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Head down. Fernando Alonso is furious, the defeat at Monza has left its mark on his head and morale, and the reaction is a very harsh attack on Ferrari's German driver.
"Schumacher is the most unsportsmanlike and sanctioned driver in the history of Formula 1. Due to his retirement, in our world, people will go back to talking more about sports than politics. He is a champion, he has won a lot, but if they can, they always give him a helping hand. However, make no mistake: despite what happened in Monza, my absurd relegation on the grid, I will be the one to win the World Championship. As of now, Renault is faster than Ferrari, we have solved the problems related to the mass damper ban, all I need to do is win two of the next three races. I will succeed".
A slap in the face of the myth. No respect for a rival who has just announced his retirement at the end of the season. Alonso exhibits a good deal of arrogance, but also a certain nervousness. He flaunts great confidence in his World Championship chances, but perhaps the many points lost in the last six races (he had a 25-point lead, now he has only two) have changed his mood and made him lose control of the situation. Until a while ago he measured his words, now, in an interview given to the microphones of Spanish radio station Marca, later picked up by the broadcaster's daily newspaper, he does not mince words. Do not be fooled by some set phrases.
"We have lost a great champion of the track and he will be missed".
His estimation is accompanied by vitriolic statements.
"Formula 1 after his exit will focus more on the sport. I won't have a big rival anymore, but maybe the whole movement will prosper from it".
Not even Jacques Villeneuve, another historical enemy of Michael Schumacher, had gone this far. Alonso steps on the accelerator of controversy in the same way he does on the track. Not appeasing him is above all the penalty decided by the FIA on Saturday at Monza, a relegation on the grid from fifth to tenth position for disturbing Felipe Massa during qualifying.
"My penalty will remain something unbelievable for a long time. The excuse given goes far beyond the line of honesty. An unconscionable decision, even many Italian newspapers called it a theft".
And Fernando Alonso's anger also extends to Bridgestone and the tyres it supplies to Ferrari.
"We will denounce an alleged tyre treatment that is done after qualifying. Michelin engineers believe they are being sprinkled with chemicals that harden the rubber to be fast and consistent in the race".
Harsh words, a suspicion of chemical doping, as the Spanish driver called it, that match the accusations (later downplayed with the excuse of a joke and misunderstanding) of Briatore, who on Sunday in Monza, shaken by the sanction imposed on Alonso, had compared what happens in Formula 1 with the Calciopoli scandal. Words that did not please the FIA at all, which may now decide to listen to and punish Renault, manager Flavio Briatore and Fernando Alonso, and which contribute to inflaming this final sprint to the highest levels.
But those statements also highlight the great nervousness that seems to have pervaded the Spanish driver for the past couple of months, who was forced by knee pain to give up testing in Jerez. The first signs were seen at the end of July in Hockenheim (an outburst against Schumacher for one of his manoeuvres in the pits during qualifying), then there was the rough episode in Budapest, the scuffle on the track on Friday during free practice with the Dutchman Doornbos, Alonso cutting off the Red Bull Racing test driver, squeezing him toward the wall and for this manoeuvre being penalised by adding two seconds to all his qualifying times. Even in Istanbul, the Spaniard had not been blameless (again rifts with Doornbos), now the Monza controversy and the fierce attack on Schumacher. On Tuesday, September 12, 2006, he was in Madrid to receive an award from King Juan Carlos. Who knows, it may help him regain some style. That elegance that in recent times outside the car he has thrown in a bin. On the other side, Michael Schumacher clarifies:
"Nobody kicked me out".
The German driver does not quite say so, but annoyed by certain rumours he makes it clear. Retirement at the end of the season was his free choice. Schumacher is adamant:
"No one put pressure on me or gave me ultimatums, I was able to decide calmly and reflect for a long time".
No one, least of all Ferrari, ventured a crime of treason, questioning him, pushing him to abandon the ship, to retire.
"I'll say it again for the last time: there comes a time when it's right to say enough when you realise you might lose strength and motivation. I am currently at the top, and I want to win my eighth world championship, I have plenty of motivation, but to stay at the top it takes more than just talent, it takes continuous energy, a drive that maybe next year I might not have. And I can't just race, I don't just get in a car just to do a lap. I love to win, I've always fought for that. I will never be a second driver, I couldn't do it".
