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One minute and fifty-five seconds. That's how long it took the race director to respond to Ferrari, which, confused by the Formula 1 regulations, sought clarification during the British Grand Prix. The data emerged on Thursday, July 15, 2010, in Maranello, during a meeting with journalists in which the team, armed with radio transcripts, explained its perspective on the true reasons for the setback. Everything revolves around Alonso's overtaking of Kubica, a maneuver executed by the Spaniard in lap 17, going off the track and cutting a corner. Immediately after, Massimo Rivola, Ferrari's sporting director, radioed Charlie Whiting, the race director, who took just over a minute to respond. The question was simple: given the uniqueness of the overtaking, should Alonso give back the position or not? Whiting took his time, then called back to say that yes, he should give it back. But by then, Alonso had overtaken another competitor and was far ahead of Kubica, so the team decided it was not necessary to concede the position. Ten minutes later, the incident was under investigation, and just 55 seconds later - at the end of a very brief process - the penalty, a drive-through, was imposed. Made lethal for Alonso by the simultaneous deployment of the Safety Car. Regarding this, Ferrari's data indicates that it entered the track with a significant (suspicious?) delay: two minutes after de la Rosa's incident, precisely when it would have caused the most damage to Alonso. This, along with the 1'55"0 delay in the initial communication and Whiting's post-race statements ("we told him three times that he had to give back the position"), threatens to ignite a new controversy between the FIA and a Ferrari seeking excuses. Nevertheless, on the eve of the German Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso still believes: according to the Spanish Ferrari driver, he can turn around much of Ferrari's season in the next two races.
"We are on the eve of a very important period for us: in Germany and Hungary, it will be crucial to collect many points to stay in the title race. There's no point in looking back and feeling sorry for ourselves: we know we have to be perfect, and then we will bring home the results we want".
The Spaniard is confident in the value of his car.
"I spent several days in Maranello last week; it's important to be close to the team at such a particular moment, and we were able to prepare these two weekends in great detail. Returning to the championship, my confidence is based on facts: the car has improved significantly in recent weeks, as seen even on a challenging track like Silverstone. Moreover, the points system in force this year allows for significant recoveries".
Alonso talks about some experiments in view of Hockenheim.
"We will have further updates on the F10, especially a new version of the diffuser. We'll see in Friday's practice if it brings the desired effects, but I'm very confident, considering that the recent improvements we introduced met expectations. The German circuit is one of the shortest in the World Championship: the gaps in qualifying will be limited, and we will have to minimize every mistake, as two tenths more or less can make a significant difference on the starting grid".
Two fourth places and a sixth position at the debut. That's all he managed to achieve. Michael Schumacher, seven-time World Champion, has not stepped onto the podium this season after his comeback. Is it the fault of Mercedes? Sometimes, but not always, because his teammate, Nico Rosberg, with the same car, has collected three podiums and three fifth places, putting him ahead by a whopping 54 points. If not an abyss, it's close. However, Schumacher is not giving up, and he has no doubts about the future.
"I am very happy; so far, the results have not been very fortunate. But next year, I want to win the title".
The German champion also acknowledges that he couldn't leave all the other drivers behind in his return to the World Championship after a three-year break.
"After a three-year break, I faced a completely new situation".
Michael Schumacher, while acknowledging that he couldn't test his car during the winter, and his teammate Nico Rosberg are hopeful of reaching the podium in the German Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, July 25, 2010, at the Hockenheim circuit. However, in the race for the championship, Schumacher is betting on his fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel.
"I get along wonderfully with Sebastian. He has all my sympathy and the best prospects".
Schumacher's intention to aim for the world title from the next season is also confirmed in the words of Norbert Haug, the head of Mercedes Motorsport.
"Schumacher will stay with us next year as well. As soon as we have a winning car, Schumacher will return to popping the champagne on the top step of the podium, just like Nico Rosberg. Michael has finished fourth twice in the last six Grand Prix. It's not a lot for someone like him, or even by Mercedes' accustomed standards, but it's a lot considering what has been possible in these races. We will change things and return to the top. We know what it takes to win races. We've done it in the past, and we'll do it again".
