The British won’t get over it. The day after the Korean psychodrama, TV commentators, team principals, drivers and mechanics keep on blaming the Italians, guilty of being unsportsmanlike as usual. The last attack, on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, from Times and Red Bull (Austrian team with English management: Christian Horner and Adrian Newey). They argue that, if Ferrari won the title, the World Championship would be stained by the events of the German Grand Prix, when the team from Maranello forced a stunned Massa to let Alonso through so that the Spaniard gained seven points. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says:
"We will address this issue at the right time. Now, we’re just trying to get back ahead of Alonso".
No team orders:
"Both of our drivers are still fighting for the World Championship. We won’t be asking anything to them".
Only twenty-four hours before, he said the opposite, though: his team is ready to ask Vettel to let Webber through. But this contradiction is justifiable. If they didn’t win the World Championship after taking fourteen pole positions out of seventeen races, his name would end up in history books. Red Bull’s future behaviour in Brazil and Abu Dhabi is a mystery. It would be extraordinary if Vettel, in order to please English public opinion, helped Alonso against Webber, along with Massa. Ferrari is hopeful, but nobody really believes that. Not even in London. Felipe Massa can finally relax: his home Grand Prix on the Brazilian track of Interlagos is approaching.
"I truly can’t wait to spend some time at home. I will not have to take a flight for the next race, since it will be right here in São Paulo".
After the third place conquered in Korea, Massa takes stock of a World Championship that is now favourable to the ambitions of Ferrari. Alonso won on the new circuit of Yeongam and he took the lead of the drivers’ championship. He will try to win the title in the last two races of the season. Massa’s help will be fundamental for the Spaniard.
"Ferrari’s chances in both Championships are much better after the Asian races. We were able to improve the car even in difficult times, working in the right direction. The result is a much stronger F10, race by race, even though I didn’t always achieve good results".
The final result can change.
"Looking at the standings, we’re still in the fight: we can win the Constructors’ Championship, while Fernando took the lead of the Drivers’ Championship".
They will have to give their all in the last two races and try to improve in qualifying, where Ferrari doesn’t seem to be capable of expressing its full potential yet.
"We must improve our Saturday afternoon performance, our weak spot, even knowing Red Bull is strong on a single lap. They did great last year in Brazil and they won the race, but Ferrari was the best team in the previous years, with three consecutive triumphs from 2006 to 2008. Our car was quick on the Interlagos circuit, a track that I love: I cannot wait to do it again in front of my fans".
The Brazilian gained confidence with that third place in Korea.
"My feeling improved compared to the last two races. Being back on the podium was a good sensation after a couple of bad results. And I scored important points for the Constructors’ Championship and to help my teammate in the drivers’ competition".
Fernando Alonso still has the hands of a young man: thin, hairless, blue veins barely perceived under the skin of the back of his hand, perfect nails, a silver wedding ring on his right ring finger. He is not wearing anything on his wrists and his hands are leaning on his light jeans. Other than that, he is wearing trainers, a black t-shirt and a grey sweater. His hands own a part of his talent.
"During the race, with the one hand I shift gears approximately seventy, seventy-five times per lap. I push a button on the steering wheel, following the indications of a light on my computer. At the same time, with my other hand, I change the car’s parameters. We have forty: engine map, differential, engine brake, fuel mix, understeering, oversteering, and so on. While doing this, I think about the next corner and I listen to my engineers. If it’s raining and I can’t see anything, I read the track impressed in my memory and estimate where I am at that very moment, and I try to see who is ahead of me and behind me".
He speaks slowly, an indulgent well-educated young man put in front of an unprepared person. I listen to him. I know I will not be able to accurately report the technique he is explaining so naturally. It would be the same even if I were talking to a cobbler. Alonso smiles, secretly, hiding the other half of his talent: his calmness. As a driver at least. As a man, I don’t know, even though he seems to be lonely, that kind of loneliness you need in a world where nothing bad can happen to you if you’re alone.
"I really enjoy staying on my own, away from the crowds and from the noise. I live in Geneva and I get up at 10:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m., sharing this good fortune with only a few people. Maybe writers? Then I get on my racing bike until 2pm. And I think. I think about what’s next, about the next Grand Prix and my personal life. I do the math and plan… I have lunch at 3:30pm, I go grocery shopping and finally, at night-time, I watch some television. Sometimes I go to the cinema or to the theatre. I never have dinner before 11:00 p.m.. That’s it".
Some people in Ferrari said Schumacher was the monk. It took them up to two years to find the courage to talk to him. Fernando was the enemy: in the time of two weeks, he had everybody on his side. And he did it by himself, since he didn’t even take his engineer with him.
"I don’t know who I remind of. I think it’s impossible to make comparisons with past champions. I have not studied anybody, but created myself my driving style. Senna was racing when I was eight, but Spain didn’t really like Formula 1 back then and the sport did not have enough airtime. I do remember Senna on tv. I admired him because I like winners. I’m a perfectionist on the job, I give my all and I’m fully focused on details. I might be described as a jerk; it doesn’t offend me".
They say you recognize Formula 1 drivers depending on how they use tyres in the corners. Alonso goes straight, points the corner with the nose of the car and suddenly turns. Hard strategy on the tyres. He can allow himself not to be a hypocrite, at the risk of appearing wild. He doesn’t believe in God:
"It was my choice".
He doesn’t even trust men:
"I’m shy and introverted. I won’t give you my number if you ask, to protect myself".
And he is not afraid of dying.
"I don’t think my sport is dangerous. I tell myself: Fernando, take it easy, nothing bad will ever happen. And if something happened, I could not change my destiny in the last second of my existence".
On Friday, October 29, 2010 Montezemolo calls him. He wants to know if he’s fit. He tells him Ferrari is aiming to the title. It’s natural. Only two races are left: Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Alonso tells him he might be, almost reassuring him. He is in Oviedo to relax. His land, his family, his childhood and boyhood. The truth is here. He’s just Fernando there. On Tuesday, November 2, 2010 he will catch a plane to South America and he will get back to being Alonso.
