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Niki Lauda used to say that a car is driven with the butt. However, the Austrian driver was referring to the sensitivity that a driver must have in the use of the steering wheel, accelerator and brake, on understeer and oversteer, in order to respond to reactions on the track. In his days, Niki did very little training. A few walks, followed by the trainer Willy Dungl, who was more concerned with studying a special diet for the World Champion, based on strange foods. For Nelson Piquet the best way to feel fit was to cure his harem of wife and girlfriends. The first to undergo specific and scientific training was Ayrton Senna, who was always caught by photographers while running, often on a Brazilian beach, equipped with a heart rate monitor attached to the chest. Since then, preparation, especially in Formula 1, has become a necessity. The pot-bellied driver, such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari, but also more recently someone like the Australian Alan Jones, is no longer in fashion. Juan Pablo Montoya, who likes good food, has often been reproached for not training enough. And maybe this is also a valid reason to explain the ups and downs in the race of the Colombian despite being fast. Accurate studies have shown that not only the muscles but also and especially the brain count a lot in this sport. Today’s drivers must have talent and be super athletes. For eighteen years, Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, Toyota’s doctor, with the Formula Medicine team has been passionately working in this field and has been accumulating data collected with more than forty drivers. Among the studies carried out, in collaboration with professors Gino Santoro and Pietro Pietrini of the Sports Medicine Centre and the Department of Experimental Pathology of the University of Pisa, one of the most interesting and surprising concerns the functional evaluation of the brain activity of drivers using an MRI. Through a system of mirrors and buttons, the subject undergoes intense mental work during which the amount of blood flow in the various cerebral districts is recorded.
The brain at rest is poorly supplied with blood; when the driver is engaged in a concentration test, a pronounced vascularisation is displayed. But if you increase the speed of the test itself, the inflow grows exponentially, testifying to an extreme and very tiring effort, as happens in the races when a driver increases the pace by 2-3 tenths of a second per lap. Few sports require an athlete a similar effort to that of F1: in a hard-fought Grand Prix, the average heart rate can reach 184 for over an hour and a half of driving, with peaks reaching 200 beats. The higher the speed and stress, as in the case of pit stops, the more the heart revs up like an engine. The purpose of medical research is to help a driver face a 70-lap race as if it were all qualifying laps. Where the brain has to master reflexes, concentration, memory, vision and coordination. In this sense, special training sessions are carried out, which include, among other things, an hour of play on a table tennis table, responding to the ball thrown by a computerised system. Other exercises are performed with target practice to improve concentration. Michael Schumacher, who trains for 5-6 hours a day, surely, as well as Jarno Trulli or Giancarlo Fisichella, does not only drive with his butt but has to use his brain. This is one of his and Fernando Alonso’s secrets: mentally speaking they are prodigies. Speaking instead of the world of digital animation, John Lasseter is a legend. When you say Pixar you think of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple. But the creative force of the studio is Lasseter, the man behind hits like Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, a former Disney student who, now that Pixar has been bought by Mickey Mouse’s house, has gone back to basics, with the mission of getting his dishevelled animation division back on its feet, which can no longer regain the lustre it once had. But in addition to his passion for digital cinema, Lasseter also has a passion for cars.
"There is nothing more exciting than the sound of a nice eight-cylinder accelerating and the feeling that you get when you feel that the seat can’t hold you".
With his latest film, Cars, which will be released on Friday, June 9, 2006, in the United States, Lasseter will finally be able to reconcile his two great loves, giving each of the racing cars anthropomorphic characteristics.
"I like being able to bring inanimate objects to life".
There is Lighting McQueen, with the arrogance of the newcomer, voiced by Owen Wilson. There is Sally, a Porsche with all the right curves and the voice of Bonnie Hunt. There’ i also a Volkswagen van, definitely a little hippie, voiced by George Carlin and an old Hudson who speaks like Paul Newman. And then there are also the voices of some legends of the circuits, from Mario Andretti to Dale Earnahrdt Jr. to Michael Schumacher.
"Michael was great. He recited his lines in English, German and Italian".
Mr Lasseter, your return to Disney is a bit like closing the circle...