After the previous German Grand Prix (at the Nürburgring) in July 2009, the future of the race was in doubt after the government of Baden-Württemberg and the town of Hockenheim withdrew their funding for the event. Planned discussions between the owner of Formula One's commercial rights Bernie Ecclestone and the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg Günther Oettinger to renegotiate the expenses for hosting the event had ended after Ecclestone made controversial comments regarding Adolf Hitler, and the organisers of the Nürburgring circuit announced that they would not hold the race in 2010 because of a commitment to hold the event in 2011. An agreement was reached in September which would see the event run until 2018 with both circuit's management and Formula One Management agreeing to cover any losses incurred. Despite taking victory in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso faced pressure heading into the second half of the season; he was forty-seven points behind Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship after scoring four points in the last two races. Alonso had been largely affected by safety car periods in Valencia and Silverstone despite his team having narrowed the performance gap on their championship rivals. However, Alonso remained upbeat about his title chances and said his team had more motivation to succeed despite his recent results. Hamilton, the defending race winner at the Hockenheim, spoke of his feeling the race would provide an indication on form for the second half of the year and believed McLaren should have a successful car balance to be competitive at the track. Several teams made alterations to their cars in preparation for the event. Mercedes introduced a new version of their car's rear wing which was designed to work more efficiently with their F-duct system. Ferrari brought a refinement to their exhaust system and modified their diffuser's side channels. Red Bull introduced minor improvements to their car's F-duct system and both of their drivers used a front wing specification which courted controversy at the preceding British Grand Prix. McLaren used a blown diffuser which was discarded after the Friday practice sessions at the previous Grand Prix and was changed for the German Grand Prix. The diffuser been moved outwards but had a longer inner section, the pipe was cut off at an angle, and the carbon materials for its side channel were changed. Sauber came to the circuit with their car carrying several aerodynamic upgrades which included a modified diffuser. There was one driver change heading into the race. Karun Chandhok was dropped from the Hispania Racing team and was replaced by Sakon Yamamoto while Bruno Senna reclaimed his race seat after sitting out the British Grand Prix.
Hispania released a statement which said Yamamoto was given another opportunity to race after impressing at the previous race and that Chandhok remained part of the team. Friday, July 23, 2010, the first session was initially held in wet-weather conditions before less rain fell and drivers were required to adapt to changing levels of grip. Full wet tyres were used in the session's opening period before the field utilised intermediate tyres in its closing minutes. The conditions prevented the teams from collecting data on how the dry-compound tyres would perform. Adrian Sutil was the fastest driver with a time of 1’25”701 seconds, ahead of Massa who spun several times and had the fastest time until Sutil's lap. Jenson Button was third-fastest despite reporting an handling imbalance, ahead of Rubens Barrichello (who spun at high-speed at turn three after driving into a large amount of standing water) Vitaly Petrov, Rosberg and Sébastien Buemi. Nico Hülkenberg, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Pedro de la Rosa rounded out the session's top-ten drivers. Hamilton drove over standing water at the exit of the turn three left-hander twenty minutes before the session ended and slid sideways into the turn four tyre barrier, heavily damaging his car. Most of the track dried up despite a light rain shower before the second practice session and drivers recorded more lap times to make up for the lack of running in the first session. Some drivers also went off the circuit. Alonso set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1’16”265; Massa finished with the third-fastest time. The two Red Bull drivers were second and fourth (with Vettel ahead of Webber). All of the top four quickest drivers set their fastest lap times on the super-soft dry compound tyre. Rosberg was fifth-fastest (despite damaging his front wing after he collided with a kerb bollard), ahead of his Mercedes teammate Michael Schumacher in sixth. Hamilton, Kubica, Barrichello and Hülkenberg followed in the top ten. Ferrari hides in the rain. The car is fast, finally, and even though the accumulated anger in these last Grand Prix races is considerable, the awareness that things have now turned rather bad is quite clear. It happens that in the best Friday since the beginning of the World Championship - a day of free practice entirely dominated by Alonso, first of all, even ahead of those Red Bulls that until yesterday afternoon seemed unbeatable - the team's watchword is maximum caution. It's almost surprising to hear the Spanish driver suddenly regain composure and clarity, inviting everyone to calm down.
"The favorites are still those from Red Bull. Of course, we have improved a lot, but I don't think the balance of power has been revolutionized in two weeks. It has happened before to have positive feelings on Friday and then see the Red Bulls fly on Saturday... Times on a strange day like this, rain in the morning and a wet track in the afternoon, have no value. For us to win, we would have to do something out of the ordinary. Starting with a Saturday and Sunday without mistakes".
Words of pure common sense, also supported by Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal:
"Today's results are even less significant than those of other Fridays: of course, it's nice to be ahead and know that we are competitive, but from what we have seen so far, Red Bull still has the fastest car".
In addition to Alonso, Massa also did very well, and perhaps this is the most significant data of the day, considering that Felipe is going through a not-so-positive period. The Brazilian stayed close to his teammate all the time, finishing in third place ahead of Webber and just behind Vettel.