"I can win or I can lose, in a few hours, a few minutes or an instant. It’s the fourth time in six years that I find myself in a similar situation. I became World Champion twice. I’m as stressed as always. I’m used to it".
At this time of the year, in the region of Asturias, land of mountains, woods and sea in a space of sixty kilometres, it’s dark until 9:00 a.m..
"I always got into school at night".
The restaurant Tierra Astur is made of wood and glass. You walk in front of it and see who’s inside, mostly boys. The waiters raise the bottle of cider above their heads to pour it in the glass they’re holding with the other hand at knee height. Some cider always drops on the floor, making it slippery. It’s one of Fernando’s favourite places. The driver goes there from time to time to challenge the fabada, typical dish made of white beans, pork shank, tail and ears, blood sausage, a ham (jamon serrano) bone, lard, onions, garlic cloves and some more spicy ingredients.
"My favourite dishes, though, are pizza, paella and tortillas. I’m a proud Asturian. I think it’s the only region in Spain that has never been conquered, despite being sacked by Napoleon and besieged during the civil war. Anywhere in the world, Asturians bring their flag in the suitcase. A yellow cross on a field of blue. I have it on my helmet".
His family has been living out of town for some years. His father José Luis made explosives for working in the mines; his mother Ana worked in a mall; his sister Lorena, thirty-four years old, five more than Fernando, is a doctor. Their old house was in the city centre, in a street named Capitan Almeida back then and Fernando Alonso now.
"I spent twenty years of my life in that apartment. I remember by heart every single tile, my bedroom, the table where I lined up my red toy cars, the hallway where I used to run with a steering wheel in my hand while imitating the engine sound with my mouth. I remember the walks with my Grandma Luisa, and her comforting words when she left me at the school entrance. I did not have big dreams. If I played football, I only wanted to win. If I went on a bike ride with my classmates, my only wish was finishing first. I became a driver because my results decided it. Not my father, or life".
It will all come to an end someday.
"I know. I had my first race when I was three. I’m twenty-nine now. I might race until thirty-six, or thirty-seven, or even before. When I get out the car, I will also leave Formula 1. I love driving and I’d like to start an academy to teach others. More challenges will come. I’ll grow old and the new reality won’t be easy to face. I’ve always been the youngest in all classes. I won’t be anymore. Children, family… I think it’ll happen soon. A place to stay, where I can begin building my future. Tokyo would be amazing, but it’s just a suggestion. I can’t think of a different life for me now. Destiny has treated me well until now".
Alonso’s wife is a pop singer, Raquel Del Rosario, and she sings in a band called El Sueño de Morfeo (Morpheus' Dream). They knew each other during a radio interview with Fernando in a sports hall in Madrid. Fifteen thousand people were there. Raquel performed in the breaks, just before advertisement. They became a commercial too. He says he believes in a love described as variable:
"The feeling changes in time. Patience and quietness are required. We often get confused and we talk about love when something has got nothing to do with it. It does not matter what we do for living: drivers, financial wizards or employees. Many of us look for love".
Fernando Alonso earns around thirty million dollars each season. Ferrari gives him at least fifteen.
"I keep my money in the bank, I don’t buy houses. My father deals with it".
He spends one hundred and fifty days a year whether on track or in the motorhome, garage and Maranello. He has already driven 8752 kilometres in 2010: 5123 racing, 665 in the lead. Like cowboys, he always has a deck of cards in his pockets, for his magic tricks. He is superstitious, especially about numbers.
"I believe 14 is my lucky number because I won the World Karting Championship on July 14, 1996, at the age of 14. I fear 13, 17 and some more that I’d rather not name".
He chooses hotel rooms depending on their number; if he gets the worst, his manager sleeps in it. He got betrayed and disappointed, but he has never looked for revenge. He has got few true friends. Not in his field, though.
"There is no friendship in Formula 1, only good terms. My only friends are here, in Oviedo. They stayed faithful, despite time and distance. Alberto is now a ski instructor. Manuel, called Kama because he was a fan of Camacho, works with lifts. Finally, Pedro builds window frames".
He would like to go to a Real Madrid match, undercover, to avoid fans. He’s become a symbol for Spain, along with the national football team. Bookshops’ windows in Oviedo only show the biography of Letizia Ortiz (other pride from Asturias) and Felipe de Borbón, prince and princess, future rulers of Spain; books about Wojtyla and Benedict XVI; guidebooks about the mushrooms of the region; and Alonso photo books. Hotel guests find in their rooms the Bible and Alonso - aiming to his third title - on the cover of a magazine. He’s asked whether he will chase it with his head or his hands. He says he cannot answer:
"I don’t know if I’m clever. I know my instinct and I will follow it".
Two races left until the end of the F1 World Championship and Fernando Alonso is in the lead at the end of a long run-up.
Bernie Ecclestone doesn’t hide his wish of seeing a Red Bull driver becoming World Champion.
"I would like Red Bull drivers Mark Webber or Sebastian Vettel to win the World Championship".
A desire with an economic purpose.
"It means having five World Champions on track next year. Such a result could increase the revenues for Formula 1".
Soon after, the sport’s number one criticizes the three new teams (Hispania, Lotus and Virgin Racing) that haven’t scored any points yet and that are still in the last positions in the Constructors’ World Championship.
"They don’t do anything good for us, it’s a shame for the sport. We must get rid of some of them. Richard Branson should invest more money in Virgin, such as Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz did".
Only Lotus would have a chance.
"The only team worth staying in the sport".
The week before the penultimate Grand Prix of the season, Ferrari is quite optimistic. Fernando Alonso has never won in Brazil, but a third place in Interlagos was enough to win the World Championship in 2005, such as a second place the following year.
