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#814 2009 European Grand Prix

2022-01-01 00:00

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#2009, Fulvio Conti, Giulia Pea,

#814 2009 European Grand Prix

Felipe Massa also sees from his left eye. They had to open it artificially, but the response was excellent, waiting to understand in a few days if the

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Felipe Massa also sees from his left eye. They had to open it artificially, but the response was excellent, waiting to understand in a few days if the nerves have not been damaged, thus giving the green light to the continuation of the career. Felipe Massa makes giant steps in his recovery and according to the opinion of the Brazilian drivers father Friday, July 31, 2009 he could be transferred to a clinic in Paris, where Professor Saillant works. He distinguishes colors, recognizes people, as stated by Altman, his personal doctor:

 

"This first test shows that there is no apparent damage, that the eye is morphologically healthy". 

 

Not only that: Felipe Massa answers questions correctly and in three languages, since he speaks in Portuguese with his family, with Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal who has been able to see him, he has spoken in Italian, and with the Hungarian doctors he expresses himself in English. The course does not seem to meet any empty step, the driver can move the limbs, he has already started a kind of physiotherapy, Wednesday, July 28, 2009, during the evening, he says he is hungry and for the first time, as his father Luiz Antonio tells, he asks for solid food, even though he cant eat it yet. He will no longer be sedated, nor will he be helped breathing artificially: since Wednesday doctors have also ruled out the need for a second surgery. Felipe Massa, although the convalescence will be very long, is starting to resume a normal life, so much so that he could talk, other than with his wife Raffaela (six months pregnant), with his mother Ana, his dad Luiz Antonioe, his brother Eduardo, and with Jean Todt, the father of his manager, but especially the manager who saw him grow on track in the golden years of the Maranello team, who showed up at the hospital with his partner Michelle and at the end he appeared visibly moved: 

 

"Because he recognized me and Im happy that things are getting better". 

 

Felipe Massa begins to receive friends (from Lula, the President of Brazil has received a message of greetings) and on Thursday, July 30, 2009 he could see Luca Montezemolo, who showed up in Budapest on Monday, but had only been able to talk to doctors, being the Brazilian still in a pharmacological coma. Some say that soon Michael Schumacher could be seen in the hospital, who is being talked about for a replacement in the next Grand Prix. Sabine Kehm, the German spokeswoman, reiterates: 

 

"Its up to Ferrari to take the first step. If there is a proposal, Michael will evaluate it. Keep in mind that he had neck problems and is forty years old". 

 

The man who has lived at a crazy speed couldnt stand still anymore. The legend of Formula 1, the driver who won most of all, was dying to add some chapter to his epic. Michael Schumacher, forty years old on Saturday, January 3, 2009, is back to drive, he grabs back the wheel of Ferrari. And not for fun, for a performance, but for real, in a Grand Prix, indeed, in seven Grands Prix, those that are missing at the end of the World Championship. On Thursday, July 30, 2009, the Maranello team broke the delay: he will replace Felipe Massa. Out of loyalty, gratitude, but also for that irrepressible desire he has always had to measure with himself, to establish boundaries with his talent, to understand the limit to which he is able to push, as when, he abandoned the four wheels, he did not hesitate to halve them, and to engage in fierce challenges with bikes. Luca Montezemolo will tell:

 

"I was very sad when Felipe had his terrible accident in Budapest, so I called Michael and asked him to come to my office. I told him, Michael you have to do it for me, and for Ferrari, you have to come back. For half an hour he was not convinced to accept, but after an hour he said ok, I can’t refuse".

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Many were perplexed, starting with his manager, Willi Weber. There was nothing to do. Nor was he stop by the three years of inactivity, that bit of belly that meanwhile has surfaced in his perfect body and that pain in the neck remedied in February, when he fell in a motorcycle race. On Thursday morning Michael Schumacher meets in Maranello the president Luca Montezemolo and the head of Sports Management, Stefano Domenicali, and in a few minutes he decides to rewrite his history, extending his attendance in Formula 1 (250 at the time of farewell) and maybe his endless records, the 91 victories, the 68 pole, the 76 fast laps, because only the seven world titles (for this year not even arithmetically) are impregnable fortress. He said yes. 

 

"Because deep down I like challenges and this is a challenge. I couldnt deny myself to Ferrari, it was right to help the team in times of need. I come back out of loyalty, out of gratitude. It is true that the Formula 1 chapter was finally over, but I could not ignore this unfortunate situation. I feel anxious to take on this new adventure. The most important thing is that, thank God, the news concerning Massa (an inflammation of the spleen has taken over, but he began to walk and yesterday he left the intensive care unit, ed) are positive". 

 

Schumacher sets no limits or targets. But be careful, he is a perfectionist, and not by chance, immediately after the decision, he met with Massa’s racing team and its manager Smedley to draw up a technical plan. On the contrary, he will have to think about the physique, getting back in shape and especially strengthening his neck. He will have to do everything by himself, because he has no tests available, his second debut (he never drove with kers) will coincide with the first free practice in Valencia, Friday, August 21, 2009. If he soils his image, he can console himself with the increase in the bank account (we are talking about 10.000.000 euros for the return) and with the extension of the consultation with Ferrari, which will be extended by at least a year. The organizers of Valencia rejoice, Germany also, on the strange day when BMW announces its farewell to F1 from 2010, with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld appiedati, with the FOTA that will try to keep alive the Sauber (maybe with a Ferrari engine) or to present three cars per team. And with a third car, giving for sure Fernando Alonso and betting on the return of Felipe Massa, if Michael Schumacher enjoys it, Kimi Raikkonen risks the place again. Whales. Happiness is swimming with whales. He said just that, Michael, the day he stopped. It was autumn 2006. They asked him what he was going to do. He smiled and said he was going to make that old dream come true. Some time later they asked him again what he would do, how he would cheat his time now that Formula 1 was a show to watch on TV. He explained that he had understood that life is his friends, and for this reason he had built next to his Swiss castle a cottage of 400 square meters where he could receive visits and, nearby, a soccer field. Then it was poker: 

 

"As in Formula 1 you must be able to take your risks".

 

Finally, the family: 

 

"What do I do now? I stand in front of the fireplace with a good cigar, sometimes I cook, I am also good: I do not overcook pasta and I make excellent sauces". 

 

Whales, soccer, poker, cigars, pasta. All lies. The truth is, ever since Michael Schumacher stopped racing, hes been hiding. Not by notoriety or success, as he declared there, but by something more undefined, a sort of animal, a monster. Who then is the same monster that made him what he was and now wants to return to being: more than a champion, a killer, a man voted to triumph, one for which the seven world titles won in his career, the dozens of opponents devoured, other driver obscured, are not the fruit of enterprises but the simple logical consequence of an overwhelming superiority. That Michael Schumacher was more a man on the run than a pensioner, most had understood for some time: the monster that hunts him feeds on adrenaline and the German had lately gone to procure everywhere. 

