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The FIA has launched an investigation into Lewis Hamilton's behaviour 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 accident 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 7, 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 officialised. 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, goes wide 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 ended there for both of them. The question is to determine whether Hamilton's behaviour was such that it can be considered the direct cause of the accident. 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 stewards, 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 criticised Lewis Hamilton's behaviour 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 track. But during the race, he didn't do it. Now we know what his behaviour is".
Everyone is mad at Lewis Hamilton. Furious, that is. At first, it was only Fernando Alonso fighting him, enraged by alleged favouritism towards the British driver from his British team, fearing sneaky sabotage against him (he is convinced he suffered some in Japan too); 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 manoeuvre that could cost Hamilton dearly and reopen the race for the World Championship. On Friday, October 5, 2007, Lewis Hamilton will be interrogated and called to justify his behaviour. 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 hypothesise 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 standings), making him get overtaken by Heikki Kovalainen, Kimi Räikkönen, 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 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 Brits like it when Hamilton wins. And there are many of them at the FIA".
Perhaps Alonso was right. He agrees with everyone that you do not behave like that behind the safety car. And on the suspicion that in Japan, they tampered with the pressure in his tyres and the effect of the wings, he says:
"I prefer not to say anything".
He reserves a few surprises on the track but does not 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 fuel test data. I can't prove it, but I still think Ferrari should have also been penalised 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 Räikkönen are focused on the track. Both of Hamilton's contenders, 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 Räikkönen:
"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 Räikkönen 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 the drivers do not even know what they will be doing tomorrow, let alone in 2008.
"It doesn't seem like it’s the right moment. Let's finish these two races, and then we'll see. I've had more difficult and frustrating moments this year than Iexpected. 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 does not think about the future, Kimi Räikkönen 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 have not 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 ended 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 does not 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 manoeuvres. But, from what I saw, there were plenty of strange manoeuvres last Sunday at Fuji".
He should not 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 is only right that he speaks, but diplomatically, he does not point the finger at Lewis Hamilton. He talks about Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, justifying them. Exonerating 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 does not 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. As soon as you saw them you braked".
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 did not 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 realises he cannot 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 does not 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 is what the two free practice sessions have shown, both of which were dominated by Kimi Räikkönen, who was faster than Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa (fined for over 4000 euros for exceeding the speed limit in 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 Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso was minimal (0,084 seconds), in the second round it became almost non existing, merely 0,006 seconds. Felipe Massa is also close (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 in the run-off area 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 hints a timid opening:
"The spy story was very serious, let's end the season quickly and then we could try to start 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".
Nil-nil. The emotions had been there, reading 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, parking the car and shouting at each other. But in the end the race stewards’ 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 Scuderia Toro Rosso driver, who had been punished in Japan (relegation of ten places on the starting grid of the Chinese Grand Prix), who had defended himself by brutally accusing Lewis Hamilton and now finds himself with the penalty revoked: so, if no one is at fault, there should be no lashing out at the British McLaren driver either.
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 point. British fans can rejoice: God, in addition to the Queen, has once again saved Lewis Hamilton, the marvelous rookie, whom everyone in Great Britain wants to be World Champion. He had not paid the price when a crane at the Nürburgring 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; he was 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 stewards already had in their possession: it is just footage 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 public opinion, had led to the case being reopened, 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 to Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, the two protagonists of the accident caused by Lewis Hamilton, and to the British driver himself. The FIA does not change or influence the World Championship race. Leaving everything as it was before. This does not mean that Friday was not a rather hectic day. In the end, even those who managed to avoid being penalised 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 them. I have a clear conscience".
Maybe, the fact remains that others do not 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 insist that his driving behind the safety car was a shitty job. Obviously this shit wasn't enough for Whiting and the three stewards".