"It's too early to say exactly where we stand compared to the competition. The weather factor will count a lot".
Which promises to be variable. Ferrari still believes. Fernando Alonso says:
"Comparing with previous years, when the old scoring system was in place, we are only 18 points behind. And we have seen many championships reopen despite a greater gap".
What matters is not making mistakes, starting to win, and regularly standing on the podium until the end. And, of course, taking advantage of the possible difficulties of others. McLaren seemed a bit struggling, and due to a rather nasty incident involving Hamilton - who lost control of the car and crashed into the wall during the first practice session - they could not test the new diffuser as planned:
"It's a piece that has a lot of potential, but it's still imperfect; we need to test it more".
After trying, more or less in vain, with football, Al Saadi Gaddafi, the third son of the Libyan leader Muammar, threatens to switch to Formula 1. Unlike what he did with football, this time the young scion would not intend to take the field personally, he would not be the driver or even the mechanic; he would simply finance someone else to do it for him. And that someone else would be the former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, with whom, according to the usual well-informed sources in the paddock, there has recently been an understanding between sons of art. An understanding that could now result in the registration for the 2011 season of Villeneuve Racing. It must be said that the project of the Canadian driver has existed for a long time and apparently has much more solid foundations: there is talk of a sort of joint venture with the Italian team Durango Corse.
"I have never hidden that I am working on a project for F1".
The pilot had recently stated, then wanted to curb the rumors regarding Gaddafi's financial collaboration:
"At the moment, all the money we need for the project comes from companies that sponsor us, not from investments attributable to individuals".
However, many swear that the commercial interests of Al Saadi's family, mainly operating in the oil sector, and the sporting passion of the young man (he was the captain of his country's national football team, as well as a player for Al-Ittihad and Perugia before being stopped by doping) would be convincing the Libyans to enter a market that has seen a lot of success among Arab investors in recent years. A heavy rain shower hit the circuit on Saturday morning which stopped before the final practice session started. Drivers were initially forced to use intermediate tyres before switching later to dry-weather conditions and the teams worked on car set-up for qualifying. Vettel set the fastest lap, a 1'15"503; Webber finished with the third-fastest time. They were separated by the Ferrari drivers in second and fourth (with Alonso ahead of Massa). Rosberg duplicated his second-session result in fifth. Hamilton, Schumacher, Barrichello, Kubica and Hülkenberg completed the top ten ahead of qualifying. Sutil was unable to record a lap time when his Force India's driveshaft broke though he managed to return to his garage and lost 45 minutes of running. Saturday afternoon's qualifying session is held in dry weather conditions but dark clouds brought a risk of further rain showers. With limited dry running in the final practice session grip levels rose as qualifying progressed. Vettel set the fastest time in the final session which clinched him the sixth pole position of his season (and his third consecutive) with a lap of 1'13"791 which was recorded on his final timed lap. Although he was happy to start on the pole he said his lap was not 100% perfect as he drove off the circuit after he pushed hard. Vettel was joined on the grid's front row by Alonso who was 0.002 seconds after Alonso had recorded the fastest times in the first and second sessions. Massa took third despite running wide on his final timed lap but was optimistic on a track where he felt comfortable. Webber, fourth, ran wide at the Nordkurve right-hand corner on his final lap when he turned in late and cut the kerb which cost him three seconds and he opted to abandon his lap. The two McLaren cars lined up on the grid's third row (with Button ahead of Hamilton). Button was happy with his lap whilst Hamilton said his qualifying pace was poor despite the McLaren drivers recording the fastest speeds on the circuit's main straight. Kubica qualified seventh and felt he could have set a faster lap time as he was held up in the track's final sector.
Barrichello in eighth experienced understeer in the final session and lost his car's balance. Rosberg and Hülkenberg rounded out the top ten qualifiers. Schumacher was the fastest driver not to advance to the final session, qualifying eleventh; his best time of 1'15"026 was almost two seconds slower than Alonso's fastest time in the second session. He had been one tenth of a second quicker than his teammate Rosberg in the first session; Rosberg's lap caused Schumacher to be eliminated from qualifying and the latter stated he had brake problems. Kamui Kobayashi qualified in 12th was slowed by traffic, and his tyre temperatures dropped which resulted in a loss of grip. He was followed by Petrov in the 13th position. Sutil was afflicted with a lack of grip in his Force India which caused him to slide sideways. Sutil was penalised five positions because this team changed his gearbox following his driveshaft failure in the final practice session. As a result, de la Rosa inherited 14th, and was ahead of the Toro Rosso drivers (Jaime Alguersuari in front of Buemi). Jarno Trulli was the quickest driver who was unable to advance beyond the first session, and was followed by his Lotus teammate Heikki Kovalainen. Timo Glock was penalised five positions on the grid twice because his team changed his gearbox and fitted a seventh-gear ratio that was undeclared on Friday. Senna took over the 20th place. Liuzzi exited turn 15 to complete his second timed lap, ran over a wet patch of astroturf causing him to lose control of the back-end of his Force India, sending him across the track to make heavy contact with the front of his car. He veered back towards the track and some grass and narrowly avoided collecting Glock.