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On karts, where from time to time, he scrambled some drivers still active. But especially on motorcycles. In March 2008 he debuted in the Ktma Misano championship, coming fourth. Then he decided to insist. His friends advised against it. Jean Todt asked him directly, one day: 

 

"Who makes you do that?"

 

He didnt expect any answers, though. He knew it perfectly well. So when Schumacher hurt his neck this winter, crashing in Spain during the German Superbike Championship, nobody was that surprised. Neither did he, who kind of saw it coming. What Michael didnt expect was that his getaway was coming to an end, that the monster was tired of whales and cigars. The Massa accident was a perfect opportunity, but it is to be bet that the German would have found some other opportunity to try to come bak, perhaps with the story of the third car. Because for Michael it had become almost a physiological requirement. As it will be a need, once this backfire is exhausted, try to become, forever, a normal person. 

 

"That will happen too, one day I will become a normal person. Not tomorrow, but sooner or later, maybe when Im old and grizzled and fat".

 

Niki Lauda, someone who knows something about clamorous come back, is enthusiastic. 

 

"Ecclestone should pay out of his own pocket at least half of Michaels salary".

 

Immediately after Massa’s incident, last Sunday at the Hungaroring, it was the Austrian who sponsored the return of Michael, whose mood was quite clear to him. 

 

"I had retired at thirty and after two seasons I came back: I told Ecclestone that I was tired of having to go around with slow cars". 

 

For Michael it was the same. According to Lauda, Schumi shouldnt have to work too hard: 

 

"I was tempted to re-enter in 1982, with McLaren. But I was completely out of shape because I had not done any training. At the first test I could not do more than two laps. With Michael it will be different, he went on the bike, he always trained".

 

Making it is one thing, winning is another: 

 

"That also depends on the speed of the car. But I have no doubt: Schumi will be the same as always". 

 

Lauda foretastes in particular a duel: 

 

"The most interesting thing will be to see him against Raikkonen in the other Ferrari. Who will be the fastest? Kimi will have to do his best. After all the politics of recent times, after the retirement of Bmw, the return of Schumacher is the best thing for everyone, for him, for Ferrari and for Formula 1".

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Twenty days to be number one again. 40 years old. Twenty days to be able to get on track and try to put in the mirrors Button, Webber, Vettel and Hamilton, guys who could be his children, indeed, guys who, in a sense, are a bit really his children. Schumacher knows very well that these twenty days that separate him from his second debut, in Valencia, are very important. And thats why he came up with a very special work plan. Special in its simplicity. A plan that has one voice: drive. No devils, no super training, no personal trainers. But only cylinders, pistons, tires and steering wheel. Nothing else. Sure, hell try to stay in shape, maybe lose those extra ounces that someone claims to have seen clinging to his abs, but nothing more than hes done in the last three years. This is not an extravagant choice but the outcome of a logical reasoning. Says Dr. Gianni Merico, doctor of Scuderia Toro Rosso:

 

"Driving and driving again is the best way for Schumacher to prepare. On the athletic level he should not find great difficulties. Instead, the aspect that must be cured at best is the mental one. Not so much for the reaction times that there were before and there will still be, but for the concentration: the brain must go at the same speed of the car for an hour and a half and this can be a limit for those who are not accustomed. So the danger is that Michael can go well in practice and qualifying, and instead find difficulties in the race. And the only way to avoid it is to train the brain to drive". 

 

Regardless of the thousand voices that surround him, Thursday, July 30, 2009 Michael Schumacher writes on his website:

 

"Today I contacted some of the F1 Customers (collectors who buy F1 cars at the end of the season) I asked them if they could lend me a car". 

 

Probably one of those with which Raikkonen won the World Championship in 2007 (those of 2008 are prohibited). 

 

"They are old but it doesnt matter, I just need to drive as much as possible". 

 

Schumacher will do nothing else until the day of his debut. Although Ferrari will not be able to assist him: the FIA has imposed the holidays until 18 August 2009 and no exceptions are possible. But for Schumacher it will not be a problem. He will just have to drive, feel the engine and the steering wheel. Indeed. He has already started: on Thursday the German shows up in Maranello early and turns to the static simulator. Before and after he meets the technicians in two different meetings. A zeal that surprises no one. Luca Montezemolo says:

 

“He comes back to win, not to play. I am glad I have convinced him to return, also because Formula 1 needed to be revitalized".

 

Friday, July 31, 2009 Michael Schumacher gets out of the car, takes off his helmet and sighs: 

 

"Its an extraordinary feeling". 

 

If anyone had doubts, they were wrong. In a single day of work on the Mugello circuit, Michael Schumacher sweeps away all doubts, proving that three years are not enough to turn a champion into an ex and, for this reason, not even to change a man. At least not in his case. As soon as he accepted the job, the fat pensioner went back to being that jackhammer, monomaniac, compulsive worker, unbearable perfectionist, fixated that everyone remembered. He forced - it seems with the good - a collector to lend him a car, and since in this long run-up to the European Grand Prix there are no moments to lose, he had it transported to Mugello overnight. So, Friday morning, at 9:45 a.m., Michael Schumacher is ready to grind kilometers. Michael Schumachers program is clear: no talk, no gym, no theory. 

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Only laps, divided into small sessions of 5-6 at a time, interspersed with anti-fatigue breaks and massages. An exhausting work, for an unaccustomed physicist. But that the German bears great. In the end the German completed 67 laps, practically a Grand Prix. An extraordinary fact: in recent days they had asked Alesi what he would have done if they had put him on an F1 today.

 

"Id do two discreet laps, then Id pass out". 

 

The chronometer is the least important factor. The car is a hybrid: it has the slick tyres that Bridgestone provides for the GP2, so it is inevitable that the performance in general was affected.

 

"But Im happy anyway. Especially of the consistency that I managed to take after a few laps". 

 

Now the program provides a few days of relative rest. 

 

"Lets see how my body and muscles will react".

 

A new driving session is scheduled always at Mugello - where on Friday afternoon a small crowd gathers at the gates and on the highest hills to admire the return of the German - for Tuesday, August 11, 2009. But its not impossible that Michael will improvise something else. What is excluded, at least for now, is the one-day test that the Maranello team, with a rather inelegant gesture, asks to be able to do in derogation from the regulations. According to the FIA, in fact, it is not possible to do any tests during the year. Nevertheless, Ferrari asked in writing to the other teams to make an exception and let Schumacher try the F60. The FOTA, the association that brings together eight teams out of ten and is chaired by Luca Montezemolo, splits on the point and is not able to give an official answer. In the evening, however, it comes the official opposition of Williams (at the time out of the FOTA and always annoyed by certain attitudes of Ferrari) that missing unanimity, closes any possibility of testing. Ferrari, however, does not give up: it wants to get Schumacher on an F60 before Valencia, at least to make him try the kers, and it is thinking to bend to its purpose that passage in which the regulation allows the teams to do something similar to a test (albeit with different tires), for promotional purposes. Meanwhile it is learned that Felipe Massa will be discharged on Monday, August 3, 2009 from the hospital in Budapest where he is hospitalized. From there he will fly directly to Brazil, where he will continue his recovery treatments. This is confirmed by his personal doctor, Dino Altman: 

 

"We have decided that he will return home on Monday".