"We’re going to Brazil with the same spirit as the last races: focused on our job, determined to get the most out of any opportunity, aware that Abu Dhabi will give us our final result. The track is interesting and it usually provides impressive races. The changing weather may play an important role and we must be ready for anything. Short and fast track means short gaps and many drivers in a few tenths".
Stefano Domenicali has got great expectations as well:
"Fernando will face the race in Interlagos the same way he faced the last races, keeping in mind the most important thing: crossing the line. Unless something unexpected happens, it would mean scoring a good number of points. I think 2007 was the most exciting Championship. It was the final Grand Prix and only two races before Kimi was 17 points behind the first… Winning both Drivers and Constructors’ World Championship was really epic".
The worst memory can be found in the following season. We might talk about Felipe’s last corner.
"He was World Champion when he crossed the line. Then, only a few seconds later, Lewis Hamilton took the title. It was a tough moment for Felipe and the whole team, although we won the Constructors’ Championship. However, the thing we will keep in our minds is Felipe’s reaction at the end of the race: he stepped on the podium showing great self-control and all his sportsmanship, as the whole team did after all".
Ferrari has already won the Brazilian Grand Prix ten times, two of them with Felipe Massa, in 2006 and 2008.
"This is the race I missed the most last year, when I was out because of the accident in Budapest. After my absence in 2009, I’d love to be back fighting for the first position, essentially because it would be crucial for both standings. It is his home race and, for what I know, I’m sure he will be highly motivated to do well. He wants to show the fans his value and so I expect to see him fully in the fight, ready to do anything to get the win. He’ll be fast and this is what we need to reach our goals".
Felipe Massa is ready to leave room to Fernando Alonso in the race scheduled on Sunday, November 7, 2010 at Interlagos. The Brazilian driver expresses this thought while chatting to the commentators on the verge of the Grand Prix.
"I expect to win the race and I’ll do my best for my people".
If necessary, is Massa ready to leave room to Alonso?
"I already did in 2007. Don’t you remember? I’m a professional driver".
This is what Massa says referring to the title won by his former teammate Kimi Raikkonen three years ago. Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso has got an advantage of 11 points on Mark Webber, protagonist of the World Championship despite the battle with his teammate Sebastian Vettel. During the press conference held in Interlagos on Thursday, Felipe Massa points out:
"This year’s results did not meet my expectations, mostly in qualifying since I always had difficulties completing the first lap on new tyres".
And then he adds:
"In some races, I didn’t even get to score any points. Or, in Singapore, a problem in qualifying forced me to start the race at the bottom of the group".
Regarding the race weekend on his home track, Felipe shares his enthusiasm with his Brazilian colleagues.
"I’ve got great memories of this track: my two wins and the pole positions in 2006, 2007 and 2008, the last time I raced here. Going back in time, at the beginning of my career, I also won twice the Formula Chevrolet. This track presents interesting challenges and we can get creative in choosing the setup, while other sectors require a very technical approach. The single lap may be short, unlike most of the new tracks, but this circuit is well-thought-out and the chances of overtaking and providing good battles are high. What’s really special in Interlagos is the fans, though: they are enthusiastic and sing all day long from the grandstands. They give an extra boost to the Brazilian drivers".
Fernando Alonso mathematically has the possibility of winning the title in Brazil and Felipe gets asked if he believes the Spaniard will get it.
"Fernando is in the lead at the moment. Of course, I think he can, but anything is possible as we have seen this season. My personal goal is winning the race, so that I will also help Fernando taking points from his rivals".
Not so long ago, in São Paulo, journalists talked about him as the new Ayrton Senna, while they insult him now, saying that he barely is the new Rubens Barrichello. This is probably the first time he understands how hard it is to be yourself: Felipe Massa, 28 years old, Ferrari driver, key figure in someone else’s season. The wingman is a difficult role to play in the sport, mostly when it’s your home race – Brazil for Massa, a country all skyscrapers and big roads, in love with his heroes and allergic to number two. Felipe Massa is number two today, the man who let Fernando Alonso by, in Hockenheim, with the team asking him to do it again. The atmosphere around him is cold. Nothing to do with the heavy rain washing the circuit, probably until qualifying. It's cold because nobody in Brazil accepts to support a driver that has already lost. Someone says that, someone screams that, someone else threatens a legal action, like the judge Paulo Castilho, representative of São Paulo’s Criminal Court. He explains on an interview for the daily newspaper Folha:
"If Felipe lets Alonso by, he will leave the circuit in handcuffs".
According to the so-called Estatuto do Torcedor, rule introduced in 2003 to guarantee transparency in sport activities, a conduct of the race similar to Hockenheim would mean fraud, or, at least, taking part to a fraud. The menace is not threatening, but it describes well the hostility against Ferrari around here. On Thursday, a journalist asks Alonso if he is aware of the bad image of himself:
"I’m not racing for my self-image, but to win on track".
Felipe makes more sensible statements to other journalists:
"I am to win and to do my best for the team. Letting my teammate by? I already did it with Raikkonen in 2007 and I would do it again. It depends on me, I’m a professional driver".
His words may delight Ferrari fans, but they will be yet another excuse for Horner and Red Bull to go on with the team orders controversy.
"A legitimate media war".
This is how Alonso calls it. The Spaniard goes against Stefano Domenicali’s reply:
"If Ferrari had the same technical advantage as Red Bull, the championship would be over".
