The FIA has launched an investigation into Lewis Hamilton's behavior during the Japanese Grand Prix while the safety car was on the track. According to the accusations, the British driver's sudden braking contributed to the incident between Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Toro Rosso). Lewis Hamilton, who is leading the World Drivers' Championship, risks starting from the back row in the next Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, October 7th, 2007 in China. It is less likely that there will be a retroactive penalty in the Japanese Grand Prix. The FIA confirms that the McLaren driver is under investigation, and a new piece of evidence is being examined. On Sunday, the issue had already been examined by the stewards, but no decision had been reached and the race result had been officialized. The new evidence seems to have convinced the FIA to reopen the matter. From what is understood, the new evidence is the video that was made available on YouTube and was then removed upon the FIA's request. In the footage, under torrential rain, the safety car can be seen proceeding quite slowly: in a double curve, first to the right and then to the left, Hamilton, who arrives a bit too fast, widens the track significantly to avoid overtaking the safety car. At that point, the two following drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, are forced to brake in order to avoid overtaking Lewis Hamilton, which is forbidden in the presence of the safety car. As a result, Mark Webber forcefully collides with Sebastian Vettel. The race ends there for both of them. The question is to determine whether Hamilton's behavior was such that it can be considered the direct cause of the incident. It is worth noting that the regulations state that drivers must maintain a steady pace behind the safety car. The British driver was heard today by the judges, together with team manager Dave Ryan. The FIA's decision will be made tomorrow, but it is not excluded that the British driver may be heard again in the morning if new evidence emerges. In today's FIA press conference, Mark Webber had criticized Lewis Hamilton's behavior during the race.
"He drove poorly. During the drivers' meeting, we discussed how to handle the situation, and Lewis promised to always maintain the same speed for the entire presence of the safety car on the track. But during the race, he didn't do it. Now we know what his behaviors are".
Everyone is mad at Lewis Hamilton. Furious, that is. At first, it was only Fernando Alonso fighting him, enraged by alleged favoritism towards the British driver from his British team, fearing sneaky sabotage against him (he is convinced he also suffered some in Japan); now, the group of drivers ready to accuse him has expanded, to the point that the FIA has opened an investigation into the man who is on the verge of winning the World Championship. Under scrutiny, in the venomous comments of his colleagues and in the images that the race stewards in Shanghai began to carefully examine yesterday, is Hamilton's way of driving behind the safety car. An improper maneuver that could cost Hamilton dearly and reopen the race for the World Championship. On Friday, October 5th, 2007, Lewis Hamilton will be interrogated and called to justify his behavior. He risks suffering the same penalty as Sebastian Vettel in Japan, a ten-place drop from his position on the starting grid. But there are even those who hypothesize that Lewis Hamilton's victory in Japan could be taken away, perhaps with a posthumous pit stop, those 25 seconds to be added to his time that would relegate him to fourth place (5 fewer points in the global ranking), making him surpassed by Heikki Kovalainen, Kimi Raikkonen, and David Coulthard, but it is a somewhat difficult hypothesis. Pending the judges' decision, the fact remains that Lewis Hamilton has many more enemies. Sebastian Vettel says:
"I take the blame for the collision, but Hamilton was stopped, I thought he had an engine power loss and wanted to retire".
And Robert Kubica adds:
"I hit him and they gave me a drive-through penalty. Other drivers collide and nothing happens. This all smells fishy to me".
In other words, as Felipe Massa says:
"All the English like it when Hamilton wins. And there are many of them at the FIA".
Perhaps Alonso was right. He agrees with everyone that you don't behave like that behind the safety car. And on the suspicion that in Japan, they tampered with the pressure in his tires and the effect of the wings, he says:
"I prefer not to say anything".
He reserves few surprises on the track but doesn't spare them off the track. The latest possible penalty for Lewis Hamilton does not erase the previous one: the McLaren- Ferrari spy story had a venomous aftermath with new revelations from former Ferrari chief mechanic Nigel Stepney in a letter to a website.
"I had information about when McLaren would make pit stops, the weight distribution, and other components when I still worked at Ferrari. I spoke with some people from Ferrari about all of this, including test data for fuel. I can't prove it, but I still think Ferrari should have also been penalized because if McLaren benefited from this secret information, Ferrari did the same".
Jean Todt, Ferrari's team principal, had a strong reaction:
"Can the statements of a man like him, a man who gave 780 pages of confidential Ferrari documents to the McLaren chief designer, who exchanged 320 emails and text messages with him, be credible?"
Jean Todt reiterates:
"Ferrari has nothing to hide".