 

Adding that the health of the Ferrari driver continues to improve: 

 

"He will probably be taken to São Paulo by private jet. In Brazil he will continue his convalescence and return to the circuits as soon as possible". 

 

Although at the moment it is not possible to evaluate the time needed for the recovery of the Brazilian. 

 

"Massa does not need any special treatment for his recovery".

 

On Saturday 1st August 2009, after 67 laps at Mugello, Michael Schumacher is almost amused by the reaction of his body.

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"This morning I felt pain in muscles that I no longer thought I had. It was inevitable. Now lets see what happens in the next few days".

 

Michael Schumacher meets Felipe Massa in Budapest, before the Brazilian returns to Brazil: 

 

"I looked good, we talked, I am very relieved".

 

In the meantime, perhaps, the immense and cloying game that had transformed Formula 1, is about to end. Friday night Max Mosley, president of the FIA, countersigns the Concorde agreement, the document that regulates the internal life of the circus. A step that fans have been waiting for at least three years. The next step, imminent, is the publication of the new technical regulation in view of a 2010 revival. The agreement of the concord previews that from the next year all the revenues (tv rights, sponsorships, publicity, tickets) will be divided approximately at 50% between Ecclestone and the teams. Until now, the division concerned only television rights and was disproportionate in favor of Ecclestone taking 53%. The teams will share their share according to certain criteria. One of parity (a fixed quota for each team), one of sportsmanship (linked to the results), one of encouragement (for the new ones), and one of history (for the teams representing continuity, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams). On the regulatory level, however, it is important to introduce several commissions (owned by the teams) through which all decisions must pass. A measure to ensure stability and avoid any blitz. The FIA has obtained the guarantee of the presence of the teams at least until 2012 (except for the former Sauber Bmw who has until Wednesday to figure out what to do); and the commitment of all to bring costs back to the levels of the 90s. The document opens the way to the publication of the technical regulations for the next year: ban of the resupplies during the race with consequent reform of the qualifications and shortening of the Grand Prix, reduction of the width of the anterior tyres, engine speed lock at an altitude of 18.000 RPM and increase in the weight of the cars (from 605 kg to 620 kg). As for Kers, the teams have already committed themselves to getting rid of it. It will remain only on paper, a legacy of a nightmare era.

 

"I know Im lucky to be alive, but Im gonna run again".

 

There are two certainties that Felipe Massa has: the Brazilian knows he is a miracle worker, he does not yet remember anything about the accident, but they told him in abundance, and that the bad adventure he experienced will not close his career and will not affect his desire to get back on track. These are not his words, they have been forcibly attributed to him by some newspapers, they are phrases spoken by his brother Eduardo, but they are correct on the conceptual level, as confirmed by the Maranello team. Felipe Massa thanks God and cant wait to start again. The third salient fact, on his second Sunday of hospitalization in Budapest, is the confirmation that he will soon be discharged and can return home, in Brazil, accompanied by his wife Raffaela and personal doctor, Dino Altman, sure news, to the point that already yesterday they left Hungary and departed for São Paulo father Luiz Antonio, his wife Ana and brother Eduardo, family members who have always been close to the driver in these terrible moments. Massa, who is now preparing to live a long convalescence, since his World Championship can be said to be over, through his brother continues to reiterate another conviction: 

 

"In Budapest without the accident on Saturday I would have won". 

 

Then he tells: 

 

"When I woke up I didnt know why I was in the hospital, I wondered, why am I here? I tried to rip out all the tubes I had on me, my brother tried to stop me and we got into a fight". 

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In his place on the Ferrari will be the clamorous return of Michael Schumacher. Ecclestone is thrilled by the news: 

 

"Hes the greatest driver of all time, I cant wait to watch him work again. Ive often spoken to him about the possibility of a come back, if he has decided so it means that he feels able to compete again. Running is as dangerous for him as it was before, no more, no less. He is forty years old, but age does not matter, the only problem is that Ferrari is not in a position to win. He could do it, its the car that doesnt work, it would be unfair to ask him for another miracle. But the other drivers are careful: they want to teach him a lesson, they are excited by the comparison, but for them it will not be easy".

 

Five days after the return of Michael Schumacher, however, the glasses of Formula 1 return to boil of the usual poison. Everything begins Friday, July 31, 2009, in the morning, with a request, whose opportunity and elegance is objectively questionable, made by Ferrari via fax: 

 

"As you know, Schumacher has agreed to consider replacing Massa. To assess the possibility of his return, we ask the FIA and the Teams to be able to make a day of official testing, derogating from the regulation". 

 

In Maranello they expected, perhaps a little naively, immediate and positive answers. But as the hours went by it became clear that it would not be so easy, and that not all teams would agree. Starting with Williams, whose owner Frank, has for some time had some Ferrari attitudes in his mind, particularly those that tend, or seem to tend, to take advantage of the blazon. The Regulation provides that derogations can only be granted unanimously. So the English teams no actually closed the issue. But it wasnt enough. Because in a short time Williams was joined by Force India. The two teams have long chosen a different political line from that of the others, and two months ago they even detached themselves from FOTA, the association, chaired by Montezemolo, which brings together the teams. The biggest disappointment, the one that could cause more damage than expected, was still to come: in the following days, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso expressed their unexpected no, basically splitting the FOTA right in the hours of the historic signing of the Concorde agreement (which perhaps will be the case to change name). To motivate and thicken the ranks of the no front, a series of considerations quite legitimate. Starting from the fact that at the time they sent the letter, Schumacher had already accepted the Massa F60, and was already testing on the Mugello circuit. And so there was no evaluation to do. Or at least: no evaluation that could not have been done driving for 67 laps the Ferrari 2007. It says Frank Williams:

 

"We give Schumacher the welcome back to Formula 1, but the fact remains that any test is strictly prohibited. It is out of respect for this rule that Alguersuari (Spanish driver who debuted in Hungary, ndr) could not get familiar with Toro Rosso before the race. Williams sees no difference between Alguersuari and Schumacher". 

 

Dietrich Mateschitz, the boss of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso increases the dose: 

 

"Before the Hungarian Grand Prix we asked permission for a test session with Alguersuari but were told no. Why should we make an exception for a seven-time World Champion?"

 

Ferrari could force the regulation by relying on a technicality that would still allow a kind of test (for promotional purposes) but seems willing to give up. Michael Schumacher laughs. Those so unpleasant no, according to him, hide a thread of fear. And so they are healthy. Those are the most sincere welcome back. 

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Meanwhile, the Schumacher-effect transforms the next European Grand Prix into the event of the year, for Formula 1, so much so that the same drivers, usually cold and detached at the border of autism, in recent days have released statements overflowing with enthusiasm: many of them would have paid out of their pocket to run with the German (in front or in the mirrors, it doesnt matter) who was winning already when they went to elementary school. Between these, however, there will not be Nelsiño Piquet that, dumped by Flavio Briatore after a disastrous season (zero points in ten races, and a series of chilling performances), left Renault slamming the door: 

 

"Briatore was my vigilante". 