From his website, on the eve of his departure for China, comes a peremptory message. A blunt way of putting an end, if anyone had not understood, to any speculation about his retirement. But Michael Schumacher’s words also launch another watchword, which in some way kicks off the great final sprint, his duel with Alonso, the narrow gap in the standings, the two points that make any verdict open, the three big battles, on Sunday in Shanghai, then Japan and Brazil, that can extend, with yet another crown, his throne in history. The very focused Schumacher wants to be more explicit than ever.
"From now on I will only talk about the present, the fight for the world title. We have worked hard these two weeks, we can have great confidence in the outcome of the race in China and also about the other two Grands Prix. It is true, so far in Shanghai I have not had any luck, I have never shined, but in 2004, at the first edition of the race, Barrichello won, with a Ferrari, a sign that even on that track our car can do very well".
Also comforting Schumacher is Massa's streak, his explosion in the latter part of the season, and his victory in Turkey on August 27, 2006, which greatly boosted the Brazilian’s morale.
"Massa has been very strong recently, this makes me optimistic about the World Constructors’ Championship as well".
Where Ferrari is already three points ahead of Renault (168 to 165) after overtaking them at Monza. A change at the top that has unnerved the French team to no small degree, with Flavio Briatore's accusations (later retracted and reduced to the rank of unfortunate jokes) of the FIA and its games aimed at favouring Ferrari, with Alonso's nervousness, annoyed at being sentenced by the judges to move back five places (from fifth to tenth) on the grid after Saturday’s qualifying, unleashed in demolishing the Schumacher myth:
"A champion behind the wheel, but also of anti-sportsmanship".
The Spaniard immediately after the Italian Grand Prix was extremely harsh:
"There goes the most sanctioned driver in history".
Venom to which the German has never replied, but now, on the eve of the showdown, he prefers to switch to chamomile tea.
"It would be absurd to get stressed and nervous right now. This is the time to be clear-headed and give it our all. We cannot waste a year's work, we have always been in the lead, we will stay there".
Sadness please go away.
"At Monza, it took me for a moment, just after the finish line, when I realised it was my last time on that circuit".
It may happen in Shanghai, and then in Suzuka and São Paulo, the last three races of his career, but on the eve of the Chinese Grand Prix Michael Schumacher cannot afford it. Emotions are noble feelings, but they must give way to grit, ferocity, and fight:
"Because I aim to finish big, bring home my eighth world title, leave as a winner".
He wants to impose himself, at all costs, in a fiery battle, which as he admits will be decided by the smallest detail.
"Alonso and I are on par, both when it comes to strength and in the standings, a two-point gap is nothing, this championship will be decided in a sprint. It is useless to say beforehand which track may be favourable to Ferrari or Renault, you can only find out with a stopwatch, even a small detail could have a huge meaning".
He says this with China in mind, the first round of the big clash, the race scheduled for Sunday, October 1, 2006, in Shanghai, a circuit where Michael Schumacher has not only never won, but has never even scored points there. Two editions are few for an alarming statistic, but here the Chinese, who are very sensitive to superstition, speak openly of a curse and ask him how he thinks he can bury the spell, that malignant force that prevents those who have triumphed at all the world’s tracks from being great in Shanghai. Schumacher smiles in the face of concern.
"In Formula 1, bad luck plays a marginal role, what matters is the car and what is around it. Last year we couldn't get the tyres to work, that's why we were uncompetitive, good or bad luck had nothing to do with it. In 2005 I retired after everything had happened to me in the race, even an accident during the formation lap before the start. I considered it the emblem of a season to forget, the summary of a disastrous year. Now, however, there is no danger: Ferrari is strong, fast, even in the last tests we did very well. There is no reason not to believe in victory. For sure, if I think about my first two times in Shanghai, I can only improve".
Except that simply improving from a poor placing to a podium is not enough. The German must finish ahead of Alonso, one who, at least in words, shows that he has no fear, ready yesterday to reiterate all the accusations against the enemy that he had launched immediately after Monza. It may be true, as Schumacher claims:
"In the car, psychology has nothing to do with it, whoever is more talented and faster wins".