And he says that Stepney's actions can be explained as those of a man who lost his mind. Meanwhile, both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen are focused on the track. Both of Hamilton's pursuers, the only ones still capable of preventing the young Englishman's triumph, say:
"I aim to win the Grand Prix, and then we'll see what happens to Hamilton".
Not even the idea of rain in China, for a second wet Grand Prix, worries Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen:
"It will level the playing field".
When asked about his relationship with Hamilton, Alonso responds:
"He sent me a text message to which I replied. But only in China because I had a phone that didn't work in Tokyo. Actually, I had a Japanese number that no one knew".
And if Raikkonen had stayed at McLaren instead of Hamilton?
"I haven't thought about it, but I don't think it would have changed much".
Meanwhile, the Finn reiterates that the Maranello team did not make any mistakes at Fuji, and that every decision is made in agreement with the team. There might be some room for future projection, but if the drivers don't even know what they'll be doing tomorrow, let alone in 2008.
"It doesn't seem like the time. Let's finish these two races, and then we'll see. I've had more difficult and frustrating moments this year than I expected. But it's just part of the sport where there's competition and you can have both positive and negative moments. And I believe in miracles".
While Alonso doesn't think about the future, Kimi Raikkonen has no regrets about his recent experience at McLaren.
"No, not at all".
The rendezvous is routine, but not on Friday, October 5, 2007. Formula 1 drivers meet on the eve of each Grand Prix qualifying session. They do so for about half an hour, just enough time to define technical details and interpretations of FIA rules. Not this time. Not after what happened at Fuji, not after the rain in Japan and its consequences. There is tension, a desire for trials (for Hamilton) that haven't been held. The spirits have already been heated by the words of Australian driver Webber, whose clear and loud "shit job" still resonates in the press conference room. The second practice session ends half an hour ago, and the briefing room is ready. Charlie Whiting, the race director, is waiting for his guests: the team principals and, above all, the drivers. The host doesn't wait for anyone to speak before going straight to the point.
"Good morning, everyone, let's talk about Fuji...".
And he begins to give his version, but only partly succeeds. The reconstruction is almost immediately interrupted.
"And then I hear people talking about unusual maneuvers. But, from what I saw, there were plenty of strange maneuvers last Sunday at Fuji".
He shouldn't have said it: David Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld simultaneously object, supporting the same point of view.
"What? What are you saying, Charlie? Don't you understand that we couldn't see anything behind? And it's always us in the middle of traffic, paying for everyone. Those ahead were not taking any risks".
Whiting has to stop, perhaps not expecting such a strong reaction. Fernando Alonso intervenes, as the reigning World Champion it's right that he speaks, but diplomatically, he doesn't point the finger at Lewis Hamilton. He talks about Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, justifying them. Clearing them. There is no direct blame, the drivers of this generation maintain a high profile, avoiding scenes from the recent past, such as Jacques Villeneuve grabbing Juan Pablo Montoya by the neck.
But the target is the young British colleague, all the evidence points to him. And what does he do? He stays in his place and keeps quiet. He doesn't say a word and listens. Jarno Trulli repeats to Charlie Whiting:
"There was no visibility. The straight was the most dangerous part, we were risking being hit by the marshals' paddles. We were wide-eyed, and the only reference were the stop lights. You brake when you see them".
Whiting tries to reply as best as he can:
"But from the safety car, they said the conditions were improving".
And when asked why he didn't suspend the race, if there were economic reasons, he initially gets defensive:
"I only make sporting decisions, in the name of sport. Nothing else".
And then he realizes he can't end the meeting without giving some concessions.
"I understand your position, and I guarantee that in the future, your opinions will be more requested and listened to".
Whiting then says goodbye and leaves the room, as do the team principals. The drivers remain for their own meeting: a showdown with Lewis Hamilton? No, he does not participate in those meetings. Why? They say that Ron Dennis doesn't want him to. It probably only has symbolic value, as Lewis Hamilton is one step away from winning the World Championship. But the battle on the track promises to be fierce. That's what the two free practice sessions have shown, both of which were dominated by Kimi Raikkonen, who was capable of gaining over Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa (fined for over 4000 euros for exceeding the speed limit on the pit lane) and Lewis Hamilton. Both free practice sessions gave us the same standings, almost as if consolidating the on track results. But if in the first session the margin between Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso was minimal (0,084 seconds), on the second round it becames almost non existing, merely 0,006 seconds. Felipe Massa is also near (0,1 seconds in the morning, 0,023 seconds in the afternoon) while Lewis Hamilton, a bit nervous for the sentencing that cleared him, ended up on the escape routes twice and closed the sessions at 0.186 and 0.269 seconds. Four cars very close together, a very tough fight, while the McLaren-Ferrari relationships remain at guard level. Jean Todt glimpses a timid opening:
"The spy story was very serious, let's end the season quickly and then we could try to start again from scratch".