 

Now Renault will have to find a second driver to support Fernando Alonso. And they will have to hurry because theres a real chance that their appeal against disqualification will be successful. The FIA knows very well that the August 23 Grand Prix will be the most important and followed of the season and wants to give its contribution to increase the show giving permission to Alonso to be among the protagonists, at his house. Monday, August 3, 2009, Felipe Massa appears in a video released by Ferrari, a long interview before being discharged from the hospital in Budapest, left during the morning to return to Brazil, in his São Paulo, on board of a private jet and in the company of his wife Raffaela (six months pregnant) and his personal doctor Dino Altman. The Brazilian has a swollen face, a battered left eye, and a sometimes painful expression. But also the desire to smile, to heal quickly, to start running again. Felipe Massa speaks and first thinks of God (in the background you can see a rosary and a Bible) and of those who in this period have prayed for him. 

 

"I want to thank them all, I would have done the same for them. Something terrible happened to me, but I didnt remember anything. I heard two days ago exactly what happened to me and it was a very strange situation. I feel much better now. I know about the accident, unlike when I woke up in the hospital last Tuesday, I saw the images. Now I want to get better as quickly as possible, it is the right way to thank all those who have done a lot for me, the people who were on the circuit, the people who wrote to me or came to see me, who wanted this story to have a happy ending. I think the most important thing right now is to thank God". 

 

Felipe Massa is in a hurry to devour his recovery, the Brazilian driver is convinced to return to the track and cannot wait to start his career with Ferrari. Meanwhile, in his place there will be his friend Michael Schumacher, who last Saturday visited him in the hospital. 

 

"Advice? I dont have to give it to him. Michael knows how to drive and above all he knows how to win. Hes great, hes fantastic, everyone will be happy to see him run. For my part, however, I do not deny that I want to return as quickly as possible to my car". 

 

They ask him what will be his first wish as soon as he arrives in Brazil and after the short stay at the Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo, necessary for further examination. 

 

"I cant wait to get into my house, then I want to get better and get out of this problem quickly". 

 

He cannot help talking about his family, his wife Raffaela, his father Luiz Antonio, his mother Ana, his brother Eduardo and his sister. 

 

"They have all been very close to me, ever since I ran in the minor series, and in this difficult week they suffered a lot. My family is part of me". 

 

The blood family and the sports family. 

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"Even Ferrari is a family to me and it has been with me, it has never abandoned me. This means a lot to me: racing for Ferrari gives me a huge emotion".

 

After the euphoria, fear follows: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 the neck of Michael Schumacher, as feared on the eve of the first day of training, creaks. And the German warns:

 

"Health comes first". 

 

That’s like saying: if I dont have wide medical guarantees on August 23rd, I wont be in Valencia. At the time of choosing Massas successor, the German himself, contacted by Ferrari, had raised many doubts about the tightness of his neck, put to the test in February by a motorcycle accident. But he decided to try anyway. 

 

"I have to admit that my neck pinches a bit. And its a subject that we have to address, given that health has priority. This was obviously the agreement with Ferrari. And also with my wife...". 

 

The hope is that Schumacher has gone too far in caution and that with a little training and therapy that pinch may disappear. Without considering the possibility that it is a small media maneuver to get your hands on a possible negative result in Valencia. It is Schumacher himself, moreover, who authorizes a certain optimism: 

 

"Ive already lost three pounds, but I know its important to put on muscles. Overall however the preparation is fine. I accepted the challenge and, as everyone knows, I really like challenges". 

 

If the words of Michael Schumacher were not enough, the words of Bernie Ecclestone also follow: 

 

"I dont think he would have accepted if he hadnt felt ready". 

 

In the next few days it will be decided. The decisive date should be Tuesday, August 11, 2009, when Michael Schumacher will return to the track at Mugello. Even then there won’t be this season’s car but that of 2007. The tests are prohibited and the request for a derogation from Ferrari has generated a violent controversy between Ferrari and Williams:

 

"A team that has not won for many years and has not missed the opportunity to demonstrate once again poor sporting spirit".

 

Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher spent the day on Wednesday 5 August 2009 on karting, in Lonato sul Garda: 

 

"Karting is the best training possible for me and its also a lot of fun". 

 

And good news continues to come from Brazil: Felipe Massa has been released from the hospital. His wife, six months pregnant, says: 

 

"When I first saw him after the accident, I put one hand on my belly and the other on Felipe, and I asked that the strength of the new life passed to my husband. My only concern was that he didnt go back to being the Felipe of all time. Instead, hes still him".

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Tuesday, September 11, 2009, the sports miracle dissolves into nothing. The dream of the great return of Michael Schumacher vanishes in a few words of surrender on its website. Matter of a moment. 

 

"Im sorry, I tried so hard, but I cant do it, my neck hurts too much". 

 

And its all over. The legend that returns, the epic of the immortal, the fairytale of the driver that goes beyond every border, but also the desire of Ferrari to revive its image, certainly on the media, with more difficulty on the sporting, the desire to save a season so far almost entirely to be cancelled, between defeats on the track, skimpy successes (or perhaps simple draws) on the political level, courtrooms that recognize your rights but do not grant you victory, and finally, bitter glass on a plate already indigestible, the terrible accident at Felipe Massa, which makes you tremble, it takes away the best driver and makes you think (fortunately only a few hours) of the worst. Schumachers white flag is the white flag of Maranello, forced to deal with one of the most disappointing years in its history. It tries to react, because Ferrari is never there to lose, but every time it is forced to bow its head, in a 2009 full of missteps. Schumachers failure to return is yet another setback; a gamble that attracts criticism and is not good for the image. They knew the risks, the neck fracture remedied by the German, falling in motion, the 11 February 2009 in Cartagena in Spain was known, but Ferrari wanted to try anyway. The temptation to save their own year and the entire Formula 1 was too strong, Schumacher returning challenging the laws of physics and identity card, maybe winning as well, you know that applause comes from the world, imagine that glory spills over the German, but also about you and your car. Of course, there might have been a downside, Schumacher tries and fails, the audience disapproves, but he is so convinced, so enthusiastic, why think the worst? The German gets in the car, waits for the doctors' response, and then the announcement takes place, but in the entourage nobody doubts. Already in Budapest, in front of the hospital, someone points out: 

 

"Do you know Schumi? How long does it take, with his tools, for his neck to get better?"

 

Little, perhaps. But too much to think about a return to Valencia, or more generally to the races. Now Montezemolo must take note of the umpteenth setback of a season in which nothing goes the right way. Schumacher has pulled back, Ferrari can only cling to Luca Badoer, the test driver for life, the Italian who returns to the wheel of a Ferrari after fifteen years, the driver who has not disputed an F1 race since 1999 (he drove the Minardi), the man that behind the scenes built the successes of his friend Michael Schumacher, but who until now had never been considered worthy to finish on the cover. Ferrari starts again from him, hoping to leave behind the many mistakes of this year, a wrong car, uncompetitive, that has not yet managed to win and that only in the last Grand Prix has reached at least the podium, a political battle that saw them win over the oddities of Mosley (canceled the budget cap), which allowed them to get rid of this uncomfortable sovereign, but only equalize on the succession to the FIA throne, since Mosley is still in control and he is trying to impose his heir Todt, saying with pride, making himself strong of the farewell Bmw, that on the war of money he was right. Ferrari turns the page. And hopes, as in the good years (until 2008), not to stumble anymore. Maybe with the project so dear to the president of three cars in 2010, and all (with the heavy contribution of Alonso) able to hit the highest step of the podium. To forget this horrible 2009.