"When I was studying at the California Institute of the Arts, I used to pay for my studies in the summer by being a guide at Disneyland: I preferred to stay among the jungle attractions. I’m not kidding, it’s true. We lived half an hour from the park that I loved and my other great love was Disney cartoons. Now I am in charge of Disney animation and I have creative control of the parks and that, of course, fills me with pride".
Let us talk about Cars. Indeed, about a slightly run-down and very wise car that is then Paul Newman...
"When we started thinking about the story, we immediately put in this 1951 Hudson Hornet, a legendary car because it won all the races. He was a very wise character in our script, and at that point, it was inevitable to think of Paul Newman, a great actor who loves cars as much as I do. I tried and to my surprise, he responded immediately with an enthusiastic yes. Not only that, but he became an invaluable consultant for the film, helping us to make the atmosphere of the races more authentic, pointing out the terminology used by the drivers and so on".
Cars is also a tribute to an America that is no longer there, an America where roads cut through the cities and the pace of life was slower...
"The disappearance of a way of life is a theme very dear to me and I particularly care about the fate of these towns that with the arrival of the highways have been cut off and are dying. I don’t want to say that everything old was better, after all, I am a film-maker using digital technology. But no computer will ever save a bad story. They will get faster and the interaction with the artist will become more efficient. But if you buy a new computer and a new word processing system do you think your articles will be better? In the end, what matters is not the machines but what you do with them, is telling stories that touch us, that transmit emotions, humour, sensations”.
Returning instead to talk about Formula 1 and motorsport in general, on Wednesday, June 7, 2006, the president of Ferrari, Luca Montezemolo, said emphatically at the presentation of the Ferrari Podiums, the prizes for the technological partners of the Maranello team, which brings together 700 official suppliers in Fiorano:
"Our goal is to buy back the entire share sold to Mediobanca four years ago. Because Ferrari is a strategic shareholding of Fiat, which has always controlled 90% of the shares, while 10% belongs to Piero Ferrari".
A 360-degree analysis of the re-entry operation launched with Mediobanca (the initial 34% became 29% after the intervention of other banks), but more generally on the prospects of the company-Italy, including sports scandals that undermine its credibility.
An industrial vocation:
"Marchionne is working hard to bring Ferrari back home and he will clarify the details when the time comes. The acceleration in timing is dictated by the 30 June 2006 deadline, set at the time of the sale, by which Fiat could have exercised the call option. But nobody has a gun pointed at the back of their head, if it takes three months to formalise the operation there are no problems, with Mediobanca there is a friendly relationship. As with the Arab fund Mubadala of Abu Dhabi: if they want to keep their 5% we will be pleased. I would like to emphasise that this decision follows the choice made two years ago on the industrial vocation of Fiat whose goal is to build tractors, trucks, buses and also extraordinary cars. I have the utmost respect for those who do finance, but we are industrialists and we want to be more so. Fiat stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, the car is its core business and I was pleased to note, at the inauguration of the new Motor Village at Mirafiori, several points of contact between Fiat and Ferrari: I am talking about the working environment and transfer of research from F1 to production, thanks also to the contribution of the Research Centre".
No listing hypothesis for the Maranello factory:
"I don’t want to talk about it any more, let’s say for at least ten years".
Another record year is looming for Ferrari:
"In the first quarter, we recorded +27% in sales and 11.000.000 in profits against the minus 8.000.000 in the same period in 2005. We have three years of development ahead of us in which we will consolidate the effect of new models and new markets. No group in the world has such a modern car fleet: the oldest is only two and a half years old and the last, the 599 Gtb Fiorano, is the most extraordinary car ever made. We are in 52 countries, accounting for 90% of the total motorisation. 30% of Ferraris are sold in the East, we are opening a new showroom in Beijing and in China we start from 120 cars delivered".
An example to follow, according to Montezemolo:
"Italy must strongly revalue work and enterprise".