But Ron Dennis, the McLaren boss, says:
"It will be years before we talk to each other again. Because we were very shocked by the sentence".
Zero to zero. The emotions had been there, read the vitriolic declarations of many drivers against the untouchable Lewis Hamilton, very long meetings, first with Charlie Whiting, the race director, then alone, the protagonists who closed the door, parked the car and they scream about everything. But in the end the race commissioners' ruling is a goalless draw, with no sanctions for Lewis Hamilton, who is now free to race towards his first world title, and even a setback for Sebastian Vettel, the young team driver.
Scuderia Toro Rosso, which had been punished in Japan (relegation of ten places on the starting grid of the Chinese Grand Prix), which had defended itself by brutally accusing Lewis Hamilton and now finds itself with the penalty eliminated: so, if no one is to blame, no we shouldn't even attack the British McLaren driver. No action. Not even a small reprimand. Lewis Hamilton breathes a sigh of relief and on Sunday he can try to take advantage of his first match ball. English fans can rejoice: God, in addition to the Queen, has once again saved Lewis Hamilton, the marvelous debutant, who everyone in Great Britain wants to be World Champion. He hadn't paid duty when a crane at the Nurburgring put him back on the track; he had Fernando Alonso severely punished in Budapest, when the Spaniard stole pole position from him with a clever trick; is not forced to lick his wounds in Shanghai because the amateur video broadcast by YouTube and brought to the FIA by Franz Tost, the team principal of Scuderia Toro Rosso, adds nothing to what the judges already had in their possession: it is just a film another angle, because they already had enough images at Fuji, they had bet on the innocence of the young rookie. The pressure from the paddock, and from certain public opinion, had led to reopening the case, but there was no need, because everything was transparent from the beginning, even if it took more than twenty-four hours to issue the sentence, with three quarters of an hour of questioning of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, the two protagonists of the accident caused by Lewis Hamilton, and of the English driver himself. The FIA does not change or influence the World Championship race. Leave everything as before. This doesn't mean that Friday was a rather hectic day. In the end, even those who managed to avoid being penalized are resentful. Lewis Hamilton is caustic:
"They want to make me look like the bad guy, but I don't buy it. It's not my job to watch what's happening behind me, I need to be focused on what's happening in front of me, not behind me. If everyone has agreed to attack me, let's go ahead. I have a clear conscience".
Maybe, the fact remains that others don't think so. Hamilton's is not a persecution mania, it is the sharp phrases that make it clear that the wind has changed for him. Mark Webber says:
"I repeat that his work behind the safety car was a shitty job. Obviously this shit wasn't enough for Whiting and the three judges".
And Fernando Alonso adds:
"If it had happened to me, I would have gone to sleep punished. After Monza there was a meeting, Whiting got angry with me and Hamilton for how we had abruptly braked and accelerated behind the Safety car and he gave us some strict rules: if you want to keep the tires at temperature, you have to do it at a constant speed. No changes in direction, distance of five cars from the car leading the line. Precise instructions. Hamilton did quite the opposite. The investigation against him had given me back a dream, the judges took it away from me".
And even the others struggle to understand. During the drivers' meeting with Charlie Whiting, which lasted almost an hour, Lewis Hamilton was told everything and never spoke. There was already little visibility, Jarno Trulli, one of the senators, claims that the race should not have been run and threatens a lockout of the drivers if the same weather conditions (a violent storm is announced) were to occur on Sunday in Shanghai. The enemies have multiplied, because, claims Robert Kubica:
"He is protected and he cannot think of doing what he wants on the track".
Maybe it's envy, Cato that on Sunday the young rookie could start the big party, but it's certainly acrimony. At a time when pilots reject the definition of scary. Jarno Trulli speaks for everyone:
"I would like to see you go at 300 km/h with your eyes closed on the motorway. It was like that at Fuji".
The association is united. And Lewis Hamilton? He's not even signed up.