 

"I am excited". 

 

Luca Badoer has been excited since Monday evening, when President Montezemolo called him to tell him the double news. The first was: 

 

"Schumi gives up". 

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The second: 

 

"Its your turn". 

 

Luca Badoer has just two years less than Michael Schumacher, the numbers no. Zero titles, zero points in the race running first with Lola, on which he debuted in 1993 (the same year that Rubens Barrichello appeared), then with Minardi and Forti Corse. In 1998 he started his moving, affectionate, tireless testing activity. He returned to drive the Minardi in 1999 and in a Nurburgring characterized by the rain he found himself fourth but his engine box broke. Eleven years as a test driver, shadow driver. Badoer has accumulated extraordinary technical knowledge without any more checking in person, in the race, the correctness or not. He experimented, studied, felt the car always for someone else, a technological abstraction:

 

"It was better to take Gené".

 

They say in Spain, where they would have preferred to see the other Ferrari test driver, their compatriot, promoted. Luca Badoer does not get upset. Neither does John Elkann: 

 

"You will see, he will do well". 

 

At Maranello they describe him as a driver of few words: 

 

"I am sorry for Schumi, but for me it is a dream come true and I am sure that Michael will help me. Last week we went karting together in Lonato". 

 

He enters the circus as a veteran. And also as a living paradox: the oldest and also the least skilled in overtaking, starting, qualifying. In Valencia it will be his turn. He will soon understand how much and how it is possible to hide ten years without a checkered flag.

 

"Health is no joke". 

 

President Montezemolo explains the reasons why Michael Schumacher will not return to Ferrari. He is bitter, the president, but also fierce. When did he know?

 

"Monday night. In recent days Michael had told me that he would go to Germany for a last scanner at his neck. It seemed a formality".

 

Instead?

 

"The micro fractures to the vertebrae of the neck have not yet welded. And then, it is better not to insist. Of course. In February he had had that motorcycle accident in Cartagena, probably underestimated, and even at Mugello, in the first sighting laps, he felt some discomfort. On the other hand, after the kart lap in Lonato, he was radiant". 

 

Disappointed? Surprised?

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"Sorry. For the enthusiasm with which Schumacher had accepted the invitation and the challenge, for the end of the story, as sudden as absolute. I repeat: too many risks". 

 

Willy Weber, Michaels manager, was feeling it.

 

"If for a footballer the most delicate point is the knee, for a pilot is the neck, forced to deadly stress".

 

How did he take it, Schumi?

 

"To my heresy he had responded with the enthusiasm of the boy. He had lost four kilos, he had reached the same weight as in October 2006, when he ran for the last time, in Brazil. You can imagine the mood".

 

Why not look immediately to the future, why reflect on the past, even if Schumacher is still Schumacher?

 

"Precisely because Schumacher is always Schumacher. A champion who makes the difference. The exception that confirms the rule. I had addressed him for at least four reasons: I was sure that he would guarantee me excellent performance (translation: if not victory, something very similar); he offered serenity to Felipe Massa, serenity that the use of another active driver could crack; ensured unparalleled technical support to the development of the car; embodied the will to give a shock to the team and Formula 1".

 

Lets talk about Formula 1.

 

"In Valencia, ticket sales languished: the organizers were desperate. The announcement of Michaels return had produced a resounding surge. Not to mention the impact on the media: titles on titles, websites clogged, tv specials". 

 

Just business?

 

"Again, were talking about Michael Schumacher. He may be 40, but hes from another planet. I prefer the ace, even if seasoned, to the mediocre, even if young. The circus needed a boost. We will continue to fight so that from next season each team can field three cars. I prefer three McLaren and three Renault cars to four-five unknown drivers. With the retirement of Bmw, there is little to say and much to do".

 

Stoner stops, Schumacher gives up: banal coincidence?

 

"I think so. Without the neck problems, Schumi would have run. The Australian, vice versa, pays the pressure, stress. Today, more than ever, extreme sports require a monstrous psychological force. And, of course, a thousand for a thousand physique".

 

Could it be that the tragic death of Dani Jarque, captain of the Espanyol, has affected both, one or the other?

 

"Beyond the extraordinary emotion that it has aroused, in the case of Schumi I feel to exclude it".

 

And now? 

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"Trust in Luca Badoer, one of the family. Fate offers him a unique opportunity. It is up to him to exploit it. We will stand by him with all our strength".

 

Schumacher?

 

"To confirm his attachment to Ferrari, he will act as a hen to Luca. Who, by the way, is already training with his fitness coach". 

 

Of course, its not really a year to frame...

 

"Dont talk to me about it. From the fights and the fights with Mosley over the regulations to the results, to Felipes accident. All we needed was Michaels withdrawal".

 

The future?

 

"Sincerely: if everything had gone smoothly, thinking about 2010 I would not mind entrusting a third Ferrari just to Schumi".

 

Chapter closed?

 

"Im afraid so: with the neck you do not joke". 

 

Did you agree on the money?

 

“Quickly, as always".

 

From one to ten, what were his chances of winning in Valencia?

 

"We come from the second place of Raikkonen in Budapest, as I know him Schumi would have finished high, very high. Without forgetting that, after Valencia, he would stop in Belgium, at Spa, one of his favorite circuits. You asked me: why Schumi and not another. Because if your names Ferrari and you dont even make it to the podium, they call you a dick. With Michael we would have been fine".

 

Any word from Massa? 

 

"Hes making a great recovery. He was delighted with the Schumi hypothesis. I always remember a sentence of Zola: what I learned, in the shadow of Maradona. Here: Felipe and Michael had the same, identical relationship".

 

Reactions from Raikkonen?

 

"And who knows. You tell him good, he answers you thank you. You tell him hes wrong, he answers you thank you. Its his strength, its his limit".

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It is a defeat that hurts, the hardest ever. To accept, to tell. 

 

"It is a tragic moment, I am sad and frustrated". 

 

Michael Schumacher might not speak. His face would be enough to reveal how much he is tired by this unbearable yield, when at 2:00 p.m., punctual, white shirt, he sits behind the microphones in the great room of Geneva where he decides to tell why he had to give up to return to F1. 

 

"I want to express my regret for having had to organize this kind of conference...". 

 

Schumacher had taken terribly seriously the idea of returning to the track, with the same determination of those who were able to win seven world titles, not only to plug a hole, to help Ferrari. Schumacher wanted to return to be the protagonist, re-knotting the thread he had decided to break after the 2006 World championship. Determined to get out of his life as a rich ex, to try at 40 to regain the thrill of still being number one. 