On Friday, November 5, 2010, in the first practice session, Vettel was the fastest with a lap time of 1'12"328, followed by his teammate Webber, the McLaren pair of Hamilton and Button, who tested some aerodynamic adjustments to their MP4-25 cars, Renault's Robert Kubica, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, Barrichello, Michael Schumacher for Mercedes, Sutil and Nick Heidfeld from Sauber. During the session, Vitaly Petrov lost control of his Renault at the Ferradura turn and damaged his front-right corner in a collision with the tyre wall. Not long after, Kamui Kobayashi spun at the same corner and ended against a barrier, loosening his Sauber's right-rear tyre from its rim. Alonso's high-mileage engine failed two laps earlier than expected and Ferrari changed their engines. Vettel duplicated his first practice result in the second session with the fastest lap of the day: 1'11"938. His teammate Webber was 0.104 seconds slower in second. The Ferrari duo, Alonso and Massa, ended third and fifth, with Hamilton between the two of them. Kubica, Button, Heidfeld and the Mercedes pair (Rosberg and Schumacher) followed in the top ten. Massa's session ended after one hour with a disengaged clutch caused by an electrical fault from running wide and mounting a kerb at the Senna S chicane.
He stopped at the side of the circuit on the Reta Oposta straight between the Senna S chicane and the Descica do Lago corner. Schumacher attempted to pass Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso car on the inside into the Senna S chicane and the two made contact at its apex. Schumacher appeared to suddenly brake test Alguersuari. Soon after, Kobayashi avoided contact with the pit lane wall after veering out of the slipstream of Heikki Kovalainen's slower Lotus braking for the Senna S chicane. Rain briefly fell in São Paulo on the night of November 5 and returned the next morning. Weather forecasts suggested more rain would fall, although not at the same intensity as in qualifying in Japan and Korea. This caused a damp track, prompting drivers to use wet-weather tyres. Several drivers tested their cars to see how they would behave in qualifying with five minutes to go. Kubica used the intermediate tyres to lap fastest at 1'19"191, three-tenths of a second faster than Vettel in second. Hamilton, Massa, Alonso, Petrov, Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Buemi, Rosberg, Button and Barrichello made up the positions from three to ten. During the session, Button lacked front-end grip and his teammate Hamilton made two mistakes. On Friday night, Fernando Alonso analyses the result of the first two free practice sessions:
"Drawing conclusions after the first two Friday sessions is always hard. Besides, Red Bull has always dominated in the last six or seven Fridays. It’s no surprise. Even when we were on pole, they were competitive the day before. What’s important for us is to stay ahead of McLaren and some more teams that might do well on this track: Renault, Williams and Mercedes. Rain is expected tomorrow and then anything can happen: it will be fundamental to understand the perfect time and the best tyres to go on track and set the time. We have introduced some new features on the car that seem to work, although we need to analyse the data deeply. The engine replacement between the two sessions was planned, which means I have only lost a few laps".
In the most delicate moment of the season - maximum effort, crucial choices - the situation inside Red Bull Racing collapses, becoming a giant and senseless free-for-all: Webber against Vettel, Horner against Webber, Red Bull against Renault. Driver against driver is of course the main front. Mark Webber shot first, when he pulled out the sample of (justified) complaints against his team during the press conference on Thursday:
"The bosses prefer Vettel. I am not in the heart of the team. They helped me technically, but not emotionally".
On Friday night, Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner, decides to reply, instead of looking the other way as he usually does.
"Mark Webber should only lower his head and think about his job. I honestly think every member of the team felt offended by Mark’s statements in the morning".
According to many, Horner’s outburst hides the purpose of getting rid of the driver as soon as possible, possibly after Abu Dhabi. The Australian is looking forward to it: it seems that he has already revealed his intention to retire if no top teams were open to sign him. The hypothesis - quite unrealistic at the moment - of a move to Ferrari is back, even though Massa (supported by Nicolas Todt, son of FIA president Jean Todt) is still pretty quiet, results aside. Surely, the future will highly depend on the final standings of the World Championship. Anything can still happen, since Alonso and Ferrari are ahead of him, but also because Sebastian Vettel does not intend to give any points to his teammate:
"It is clear that Mark and I will never be friends, after what happened this past year. As for me, there’s only one thing I need to do in the final two races: winning. I’ve got the fastest car and I must go faster than the others".
On the other hand, few people expected the third front (Red Bull against Renault). On Thursday, Domenicali affirmed that the Championship would have been over in July, if only Ferrari’s cars had been as efficient as Red Bull’s. In response, Horner surprisingly put it on Renault, engine supplier for the Anglo-Austrian team:
"If only we had Ferrari engines, we would win the World Championship".
It’s funny that two Ferrari engines failed on Friday and that Red Bull renewed their contract with the French, who didn’t like their words, but chose not to comment on them. But the looks on their faces say it all: if Red Bull does not win this World Championship, it will be their fault. Anyway, Ferrari is still behind the two Red Bulls, as usual on Friday, but this time they are also threatened by an unexpected reliability alert. The team from Maranello tries to minimise, though, saying it was all expected and predictable: Alonso is so close to admitting he broke the engine on purpose. Despite these reassuring words, the fact is that Ferrari had two failures in two practice sessions. Not the best, since Vettel and Webber frighten the rest of the teams in view of qualifying. Massa’s damage was quite unusual: he experienced an electrical failure of the neutral safety button.
"I hit the kerb violently. It was like opening the clutch and being unable to change gears".
What happened to Alonso is far more common: his engine failed at the end of the first session. More of a suggestive failure, rather than worrying.
"The engine life was close to the end. We expected it to last three more laps… it only left the scene earlier. We planned to change it before the race and we are not worried".