Saturday, October 6, 2007, Sebastian Vettel was facing a drop of ten places on the grid for his collision with Mark Webber in the previous race (the Japanese Grand Prix), but this punishment was reduced to a reprimand. However, the Scuderia Toro Rosso driver was then dropped five places on the grid for preventing Heikki Kovalainen during qualifying. The Spykers of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto were both eliminated in the first qualifying session, along with Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri, Alexander Wurz in his final race for Williams, Giancarlo Fisichella in the Renault and Rubens Barrichello in the Honda. However, Vettel's penalty caused him to be relegated behind Barrichello. In the second session, Nico Rosberg in the second Williams, Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri, Heikki Kovalainen in the Renault, Jarno Trulli in the Toyota and the two Toro Rossos of Vettel and Vitantonio Liuzzi were eliminated. The final session saw Jenson Button as 10th in a rare top ten qualification. The two BMW Saubers were 8th and 9th, with Nick Heidfeld ahead of Robert Kubica. The Red Bulls of David Coulthard and Mark Webber did very well, qualifying 5th and 7th respectively. They were separated by Ralf Schumacher's Toyota. As usual in the 2007 season, the Ferraris and McLarens occupied the top 4 spots in qualifying, with the Italian team's Felipe Massa pipping McLaren's Fernando Alonso, to third place. Although Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari had been the fastest driver in all three practice sessions and in the first two sessions of qualifying, Lewis Hamilton managed to beat this time in his McLaren during the third qualifying session and therefore earned the pole position, the 6th of his career. Lewis Hamilton takes pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix. Second time for Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari ahead of Felipe Massa. Fourth was Fernando Alonso's McLaren, which he had said shortly before getting into his McLaren to take part in the final free practice session:
"I don't think about this World Championship anymore, it was decided off the track. The drivers' briefing is useless. With Whiting it's like talking to a wall".
The English McLaren-Mercedes driver is now breathing a sigh of relief. Lewis Hamilton, who could become World Champion at the end of the Chinese Grand Prix, is experiencing a particularly intense weekend in Shanghai. First he was acquitted by the Federation, which did not consider him responsible for the accident that occurred a week in the Japanese Grand Prix between Mark Webber's Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso. Today he earned his sixth pole position of the season, and in twenty-four hours he could put the world title on the board.
"We arrived here in China under particular conditions, I was under investigation for my behavior in Japan. I read the newspapers every day, I thought I would lose some points or suffer a penalty. I couldn't think of anything else, but in the end the International Federation has closed the matter. Today I did my best, but the emotions of the last few days made themselves felt. I wasn't able to ride with the usual concentration and with the usual impetus. I think a similar statement could also apply to Fernando Alonso".
Lewis Hamilton had already received his first coronation the day before. Disliked by other drivers, he was proclaimed the savior of Formula 1 by Bernie Ecclestone.
"Because Raikkonen doesn't talk to anyone and has done little for this sport, while Fernando Alonso, in his two years as world champion, has done nothing".
On the track it was a Saturday of false values, with Lewis Hamilton in pole position. Why fake? Because those at McLaren made a clever move, in terms of choice of strategy. Since the unanimous weather forecast had been announcing rain for days, due to the arrival of the tail end of a typhoon, the British team was worried, especially after the events at Fuji, and changed the race strategy to the English one during the race, forgetting to tell Fernando Alonso. You must have asked yourself:
"What happens if it rains? What if Lewis gets stuck in traffic? What if he suffers the revenge of some other driver, he gets kicked out?"
It is forbidden to take risks, to let the boy get involved, and this explains Lewis Hamilton's pole position: less fuel than all the others and front row. The game is in charge up front, especially if the Safety car then arrives. This is why poor Fernando Alonso won't need to study his car, there are no secrets to reveal this time. And Ferrari? The good Kimi Raikkonen was the fastest, always, from Friday to Saturday. Before Lewis Hamilton's gamble. But the Finn is confident:
"We are competitive in all weather conditions".
And he will also be able to count on the help of Felipe Massa:
"I'm ready to keep my chances of winning the drivers' title alive".
Finally Ron Dennis states that he is not superstitious, and responds to Luca Montezemolo, who had told Hamilton to also thank Ferrari for his possible victory:
"Poor considerations, made for Italian use. There is not, and never has been, Ferrari technology in the McLaren".