 

"I am so sorry".

 

Michael Schumacher repeats, thanking those of Ferrari, the mechanics, Montezemolo who had believed in this operation and finally the fans. 

 

"I didnt make this choice lightly but things are as they are. I was called to replace Felipe, I did it with enthusiasm and commitment. Of course at first I was more of a no, then Montezemolo was very persuasive. I wanted to help Ferrari. No one could predict the Massa accident, there was no preparation". 

 

Nobody, him first thought of having to pay such a high price for the damage caused by the fall with the motorbike in February. The worst accident of his career, with injuries that had remained a secret with the doctor, as the reflections on that reckless choice to go hunting for extreme emotions, driving a superbike. 

 

"Only when you try an F1 on track you can be sure you can go forward, only by trying the stresses you could give a positive or negative response. We tried, it didnt work. I wasnt in the right conditions to drive". 

 

An admission that burns in the throat. Taken after thinking about everything, even to insist and run suffering. But the choice was made with Corinna, the risks were too many. Johannes Peil, the doctor, spoke again about how serious that crash on the Cartagena track was six months ago: 

 

"Michael can still be an athlete, for now he can race karts, but not in F1 . After the accident we did not talk about life danger, we did the checks, but the problems were there and now it takes eighteen months to heal". 

 

Michael Schumacher was willing to do anything. 

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"But the pains were very strong after the first test. I took a break, I tried with drugs, but it did not work. I couldnt bear the strain on my neck and head. It was inevitable to give up". 

 

Schumacher stopped, but he doesnt say its forever. 

 

"There is no reason to say that I will never be able to participate in a Grand Prix again. But now I am too disappointed to think about the future". 

 

The German leaves a door open, because putting aside this dream is too hard and even the champion who dominated every emotion needs to hope. It will be the skepticism the opponent of Luca Badoer, the Ferrari test driver promoted to vice-Mass after the forced renunciation of Michael Schumacher. He has not yet gone out on track, but many have already twisted their nose at the choice of the Maranello’s team. To the skepticism of some fans (partially balanced by the euphoria of the Badoer fan club), for which there is no end to the worst, are added the heavy considerations of Niki Lauda: 

 

"For Ferrari it is a disaster, Badoer is just a test driver, he will not be fast, it will be as if only Kimi Raikkonen ran". 

 

A few days later, Monday, August 17, 2009, the FIA appeals court pardoned Renault, and annulled the disqualification of a race imposed by the Hungarian Grand Prix sports stewards, for not having taken the necessary safety measures when, after a pit stop, Fernando Alonsos car had lost a wheel on the track. The driver wasnt warned of the risk he was taking. The team of Flavio Briatore admits his faults and asks forgiveness: so he gets away with a fine of 50,000 dollars and a warning. If this happens again, therell be trouble. But immediately the question arises: could you race in Spain without the local darling Alonso and after the renunciation of Schumacher? Clearly, the reasons for the state prevailed. On Friday, August 21, 2009 Brawn GP came back to form with the track temperature higher than at other circuits making Barrichello the pace-setter with the two McLarens behind him. Kovalainen and Hamilton were only separated by 0.018 seconds. Nico Rosberg who has topped most Friday practice sessions throughout the season struggled in his Williams coming 14th in session 1, 1.3 seconds off Barrichello, while team-mate Kazuki Nakajima fared better, coming 7th. However both Rosberg and Nakajima got into the top five in the second session. Fernando Alonso in his home grand prix topped the second session while Hamilton came last after spinning out early on and damaging his car. Renault's Romain Grosjean had a solid two sessions, coming 17th and 13th respectively, although Alonso outpaced him in each by over a second.

 

Luca Badoer came 20th and 18th in the two Friday sessions as he continued to struggle with the car as team-mate Kimi Räikkönen was 11th and 10th in the two sessions. The Toyotas struggled in session 1 with Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock coming 18th and 19th respectively. Although there was a small piece of hope as Trulli in the second session came 12th and Glock came 15th, 0.225 seconds behind his team-mate. Force India's big updates were showing improvements as Adrian Sutil came 6th in the first session, while in the second session Sutil came 6th again while Giancarlo Fisichella showed a bit of form when he came in 8th. BMW Sauber were still struggling as they came 12th and 15th. But Robert Kubica was hopefully showing a light at the end of the tunnel as he came 7th in the second session, splitting the two Force Indias. Red Bull seemed to be struggling in the hotter conditions as they were outpaced in both sessions by title challengers Brawn. Vettel (5th and 9th) and Webber (8th and 14th) were hopeful things would improve on Saturday. It was a surprise result on Saturday as Adrian Sutil topped the time sheets, as Vettel's engine blew halfway through the session causing it to be red-flagged as oil was on the track. The other Force India, Fisichella, was 0.621 seconds behind his team-mate in P6. Kazuki Nakajima came in 2nd with Robert Kubica coming in 3rd. Heikki Kovalainen was the only one of the major contenders for pole in the top 5 as he came in 4th ahead of Nico Rosberg. 

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The Brawns GP were a little off the pace as Button (7th) and Barrichello (12th) were hoping for better. Both Red Bull cars were in the bottom 5 as Vettel (18th) and Webber (17th) continued to struggle in the hot conditions. Luca Badoer continued to be well behind the pace as he came in at 20th, 3.055 seconds behind session winner Adrian Sutil. Says Fernando Alonso:

 

"It was a positive day for us with some good laps and the car performed well right from the start of the first session. We worked on the set-up throughout the day and now were pretty much happy with what we have so I think we are in good shape for the rest of the weekend. The incident with Nick Heidfeld this afternoon was a normal incident that can happen during racing or free practice. For tomorrow, we will try our best to get on the front row of the grid with the objective of scoring points on Sunday".

 

As he politely asks Luca Badoer, at the end of his first day as a Ferrari driver:

 

"Be patient with me".

 

And to look at him like this, sitting on the perch of the press conference in front of microphones and cameras, all sweaty since on the track it was a monstrous heat, you want to understand it and, were not long gone the annual stocks, even to have really, patience. 

 

"After all, it was eight months that I did not drive and I do not know the track or the car... more than that I could not do: I expected it would be a difficult day and so it was". 

 

Logical arguments that, in fact, could justify the painful eighteenth best time of the driver chosen to replace Michael Schumacher chosen to replace Felipe Massa. Then, however, the eye falls on the notebook: and considering the times of the whole day we realize that Romain Grosjean, at his debut with his Renault, stopped the time about a couple of seconds before Luca Badoer. And then the desire to have patience ends immediately and the usual questions and thoughts - disastrous car and questionable choices - that have followed this year of calvary come to mind. Stefano Domenicali summarizes the situation:

 

"In this Grand Prix more than ever Raikkonen is entrusted with the task of bringing home a useful result to defend that third place in the constructors' standing which, at this point of the season, remains our only goal". 