It’s a borderline situation, though. According to the rules, a driver can use a maximum of eight engines each season (every engine lasts three races, on average) and, in case he needs the ninth, he gets a ten-place grid penalty on the starting grid. Alonso still has two engines available for the next two Grand Prix. They have both been used for two races. Same for Vettel, while Webber and Hamilton are in a better situation: one engine used only once, two engines used twice. Alert aside, right before the final sprint, there’s a good atmosphere at Ferrari. Possibly the best in the paddock. McLaren has a relaxed Hamilton and a grumbling Button, not willing to help his teammate (even though he will do it in the end). On Saturday, November 6, 2010, a light rain falls in the first minutes of qualifying, so that drivers opt for wet-weather tyres. The six drivers from the three new teams are out in Q1, along with Adrian Sutil (who already has a five-place grid penalty). The track slowly dries in Q2, getting faster minute by minute. Positions suddenly change in the last seconds: even Jenson Button, World Champion, is out, passed by Felipe Massa in his last attempt. Fernando Alonso immediately sets the fastest time in Q3, but his time is improved by Mark Webber. Michael Schumacher moves up to second place. Some of the drivers try slick tyres, including Robert Kubica, who goes wide at Junção corner and ruins his qualifying session. Nicolas Hülkenberg takes provisional pole, but is then passed by Lewis Hamilton and Alonso, whose time is under 1'16"0. But the German driver from Williams gets back in the lead, followed by the two Red Bull drivers. Nobody does better than Hülkenberg in the last attempt and he even improves his time, 1.1 seconds ahead of Vettel. In short, everybody’s happy, even though no driver fighting for the World Championship will start on pole position. Nico Hülkenberg will be surprisingly ahead of everybody else at Interlagos, but Alonso, Webber and Vettel don’t seem to be worried: they’re all confident about the race, that could be crucial to assign the world title. Alonso, leader of the World Championship and fifth on the grid, explains:
"We must feel satisfied. There was so much to lose. Our direct rivals are ahead of us. We’ll see how they do on the first turn. Let’s hope we make the most of it. I wish Williams keeps Red Bull behind as much as possible. In qualifying, we struggle warming the tyres, while we better handle the situation during the race. However, we know overtaking is hard here, so that we must focus on the start and the strategy. We expect a dry race, but we know anything can change if it rains".
On the other hand, Felipe Massa, barely ninth with the other Ferrari, is disappointed:
"We lost grip on slicks - said the Brazilian - we didn’t manage to reach the first positions. A shame. Weather conditions should be different tomorrow and we will see another race in the dry".
Mark Webber, third with his Red Bull, compliments Hülkenberg for taking pole position, but he’s ready to fight.
"Nico did good. A similar qualifying gives many opportunities and he’s been the surprise today. Pole position is great for every driver. Congratulations. Qualifying has been a challenge to all of us: making mistakes is easy in these conditions. The last round was complicated. We had to stay in the line and avoid mistakes".
Sebastian Vettel settles for the second position, but he will immediately try to take the lead:
"Pole position was our aim, but it could have been worse. I’m content with P2".
An incredulous Nico Hülkenberg will start ahead of everybody:
"My team took the best decisions. They told me about my lap and I pushed to the limit for a great performance".
Now that everybody’s complimenting him, giving him high-five, whispering the usual well done (secretly wishing he goes wide on the first corner tomorrow); now that Formula One is celebrating his accomplishment, the humiliation days seem to be light years away. And yet, it’s only been two weeks since Williams, the team that bet on him, called Hülkenberg to ask him for money. Something that no driver wants to be asked. An unpleasant move, confirmed and refuted several times, that was basically giving him the boot. Japanese and rich kids pay to race. Not him, Nico Hülkenberg, winner in Formula 3 and GP2. The one who was introduced as - exaggerated expression - Schumacher’s heir. He keeps that request in mind, as everybody else keeps in mind the news of a done deal for 2011, between Williams and another young GP2 champion, Pastor Maldonado. A deal that sounds ridiculous, considering Hülkenberg’s perfect pole position. Next year, three drivers will be fighting for two cars: Nico Hülkenberg, Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado. What do you think about it?
"What should I say? I still have to recover from that last lap, then we have a race… We’ll talk about it later, I’m still in shock".
Actually, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren seem to be in shock, studying Williams’ data locked in their offices, while this German kid, drunk with joy, talks in the press conference. Did he have a wet setup? No. He pitted for slicks before the others, but he also started setting pole position times before the others. It is not about tyres then. Alonso explains:
"He’s the only driver who found a clean lap".
Webber argues:
"No, he only gave us a driving lesson".
Schumacher, instead, gets poetical:
"It’s a beautiful fairy tale".
Not even Hülkenberg really knows what happened.
"The car was good, mechanics did a great job, engineers chose the perfect strategy and I set a good time. That’s all I know".
But there’s something else he’s well aware of: he won’t make it easy for Maldonado next year and he will never pay to race. Everybody keeps on saying it could have been worse because of those killer puddles in every corner. But, while the tough battle for the title is still on - drivers and teams careful not to destroy their dreams in an accident - Nico Hülkenberg rewrites his own story, achieving the first pole position in his career out of nowhere. Despite Williams’s will of firing him, he did great. Huge gaps from the others, who are trying to understand their mood for the showdown. Surely, Alonso is not the happiest: keeping a cool head, the Spaniard, who does not want to show himself struggling, claims that he still has the same goal. But it won’t be easy to reach, because he’s been the slowest out of the four title contenders. He will start on the clean side of the track and overtaking is possible on this track, but staying behind Vettel, Webber and Hamilton is not good. The battle is a matter of nerves, talent aside, and Alonso knows how to communicate, even directly:
"I’m in the lead and everyone’s racing against me. But they should also compete against each other because none of us can lose any points. If anybody ends in trouble and wants to help me somehow, I would really appreciate that".
Easy translation, regarding the two Red Bulls more than Hamilton, still forced to risk it all. Webber and Vettel belong to the same team and they may help each other, but it doesn’t seem to be their intention. As soon as someone asks about team orders, they change the topic. Vettel’s effort is admirable: in order not to answer, he lists all the possible perils in the 71 laps of the Brazilian track.
"There are too many variables to think about something else".
Variables that will never fade for him. The German wants to win, and he won’t let anyone by. He’s still hoping for the World Championship. On the other hand, Webber does not expect any help from his side. In response to conjectures, he changes the topic too.