Sakon Yamamoto had a shifting issue on his fastest lap time and took 23rd. Lucas di Grassi had a gearbox problem in his car that was unable to be rectified and completed the field. He later incurred a five-place grid penalty for the gearbox change but it had no effect on his starting position. Ferrari's perfect Saturday is not enough to secure pole position because the cheeky stopwatch, at the last moment, decides to reward the usual Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel by just 0.002 seconds, really nothing. But it's more than enough to scare the entire Circus. It's like saying: ladies and gentlemen, be careful because from now on, Ferrari is back to being Ferrari, and Alonso is back to being Alonso. The Spanish driver, truly rejuvenated, dominated the entire day with a time of 1’13"793, surpassed only in the last second by Sebastian Vettel. But beyond the stopwatch and beyond the placements, to fully understand why the second position (enhanced by Massa's third position) is so valuable and can be celebrated in Maranello as an almost pole position, you had to see the crazy joy, the relief of the mechanics in the Red Bull box when the data appeared on the monitors giving Sebastian the first position. They were not used to seeing opponents so close, their leadership threatened. And one must listen to the worried words of the German himself, who, in a press conference, surrounded by Ferrari drivers, admits:
"Yes, the Ferraris are really competitive".
Alonso's joy is also more than eloquent:
"For the first time this season, we fought for pole position. We are very happy with the car and our work: we had the famous perfect Saturday. It is also very important that Felipe is in third place because the more positions we occupy, the more we take away from others. We have to continue like this. Now we have to stay focused: points are given on Sunday, not on Saturday. So it's as if we haven't done anything".
While waiting for a Sunday that promises to be decisive, the men of the Maranello team will now spend a hectic afternoon refreshing ideas and strategies: the goal is not to make any mistakes and take advantage of a situation that seems to be shaping up quite well. Because, among the main rivals, the other Red Bull, that of Mark Webber, has lagged behind, and even further back are the two McLarens. The English team, the leader of the World Championship, only manages fifth and sixth place with Button and Hamilton, giving the impression of having lost their way a bit with aerodynamics development, somewhat similar to what happened to Ferrari after the start of the season.
Finally, it is now a confirmed crisis for Michael Schumacher. The former Formula 1 king is constantly overshadowed by his teammate, Nico Rosberg, and occasionally by others as well. As happened in qualifying at Hockenheim when he was overshadowed by one of his supposed heirs, Nico Hulkenberg, who ousted him from the top ten on the starting grid right at the last second. The worst thing about this crisis is that not even Michael knows how deep his night is: before the start of qualifying, with the usual somewhat awkward confidence of a German cowboy, he had fixed the reporters by saying:
"Today, I'll arrive fifth, at most sixth".
On July 25, 2010, the German Grand Prix took place in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m.. The conditions on the grid were cloudy before the start; there was an air temperature between 21 °C and 25 °C, with a track temperature ranging from 28 °C to 35 °C, and no rain was expected. The top ten qualifiers started on the super-soft compound tyre. As the five red lights went out to signal the start of the race, Vettel released his clutch pedal, found that he had poor acceleration driving off his starting position, but avoided stalling his engine. He drove right towards Alonso in an attempt to put the latter towards the pit lane wall heading into the first corner. Alonso was on the racing line and overtook Vettel. However, neither driver took the lead as Massa had made a fast start and passed both drivers around the outside. Button avoided hitting the back of Vettel's car by swerving and braking early for the first corner. Further round, Alguersuari committed to the braking zone late at the turn six hairpin, drove into the rear of his teammate Buemi, which removed Buemi's rear wing and his own front wing, and debris was littered across the track. Hamilton passed Webber for fourth place on the same lap. At the end of the first lap, the order was: Massa, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Webber, Button, Kubica, Schumacher, Rosberg and Kobayashi. Elsewhere, Force India committed an error when bringing their drivers in early. Liuzzi made contact with Sutil which damaged his front wing. The team had been expecting Liuzzi to pit before Sutil, but the latter was the first to arrive into the team's pit stall. It was only after both drivers had returned to the circuit that the team realised they had accidentally placed Liuzzi's tyres on Sutil's car and Sutil's tyres on Liuzzi's. Buemi was pushed back into his garage and became the race's first retirement with accident damage on the second lap. Hamilton was running close behind Vettel but despite his car's straight-line speed advantage, he was unable to affect an overtaking manoeuvre.
