alonso.
A European Grand Prix that in one way went very well for Ferrari and in another way very badly. Indeed, what is worrying is this new engine failure identical to the one three weeks earlier, namely caused by a faulty connecting rod. Once upon a time, in the dark ages, Ferrari used to get whole batches of defective pistons. Now it seems the connecting rods' turn has come. In such an uncertain and difficult championship, reliability is decisive. Four months without a win. From Spain to Spain, with the difference that in Barcelona on April 27 Kimi Raikkonen had left with the euphoria of triumph, while in Valencia he runs away recriminating, with the anger of a smoking engine and a truly colorless performance. Ferrari, however, defends the Finnish driver.
"Two races he didn't win because of us, the broken exhaust at Magny-Cours, the wrong tires at Silverstone, one he was denied by bad luck when he was rear-ended by Hamilton in Canada".
But there is no doubt that Raikkonen is facing an alarming crisis. First the troubles in qualifying, now the mistakes in the race as well, such as the wrong start at the pit stop and the run over mechanic. Denying it is difficult, Kimi Raikkonen seems to have ended up in a tunnel in which he is struggling to see the light, at the very moment when his teammate Massa is experiencing the brightest period of his career. The Maranello team insists that the drivers will be given an equal chance, but from many quarters there are now calls for first-driver treatment for Felipe Massa, the real alternative to Lewis Hamilton, and this only adds to the Finn's travails. Kimi Raikkonen, even after the European Grand Prix, is speaking out:
"I am not giving up, the World Championship is long, there is time for the comeback".
One clings to the courses and recourses, thinking that last season with two races to go he was 17 points behind Lewis Hamilton, a distance that did not prevent him from hoisting himself to the top of the world at the end of the year, but now the chase seems more difficult, not least because the Finnish driver is unable to give continuity to his action. There are those who accuse him of relaxing after winning the title, he dismisses with disdain.
"I will race as long as I feel like it and my only goal is to win".
In his philosophy, there is no such thing as staggering; he has a steering wheel in his hands, and that pushes him to give it his all. But now he is the one who has to prove that the crisis does not exist or is about to dissolve. Meanwhile, improving in qualifying:
"We have problems, we have to solve them, we can't always start behind, so winning is impossible".
And then returning the infallible driver who always knew how to optimize the potential of the car in the race.
"On the pit stop there is little to say. I was too hasty, I made a mistake".
An apology (and best wishes for a speedy recovery) will follow later for Pietro Timpini, the Ferrari mechanic who was put at great risk by Kimi Raikkonen's mistake. He was run right over by the car when he was still fiddling with the fuel nozzle, ended up on the ground, suffered a big bump on his back, but most importantly, he got a fracture in his left foot, which forced him to end up in the hospital. All in all, he got away with it; on Sunday night he is able to leave Spain. However, there remains the mistake of Kimi Raikkonen, who in his eagerness did not interpret well the lights of the new system that Ferrari has been using since last year, a kind of traffic light.
If there is a red light you have to stand still, with yellow you get ready to start, with green you leave, provided that the man with the paddle does not detect a danger, does not notice the arrival on the pit lane of another car (as the case happened to Massa, just in Valencia) and decides to manually stop the procedure, intimating the driver to stop. Kimi Raikkonen started with the red light, even Stefano Domenicali admits, a mistake that from an experienced driver like him cannot be accepted. Another sign of how the Finn, who has not won a race in four months, is in a mental crisis. Then the engine broke down, all right, Ferrari, which does not hesitate to defend him, plays a lot on this and is ready to accuse itself, to dampen the trial against him, but the feeling is that Kimi Raikkonen has ended up in a tunnel of which there is no glimpse of the light. He himself is ready to acknowledge his colorless ordeal:
"I feel sorry for Timpini whom I wish well. This was not one of my best weekends. I am disappointed but I don't let it get me down. Last year before I won the World Championship, with two races to go I was 17 points behind Hamilton. Now there are six to go and I am 13 from the Englishman. Of course, I lost some ground, but I can get back to the top. It will be important to change the negative trend and start winning again. We have a Ferrari that can dominate at all circuits. We hope to find the solutions to solve our problems".
True, you can't keep stuttering in qualifying, any ambitions are likely to be precluded. But his Saturday woes are starting to feel dated and repetitive: why can't he and the team solve the problem? A former World Champion like Keke Rosberg is rather harsh about it:
"If Ferrari wants to beat Hamilton, they need to hurry up and choose their first driver. And my impression is that Raikkonen will end up like Barrichello".