But Italy is also a country pilloried by new scandals. On which Montezemolo is lapidary:
"What has happened in football is sad but healthy. I don’t want to talk about Juventus because Fiat is just one of the sponsors, like other big companies. However, I am sorry that in this, as in other Italian events, there has been a self-referential attitude of the environment. If the judges had not intervened, nothing would have happened. It is paradoxical, very serious. A total change of the ruling class will be useful, we need a strong change as happened a year ago in the world of banking. You play too much and are too tired. When you go beyond all the limits you have to step back, enforce the rules and if there are no rules, make new ones, avoid certain incredible conflicts of interest. Those who watch a match may have doubts about who to support, they should never have doubts about what happens on the pitch. Football for Italy is not only sport and passion, it is a huge economic driver that carries around the image of the country: in Abu Dhabi, they know our players, the generation of Baggio enchanted Japan, now follow us in China".
Luca Montezemolo smiles when it is pointed out to him that Berlusconi would like a couple of belated championships.
"Berlusconi is never satisfied. For everything".
Then he talks about the upcoming World Cup:
"Lippi has a rather old but strong team. As a former organiser, I hope everything runs smoothly and I say let’s go Italy. We talk about emerging teams, then Brazil always wins in the end. That is beautiful football, which has been missing in recent years. I hope for Italy-Brazil in the final".
The president of Ferrari says he has reconciled with the sport thanks to the fair and exciting challenge between Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi at Mugello.
"Valentino did the right thing by giving up F1. We have given him the opportunity to confront himself and he has realised that he still gives his best in motorcycling".
He repeats that he did not accept Schumacher’s relegation to last place in Monte-Carlo:
"But I am comforted by the dedication with which Michael, who has won more than anyone, ran that race. There are serious people in F1 and there are people making t-shirts. What interests me is that Ferrari and Bridgestone are back at the top. The championship is long, we will not give up until the last race in Brazil. We have triumphed for six years in a row, the cycle for me is not unrepeatable, we will come back to win some world titles".
On Saturday, June 10, 2006, Fernando Alonso took the pole position at the British Grand Prix, the eighth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. The Spanish driver lapped in 1'20"253. Next to him in the front row is Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen. The two Ferraris are in the second row: third time for Michael Schumacher, fourth time for Felipe Massa. The German driver tried to defend the best time until the last minute of practice; then Alonso and Räikkönen returned to the track: the Ferrari driver managed to improve but then came the mockery of the Spaniard and the Finn. The World Champion, in fact, made a perfect lap and got the thirteenth pole of his career, the fourth consecutive this year after those of Nurburgring, Barcelona and Monte-Carlo. The Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella and the Honda of Barrichello followed in the third row. In fourth was the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher and the McLaren-Mercedes of Juan Pablo Montoya. Among the top ten, in the fifth row, also the Bmw of Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve. Jarno Trulli will start from the last row of the grid. The Italian Toyota driver, during qualifying, was forced to return to the pits with the engine in smoke after just one lap. Bad qualifying also for Jenson Button: the home driver did not go beyond the nineteenth place in the first round of qualifying, and will start in the tenth and penultimate row. Also eliminated after the first phase of qualifying were the Australian Mark Webber in the Williams, Christijan Albers’ Midland and Satō’s and Montagny’s Super Aguri (the Japanese driver changed his engine this morning, after the last free practice session). Fernando Alonso, visibly satisfied, said:
"It’s the fourth pole this year. It’s really a great moment for me and the car. It’s one of the best moments of my entire career".
Instead, Michael Schumacher said:
"I’m disappointed and it’s normal. Tomorrow the strategy will be decisive. We know we are very close. Much depends on the fuel levels on board. Honestly, we thought we could have taken pole, but the track conditions were very difficult. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a car-engine-tyre package that can win".
He was convinced that he could raise his arms to the sky. He still is.
"There is no reason to think that ours is not a winning car. The tyres work well, we still believe we are the fastest. Maybe Alonso’s was a fuel hit".
Meanwhile, for the fourth time in a row, Schumacher is forced to bow his head on Saturday, leaving the throne to the unleashed Spaniard, one who has all the numbers with him to be defined as uncatchable, one who has not missed an appointment with the podium in thirteen races, who has already won four times this season and when it has gone wrong (in the other three races) he brought home a second place. One who almost seems to enjoy mocking his rival in Ferrari, because snatching pole at the very last second hurts, psychologically it risks annihilating you, with that scream choked in the throat that could even send the race sideways. Michael Schumacher, disappointed with the defeat, doubts Renault’s fuel level, and assures that he has a full tank and that the strategy will put everything right, but his optimism does not breach the other side. Briatore, direct and irreverent as usual, only cares that there are no cameras around, before responding to the German’s threats with a loud laugh.