Meanwhile, the Spaniard tries hard to demolish the mythical figure of the opponent, exhuming the comparison with Zinédine Zidane:
"My lifelong idol, much more loyal than Schumacher".
And the epithets of being unsportsmanlike and over-sanctioned already rifled at the
German driver days before.
"If I say something it means I meant it, and so I don’t see why I should change my mind. Formula 1 is my job, I like racing, but it's not a sport, it's a show where everything is valid and where factors that have nothing to do with it often intervene. Politics plays a decisive role, it often decides. This however is a wide track, where there should be no problems in lapping, overtaking, where I don't expect controversy or strange disqualifications. Here we really play it as equals and I am ready, because my car is competitive, Renault will give it their all".
Although it has long prevented him from participating in testing, given his imminent flight to McLaren.
"It's not true that they don't want me, there was nothing important to prove. We are now at the showdown, these are the machines, it will be a battle of nerves and heart".
The wise Schumacher does not care about the shenanigans: to make even the last page of his story epic. That of an unrepeatable champion. Following back-to-back wins in Turkey and on home soil, Ferrari certainly had the momentum coming into the Grand Prix, the Italian team were also ahead of Renault by 3 points in the Constructors’ Championship and Michael Schumacher was 2 points behind Fernando Alonso in the Drivers' Championship. Following Lewis Hamilton's GP2 victory in Monza and an encouraging test session with McLaren, the Woking-based team were rumoured to give the young British driver his debut in favour of Pedro de la Rosa, who had been performing well after replacing Juan Pablo Montoya. However, McLaren announced that de la Rosa would be racing in China. McLaren’s other driver, Kimi Räikkönen, was aiming to win the weekend's Grand Prix following signs of speed in his previous Grand Prix. Williams announced that they were using a revised FW28, the Williams-Cosworth FW28A. The car featured a new aerodynamic package developed by test drivers Alexander Wurz and Narain Karthikeyan. The test team also carried out the first track test of the Toyota-powered interim Williams FW28B. The car itself completed 745 kilometres and the team only experienced minor problems. Following some impressive Friday test performances in Turkey and Italy, BMW Sauber’s 19-year-old test driver, Sebastian Vettel, had agreed to see out the rest of the year with the German team. The young German driver had a busy schedule, as he was also competing in the Formula 3 Euroseries. With the sacking of Christian Klien, Red Bull announced that Robert Doornbos would replace him for the final 3 Grands Prix. Replacing Doornbos's role as the third driver was GP2 driver Michael Ammermüller. Toro Rosso announced during the week leading up to the Grand Prix, that they had signed Alex Hitzinger as their new technical director to replace Gabriele Tredozi. Hitzinger began his role in November 2006. Spyker MF1 announced their first driver for 2007 during the weekend, which was Dutch driver Christijan Albers. Super Aguri's Takuma Satō had a dismal start to the weekend as he was demoted ten places on the grid as his team changed the Honda engine in his car.
Satō had been due to continue using the Honda V8 he ran at the last round in Italy, but the discovery of a problem, which had not been disclosed by Super Aguri, had prompted the team to replace the engine ahead of Friday’s first practice session. Alexander Wurz was fastest in the first Friday practice session in the Williams-Cosworth, 0.004 seconds faster than BMW Sauber’s third driver, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button completed the top three, over six-tenths slower than Wurz. Michael Schumacher, Neel Jani and Alexandre Prémat completed the top six; all within 0.07 seconds of each other. While Schumacher's championship rival, Fernando Alonso, did not set a time along with his teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella. Wurz and Vettel were fastest again in the second session, Wurz was fastest with a 1'35"539, around 0.03 seconds faster than he was in the first session and 0.05 seconds faster than Vettel with Honda's Anthony Davidson completing the top three positions. The Austrian was very happy with his time, especially since this was his first time in Shanghai:
"It was a good day today and driving was a lot of fun out there. I have never driven on this circuit, and I attacked it right from the beginning".