Hamilton later dropped further away from Vettel. Trulli became afflicted with an gearbox issue which meant he was unable to select second gear, and his mechanics pushed his Lotus T127 back into his garage where they attempted to rectify the issue without success. Alonso recorded lap times faster than teammate Massa which reduced the gap to 1.1 seconds by the conclusion of lap six. Trulli was released from his garage by his team but drove slowly around the circuit and elected to retire on the next lap. Massa responded to Alonso's quick pace with his fastest lap time to increase the gap by four-tenths of a second. Button ran wide at the first corner and fell further behind sixth-place driver Webber. Hamilton set a slow time which allowed Webber to close the gap to the former. Vettel became the first driver to make a scheduled pit stop for the hard-compound tyres on the 12th lap, and rejoined in sixth in front of Kubica. It was part of a strategy by Red Bull to place him into clear air in the hopes that he could make up some time on the leading Ferrari cars. Alguersuari drove alongside Yamamoto over the start/finish line and he made a pass for 19th entering the first corner on the same lap. Ferrari responded to Red Bull's decision by bringing Alonso and Massa in for their stops in quick succession, handing the lead to Button. Alonso rejoined ahead of Vettel, and was followed by Webber, but he exited the pit lane among a pack of slower cars and was immediately challenged by Kobayashi. Massa began to struggle with tyre temperatures and locked-up at turn two, and lost the balance of his car at the turn six hairpin. Alguersuari overtook Glock for the 18th position on lap 17, and started to reduce the gap between himself and Senna. Button, who was still to make a pit stop, set faster lap times than other cars despite being on a worn set of soft-compound tyres. The battle between the two Ferrari drivers allowed Vettel to quickly close the gap. Alguersuari passed di Grassi to move into 16th place on the 21st lap.
Alonso and Massa had caught up to slower cars by the same lap, which allowed the former to attempt a pass on the Brazilian by driving on the inside line heading into the turn six hairpin. But Massa held a quicker line leaving the corner which allowed him to defend his position. Alonso attempted to pass again heading into the following turn but backed out of the manoeuvre. He was angry and told his team:
"This is ridiculous".
Because he saw Massa placing him in danger of being challenged by both the Red Bull cars; it prompted intense discussion regarding the matter on the Ferrari pit wall. Yamamoto pulled over to the side of the track when his engine cut out on lap 19 while battling with both Force India drivers. After passing slower cars, Vettel began to resume his battle with the Ferrari drivers. Button made a pit stop on lap 22 and reemerged in fifth position behind his teammate Hamilton. The Ferrari cars began to set faster lap times than the rest of the field as Massa started to pull away from Alonso and held a lead of three seconds over his teammate. Alonso responded to Massa's newfound pace by recording a new fastest lap of the race, a 1’18”075 on lap 28, having backed out to see how fast his car was in clean air, before the two drivers began to trade fastest times over the next three laps. Webber attempted to place pressure on Button in a battle for fifth place, although Button was using a defensive strategy by using his McLaren's straight-line speed advantage. Pedro de la Rosa caught up to Hülkenberg and passed him at the turn six hairpin on lap 35. Three laps later, Hamilton was instructed by McLaren to conserve fuel usage in the event they could use an aggressive fuel saving mode towards the end of the race. By lap 39, Alonso had reduced the time deficit between himself and Massa as the latter was lapping the two Virgin cars. At the start of lap 40, Massa held a 1.2 second lead over Alonso, who in turn, was 5.2 seconds in front of Vettel. Hamilton in fourth place was 18.1 seconds behind, but was maintaining a steady gap to teammate Button in fifth. Webber was told by Red Bull over the radio to increase the gap to Button, because his car was suffering from an issue with its oil consumption, and was told that braking harder into the track's turns would possibly assist in moving some oil around the inside of his car. Petrov made an error which allowed Kobayashi to take advantage but Petrov held off the challenge. A radio transmission from Massa's race engineer Rob Smedley was intercepted on lap 48, with Smedley telling Massa:
”OK, so, Fernando (Alonso) is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?"