"The team is aiming to the Constructors’ Championship. Vettel and I must score as many points as possible".
Even disappointed after qualifying, Alonso explains:
"Anything can happen in the first two corners. I will make an aggressive start, but I want to stay out of trouble".
We still have to figure out what this invisible Massa can do. His fans will protest for the fake overtake in Hochkenheim.
Pisa Fundo, Ferrari club from São Paulo, announced a 120 square meters flag representing the horse upside-down and a Red Bull flag. But Felipe’s career seems to be upside-down too. Ninth on track. Discouraging. The Brazilian driver is concerned; he goes back home promising redemption in the race. The support to Alonso seems a mirage, though. During the night, Jenson Button manages to escape from an armed ambush in São Paulo. The English driver from McLaren-Mercedes is in his car, when six men with automatic weapons attack him. Button is going back to his hotel after practice and qualifying session and only his driver’s promptness (an armed deputy) avoids worse trouble. Button’s car makes its way in the traffic and quickly reaches his hotel. The father of his driver, his manager and his coach are also on board. McLaren spreads a statement after the dramatic episode.
"On Saturday night, on the way back to Morumbi, some armed men tried to assault the car that carried Jenson Button. Jenson nor the other passengers were damaged. McLaren-Mercedes put armoured cars and trained police officers at the disposal of Button and his teammate Lewis Hamilton. The officer who was driving the car that night immediately reacted with avoidance techniques and he made his way in the traffic, bringing all of the passengers out of danger".
McLaren obviously gets to work to reinforce security service.
"The authorities in São Paulo acted efficiently to guarantee additional safety to Jenson and McLaren staff".
Button has not made any official statements after his unfortunate experience, but English television reports his only words. It seems that he has defined his talented drivers as a true legend. Richard Goddard, manager of the World Champion, is more talkative instead.
"We had left the track 3-4 minutes before. I think they were more than four or five and they jumped out of a building. One of them wielded a piece of wood, possibly a baseball bat. I didn’t notice any weapons until they aimed it at us".
On Sunday, November 7, 2010, the weather at the start was dry and clear, with an air temperature between 24 °C to 25 °C and a track temperature from 47 °C to 51 °C; the conditions were expected to remain consistent throughout the race, and no rain was forecasted. Klien stopped his car at the exit of the pit lane and failed to start due to fluctuating fuel pressure. The trackside equipment moved his car to the pit lane, where the Hispania Racing mechanics repaired it. When the race started, Hülkenberg’s tyres spun, allowing Vettel to pass him on the inside for the lead into the Senna S chicane. Webber held off Hamilton on the outside for third place. At the exit of the Descica do Lago corner, Webber overtook Hülkenberg on the Reta Oposta straight. An oversteer stopped the German from accelerating early, and his braking early let Webber, on the outside, into second place. Hamilton, in an unbalanced car, was able to fend off Alonso on the inside at the exit of Descica do Lago turn for fifth and continued to do so for the rest of the lap. Behind the first four drivers, Schumacher fell to tenth due to a mistake and he ended onto the grass. Kubica moved from seventh to sixth and Button from eleventh to ninth. Petrov made a slow start, mounting a kerb at the exit of the Senna S Chicane to avoid colliding with Alguersuari and dropped to 22nd. Towards the end of lap one, a slow Hamilton out of the Junção corner allowed Alonso to challenge him on the main straight, but Hamilton retained fourth place at the Senna S chicane. The Spaniard tried again and took fourth from Hamilton after the Descica do Lago turn, and he immediately began to gain on Hülkenberg. On lap three, Schumacher passed Button before the Senna S chicane for ninth place. Alonso closed up to Hülkenberg and began to pressure him for third position. At the start of lap four, Alonso steered right to attempt an overtake on Hülkenberg, but the latter blocked Alonso into the Senna S chicane. The German went on with his rear wing at a high angle, making him vulnerable to a pass and it required him to steer left and brake later than Alonso.
On lap five, Alonso failed again to pass Hülkenberg on the outside into the Senna S chicane, allowing Hamilton to close up to Alonso, although not close enough to pass him. On lap seven, Alonso slipstreamed Hülkenberg, who ran wide at the entry to the Descica do Lago turn and the Spaniard came close to Hülkenberg before passing him on the inside, cresting a hill towards Ferradura corner for third position. Alonso lost ten seconds behind Hülkenberg, dropping him 11 seconds behind Vettel. On lap eight, Hamilton tried an unsuccessful overtake on the outside of Hülkenberg for fourth into the Senna S chicane. This was due to a lack of tyre grip, and he sought to preserve his tyres since he did not want to overheat them in the aerodynamic turbulence created by the airflow over the rear of Hülkenberg's car. In his first lap out of aerodynamic turbulence, Alonso was unable to close up to the Red Bull cars; Vettel opted to avoid tyre strain and losing grip in case of a safety car deployment. Hülkenberg blocked Hamilton from passing him on the inside at the start of the 11th lap, notwithstanding Hamilton's more powerful engine. They went side by side into Descica do Lago turn as Hülkenberg maintained fourth. At the conclusion of the same lap, Button, separated by slower cars, made the first pit stop of the race, to switch onto the medium compound tyres, re-joining in 18th. Button's faster pace meant he had Massa, Barrichello, Hülkenberg, Kubica, Heidfeld, Alguersuari, Liuzzi and Buemi behind over the following seven laps. Massa and Barrichello both had wheel nut installation problems, requiring them to pit. Both drivers re-joined behind Button. Hamilton made his first stop for the medium compound tyres on lap 21. He emerged in sixth position, narrowly ahead of his teammate Button. At the front of the field, Alonso entered the pit lane to switch to the medium compound tyres on the 25th lap, continuing in third position. Vettel followed suit at the end of the lap, leaving the lead of the race to his teammate Webber on laps 25 and 26 until the latter's own stop on lap 26. After the pit stops, the gap between Vettel and his teammate Webber was less than three seconds. Alonso was 10 seconds behind in third place, and 10 in front of Hamilton in fourth. On lap 30, Button overtook the yet-to-pit Kobayashi on the inside into the Senna S chicane for fifth position. Barrichello attempted to pass Alguersuari for 13th on the outside at the same corner five laps later and the two made contact. Barrichello got a front-left puncture and slowed down en route to the pit lane for super soft tyres. He re-joined the race one lap behind Vettel.