Championship rivals, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, were within a tenth of a second of each other in fifth and sixth, respectively. Felipe Massa dropped ten places in the grid after his engine gave way during the session. On Saturday, September 30, 2006, two important drivers were eliminated in Q1: Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher. The two Toyotas, in fact, failed to qualify for Q2 and were eliminated. Besides them, the Midlands and the two Super Agui were out, while the Toro Rosso benefitted. The first time was set by Fernando Alonso, with Michael Schumacher 1.2 seconds off. In Q2 there were no resounding eliminations, except that of Felipe Massa. In fact, the Toro Rosso, Williams and David Coulthard's Red Bull were excluded. Robert Doornbos reached Q3 on debut, while the first time was again Fernando Alonso's, this time 1.5 seconds ahead of Michael Schumacher. In Q3 the Spaniard was again the fastest driver and took pole position. Giancarlo Fisichella qualified in second position, while the two Honda drivers took the second row. Michael Schumacher was sixth, preceded by Kimi Räikkönen, who will start from fifth position. On Sunday, October 1, 2006, it rained heavily before the start of the Chinese Grand Prix, suiting the Michelin runners and disadvantaging the Bridgestone runners. Fernando Alonso led away at the start, followed by Giancarlo Fisichella. Kimi Räikkönen passed both Hondas at the start and immediately started to pressure Fisichella. Robert Kubica and Robert Doornbos collided, resulting in Kubica being knocked off the track and Doornbos losing his front wing. On lap 8, Michael Schumacher overtook Rubens Barrichello for fifth. On lap 14, Schumacher passed Jenson Button for fourth. On the same lap, Räikkönen finally managed to pass Fisichella, having been stuck behind him ever since the start.
Räikkönen immediately began to pull away from Fisichella and made up the 15-second gap to Alonso. At this point in the race, Alonso was over 25 seconds ahead of Schumacher. However, the track was not drying and beginning to favour the Bridgestones more and more. By lap 19, Schumacher had caught up to Fisichella. He was also gaining on Alonso, who was beginning to struggle with his tyres and had several off-track moments. Schumacher gained another place when Räikkönen retired due to a mechanical failure. Räikkönen later said that he felt he could have won the race, as he had been steadily gaining on Alonso before his retirement. The new leading trio of Alonso, Fisichella and Schumacher made their first pit stops on laps 22, 23 and 21, respectively. Fisichella and Schumacher both kept the same tyres, but Alonso, whose tyres were already degrading, was unsure about whether they could last all the way to the second pit stop, so he changed the front tyres but left the same rear tyres. However, this disadvantaged him even more, and within a few laps, his 20-second lead had evaporated to nothing. For several laps, Alonso, Fisichella and Schumacher ran nose to tail. On lap 29, Fisichella tried to pass Alonso down the back straight but braked too late and ran wide, allowing Alonso to regain the lead. The following lap, he pulled off the manoeuvre successfully and immediately began to pull away. Only a few corners later, at the start of lap 31, Schumacher passed Alonso and chased after Fisichella. He was able to stay with him but was unable to seriously threaten to overtake him.
Alonso dropped back steadily and on lap 35, having seen several drivers switch to dry tyres and be able to handle the drying conditions, pitted and made the switch. However, a wheel nut problem at his stop caused it to last over 19 seconds. When he emerged from his stop he was down in fourth and over 50 seconds off the lead. Schumacher and Fisichella were among the last drivers to switch to dry tyres, pitting on laps 40 and 41 respectively. Fisichella emerged from his stop still ahead of Schumacher, but struggling with his cold tyres ran wide at the first corner, allowing Schumacher through into the lead. Alonso had now rediscovered his pace and charged in the closing stages, setting fastest lap after fastest lap. Fisichella let him pass without a fight, but although he continued to close rapidly on Schumacher, he ran out of time to catch him, finishing just 3 seconds behind. Fisichella had dropped back hugely in the closing laps but hung on to a comfortable third place. Nick Heidfeld had started eighth on the grid but through his strategy of pitting late at both pitstops had got to fourth in the closing stages, leapfrogging Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and Pedro de la Rosa. However, in the closing stages, Heidfeld was firstly forced off the track while trying to lap Christijan Albers, then held up by Takuma Satō's Super Aguri, allowing Barrichello, Button and de la Rosa to close up to him. Button first managed to find his way past Barrichello on the last lap, then, at the penultimate corner, boxed Heidfeld in behind Satō, taking fourth. Barrichello then braked too late at the same corner, running into the back of Heidfeld, knocking the BMW Sauber's right rear wheel askew and damaging his own front wing.