Based on Smedley's tone, commentators surmised that it had been a coded message from engineer to driver telling Massa to move over and allow Alonso through. Massa was slow to accelerate leaving the turn six hairpin on lap 49, giving Alonso the opening he needed to take the lead. Smedley was later heard apologising to Massa over the radio. De La Rosa made his solitary pit stop of the event for super-soft compound tyres on lap 51. Di Grassi, at turn one on the same lap, hit a kerb damaging his car's rear suspension, which rendered him unable to continue in the race. He was pushed into his garage by his team to retire. Vettel pressured Massa by setting consecutive fastest laps to reduce the time gap between them. Petrov was on course to score one point but was told by his team to shift early into seventh gear on lap 58 otherwise his maximum revolutions per minute would be changed to a lower setting. De La Rosa attempted to lap Kovalainen around the inside of the second corner on the 60th lap but the two cars made contact. Pedro de la Rosa sustained damage to a section of his front wing while Kovalainen drove to his garage and vacated his car to become the Grand Prix's final retirement on lap 61. Vettel continued to push hard in his effort to pass Massa for second place, while Hamilton was told he was no longer required to conserve fuel on the 63rd lap. Button ran wide at the first corner on the penultimate lap of the race but continued in fifth place. Alonso maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the event and crossed the start/finish line on lap 67 to secure the 23rd victory of his Formula One career. Massa finished second 4.1 seconds behind, and Vettel was third. Hamilton secured fourth, with teammate Button in fifth. Webber reduced his pace to finish in sixth place. Kubica, Rosberg, Schumacher and Petrov rounded out the points-scoring positions. Kobayashi, Barrichello, Hülkenberg, de la Rosa, Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Sutil, Glock and Senna were the final classified finishers.
Great race for Ferrari, which secures a good one-two finish in Germany. The one-two is the result of Vettel's clumsy start; all focused on squeezing Alonso at the beginning, Vettel inadvertently leaves a wide open door for Massa, who firmly takes the lead. Everything seems to be going well, even though Ferrari has been penalized with a $100.000 fine and referred to the FIA World Council for a case that will be examined in an extraordinary meeting on a date to be determined. This is due to the peculiar message heard worldwide via radio from the Ferrari pit to Massa. A subtle way of telling him to make way. The cunning move is there, just like the presence of Ferrari. Capable of sparking discussions even when there's little to say on the track, given the clear dominance of the two drivers and the evident inferiority of McLaren and even Red Bull, which just two weeks ago seemed like an unreachable missile. The triumph is clear, but so is the team order, the comfortable pass of Alonso over Felipe Massa, sacrificed for lower speed but also for fewer points in the standings. A Brazilian who can no longer win the World Championship, while the Spaniard still hopes and believes more than ever. The command, via radio, is clear, accompanied by unequivocal messages to Massa.
"Well done, we're sorry".
And this, according to the stern laws of the FIA, is not allowed, so much so that Ferrari pays the fine for the move. This is not how it should be, and the Federation has reiterated it. The problem is that it's not the first time, and it's not just Ferrari succumbing to temptation, even though the first thought goes back to 2002, the disputed (by opponents and Zeltweg's public) overtake of Schumacher on Barrichello, decided by the same Todt who now, as president, should ensure the enforcement of FIA rules. Ferrari did it then and repeated it in Germany, but this year, in Turkey, Red Bull (Webber slowed for Vettel) and McLaren (Button slowed and Hamilton not) behaved the same way, the teams that now cry foul. The real hypocrisy is that those who claim to be shocked (Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal), after having acted the same way two months ago, because winning pleases everyone, and the team's interest (in a business-driven sport) comes first. The hypocrisy is complaining one Sunday and deceiving everyone the next, taking advantage of the same illogical rule that everyone disrespects. Saying that Formula 1 is not a team sport when there's the work of a thousand people behind a car and perhaps the budget of a corporate giant is a nonsense, a more serious flaw than an imposed overtake. If Alonso can win and Massa cannot, it's normal for a team to cheer for him. Perhaps Ferrari could have acted with more cunning, less in the limelight, but World Championships are won with points. This is also an FIA rule. Of course, with a bit of common sense, Massa should have yielded the lead to his teammate and just defended him. Instead, after fending off a desperate attack from Alonso with a defensive move to the limit, the Brazilian stubbornly stayed in the lead for 50 laps and only gave way when the team ordered:
"Alonso is faster than you, do you understand the message?"
Team orders have been prohibited in Formula 1 since 2002. And this has given the English teams, desperate for Ferrari's comeback and the performances of Hamilton and Button's McLarens, the chance to attack Ferrari. The most reactive, as mentioned, is Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal:
"It's the most blatant violation of the team order regulations I've ever seen".
He says, forgetting that the second most blatant violation of the same regulation (which, being stupid, everyone in F1 violates) was done by him in Turkey when he told Webber that he was running out of fuel.