On Sunday, October 7, 2007, from the morning of the race onwards, conditions at the circuit were wet; this forced all drivers to use intermediate tyres. After the start of the Chinese Grand Prix, the top four remained the same as on the grid with Lewis Hamilton leading in the McLaren from Kimi Räikkönen in the Ferrari, his teammate Felipe Massa and the other McLaren of Fernando Alonso. Vitantonio Liuzzi was the biggest winner from the start in his Toro Rosso, passing Jenson Button's Honda, Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber and the Red Bull of Mark Webber on lap 1. He also passed Kubica's teammate Nick Heidfeld before too long to run sixth. Ralf Schumacher had his Toyota knocked from behind at the first corner, and slipped to the back of the field. Anthony Davidson, who had qualified strongly, was the first retirement on lap 11, after his Super Aguri suffered a brake failure. He had already dropped down to twentieth position. Adrian Sutil was the next to drop out in the Spyker, also from twentieth, after he spun in the wet conditions on lap 25. Schumacher, recovering from his earlier incident, had made it up to twelfth on lap 22, before he spun twice and eventually retired on lap 26. As the track dried Hamilton began to suffer from tyre wear. With his pit stop imminent, McLaren elected to keep Hamilton out and stick to the original strategy. This turned out to be a detrimental choice, because by lap 31, Räikkönen had passed Hamilton when the latter ran wide, allowing Räikkönen to take the lead. Hamilton had to come into the pits. This should not have been a problem, however, as he would still have had enough points to secure the World Championship, had he remained in that position. However, as he entered the pit lane with his tyres worn down to the canvas, he failed to negotiate the sharp left-hander into the pits, beaching his car in the gravel. Despite marshal's efforts to get him back into the race, he suffered the first retirement of his career. An effective strategy from the BMW Sauber team benefited Robert Kubica, who was propelled into the lead after the Hamilton incident. It was short- lived, however, because after one lap, a hydraulics failure deprived him and the BMW Sauber team of a potential first victory each.
This left Räikkönen leading from Alonso, who had overtaken Massa in the pitstops, and Jenson Button. Räikkönen eventually came home to win comfortably from Alonso, who after having pulled out a considerable lead from Massa was later pulled back until the Brazilian finished less than three seconds behind him. This result ensured the World Drivers' Championship would be decided in the one remaining round - the Brazilian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso managed to overtake Button in the closing stages to claim fourth place after he had started seventeenth. His one stop strategy gave him the best result of his career thus far. Button came home fifth, the best result of the season for both him and the Honda team. Liuzzi brought the other Toro Rosso home in sixth place, the team's best result of its career. Nick Heidfeld was seventh in the BMW Sauber, and David Coulthard held on for the final points position in the Red Bull despite late pressure from Heikki Kovalainen's Renault. Alexander Wurz finished twelfth in the Williams, and announced his immediate retirement from Formula One the day after the race. Williams announced that he would be replaced by Kazuki Nakajima for the last race of the season. No game over. We're still playing. On lap 29 there was the first sign, Kimi Raikkonen passing Lewis Hamilton, on lap 31 it became clear that the story of this fascinating and poisonous World Championship (balance on the track and spy story off) is not over yet, because the Champion of the World announced he made a mistake, ended up on the gravel and was forced to park his McLaren. Lewis Hamilton, at least for one Sunday, fell from his pedestal. His team apologized to him, they made a mistake in not changing his tires during the first pit stop at the end of lap 15, he asked the team for forgiveness, because in his eagerness to grab his first world title he didn't realize that the tire right rear was irreparably damaged, that it would have been better to return to the pits, settle for a placing, score a few points that would have made the Brazilian Grand Prix less difficult, rather than wanting to close the case in China at all costs. Lewis Hamilton failed this time. A zero in the rankings is equivalent to a zero in conduct, he wanted to overdo it and was punished. Opposite fate for his rivals, the cold Kimi Raikkonen and the hot Fernando Alonso, a couple that many would like to see in Ferrari and that perhaps they will be able to enjoy starting from 2009. They didn't have to be told twice and took advantage of the great opportunity.