This allowed de la Rosa through to take fifth, Barrichello sixth, and the furious Heidfeld limped home seventh. Forget the curse, forget the track stingy with success, Michael Schumacher loves China more than ever because he has crowned his comeback, the miracle as he did not hesitate to call it thinking of the 25-point gap he had to Fernando Alonso at the end of June, may have given his season a decisive turning point. Sunday morning in Shanghai was rainy, weather that this year's Ferrari has found to be an incredible obstacle to its victory ambitions. The conditions at the start were the same as on Saturday during qualifying, when Michael Schumacher suddenly seemed to have lost pace, to grab sixth place and a third row on the grid he had to invent a feat. Everything was working against the German. Instead, all of a sudden, everything started to go right. This time, Michael Schumacher does not just perform the proverbial podium jump. This time, if he could, Michael Schumacher would jump into the arms of all the mechanics as well. His euphoria after the finish line is irrepressible. The German loses himself in grand gestures of jubilation in the car, crazy motions outside where the cars are parked, in front of the pits, in the Ferrari headquarters. Smiles, champagne, perfect conducting during the Mameli anthem. Schumacher, this is your ninety-one career victory. Why does it seem to excite you more than any other?
"Because it's totally unexpected, I wouldn't have bet a dime on it. Do you want to know the truth? Before the race, I would have signed for second place behind Alonso. I thought so even when I was third behind Fisichella".
This is not Schumacher-like, a man accustomed to accomplishing any feat.
"For that matter, the Shanghai victory is also a masterpiece. Ross Brawn told me on the radio: fantastic job, Michael. And I told him: you did a fantastic job, an outstanding team, which never loses motivation, which manages to make me achieve any goal. But it's easy to talk afterwards: on Saturday everything seemed to be working against us, the rain had messed up our plans, and having limited the damage, snatching a sixth place, a third row, had already been a huge achievement. This morning I woke up, saw that it was raining again, and an expletive escaped me. Could it be, I thought to myself, that everything always goes wrong here in China? Instead in the race suddenly everything worked beautifully".
So much so that you have now caught up to Alonso in the World Championship standings.
"If you think about where we were three months ago, the twenty-five-point gap after Canada, we can legitimately talk about a miracle. Yes, this is a Ferrari miracle. I want to dedicate my success to the team. Not to one man in particular, to everyone. My team never gives up, and never stops believing. Alonso was so far away, now we are even".
In fact, Schumacher is even ahead because he has won seven races this year compared to the Spaniard's six.
"Beyond the statistical details, it can be said that from today the World Championship starts again. We start from scratch, only two races left, we just have to cross our fingers, push as hard as we can and try hard".
The first appointment is at Suzuka, the track he loves.
"I'll be honest: thinking about China gave me a headache, it was the worst race for us. To have won here is really extraordinary. Now, however, we must not overdo the euphoria. If you talk about driving style, it is true, I like Suzuka very much, it suits me, I have won there many times. But it is fair to recognise that right now Ferrari and Renault are very close, it only takes one detail to tip the scales in favour of one team or the other. Only in Japan will we find out who is the favourite. The tyres play too important a role, they can radically change the situation from one moment to the next".
This is exactly what happened in Shanghai.
"With this particular asphalt, wet, wet again, choosing the right tyres was a gamble. You had to gamble, and we got it right. At first, I was surprised that I could keep up with the pace of the two Renaults, yet the conditions were similar to Saturday. Then I knew that if the track dried out, we would come out on top. It was right to keep the same tyres on the first pit stop, Alonso didn't and he got slower. It was right to put the dry ones on during the second stop. It’s true, it started raining again at the end, but I had a big advantage over Alonso, all we had to do was stay alert, be careful, don’t make mistakes and get the car to the finish. I never got nervous, not even in the final laps. I have some experience, I understand when the moment is delicate and when the situation is under control".
At the moment when you overtook Fisichella and took the lead, what did you think?
"I thought it was great, but I knew that in that corner, with dry tyres, Fisichella would have problems, at that point I had also risked it. I was focused, ready to take advantage of his mistake. It came right away, I didn’t let the chance slip away".