From World Champion to second driver, an incredible vertical drop that no one would have imagined. He makes a mistake on the fastest lap, repeats himself on Sunday, getting off to a bad start and failing to emerge.
"Now we have important tests in Monza is the time to find the solution".
But the Finn will shoot only one day, Friday, August 29, 2008, as two days are reserved for Felipe Massa, and even that could be a sign of a hierarchical choice. Like that of having him run qualifying with nine extra kilos of gasoline, ballast that certainly did not help him avoid humiliation by Felipe Massa. Ferrari squares off and Stefano Domenicali bets:
"Raikkonen has talent, he will be great again and will fight until the 'last race for the World Championship".
They believe it. It would be nice if the Finn really believed it too. Besides the usual words:
"The World Championship is long. And nothing is lost yet".
Stefano Domenicali adds:
"He is the World Champion, you cannot question him. We have to support him, stand by him, talk to him, work together. And we will".
Fortunately for Ferrari, however, reality also presents another face, the beaming face of Felipe Massa. In his face is only concern for those engines that keep breaking down.
Yesterday, Ferrari admitted that Raikkonen's trouble was a photocopy of the Brazilian's failure in Budapest, the usual connecting rod, which came from the same batch. Now Maranello managers have changed the batch and are convinced that the new supply will no longer create problems. That is why in Belgium the joker for Massa will not be played, the Brazilian will show up with the same engine as in Valencia and will cross his fingers. Because yesterday Montezemolo congratulated him on his triumph in the 100th race (coinciding with the 200th of the Bridgestone tires), the homemade driver has grown wings, to clip them would be unforgivable. Neither would Timpini, who began convalescence yesterday with a broken foot. Told Domenicali, "He's fine, he was happy for the success, he apologized for slowing down Raikkonen's pit stop." As if he was the one who put his foot under the wheel.
"Brazil has one more gold. This is my Olympic medal".
Felipe Massa, too, wants to carve out his own five-ring glory, those of the Olympics being held in Beijing in the meantime, even if all he needs for triumph is one less number, four like the wheels of his fantastic Ferrari. Felipe Massa joins the chorus, ideally moving to Beijing, and cannot be blamed. After all, after the masterpiece race in Valencia, who could dare to challenge him about anything? He was back from a terrible disappointment, the victory in Budapest slipping away with three laps to go because of a broken engine; he reacted in the best way, with a performance to be framed, the success in the Grand Prix, the fastest lap, the pole. It is no coincidence that among the many compliments those of Michael Schumacher, a spectator present in the Ferrari pits, stand out. Asked about Felipe Massa, he replies:
"Just perfect".
Fabulous. The appellation among the Ferrari men is wasted, and framing his performance is also Stefano Domenicali, the team principal, who states bluntly:
"He repeated the Budapest race, he did nothing wrong, he showed he has the right ferocity to be able to win the World Championship".
He made it clear that he was a champion, stronger than adversity, annihilated everyone, starting with Lewis Hamilton, who may have had a stiff neck, but could do nothing but join his fury, taking a precious second place, to go to Robert Kubica, another who with his BMW does not begrudge attacking, but this time forced to surrender. Felipe Massa overcame. It's his Sunday.
"An unbelievable emotion, because after last time's header, the team and I needed a similar triumph. Frustration increases the stimuli, joy must preserve them for us. With this victory we can believe in winning the world title".
On the track, he never took any risks. No one had the strength to approach him. But because he loves not to miss anything, here in the finale was the thrill that could have turned his Grand Prix upside down. At the end of lap 37, after the second pit stop, he ardently enters the pit lane and risks touching Adrian Sutil. The maneuver is bone-chilling, he later says he considers it normal, not dangerous at all, but meanwhile he ends up under investigation. It is decided after the race, the FIA says, and for a while Felipe Massa (who had not been briefed by the box during the race) trembles. But this time there is no room for nightmares. Simple fine, 10.000 euros to Ferrari, victory is saved. So the Brazilian, fighting for the world title, warns:
"We have to improve in reliability. Another broken engine, this time it was Raikkonen's turn, we can't afford it".
Stefano Domenicali also thinks so, putting his hands out. The powertrain is the same, identical the cause with the connecting rods under accusation, in Belgium Massa could play the wild card and mount a new engine without penalty. Best not to trust. As the Brazilian sentences:
"Now a retirement could be devastating".