Kimi Raikkonen, who triumphed, speaks of a feat, Fernando Alonso, second at the finish line, of a miracle. A question of words, but the substance does not change. Both were convinced they were left out and find themselves in full swing, even if with a few points of the gap still to be closed. They go to Brazil with the soul of those who have nothing to lose and this, paradoxically, could represent their strength. While Lewis Hamilton, who had already put the champagne in the fridge, could be eaten away by the pressure. It's a thrilling finale and no one would have ever imagined it in the first laps of this Grand Prix in China. After Hamilton had been acquitted on Friday and taken pole position on Saturday, he was leading the race with ease, had waved everyone off at the first corner and seemed to know no obstacles. The torrential rain announced for days had not yet been seen, the race dragged on in mortal boredom and the brawl, which lasted a few corners on the first lap, was only between Felipe Massa (victorious) and Fernando Alonso for third position. But suddenly here's the twist: the Spaniard begins escaping from McLaren on lap 26. His move on Felipe Massa is a fantastic overtaking, he is now in third position. Then comes Lewis Hamilton's crisis: while Massa returns to the pits and acts as a guinea pig for the dry tyres, it starts to rain heavily and the McLaren driver slows down noticeably. On lap 27 Kimi Raikkonen was 0.8 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, on lap 28 he tried to attack him, but Adrian Sutil crashed and the stewards displayed the yellow danger flags. The Finn has to be careful, he can only pass in a few places, on lap 29 he manages to do so. Small consolation? No, keystone. Because on lap 31, while trying to return to the pits, Hamilton ends up in the gravel. The track workers push him, but are unable to get him to start again. His dream comes to a halt, that of Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso begins again. Not since 1986 (Prost, Mansell and Piquet) had three drivers reached the last race in the race for the title. In Brazil there will be fireworks. There is still time to abdicate. Fernando Alonso gains another two weeks before handing over the scepter. He will have one last chance to attempt the great coup. Tripping him, the prank on McLaren, the team that should have guaranteed his future and instead ruined his present. Those there, as the Spaniard calls them within his team, committed a semi-suicide. Which, however, officially Alonso calls by another name.
"A half miracle".
They got distracted, they were thinking about what the Spaniard was up to and they didn't realize that things were getting worse for Lewis Hamilton. Better this way, but we can't say publicly.
"These eight points are a panacea, of course, a great help, but the overall situation remains complicated. It will be difficult to snag four points from Hamilton in the last race in Brazil, but I have greater hope".
What more could a driver who had quietly given up on Saturday ask for? That he had said that the championship was closed? Anomalous words for an Alonso who has normally been repeating for years that anything can happen in Formula 1, you never know what to predict. And in fact the imponderable happened, Hamilton out. But on Saturday Alonso's morale was at a low ebb due to the decisions (not taken) by the FIA commissioners and disappointment prevailed over everything.
"Then, before the start, the Spanish flags gave me comfort again and I concentrated on the race. Indeed, thanks to those who came such a long way to come and wave them for me." And it cannot be said that he didn't try right from the start, see the duel with Massa at the start, but without the happy ending. Then, when hopes began to fade, "from the big screen I saw Hamilton's car stopped".
No one from the team had informed him.
"No".
And at that point?
"I tried to attack".
In the end Massa had to give in, Raikkonen didn't.
"And now in Brazil I have to win and hope that Hamilton finishes third".
Paradoxically, he will need help from Ferrari, but Alonso's hope is different.
"May McLaren give me a competitive car. The same as Hamilton's, and then the rest will depend on me".
In reality the Spaniard is confident:
"I'm sure the team will do it. One thing is what they feel towards me, what they say about me. Another is the track, where normally there are two identical cars, both capable of fighting for the victory".
The head is already in South America:
"The secret will be pole position. Qualifying will be decisive. If you don't start first, or are on the front row, it's practically over".
There is time for one last clarification on his relationships in the team:
"The things I said on Saturday? There isn't one that isn't true. The team has been saying bad things about me for a long time, since the race in Spa, Belgium, to be precise. The maneuvers in the garage began there, following the FIA penalty on Thursday in Paris. And Ron Dennis was the first to say that he didn't talk to me anymore. From that moment I understood that the championship would not be easy".
A little grimace. Maybe it's a smile. We cannot expect more from Kimi Raikkonen on the podium. He is a master at hiding his emotions. But inside him his joy must be immense. Because he thought he was now cut off and instead with his triumph in China, the fifth of the season, a feat never achieved by anyone else in this balanced season, and Hamilton's simultaneous withdrawal he can hope again. Kimi Raikkonen, be honest: did you imagine a Sunday like this?
"Everything went wonderfully, I couldn't ask for anything better. The undertaking was and remains difficult, because now I will also have to impose myself in Brazil and hope again for a strange race. In fair play, the World Championship continues to be in Hamilton's hands. But the imponderable, as Shanghai has demonstrated, can always happen, so it is right not to give up. I don't believe in miracles, but in Brazil we will push hard, I want to win. If nothing else it will help us finish on a high note".
What did he feel when he overtook Hamilton?
"It was a complicated situation. I was much faster than him, in a few laps I managed to catch him, but there were yellow flags on the track, it wasn't clear where I could overtake him. Finally on lap twenty-ninth he made a mistake, at turn nine, and I was able to take the lead. From that moment on I have had no more problems".
However, in this climate it is difficult to define his triumph as a walk in the park.