And Fernando Alonso adds:
"If it had happened to me, I would have gone to bed 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 tyres up to temperature, you have to do it at a constant speed. No changes of direction, five-car distance from the car leading the line. Precise instructions. Hamilton did quite the opposite. The investigation against him had given me back a dream, the stewards 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 being talked about but never spoke. There was already little visibility, Jarno Trulli, one of the senators, claims that the races should not have been held and threatens a drivers’ strike 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 is envy, surely on Sunday the young rookie could start the big party, but it is certainly acrimony. At a time when drivers 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 has 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 penalty was reduced to a reprimand. However, the Scuderia Toro Rosso driver was then dropped five places on the grid for impeding Heikki Kovalainen during qualifying. The Spykers of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto were both eliminated in the first qualifying session, along with Takuma Satō 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 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 beating 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 him 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 Räikkönen?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 British 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 ago in the Japanese Grand Prix between Mark Webber'sRed 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 in the bag.
"We arrived here in China under special circumstances, I was under investigation for my behaviour 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 took their toll. I wasn't able to drive with the usual concentration and with the usual impetus. I think a similar thing 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 Räikkönen 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 on 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 for the Brit during qualifying, forgetting to tell Fernando Alonso. They must have wondered:
"What happens if it rains? What if Lewis gets stuck in traffic? What if he suffers the revenge of some other driver, gets knocked 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. In front he can command the game, especially if the Safety car comes in. This is why poor Fernando Alonso will not need to study his car, there are no secrets to reveal this time. And Ferrari? The good Kimi Räikkönen 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 alive the chances of winning the Drivers’ title as well".
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 quickly overtook Kubica's teammate Nick Heidfeld to take sixth place. Ralf Schumacher had his Toyota knocked out from behind at the first corner, and slipped to the back of the field. Anthony Davidson, who had qualified strongly, was the first to retire 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 the 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 accident. 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 pit stops, and Jenson Button. Räikkönen eventually won comfortably ahead of 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 are still playing. On lap 29 there was the first hint, Kimi Räikkönen passing Lewis Hamilton, on lap 31 it became clear that the story of this fascinating and poisonous World Championship (balance on track and spy story off track) is not over yet, because the Champion of the World-to-be 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 apologised to him, they made a mistake in not changing his tyres 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 did not realize that the right rear tyre 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 classification is equivalent to a zero in conduct, he wanted to overdo it and was punished. Opposite fate for his rivals, the cool Kimi Räikkönen 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 did not have to be told twice and took advantage of the great opportunity.
Kimi Räikkönen, 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 out of the race and found themselves in full swing, even if with a few points of the gap still to be closed. They go to Brazil with the souls 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 is 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 is the twist: the Spaniard with his McLaren on lap 26. His move on Felipe Massa is a wonderful overtake, 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 Räikkönen was 0.8 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, on lap 28 he tried to attack him, but Adrian Sutil crashed and the marshals displayed the yellow danger flags. The Finn has to be careful, he can only pass in a few places, on lap 29 he managed to do so. Small consolation? No, keystone. Because on lap 31, while trying to return to the pits, Hamilton ended up in the gravel. The marshals push him, but are unable to get him to start again. His dream comes to a halt, that of Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso begins again. Not since 1986 had three drivers (Prost, Mansell and Piquet) reached the last race still in contention 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. Play a trick on McLaren, the team that should have guaranteed his future and instead ruined his present. Those over 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 did not realise that things were getting worse for Lewis Hamilton. Better this way, but you cannot say it 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 high hopes".
What more could a driver who had quietly given up on Saturday ask for? Who had said that the championship was over? Unusual words for an Alonso who has normally been repeating for years that anything can happen in Formula 1, you never know what to expect. And in fact the imponderable happened, Hamilton out. But on Saturday Alonso's morale was under his feet due to the decisions (not taken) by the FIA stewards and disappointment prevailed over everything.
"Then, before the start, the Spanish flags gave me comfort again and I focused 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 a 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, Räikkönen did not.
"And now in Brazil I have to win and hope that Hamilton finishes third".
Paradoxically, he will need help from Ferrari, but Alonso's wishes are different.
"That McLaren gives me a competitive car. The same as Hamilton's, and then the rest will depend on me".