On Saturday the Renault mechanics had told Alonso over the radio: poor old Schumacher is behind, he will start on the sixth row. How do you reply?
"There is not much to say. I understand the irony. That I am the oldest there is no doubt. The problem is that I am not the slowest".
The Chinese audience screamed for your overtake, shouted for your victory, and cheered for Schumacher.
"I hope I have rewarded them after the disappointments of the previous two years. I had said that there was no Shanghai curse, simply that the other times, especially last season, I was not competitive. I want to thank the people here, they have been very warm all weekend, I hope I have entertained them".
But after such a race why are you retiring?
"I already said this in Monza. If I can't get my point across, obviously I've done my time. And it's right for me to leave".
Same points, same will to win, but a completely different morale. For the elated Schumacher thinks of the 25 points regained in seven races, of the five victories in the last three months, while the depressed Alonso observes with sadness that his lead is gone, the advantage that existed between the two after his triumph in Canada has gone to zero, that the breakaway is over. The figures, on the eve of the last two Grands Prix, Japan and Brazil, are merciless. In the last seven races, Schumacher has won 57 points, Alonso only 32. What is more: the Spaniard has not won even once, his fast has now passed the three-month mark. A lack of victories that has more than just statistical significance, because in the case of a tied finish, it is the race wins that determine the eventual winner, and right now Schumacher (seven Grands Prix won against Alonso's six) has the advantage. This is no small detail, it allows one to say that at Suzuka next Sunday, only the German holds a theoretical match point and not the Spaniard. Should Schumacher win the race and Alonso be forced to retire, the unstoppable Michael would already be World Champion, without waiting for Brazil. This is because he would bring his lead to ten points (the points that go to the race winner) and could only be tied by his rival, while remaining ahead in the number of wins, eight sure versus the Renault driver's hypothetical seven. Schumacher is better off, there is no doubt, both psychologically and technically, with his Ferrari going fast and always very reliable. But going into detail, what can happen in the next two Grands Prix? An important key comes from the honesty of Luca Baldisserri, Michael Schumacher’s former car chief and now coordinator of Ferrari’s work on the track.
"Here in China they were playing the wild card. We dreaded this race, of the three it was the most suitable for Renault".
This means that in the other two, the favourite is Michael Schumacher. After all, Suzuka is the track he loves, where he has already won six times, where in 2000 he won his first world title with Ferrari. Plus it is the home of Japan's Bridgestone, the company that supplies tyres to Maranello. The only alarm is the weather: at Ferrari's home the forecast speaks of rain and a wet asphalt, as happened on Saturday in Shanghai, this could penalise Schumacher. In fact, his tyres excel in the dry, while in the wet they pay their dues to Michelin. Then there is Brazil, another track on which Schumacher has won a lot, but where Alonso was crowned World Champion last year. It is a circuit that exalts the engine, Ferrari's is more powerful, and it will be able to run at full throttle because it will be new (the one in Shanghai ends its life in Suzuka), a card that is also in Alonso’s hands. Since it will take place on Sunday, October 22, 2006, during the Brazilian spring, it is less likely to rain, and that too is good news for Ferrari. It may be true then, as Michael Schumacher says, that the sprint is exciting and one must hope. But it is equally fair to admit that now it is Renault that has recriminations. It had the World Championship victory within its grasp, and instead, it may have missed the chance. At the top moment, in fact, it is Renault that is making mistakes: one, two mistakes, maybe three. Perfect for half the season, the French team has dissipated a 25-point lead in seven Grands Prix. Shanghai witnessed the apotheosis of errors: first, we saw Fernando Alonso, always a lucid driver, demand a tyre change and make the wrong choice of tyres. Then, at the Spanish driver's second pit stop, it was the mechanics who had to delay some 20 seconds (an infinite amount of time) to fix a bolt on the right rear tyre. Finally, Giancarlo Fisichella managed, after his refuelling, to get ahead of Michael Schumacher but, at the first corner – due to fresh tyres and wet asphalt - he was overtaken by the German driver. A bit too much to bear, for any team. Let alone for Renault, reigning World Champion and fighting for all the world titles. Says Pat Symonds with his usual bluntness:
"There are no excuses, we should have won".