"Yes, Ferrari is very scary".
And then off he goes, hand over his mouth, to magnify the irony, to demonstrate in an equally obvious way that this Renault can afford to make fun of Ferrari because the results always prove them right. Alonso is different, he does not fall into temptation, but his cockiness is not inferior. The blow he missed in Monte Carlo (he was mocking Schumacher in his last attempt, the incorrect manoeuvre of the German thwarted the effort, but the disqualification in the evening did not change the substance) he succeeded at Silverstone, setting the best time when Ferrari was anticipating a triumph, and this boosts his confidence.
"In a Formula 1 where overtaking is impossible, pole puts half the race in your pocket and I start in front of everyone for the fourth time in a row. It’s a magical moment. At the beginning the new qualifying had me a bit surprised, I made some mistakes and even the team was not infallible, but now we are always perfect. My lap was super: it will be a tough race, but Schumacher is deluding himself if he thinks my tank is empty. We have the right fuel to win".
Helping his dreams this time is also the revived Räikkönen, future Ferrari driver, but for the moment only dedicated to the cause of the discontinuous McLaren. Even the Fin, at the last second, managed to beat Schumacher, he will be the one to close the front row, and the feat risks further complicating Ferrari’s plans, with the German third and Massa only fourth. There was no shortage of thrills in his result and this accentuates the mockery for the men of the Maranello team, as Räikkönen had to run a preparation lap at the same speed as a qualifying lap. He recounts:
"There were only a few seconds to go, I was in danger of crossing the finish line after the chequered flag, of no longer having the chance for a last attempt. On the radio they told me, you can’t make it, push like crazy. I even ruined the tyres, but then on the moment when it counted I went like a rocket".
And now, although Schumacher says that starting third, from the clean side of the track, is better, he risks being a dangerous intruder in the duel:
"Because compared to them I have nothing to lose".
Fisichella and Trulli, on the other hand, could not smile. With the first, the mechanics, perhaps, lowered the car too much.
"It had to be half an inch, I think we made a mistake".
Result: he lost half a second in the first sector, in the race he will have to inflate the tyres to the maximum and even risk disqualification if he wears out the plank too much. Trulli found himself with a burning engine at the beginning of the first round. Curses and last place on the grid, with similar disappointment to that of Jenson Button, who failed with the nineteenth time. Different instead is the venom that is on Felipe Massa’s lips. David Coulthard had attacked him:
"Ferrari needs two drivers who score points, it has only one".
Sharp reply:
"Ferrari will never take someone like him. The fact that he came dressed as Superman in Monte-Carlo does not change his value, he has never done anything".
Meanwhile, as soon as the conference ended, Luca Montezemolo stormed out:
"A television please, tell me where I can find a television".
Asking a receptionist at the Grand Hotel Miramare where the Confindustria Youth Convention is being held. At the Silverstone circuit, it is the last few minutes of qualifying. He found a small room, slipped into it and sat down on a table.
"Stop talking now, please".
Schumacher is fighting for pole, a very fast lap and he takes it. Montezemolo follows impassively: on the track there is still the very dangerous Alonso, who will shortly precede the German driver. Montezemolo comments:
"I wonder how much fuel he has".
The German finished second, with no chance of a comeback.
"And Massa? Massa has to set a time".
He comments anxiously. The Brazilian driver satisfies him: very fast lap and third place. And he lets out a:
"Yay".
Anyway, I am satisfied with the two placings. Too bad not to have taken Räikkönen into account, the last one on track. He was very fast, took the place of honour and put the two Maranello cars back on the second row. Unclassified was Montezemolo’s mood:
"What a curse".