"It wasn't like that at all. The track conditions were very treacherous, plus at the beginning I suffered from a lot of understeer. Even when I overtook Hamilton, my rear tires were in bad shape".
Was this why Alonso approached her at a certain point?
"I found myself in a bit of difficulty and had to slow down, but then the balance returned, the tires started working well again and I was able to maintain my lead easily".
She too, like Hamilton, did not change the tires at the first pit stop.
"The track was too dry to put wet tyres, they wouldn't have reached temperature. And it was too slippery to fit a dry tyre. It was a bet. Winning".
Ecclestone was happy to crown Hamilton, the new hero of Formula 1. He said of her: he wouldn't be a good world champion, he doesn't create an image, he speaks too little.
"Everyone has the right to have their own opinion. I don't care what other people think of me, I don't care".
Is the race in Brazil favorable to Ferrari?
"If I think about last year, I say yes. Massa was going very fast, he had no problems triumphing. For sure it will be an interesting battle between me, Alonso and Hamilton".
Not since 1986 has there been a final race with three drivers competing for the title.
"That's right, the world championship was too balanced to decide in advance. But it's still all very difficult. It takes a great undertaking of ours. And many problems for our opponents".
Was there a moment during the race when you thought the World Championship was over?
"At the start. I thought: I have more fuel than Hamilton, I have to be patient, sooner or later I'll start to reduce the lead and maybe with strategy I'll pass it. But they were dreams for the race, not for the title. I only realized that the conversation had been reopened when I saw him on the gravel. Forced to retire".
In 2003 at the last race in Suzuka you showed up 9 points behind Schumacher. Her second place was useless. Is this a similar situation?
"I think so, even if I'm now two points behind. But I have nothing to lose. I will push as hard as I can. There's nothing else left for me to do".
The own goal is sensational. An own goal, that of McLaren, which begins on the track and ends in the paddock, with the ritual declarations, those after the race. But let's go in order: the Anglo- German team (and Lewis Hamilton) misses the first match point, which was also the most comfortable of all, with their rivals (Alonso and Raikkonen) now beautifully resigned. As? With an error in judgment on the tyres, and a pit stop for refueling only. A choice that the championship leader pays for halfway through the race, with his Bridgestones now worn out: he loses ground and just when he swerves to go to the pits he is unable to keep the car which ends up on the gravel. All attempts by the circuit staff are in vain, and the cameras focus on Ron Dennis who, with his hands, would also like to push his pupil's car onto the asphalt. But nothing: Hamilton gets out of his McLaren and his words are an act of love for the team, because he takes on all the responsibilities:
"My mistake, the first of the year. Even if it happens to me near the pits. But you don't get ahead in life if you don't make mistakes. My mirrors were dirty, I didn't realize that the tires had deteriorated so much".
Half an hour later, once the Grand Prix is over, the culprit is no longer the driver. Says Martin Whitmarsh, technical director of the team:
"We just didn't call him, we kept him out an extra lap and the tires were too worn, and when we called him back it was too late. The mistake lies with the team".
The verbal ballet does not end here, because the boss, Ron Dennis, also enters the scene a few hours later and absolves everyone.
"It's hard to say if anyone made a mistake, the team or Lewis. The circuit was drier than the pit lane entrance, and this made the difference. It's easy, afterwards, to say that it could have been stopped sooner. But what would have been the difference? The other teams were also doing the same as us".
So far everything is fine, these are the words subsequently pronounced by Ron Dennis that tell us what the relationships are in the team. Pressed by Spanish journalists, Dennis barely contains himself and responds to Alonso's suspicion about tire pressure in qualifying:
"They were the same for both drivers".
About Brazil:
"Both will be motivated, and will have the same chances".
On the future of the Spaniard:
"We won't talk about contracts until the World Championship is over".
And, finally, on the criticisms:
"You can tell me what you want, I will never criticize my riders. And Alonso is not your driver. He is my driver. From my team. And we are a team".
Not convinced, the Spaniards say goodbye and leave. The English journalists enter the motorhome, and Dennis radically changes the concepts in his story of the Chinese Grand Prix:
"The problem was that it was raining, and Lewis' tires were worn. But we weren't worried about Raikkonen, but about Alonso. We were racing against him, not against Kimi".
Not bad, to put people's minds at ease: he's the last own goal. The veil is also lifted from the latest diplomatic hypocrisies, McLaren and Alonso are separated at home, and will necessarily have to share these last two weeks. But Lewis Hamilton knows these things inside out, and it's not the topic that will distract him from here to Brazil.