No one hides regret; the own goal was glaring.
"We had shown that we were more competitive".
Symonds repeats, and it is Alonso who remembers the decisive, and negative, moments:
"We were approaching the first pit stop. I was proceeding smoothly, with a consistent lead. I evaluated that I could only change the front tyres, an evaluation that cost me all the previous work because the tyres started to have huge degradation and only stabilised nine laps later".
For this, Alonso had to drop back to third position, but the unfortunate day was not over:
"Yeah, the 20-second pit stop. At that point, second more or second less didn't make that much difference".
The Spaniard may have lost the World Championship. But he swears that in those moments the thought did not cross his mind:
"In the race, you don't think about anything. Now, however, I can't point out that the fastest lap was mine. The pole position, mine. We were the strongest, we were just unlucky".
He plays the optimist, the reigning champion. Although later, with the broadcaster Telecinco, he will use quite different tones:
"The team is not helping me, they are all focused on the fight for the Constructors' title. At this rate it will be difficult to leave here taking the number one with me".
Giancarlo Fisichella also proclaimed himself innocent, acquitted by Michael Schumacher himself:
"I couldn’t take any other trajectory in that corner. Michael didn’t find the space to overtake me on the track, but he went on the grass".
For the Italian driver, however, the satisfaction of the podium remains:
"I am third, the team is one point ahead of Ferrari. I did my duty in full".
From today, the script changes: with Michael Schumacher in the lead (for the extra win), Fernando Alonso must absolutely counterattack. The situation can no longer be managed. The Spaniard knows this, and appeals:
"I'm asking everything possible from Michelin. We need tyre upgrades. I want more. Only two Grands Prix are left: to err is human, to persist is diabolical".
The Hollywood limousine makes its way into the paddock about ten minutes after the end of the Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher has not yet finished the ritual ceremonies of the Chinese race that Flavio Briatore has already left the Shanghai circuit in the company of Bernie Ecclestone. With the F1 big boss will announce the entry of a new Grand Prix (from 2010), the one in Korea. Is he already working for his future? Many have long pointed to him as a possible replacement for Ecclestone. But Briatore has always denied it:
"But I just renewed two more years with Renault".
His thoughts are all about the team, and they are not good thoughts. A wasted race in the end.
"Frustrated. I am, everyone in the team is".
The Renault team helped Ferrari in no small way.
"Helped? We did everything. We missed a penalty with an empty goal, that's the truth".
Never had you made such a mistake.
"The tragedy is that we didn't understand what the problem was with the tyres".
But did the engineers not have references, data?
"Obviously, yes. Warming up the tyres, in general, takes four or five laps, but it took Fernando eight to nine laps, that’s where it all went wrong".
What did you say to each other on the radio?
"Well, Fernando was telling us after the tyre change that he felt something in the tyres, but he was quiet because he had such an advantage, and then there was Fisichella behind".
So, speaking of Fisichella: is he guilty of being overtaken by Schumacher?
"Let me make a premise: congratulations to Michael, he did well and deserved the victory. After that I say: no, Giancarlo drove well, he finished the race with a podium".
Thanks to Fisichella, Renault is first in the World Constructors' Championship.
"At least one good thing, right? One overtake we did".
The mood remains black after such a day.
"I repeat, our strongest feeling is frustration. We had an advantage and we didn't know how to exploit it, the fault is ours alone. Actually the regret is another one".
And what is it?
"I am, we are, all sorry for Fernando. He was fantastic, he dominated in both the wet and dry. And then how does it end? That after a race like this, you see the win slip through your fingers, you see someone else lift the trophy. There's nothing worse than that".
And what does this apology lead to? Sunday is Suzuka, an away game for you.
"We need to come together and be able to understand what happened".
You have to hurry; there is not much time left.
"After Suzuka, there is São Paulo, Brazil, I don't know who will be the favourite there. Looking ahead we know we have the team and the capacity to win. That should be enough for us, and motivate us".
And meanwhile, Ferrari chairman Luca Montezemolo says after the victory:
"I barely avoided a heart attack. To win like this in China is beautiful. The team was perfect and Schumacher, in very difficult conditions in qualifying and in the race, was superlative. We have reached the lead in the Drivers' world championship and in the last two races Ferrari, after a long chase, is in a position to play for both titles".