Four laps later, Rosberg overtook Kobayashi on the inside into the Senna S chicane for sixth place. At the front, it seemed that the Red Bull duo of Vettel and Webber would remain in first and second. Red Bull radioed Webber to lower the performance of his overheating engine to decrease the water temperature. Nevertheless, slower traffic allowed him to close up to Vettel to 1.5 seconds. In the meantime, di Grassi entered the Virgin team's garage on the 44th lap to rectify a worsening rear suspension fault. He re-joined the race four laps later. Lap 51 saw a safety car deployment: Liuzzi lost control of his car on a kerb to the outside of the second Senna S chicane due to a suspected front suspension failure. He crashed into a barrier on the inside of the track at the bottom of a hill, before the exit of the corner. Liuzzi was unhurt, but a suspension rocker penetrated his car's left-front monocoque and touched his foot. His car was deemed to be in a dangerous position and a recovery tractor moved it. Under the safety car, several drivers pitted to replace worn tyres. McLaren called Hamilton and Button into the pit lane for a second pit stop to switch to a new set of tyres in an attempt to move up the field. Both drivers lost no positions. Mercedes asked Rosberg to make a pit stop to challenge Button at the rolling restart, but a miscommunication between Rosberg's race engineer Jock Clear and the Mercedes mechanics over which type of tyre to use meant they prepared the mediums instead of the super softs Clear had requested. Ultimately, Rosberg's mechanics opted for an old set of tyres. The driver completed an additional lap before they installed the super soft tyre compound on his car. Racing resumed at the conclusion of the 55th lap when the safety car was withdrawn after removing Liuzzi's car from the track. Vettel led, as lapped drivers separated him from Webber and Alonso in second and third. The first three lapped went faster than they had done before the safety car and prevented Hamilton and Button from gaining further positions. Alonso managed the wear on his tyres to challenge Webber, who was distanced by his teammate Vettel with a sequence of faster lap times. On lap 65, Kobayashi passed Alguerusari for tenth place. Not long after, the stewards informed the Sauber team that Heidfeld was deemed to have ignored blue flags instructing him to let faster cars by and imposed a drive-through penalty.
He served it on lap 66 lap and lost 14 seconds. Alonso closed to within six seconds of race leader Vettel, as Red Bull did not invoke team orders to instruct Vettel to hand the victory to Webber and improve his teammate's position in the World Drivers' Championship. Vettel finished first in 1 hour, 33 minutes, 11.803 seconds for his fourth victory of the season and the ninth of his career. The win, along with Webber's second-place finish, gave Red Bull the 2010 Constructors' World Championship since no other team could pass their points total with one race left. It’s the first triumph for the team since its Formula One debut in 2005. Alonso took third, with the McLaren pair of Hamilton and Button fourth and fifth, almost one second between them. Schumacher allowed Rosberg past after the safety car was withdrawn, as his teammate had a new set of tyres and he could challenge Button; the two ended the race in sixth and seventh. Hülkenberg, Kubica, who could not ask for more speed on the straight due to rev limiter problems keeping him behind Hülkenberg, and Kobayashi completed the top ten. Vettel’s bow, Webber’s nervous face, Alonso’s big smile (convinced he limited the damage and confident about winning this World Championship in Abu Dhabi): three drivers fighting until the very end. Not for the faint of heart. Three drivers ready for the last Grand Prix of the season, in the Middle-Eastern scorching heat: hot air and track temperature, worthy ending to one of the most thrilling seasons in Formula 1. The Brazilian GP was not decisive. It confirmed Red Bull does not like team orders. If Vettel had let Webber by, we would have been talking about something different. But the German won the race, after being in the lead from the first to the last corner. And he is now hoping to do the same in the last race, sure of passing his teammate and hoping Alonso gets stuck in a nightmare weekend.
"It’s been an incredible day. The start was not easy, but I managed to overtake Hülkenberg’s Williams, whose tyres spun. That was the key moment".
This is the first comment Sebastian Vettel makes about his triumph in the Brazilian Grand Prix. He got back in the game, in view of the last race in Abu Dhabi.
"The car was great and I was in control. It’s been incredible. We got back to winning after Korea. The Constructors’ Championship is an amazing result. And I’m proud of myself and my team".
On the other hand, Mark Webber can’t be satisfied with that second place.
"The result was written on Saturday. You can work on strategy in other tracks, but there was nothing I could do here. I had to deal with some problems in the second half of the race: my engine overheated and I focused on keeping Alonso behind. I’m still satisfied for the team because we mathematically won the Constructors’ Championship. I know all the team members: they’ve done an amazing job these years. Winning against teams like Ferrari and McLaren is an outstanding result".
At the same time, Red Bull Racing team principal, Christan Horner, explains:
"We’ve given no team orders the whole year. It would be a shame to do it now. They both have their chances and we’ll give them the right support. Would Alonso be world champion with the same finishing order as today? We made Alonso too many presents this year. Winning the Constructors’ Championship is amazing. It was unimaginable six years ago. We have an amazing team with two great drivers against prestigious opponents like Ferrari and McLaren".
Fernando Alonso is satisfied with his third place in the Brazilian Grand Prix, limiting the damage in terms of standings.