"I still have a few points in my bag, so I can still do it".
He wants to put everything behind him, the Englishman of Caribbean origin:
"I'm already focusing on Sao Paulo. I'm sure the team will work hard and provide me with a competitive and fast car for that type of circuit".
And he leaves hugging half a dozen of his mechanics. And Robert Kubica is also furious. The driver enters the garage of the BMW and utters a violent curse, in Italian. Yet he is Polish, but he knows the Italian language well. He retired due to a hydraulic problem, his steering was blocked, but this time the parking was very difficult. Because Kubica, on lap 34, was leading the race. He had already stocked up, he would never stop, he could achieve the sensational feat.
"It's incredible what happened, even though I'm used to it by now. It's not the first time the hydraulic system has failed us, I can't take it anymore".
It could have been his first victory in Formula 1, a historic success that slips away in a bad way.
"The car stopped suddenly, I was already anticipating the triumph, but once again I was forced to snuff it out. For me the victory was in the safe, but the team says no. I don't know, something strange happened, better to move on and not think about it anymore".
At least this time no one within BMW will have the courage to accuse him.
"I was honest, I admitted that sometimes I gave less, compared to the potential of the car, that this season I could have obtained a greater number of points, but the team must also grow, do better".
For this race in China my conscience is clear. Everything was going wonderfully, it will be difficult to forget this retreat".
And speaking of abandonments, the Austrian Wurz announces his departure from Formula 1. The Williams driver leaves at the age of 33. Anonymous career with only three podiums and no victories. What if the third wheel was enjoyed between the two litigants? Ferrari would love for the old adage to come true in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton? Fernando Alonso? And why not Kimi Raikkonen? These are not just hopes, however slim they may be. There are numbers to support the thesis, which indicate that the Finn is the fittest driver of this season finale. Meanwhile, he has won more Grands Prix than anyone else: five, compared to the four each of McLaren's two rivals (and Felipe Massa's three). Then, since July, he has been number one in the rankings: from France onwards, no one has had a better performance than Kimi, 68 points and four victories in nine races. These are statistics that give confidence for the last Grand Prix, and which make him compare it to Michael Schumacher, as Luca Baldisserri, head of Ferrari's track activities, says with conviction.
"Raikkonen was as strong as Michael in this second part of the season".
In the engineer's story there is the story of the Finn's first year with the Maranello team.
"Obviously with Schumacher it was enough to look each other in the eyes to understand where the problem was. But he won seven world championships, he was at Ferrari for ten years".
With Raikkonen things started quietly:
"We had to fight with Kimi at the beginning. Because he had problems adapting his driving style to the car, learning our system and understanding how the tires worked with the Ferrari. But, from mid-season to today, I can say that he has been at the same level as Schumi".
The final statement is peremptory:
"Only a great driver can do a race like the one in Shanghai without making a single mistake".
Giving Kimi where Kimi is due, it must be remembered that the World Championship does not depend solely on his performance. The Finn will have to win in Sao Paulo, but also hope that his teammate, Felipe Massa, is behind him and that Lewis Hamilton finishes a little further away, in sixth place. Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari sporting director, says:
"Our goal is first and second place".
An obligatory objective, if you want to hope for the title. There will certainly be a spectacle, and Bernie Ecclestone is rubbing his hands: never has a World Championship been more interesting. The last time three drivers fought for the title at the last Grand Prix was in 1986 and, in the entire history of the Circus, only eight times has there been a three-way sprint. The annals also say something else, and it is good news - perhaps the only one - for Fernando Alonso, the reigning World Champion: only three times did the leader of the standings manage to win the title, only once the third and, for good four times, the second time he managed to overtake. In the last case, twenty- one years ago, the protagonists were Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. Prost won the race, while Mansell's tire blew out. Speaking of tyres, Spain is calling for sanctions against Lewis Hamilton. The young Englishman would be guilty of having broken the rule of article 30.13 of the FIA sporting code. What does he say? That if the car is in a dangerous area (and the McLaren was in fact in the pit entry curve) the driver must exit immediately and leave the car. Not, as the leader of the standings did, invoke the help of the track marshals for a push, which among other things is not in their duties. Obviously nothing will happen, but it's just to understand what the temperature will be in these two weeks between the Spanish and the English inside the McLaren: the war of nerves is only just beginning. Just to tell another story, the celebrations for Fernando Alonso were held indirectly in the Renault motorhome, in which Alejandro Agag - with some of his friends - witnessed the race: the scream was great when Lewis Hamilton took off withdrawn. Tempers are overheated, anything can happen.