And Michael Schumacher, before leaving the Shanghai circuit, repeats, talking instead about the one in Suzuka:
"It's the track I love".
It is not a slogan for the use of Ferrari fans feeling anxious about the final sprint, Schumacher really loves Suzuka and Japan, the circuit on which the final showdown between him and Alonso could take place on Sunday, October 8, 2006. That is a heavy sentence for someone who dislikes comparisons, who never willingly recalls past exploits, who never dives backwards, fearing it might distract him from the present. On the other hand, for a driver who has won ninety-one races in every corner of the world, it is not easy to find a track that has something extra, that can offer a greater load of emotions. Everywhere Schumacher is revered, everywhere he has triumphed, everywhere he has crowds in front of his hotel, fans who, as in China, follow him closely and even know what time he went to bed. But the Japanese Grand Prix is something different. Not only because of his driving style:
"It's a track that demands a lot, drivers have to work hard, and the possibility of a mistake is always lurking. But it is also fun, exciting, ideal for driving a Formula 1 car".
Suzuka is also special because of the atmosphere and especially because of the victories. It has often been the crossroads of dreams for Michael Schumacher. In 1998 his ambitions died on the grid. He was in a fight with Mika Hakkinen, the engine of his car went out and goodbye dreams of glory. The sequel was a frantic run-up to an indomitable Finn. But Suzuka, where Schumacher won six times, could not be just fatal. In 2000 came the best day, the Sunday the German always mentions, the one he remembers most fondly, that of his first world title with Ferrari. The Maranello team had been waiting for a new triumph for twenty-one years, Schumacher beat Hakkinen and brought it back to the top of the world. It was an unforgettable moment, the German never willingly reveals his emotions, but even now he admits that his heart was bursting on the podium. Happiness and emotion that in 2003, another thing that makes the Ferrari driver unique, became only long face and contained joy. Always Suzuka, another world title, the fourth consecutive with the Maranello team, but won with a miserable eighth place and just two points ahead of Kimi Räikkönen.
The cannibal loves to win, that day it was the other Ferrari's turn, Rubens Barrichello's, he was forced only to defend himself and at the end, to the general amazement, he said it was not the best way to bring home a world title. Now Japan is again in his destiny, and this time Michael Schumacher would not twist his mouth at a thin lead over Fernando Alonso. The imperative is to be able to stay ahead of the Spaniard, a feat the Ferrari driver does not consider easy.
"We are on an equal footing in everything, points in the standings and car, the details will be decisive, and all it takes is one small mistake to screw up everything".
A wet track, for example, which is likely since the forecast calls for rain on the way. It would complicate everything, given that in the dry Ferrari, as China has also shown, seems to be unrivalled at the moment. However, Bridgestone, the company that supplies tyres to the Maranello team, is ready to counter this threat. Suzuka is its home circuit, the factory is very close by, and for the Japanese round, it has already set up a task force, tyres (the main key to any victory) of all kinds, to deal with any eventuality. An effort that puts Michael Schumacher in a good mood and tips the scales in his favour. After all, Luca Baldisserri, one of the most distinguished engineers at Ferrari, was explicit immediately after the Chinese Grand Prix:
"We feared China, it was the Renault wild card, in Suzuka our car and Schumacher should make the difference".
With talent and serenity, that calm (at least apparent) that no longer seems to belong to Fernando Alonso, in conflict with his own team, guilty of not helping him enough given his imminent move to McLaren, but also with himself. Sunday night in Shanghai he was furious:
"I wasted a huge chance, I had to win, I was in front, we can't afford all these mistakes".
Mistakes that call him into question, since it was also his choice to change the two front tyres during the first stop.
"I didn't trust them, the old ones were gone, they could have made me go off track".
Fatal doubts, hardly ever in Michael Schumacher's mind. Now there is the Japanese Grand Prix, held at the Suzuka circuit, the track he loves. Theoretically, he could already close the books there, with a win and Fernando Alonso out of the points, but the German is under no illusions:
"It will all be decided at the last race, in Brazil".
Japan may remain the same carved in his memory. 2006, the Sunday of the ultimate getaway. Towards the eighth world title.