And he left the room. On Sunday, June 11, 2006, the start of the British Grand Prix would give Alonso's challengers hope, however, as the #1 Renault was surprisingly sluggish off the line. Yet, neither Räikkönen nor Schumacher could force a move into Copse, meaning Alonso was able to retain his spot at the head of the field. Behind, Juan Pablo Montoya received a whack from Jacques Villeneuve as the only incident of note in the first corner. However, a few moments later a more costly accident would thin the field, caused by Scott Speed misjudging his speed through Becketts. The American rookie smacked into the back of Ralf Schumacher's Toyota with enough force to send the German racer sliding off the circuit, only for Schumacher to rejoin and collect an innocent Mark Webber. The Safety Car was required to clean up the mess, with Schumacher and Webber out, while Speed pitted for repairs but was forced to retire. The race would resume, with Alonso slowing dramatically towards the end of the SC period before catapulting away from Räikkönen to build an early lead. With Alonso breaking away, attention briefly focused on Jenson Button, who was battling his way up the field at an impressive rate having crashed out in qualifying. Indeed, a series of moves in the early laps carried the Brit from nineteenth to the back of eleventh-placed David Coulthard, only for his Honda engine to coat his rear tyres in oil and set fire to the car as he spun into the gravel at Brooklands. With that, the race settled into a stalemate, with Alonso continuing to eke out a lead, while Räikkönen had Schumacher glued to his tail through to the first round of stops. Schumacher was a surprise first stopper from the lead group, followed by Räikkönen a lap later, while Alonso ran on until lap 22 and managed to rejoin without losing the lead. The second stint of the race provided little action of note, with the gaps at the head of the field only growing as the summer heat kept any weather intervention at bay.
As such, it was only when the second round of pit stops began on lap 41 that the picture of the race changed, with Schumacher triggering the pit phase. Indeed, Schumacher was the main winner of the second stop, emerging in clear air to deliver one flying lap, and hence jump Räikkönen out of the pits. Alonso, meanwhile, would stop on lap 44 to hand the lead to teammate Giancarlo Fisichella, before the Italian stopped on lap 45 and rejoined in fourth behind Räikkönen. Fisichella was the main focus of attention in the closing stages, slowly drawing in Räikkönen for the final podium spot. A similar battle would develop over the final point, Nico Rosberg drawing in Villeneuve, although both battles would end in disappointment, as track conditions, the Silverstone circuit and the current generation of cars made overtaking nearly impossible. Untroubled by all of this, however, was Alonso, who cruised through the final laps to claim his maiden hat trick, fourteen seconds clear of Schumacher in second. Räikkönen held Fisichella at bay to complete the podium, while Felipe Massa, Montoya, Nick Heidfeld and Villeneuve completed the scorers. Pole position, fastest lap of the race, the final triumph. These are the signs of absolute domination, the glorious combination that the English playfully call hat tricks. The magician Fernando Alonso had never in his career happened to grab everything in a Grand Prix, as happened at Silverstone. He had already dominated many times, in two seasons of almost undisputed reign, but never so clearly, without the slightest flaw, a ride capable of annihilating any opponent, starting with the disappointed Michael Schumacher, always convinced that he could turn the situation around, more than ever decided not to give up, but for now relegated to the uncomfortable role of maid of honour, the eternal second (he has already happened three times this season) that accompanies the Spanish on the podium, acting as a sidekick and not as a protagonist. The impression is that Alonso has made thirteen, not only in the tally of career victories. The feeling is that the Spaniard, by imposing himself in what the British pompously call the temple of speed, has swept the Formula 1 table, a millionaire’s win that could resemble a second anticipated world title.
Because his success was almost mocking in its ease, despite Ferrari’s frantic scramble, their skill in strategy (the usual overtaking in the pits allowed Schumacher to overtake Räikkönen and finish second), their tenacity in trying to put a currently overpowering opponent like Renault in trouble. He doubted, the German driver, and the amount of fuel Alonso had on board, he thought that his was a pole helped by fuel. In the race it turned out that the Spaniard was heavier, he had four more laps, and it was in those kilometres that he inflicted the decisive gap, passing from the 5 seconds advantage he had on lap 17 to the 14 seconds that he found himself at the end of the twenty-sixth lap. An abyss that Schumacher, slowed down by Räikkönen until overtaking after the second pit stop, never managed to reduce. On the contrary, the unpleasant perception (for Ferrari) is that Alonso only really put his car to the test in the four laps between the German’s first stop and his own, when he gained almost 8 seconds, and that for the rest of the race, he ran conservatively, taking care not to over-exploit the engine and being careful about tyre wear. Alonso, who really does not want to be a braggart, despite being in the lead from start to finish, explains:
"The car was programmed to go fast in the last stretch, with an empty tank, and not at the start when I had a little understeer. That’s why I was cautious at the start and I just tried not to let them pass me. But when my car started to have no problems, I didn’t see anyone behind me any more".