In fact, 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 mind 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 relationship with 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 manoeuvres in the garage began there, following the FIA penalty on Thursday in Paris. And Ron Dennis was the first to say that he wasn’t going to talk to me anymore. From that moment I understood that the championship would not be easy".
A little grimace. Maybe it is a smile. We cannot expect more from Kimi Räikkönen on the podium. He is a master at hiding his emotions. But inside him his joy must be immense. Because he thought he was out by now 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 Räikkönen, be honest: did you imagine a Sunday like this?
"Everything went wonderfully, I couldn't ask for anything better. The feat was and remains difficult, because now I will also have to impose myself in Brazil and hope again for a strange race. 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 you feel when you 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 29 he made a mistake, at turn nine, and I was able to take the lead. From that moment on I 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 tyres were in bad shape".
Was this why Alonso approached you at one point?
"I found myself in a bit of trouble and had to slow down, but then the balance returned, the tyres started working well again and I was able to maintain my lead easily".
You too, like Hamilton, did not change the tyres at the first pit stop.
"The track was too dry to put wet tyres, they wouldn't have gotten into temperature. And it was too slippery to fit a dry tyre. It was a gamble. A winner".
Ecclestone was happy to crown Hamilton, the new hero of Formula 1. He said about you: he would not be a good world champion, he does not 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 favourable to Ferrari?
"If I think about last year, I say yes. Massa was going very fast, he had no problems winning. 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 very difficult. It takes a great feat 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 overtake him. But they were dreams for the race, not for the title. I only realised 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. Your 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 customary post-race declarations But let us go in order: the Anglo-German team (and Lewis Hamilton) missed the first match point, which was also the most comfortable of all, with their rivals (Alonso and Räikkönen) by now blissfully resigned. How? 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 track marshals 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 realise that the tyres 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 tyres 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 he 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, which tell us what the relationships are like in the team. Pressed by Spanish journalists, Dennis barely contains himself and responds to Alonso's suspicion about tyre 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 criticise 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 British journalists enter the motorhome, and Dennis radically changes the concepts in his account of the Chinese Grand Prix:
"The problem was that it was raining, and Lewis' tyres were worn. But we weren't worried about Räikkönen, but about Alonso. We were racing against him, not against Kimi".
Not bad, to calm the spirits: it is the latest 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 is not the topic that will distract him from here to Brazil.
"I still have a few points in the bag, so I can still do it".
He wants to put everything behind him, the Brit of Caribbean origin:
"I'm already focusing on São 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 swear word, in Italian. Although he is Polish he knows the Italian language well. He retired due to a hydraulic problem, his steering was blocked, but this time parking the car was very difficult. Because Kubica, on lap 34, was leading the race. He had already refuelled, he would not have needed to stop, he could have achieved a 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 slipped 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 bag, 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 at 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 retirement".
And speaking of retirements, 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 while two dogs are striving for a bone, the third runs away with it? Ferrari would love for the old saying to come true in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton? Fernando Alonso? And why not Kimi Räikkönen? 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 standings: 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 with Michael Schumacher, as Luca Baldisserri, head of Ferrari's track activities, says with conviction.
"Räikkönen was as strong as Michael in this second part of the season".
In the engineer's account 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 Räikkönen things started quietly:
"With Kimi we had to fight at the beginning. Because he had problems adapting his driving style to the car, learning our system and understanding how the tyres 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 credit to Kimi where it is due, it must be said 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 history books also say something else, and it is good news - perhaps the only - for Fernando Alonso, the reigning World Champion:only three times did the leader of the standings manage to win the title, once the third, and four times did the second manage 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 tyre blew out. Speaking of tyres, Spain is calling for sanctions against Lewis Hamilton. The young Brit would be guilty of having broken the rule of article 30.13 of the FIA sporting code. What does it 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 is just to understand what the temperature will be in these two weeks between the Spaniard and the Brit inside 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 retired. Tempers are running high, anything can happen.