 

A really sad picture, for a team like Ferrari, and that risks to get worse in the light of the sudden resurrection of McLaren and Renault. In order to find some refreshment from the torrid bitterness of Valencia, therefore, all that remains is to try to focus on the future, on that 2010 of which the Maranello team is already, in some way, protagonist, since the entire driver market is frozen waiting to figure out what will be the red pair of aces for next year. The only certainty, at the moment, is that one of the two guides, the first, will be entrusted to Fernando Alonso. The official announcement was to be given to the Italian Grand Prix, as per tradition, but the Massa accident forced an indefinite postponement: before liquidating Raikkonen, announcing the arrival of the Spaniard, in fact, we need to understand if Felipe will be the same again. There is the risk of being without a driver, or with three drivers and two cars since Montezemolos plan to bring three cars is still in the embryonic phase. And such a situation would not be very nice. If the story of the three cars went well, moreover, Ferrari should still choose one between Felipe and Kimi, since the third car would go either to a very young Italian driver or, as many hope, to Michael Schumacher. The German just can not resign himself to a life as a normal person and after the flop of his first return he would be working on a long-term project, training daily at home. On the medical level with a specific job recover from the injury he suffered on motorcycles would not be impossible. 

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Meanwhile, someone, after the time of free practice, asks if by chance he was not already preparing to return to Italy or Abu Dabi, but he denies. Patience is needed. On Saturday, August 22, 2009, the first part of qualifying saw Button top the time sheets, with a lap of 138”531. With all the optimism of the pace of the Force India, Fisichella came 16th and was knocked out. Another big name that failed to make it was Kazuki Nakajima who came 2nd in practice just a few hours beforehand. Trulli, Alguersuari and Badoer were the others that joined them in not making it through to Q2. The second session was topped by the other Brawn, Rubens Barrichello, a time of 138”076; half a second quicker than the quickest time in Q1. Sebastian Buemi came bottom of the session, half a second behind débutante Romain Grosjean in 14th. Glock, Sutil and Heidfeld were the others eliminated. Robert Kubica ended a long drought and made it to Q3. The final 10-minute shoot-out began with very close lap times. As the chequered flag fell everyone was on their final lap. Button was the first of the main contenders to cross it for the final time and he didn't improve and stayed 5th. Next was Barrichello as he crossed the line and didn't improve and stayed 2nd. Kovalainen looked set for pole position but a lockup and a slide in the final corner could only get him up into second, so Hamilton didn't feel the need to complete his lap with no one else on fast laps. Hamilton got his first pole position of the season, but more importantly, it was a McLaren 1–2. Barrichello came third and a surprise 4th for Vettel as he split the Brawns. Räikkönen even with race fuel on board posted a lap time that was 1.279 seconds quicker than Luca Badoer's time in Q1 on low fuel. This was also the first time Lewis Hamilton had been on pole since the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix. The fuel-adjusted times showed that Barrichello was actually the fastest in qualifying with Kovalainen 0.216 seconds behind him. Hamilton was third with Button in fourth and Vettel in 5th. Even though it had been an encouraging sign to see BMW in the top 10, the fuel-adjustments showed that even with fuel taken into account, the BMW was still 1.114 seconds slower than the Brawn of Rubens Barrichello. Says Lewis Hamilton, at the end of qualifying:

 

"We havent seen this for a long time. Last year and in 2007 there were times where we only had to do one run in qualifying. This year we have had to go in all guns blazing and use up every minute and every second of the qualifying session. But very fortunately I managed to do a couple of good laps, so I did not have to do too many. But it can always be improved, so for sure going into tomorrow we stand in the best position for myself and Heikki for a podium. But it all depends on strategy and how the start goes and how the rest of the race goes".

 

While Heikki Kovalainen, on his mistake in the penultimate corner:

 

"Well, I clearly went over the limit. In hindsight you can always argue and think you could have done it a bit better. But in qualifying you have to go for it. It was incredibly close. Had I not pushed to the absolute limit I could have dropped three or four places easily, so I went for it. It didnt work out this time but luckily I did not lose more than one place, so it is fine. It is absolutely a great place to start tomorrow. I think we have done a good improvement from Hungary on my side of the garage, so I think everybody can be very pleased in the garage and also back in Woking. We have been working very hard this week since the shut-down and fingers crossed it is paying off now”.

 

Rather than having patience, as Luca Badoer asked, we should try to have some pity for Ferrari fans and skip this sad Spanish chapter. But the news has its own rules and so here we are forced to tell the story of the slowest car in F1: the Ferrari #3. Weighed down on the ground not only by the 30 kg of electrical uselessness of the Kers but now also by the unsustainable weight of a chain of mistakes, the car that was Massa, the same that should have been Schumacher and that today is Badoer, has scored the demeaning time of 1'41"413, abundantly last on the grid, far from Jaime Alguersuari (with a time of 1'39"925), a 19 year old catapulted no more than two months on a Toro Rosso. A disaster of image even before sporting, whose responsibility cannot be attributed to Badoer. At least not all. He also observed the press release issued by the Maranello team: 

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"The last place of Badoer was widely expected: to return to the races after a long time, moreover on an unknown track and very difficult to interpret at best, it was an improbable task for him". 

 

These considerations, however, do not answer in any way to the question that inevitably follows: gentlemen of Ferrari, if you knew that it would be an improbable task for him, why did you entrust it to him? What is the use of a third driver if, at the right moment, he is not able to profitably take the place of the second? Why didnt you then think of a nice image operation, focusing perhaps on a young Italian, or on the Spanish Marc Gené, at his house? The third place in the constructors' standing, not a prestigious goal that Ferrari has declared to have set for this 2009, can still be reached (even if the return of McLaren and Alonsos Renault worries a lot) and then the choice to bet on a driver admittedly non-competitive, in the middle of a season not really brilliant, is really mysterious. The impossibility of getting points with Badoer (from Maranello they swear that at Spa and Monza the thing will be different, but according to some it is already a miracle if at Monza Badoer will be at the wheel) is even more painful if we consider that Raikkonen (sixth) appeared in fair form. Probably fit enough to participate in the race that will be held in front of Badoer. With McLaren that, after a disastrous start did what Ferrari could only promise, that is a really competitive car for the second half of the season, and placed Hamilton in pole and Kovalainen just behind. With Renault a little disappointed by the eighth time of Alonso but happy to have guessed the choice relative to the debutant Romain Grosjean. And with the usual clash between Red Bull Racing and Brawn GP, the latter slightly advantaged by the rebirth of McLaren. Meanwhile, it seems that after Honda and Bmw its up to Toyota. Another big one would be about to greet F1. The news comes as a bolt from the blue: a letter sent by the management to all employees of the racing industry, announces that on 1 November 2009 important decisions will be made about whether to stay in the Circus. There has long been talk of significant pressure from the company on Toyota racing, but it was hoped that something could change with the installation of the new CEO, who is a racing enthusiast. In recent days, however, it was understood that the situation was heading for the worst, so much so that the budget cap for next season had not been announced. 