He pulled away and was able to take home his third consecutive victory, as exciting as the others:
"Because here we are not in my Spain, there is not the same charm of Monte-Carlo, but I live in Oxford, twenty minutes by car, and for the fans, it was like I was racing at home".
By now he is a darling for everyone and only gets angry if you talk to him about a walk:
"Because winning is never easy and our continuous triumphs are the result of very hard work".
A Renault domination, as Briatore points out, and not an Alonso domination, but the substance is still the same. The Spaniard has a 23 point-lead and Schumacher has no choice but to rely on miracles. Such as invoking the help of Massa, fifth and overtaken (in the pits, no overtaken was seen on track between the big names, symbol of deadly boredom) even by Fisichella, brave in his race of attack despite having a car with the wrong aerodynamic configuration. An applause also goes to Trulli, who started last and finished eleventh. Instead, a race to forget for Jenson Button. Not even a hero in front of his people. Even the Honda engine failed him. Alonso’s message to the rest of the world does not impress Michael Schumacher. Indeed, not even resigned: as of today, Ferrari kicks off the Operation 100 points to win the World Championship. Unfortunately, the math says that winning all the remaining ten Grands Prix is not enough.
"If Alonso always comes second. That’s why I said to Felipe: give me a hand”.
Of course with an Alonso like that, it is hard.
"It’s no surprise, he’s been going fast for two years. But the World Championship is not over".
Some said that this British Grand Prix was crucial.
"But what’s crucial! We’re not even halfway through the season. Every Grand Prix is crucial, from my point of view. And in Formula 1 things change quickly".
What is the message?
"Never give up. Never. We don’t give up. Put it this way, the bad thing is there’s a 23-point gap. The good thing? It is a gap that can be closed".
Meanwhile, at Silverstone, you thought you would win.
"True. We came here convinced we were fast. Instead we had little fun. Our predictions were not correct, judging by the outcome of the race".
In retrospect: could you have done more?
"Who knows, without Kimi in front it could have ended differently. I mean, I don’t know if I could have won but at least I could have been in the mix, fighting with Alonso".
Did Räikkönen slow you down?
"Look at the times, and you will see how much I lost".
He had almost passed you, the Fin.
"Yes, but he reacted and we were so close, the distance of a sheet of paper. We could have made contact".
So it could have ended even worse.
"That’s exactly why I say that we lost two points, but we collected eight: we were good at the pit stop, smart to use new tyres at the right time".
So you passed Räikkönen. But it was a boring Grand Prix, on the overtaking front.
"Guys, the ideal world does not exist".
Now there are two Grands Prix on the horizon, which will be held in Montreal and Indianapolis, favourable to Michael Schumacher, judging by last year’s results.
"It’s the game of ifs. But since we’ve got the predictions wrong here at Silverstone, I’d rather suspend any judgment, or prediction for that matter. I can say that these are different circuits in terms of aerodynamics, so we will find out in a few weeks what will happen".
In the past, you used to go on vacation at this time.
"Which I will do quietly right now: I’ll prepare myself by taking a few days to relax and then go for the comeback. At least we’ll try, that’s for sure".
For Kimi Räikkönen, third, there is no particular regret for not having gone beyond the last step of the podium.
"After the safety car, I got closer to Alonso, but without being able to overtake him. Then I found myself in front of Schumi and Michael had the right strategy. Mine was an average day: we can be faster but today I have a clear conscience for having done everything I could".
In the finale, Räikkönen had to hold off Fisichella’s comeback:
"The car was not perfect, and I had to slow down in the last few laps due to traffic problems. Fisichella, on the other hand, was fast and it was difficult to keep him behind".
However, Ron Dennis is convinced that the value of McLaren at the moment is what they achieved today, namely third place, although there is room for improvement.
"We always want to win, not having reached the top step of the podium is a defeat, but this must serve as a positive lesson. This third place represents the real value, with Renault first, then Ferrari and then McLaren, which has still recovered. Obviously not as much as needed and we will work on that in the coming weeks".