"They deserved the one-two, but it's better not to make any more comments".
Instead, Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren's team principal, says, perhaps remembering when he did the same as Christian Horner. The problem is that now Ferrari's splendid race for a comeback risks turning into politics: because the competitors' frustration-fueled fury has triggered the FIA's intervention. Its president, Jean Todt, couldn't wait to investigate Ferrari. Meanwhile, Stefano Domenicali says:
"We didn't give any team orders. We provided the driver with important information to decide what to do".
But it didn't work. Ferrari was fined $100.000 and referred to the World Council chaired by Todt. At this point, Todt can make decisions of any kind. While it is true that Todt was once a master of team orders and that his son is Massa's agent, it is also true that the relationship between him and his former team has deteriorated significantly in recent times. More than a final press conference, Alonso and Massa's conference after the triumph at Hockenheim is an attempted execution. On one side, a group of journalists (especially English, German, and Brazilian) literally furious; on the other, two unarmed drivers guilty of doing what everyone in Formula 1 does (but having done it in two suddenly threatening Ferraris). An almost violent spectacle, in which the questions, more than the answers, describe the besieged atmosphere in Formula 1. This is the first question: Fernando, it seemed to us that we witnessed a clear case of team orders. Aren't you embarrassed to have won in this way?
"What matters is the team result. So, I'm happy".
Felipe, are you angry about having to give up such a victory?
"Everyone always wants to win. But we certainly didn't have any team orders; it's just that everyone has to do the best they can, and if they see they can't, then they have to think about the team".
But what happened?
"What has been happening since the beginning of the year: I had problems with the hard tires and lost pace compared to Fernando".
But why, if you were slower than Alonso, after the overtaking, you were doing the same times, and a couple of times you were even faster?
"I don't know. Maybe because he slowed down after overtaking, he was controlling the race".
Now you have become the number two driver in the Maranello team.
"I don't know. Of course, I lost many positions. But I know I can also win races, as I demonstrated today".
Barrichello doing such things with Schumacher damaged his image a lot in Brazil. Aren't you worried?
"No. I am a professional. I work for my team, just like you (addressing the journalist) work for your company".
Fernando, where do you place this victory in your career? Alongside the one in Singapore in 2008 (the one obtained thanks to Nelson Piquet Jr.'s fake accident)?
"I think Ferrari achieved an important victory today. And you (addressing the journalist) are worried because Ferrari has returned so strong".
Team orders are prohibited in Formula 1. Since 2002.
"Of course".
Eddie Jordan says you should both be kicked out of Formula 1.
"If that's the sense of the weekend for you, it means you didn't see anything happening on the track".
Fernando, we all saw what happened; don't tell us tales about hard tires or things like that. In Monza in 2006, you said this is no longer a sport, according to you. Is what you did today?
"We tried to do our race. We are professionals and try to work in the team as best we can. And I think we did a good job here".
The truth is you could never have beaten Massa on the track, so you asked the team to do it for you.
"That's your opinion".
Don't you agree?
"No".
He didn't give you this victory?
"No".
You said you're happy for this victory. But I've never seen anyone on the podium less happy than you. Why aren't you honest with us for once and admit that they handed you the victory?
"I think we were competitive on Friday, competitive on Saturday, and today we set the fastest lap of the race".
You always talk about increasing the spectacle in F1. Do you admit to disappointing fans of the spectacle and racing?
"I think that we usually try to put on a good show for the people... But we work for companies, teams. And we have to answer to them. Occasionally, we've seen incidents in races between teammates that cost them 42 points in one go. Today, Ferrari goes home with 42 points in the bag. A good job, isn't it?"
Ferrari has returned to being the most hated team in the paddock. And perhaps, this is the best news for Stefano Domenicali and his team. Because you only instill fear and dislike if others perceive you as a threat. In other words: only if you win.
And this, along with a good number of points, is what Ferrari takes home—the awareness that they can still win.
"Yes. I believe we still have good chances to achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Of course, our situation in both championships (constructors and drivers) is still complicated. But today's result gives us additional motivation for the upcoming races. We firmly believe in it".
Also, beyond the result (a double victory hadn't happened since the debut race in Bahrain, and on that occasion, it was achieved a bit more casually), what impressed was the quality of the car that was able to match the pace of Red Bull in qualifying - just a week ago, no one would have believed it - and surpass them in the race.
"Congratulations to the team; we worked every day, on the track and in Maranello. And what we cherish today is the result of a lot of effort".