The Championship leader from Ferrari is already focused on Abu Dhabi for the last, decisive, race of the season:
"I lost too much ground in the first laps trying to overtake Hamilton and Hülkenberg. I almost had the same pace as Red Bull but it gets hard when you lose twelve seconds at the start… Then I had a second chance with the Safety car but I had other cars ahead. Congratulations to Red Bull on the Constructors’ World Championship. Meanwhile, we’re still in the fight for the Drivers’ Championship. Vettel has joined us too and we will see what happens in Abu Dhabi. It’s an amazing season".
He repeated that Webber would be the World Champion, if the team cared about him as much as they care for Vettel. But, in these circumstances, he’s slower and he inevitably finishes second, only because his car is an uncatchable rocket, capable of destroying the opponents and bringing a new born team (at his sixth season) on top of the world. It makes Alonso’s miracle even bigger, leader of a Ferrari frankly worse than Red Bull, but surely not second in terms of fierceness and urge to battle until the last corner. He thinks he can win, since he is 8 points ahead of Webber and 15 ahead of Vettel. The Spaniard started fifth, on a track where overtaking is possible but the race is hard if all your rivals, including Hamilton, are ahead of you. And yet Alonso did not get discouraged. On lap 2, taking advantage from a mistake of the English driver from McLaren, he became fourth; on lap 7, he passed Hülkenberg and started chasing the lead of the race. Red Bulls flew, though, and he could only hope for a plot twist. A Safety car was deployed after the accident that destroyed Liuzzi’s car, but Alonso had a group of lapped drivers ahead, and the two Red Bulls were already gone by the time he completed the overtakes. He should be in a bad mood, but at the end of the race he decides to send a solemn message to Ferrari fans:
"How many chances do I have? So many. I 100% believe in the World Championship. I only need to finish second in Abu Dhabi. I would have never expected a similar situation".
He probably started doing the math in the last races because he knows all the possible combinations, even in case Vettel won. With this preparation, he refuses to consider Red Bull a symbol of the sport, in the face of bad Ferrari devoted to team orders.
"We cannot make comparisons: they have two drivers fighting, while we only have one. If I were Vettel, I wouldn’t have let Webber through, because the German can win the title too. I’d settle for a fifth place in that case. However, the goal is clear: I get between the two Red Bulls in Abu Dhabi and it’s done".
Stefano Domenicali has got the same wish. Everyone thought the last circuit would be tough for the team from Maranello but they changed their minds.
"If qualifying is warm, we can have our say. Pressure will be huge and our driver handles it better".
Then, referring to the rivalry between Red Bull and Ferrari, Domenicali caustically closes the subject:
"I mind my own business".
However, his words suggest he expects his rivals to change their strategies in the last race. Here’s why ending between the two Red Bulls is fundamental. The right occasion might come at any moment. And Alonso wants to die as a World Champion, not let down as Massa in Brazil.
At the highest point of his career before the inexorable decline.
"We’ve been lectured for three months. They should be consistent now".
The last week before the final race of the season begins with a statement released by Fernando Alonso to El Pais. Few words, but clear. Targeting Red Bull’s situation – something that nobody wanted to talk about, in Austria and the UK. The Austrian team is now forced to choose which path to follow, having two alternatives: contradicting themselves and revealing hypocrisies (big or small, understandable or not) and double-crosses; or keep on going like this, with the risk of losing the first title, the best title, maybe the most deserved one, certainly the easiest. The reason behind this choice is pure math. After dominating the season far and wide, Red Bull cannot count on a guaranteed win. At all. If Vettel wins on Sunday, November 14, 2010, Alonso only needs a fifth place. If Webber wins and Alonso is not second, the Australian wins the Championship. It means that, if Red Bull wants the title, they might resort to team orders, imposing on Vettel - the fastest of the duo at the moment, as he proved on Sunday - to let highest-placed Webber go. What are they going to do? It’s hard to imagine Christian Horner (team principal) and Dietrich Mateschitz (the owner) going back on their words, released to the most important newspapers of the world. And instead, some statements from the protagonists of the Red Bull season (surprisingly, Horner himself) suggest it’s about to happen. Likewise, the attitude of some - mostly English - newspapers arouse suspicion. Suffice it to say, those who talked about team orders with contempt, have now changed them into nice and innocent tactical games. Nevertheless, these tactical games have the same features of team orders, using Red Bull’s words: they are unsporting (if we believe Formula 1 is an individual sport, and not a team sport, or at least hybrid) and they change the result of a race, or even season, off-track. Alonso knows it perfectly and, smart and amused, he begins his own tactical games, taking the path of a psychological warfare. The rest of the team didn’t follow him, but they will possibly change their minds in the next few hours.
"I won’t say anything about the other teams, for goodness sake. I only care about what happens in Maranello. The only thing I’m sure about is our goal: getting between the two Red Bulls next Sunday".
Basically, it seems that all eyes in Formula 1 are on Red Bull choices and strategies in Abu Dhabi, more than the race and the future World Champion.
"Both drivers can become World Champions. We support them as always".
Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, cuts to the chase and explains - with some arrogance - that they race for the sport, while the others race to win. Hard to believe in this theory.
"Nobody has got a crystal ball. Nobody knows what happens in a week. I have no doubt the drivers will do the best for the team. We achieved the eighth victory of the season and the fourth one-two. We could have won more - he observes - Only two weeks ago in Korea, the circumstances were not favourable to us. All in all, we did a better job than our rivals. We fight with prestigious teams and we do it great, giving wonderful sensations to the team".
In the meanwhile, there’s something else that everybody seems to forget: team orders are forbidden - at least officially. Talking about it in such a cheeky way does nothing but highlight the hypocrisy in Formula 1. Other than that, the fact that Red Bull went from being a ridiculous team to the Constructors’ World Champion in six years only. And there’s more: despite its performances, Ferrari has been forgotten too, as if F2010 was racing by inertia and kept Red Bull’s pace for a contractual term.