A result that doesn't surprise the Ferrari boss, who, in some way, says he expected it:
"For several races, we had seen that the performance level of our car had improved, but we couldn't get the points we deserved. Today, we succeeded".
And Fernando Alonso finds himself once again chasing the leading group. After the victory, the Spaniard rises to 123 points. Ahead of him, no longer unreachable, are Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel at 136 points, Jenson Button at 143 points, and Lewis Hamilton at 157 points. The problem - they reason in Maranello - is not so much the number of points that separates Fernando from the top but the number of competitors to overtake. The best strategy for now is to keep pushing to the maximum, as Stefano Domenicali explains:
"We must continue to develop the car in the direction we have taken and postpone the calculations to a later stage".
The Spaniard agrees:
"Now it's useless to start making calculations for the championship. We have shown what our package is worth in a normal race, and we just have to keep working, trying to get the maximum points. We'll do the math in Abu Dhabi".
To always get the maximum points, the collaboration of Felipe Massa will be needed, who, in Maranello's plans (now very clear in light of the facts), as the second driver, will have to try to secure important positions on the podium and defend Alonso as much as possible from competitors. A task that the Brazilian had already expressed his willingness to fulfill during the week.
"I believe I have shown everyone that I am a winning driver. But it is also true that we drivers must think first and foremost about the overall interests of the team, and that's what I did today. There were no team orders; I just tried to do what I felt was right for my team".
This behavior angers many of his Brazilian fans but finds support from a special fan of his, Michael Schumacher, who absolves him for relinquishing the position to Alonso:
"I'm sorry for what happened to Felipe. I realize that for a driver, it's never nice to give up a victory, but in the end, only a driver can become a world champion, and certain choices have to be made".
Luca Montezemolo cuts short after Ferrari's one-two victory at Hockenheim, accompanied by controversy over Alonso's overtaking of Massa, who was instructed to let the Spaniard pass.
"The team comes before personal interests".
The President of Ferrari expresses his satisfaction with the long-awaited result through the team's website.
"I am very happy for all our fans who finally saw two Ferraris leading the race from the first lap to the last lap, dominating the competition. The result is the outcome of the hard work done in recent weeks by our team, who never give up. Now we must continue like this, improving the car to make it competitive on all the circuits we will face".
Montezemolo also extends his compliments to the two drivers:
"Alonso and Massa did very well, giving their best throughout the weekend. I am not interested in the controversies. I reiterate only what I have always said and what our drivers know well and must adhere to: whoever races for Ferrari knows that the team comes before personal interests. Then these things happen since the times of Nuvolari, and I experienced them firsthand as Sporting Director in the times of Lauda and beyond... So, enough with certain hypocrisies even if I understand that maybe some would have liked to see our two drivers eliminate each other: certainly not me and our fans".
Fernando Alonso does not let controversies overshadow his joy for the victory at Hockenheim, his second driving for Ferrari:
"All victories are special, but this one in Germany has a particular flavor. I felt great emotion, especially thinking about all the people who worked so hard in Maranello to achieve this fantastic one-two. No one has ever given up, and I know how much satisfaction it gave the team to see two Ferraris cross the finish line ahead of all our opponents: it was a month since we promised ourselves to bring at least one victory home before the summer break".
In a challenging season for the cars from Maranello, Alonso is still 34 points behind the leader of the World Championship, Lewis Hamilton:
"In some races, we have been unlucky, not being able to bring home the points we deserved only due to incidents. There was a certain frustration in the air for this lack of results, but in Germany, we had a normal race for once: we had no problems during the weekend, and you saw how it ended. Our approach to the World Championship does not change; we knew the car was becoming competitive again, so we were confident".
Now, Ferrari's focus is on Budapest, where on August 1, 2010, the Hungarian Grand Prix will take place. It was at the Hungaroring that Fernando Alonso won his first race in the Formula 1 World Championship in 2003:
"For me, it's a special circuit; I won my first race here and also got my last pole, a year ago. I don't remember much about that August 24, 2003, there were many emotions: it would be nice to relive them this weekend behind the wheel of a Ferrari. The track is full of successive curves; there is no time to rest: a car capable of handling all the bumps on the track and the curbs is needed".
Galvanized by the victory in Germany, Alonso seems to have regained confidence in his abilities and promises a battle for the end of the World Championship, without referring to possible FIA sanctions for his overtaking of Massa at Hockenheim:
"Sunday will be a challenging race both physically and mentally. It is important not to let oneself be carried away by impatience and overdo it because mistakes are costly, especially in qualifying. We will have to do our best to seek another perfect weekend, starting from Thursday. The games in the Championship are still open: I have already said, the scores are only calculated at the end".