 

Toyota has recently signed the Agreement that, in fact, would bind it to remain in racing until 2012, but the expedients to circumvent the constraint - including the failure of Toyota racing - are not lacking. F1 is in danger of finding itself further impoverished, even if the rescue work of Bmw proceeds quite quickly: Sauber has renewed the registration for the next championship and Monday, August 24, 2009 will ask to change name, waiting for new investors. On Sunday, August 23, 2009, around 12:00 a.m. the formation lap for the European Grand Prix started with race starting a few minutes later. With the air temperature at 31 °C and the track temperature at 49 °C. it looked like the conditions were favouring the Brawn cars. The race started with Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen and Rubens Barrichello as the top three after the first lap. Kimi Räikkönen had a good start making his way to fourth from sixth on the grid. Jenson Button had a poor start dropping to ninth in the first few corners, while Luca Badoer starting from the back of the grid jumped six positions to 14th at the start. Romain Grosjean then tapped the rear of Badoer's Ferrari, causing the Italian to spin. Grosjean had to pit for repairs, as did Timo Glock after he and Sébastien Buemi collided, the Swiss driver also pitting for a new nose. Mark Webber down in ninth got on the radio claiming that Button had cut the chicane to stop Webber's attempt of a pass. Button then fell behind Webber although it is unclear whether it was a legitimate pass or Jenson let the Red Bull driver through. On lap 15, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel came into the pits. Hamilton rejoined in sixth place but Vettel's fuel pump failed to work so he had to come in again. Kovalainen came in a lap later while Barrichello was pushing to try and build a gap. Button and Räikkönen pitted on lap 18, the Finn coming out in eighth while Button rejoined in 11th. Barrichello came in on lap 19, the Brazilian had made a lot of ground as he rejoined just behind Lewis after being around 10 seconds adrift. But most importantly for Brawn he had jumped the other McLaren of Kovalainen. On lap 24, a lot of smoke was pouring from the rear end of Vettel's car and he retired with a suspected engine failure. Hamilton was ordered over the radio to try to cool down his rear brakes as the temperature were getting out of control, but he was unable to shake off the challenge of Barrichello in second. 

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Hamilton seemed to have found some pace but he pitted soon after on lap 37. He came in but his new tyres were still in their blankets and a lot of time was wasted. Barrichello came in three laps later on lap 40 and came out in first. Button came in on lap 41 along with Alonso leaving Webber to tackle a bit of traffic. Webber pitted and the traffic had cost him as he came out behind Button and Kubica leaving himself out of the points. Räikkönen also jumped Kovalainen in the second round of stops. As the race was heading into the closing stages, Hamilton seemed to be on a charge to try to catch the leading Brawn but in reality it looked only a mistake would stop the Brazilian winning. Meanwhile, Button was lapping a second off the pace just making sure his car got to the end. Kubica was catching Button at a high rate of knots but it seemed a long shot if Button was going to lose them two points. Barrichello took the chequered flag to win his first grand prix since the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in 2004, and record the 100th win by a Brazilian driver in Formula One (including the victories of Emerson Fittipaldi, José Carlos Pace, Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna, Felipe Massa and Barrichello). Hamilton came second, while Finn Räikkönen came home in third. Kovalainen came fourth, while Nico Rosberg had a reasonably quiet race as he came home in fifth. Fernando Alonso came sixth in his home race, championship leader Jenson Button came seventh, while Robert Kubica came eighth, only his second points scoring finish so far this season. Neither Red Bull's Vettel or Webber scored a point, while Barrichello moved into second place in the Drivers World Championship. Button kept his lead although he only added two points to his tally. Brawn GP edged further ahead in the Constructors' World Championship by scoring 12 points with Red Bull not scoring a single point this weekend. In the end there is room for everyone on Rubens' joyous spaceship. There is room for friend Massa and for enemy Schumacher, there is room for Button and for Brawn, for Montezemolo, for Ronaldo and for Lula, for his family, for fans, even for journalists. And he would probably name them all, one by one, the guests on board, but unfortunately the winners press conference has the contingent time. So, when the organizer makes him the scissors sign with his fingers he, amused, begs: 

 

"Nooo, please stay here, lets not go, lets continue... Its the best time of my life". 

 

Rubens' spaceship is a white Brawn GP thrown at full speed into the future. A future that at this point can really be much sweeter than expected. Until a year ago, Barrichello was just a retired driver, a second-rate driver who had spent his career in Ferrari breathing from Schumachers exhaust pipe and dealing with the spectre of the eternal second. Now he is a winning driver, the only real opponent of Jenson Button in the title race. A double jump that gives dizziness to him too, after crying and shouting worldwide in the helmet made on purpose with the colors of his friend Massa, he forgets to dedicate to him the victory. He notices with a good half hour of delay and all dismayed tries to recover: 

 

"I havent won in five years, and the excitement has been a bad joke. I dedicated the victory to everyone, but I forgot the most important: Felipe". 

 

He will make up later, with a long call. Mass will congratulate: 

 

"And thank you very much, I was excited to know that you ran with an inscription on the helmet dedicated to me (come back to the track soon, ndr)". 

 

Barrichellos last time was in 2004, in China. He was on the Ferrari. Like Schumacher, his scourge. Which is limited to a glacial:

 

"Bravo". 

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Barrichello, however, goes into the merits. 

 

"This victory is important because it is the first one I get away from Maranello. I got out of there to show them that I deserved a chance to win, too. But unfortunately in the following years I did not have the car. Today I had it and I proved it". 

 

Although Montezemolo called him to compliment him, the word Ferrari is the only one Rubens utters without smiling. The rest is fireworks. Also because, archived the statistical aspects (it is the hundredth victory of a Brazilian and comes after 84 Grand Prix waiting) the main theme of the day is of those who would turn their eyes to a dead. 

 

"How many real chances do I have to win the title? I honestly think many. Sure Button is always very fast, but I am fit and the car is great, so I have to thank the team and especially Brawn, who believed in me". 

 

Now we must look to the future. The long-term one:

 

"In 2010 I would like to continue but it is still early to understand how it will end".

 

And in the short term. This will start on Sunday, August 30, 2009, at Spa, where Rubens arrives with the excellent viaticum of a Grand Prix won well, against an amazing Lewis Hamilton, stopped only by his box, against Button and the Red Bull Racing. Unfortunately, however, there is also to say that between the podium of Kimi Raikkonen and the penultimate place of Luca Badoer two minutes go by. 

 

"Lets be realistic: the third place in the constructors is slipping away from us". 

 

Stefano Domenicali revises the ambitions of Ferrari, just now that the F60 has found its balance and is a constant presence on the podium. Badoer is not Massa, and no one had been deceived. However, behind the phrases of circumstance and the encouragement to the test driver thrown into the fray ten years after his last race, a fund of disappointment emerges. Even Michael Schumacher, who in the boxes of Valencia tries to a hen for him and transmit him a part of his immense knowledge, at a certain point is impatient: it happens when the Italian driver manages to be overtaken by Romain Grosjean (the other rookie, not an old driver) in the pit lane, where there is the limit of 100 km/h. Schumacher spreads his arms and raises his eyes to the sky:

 

"How is it possible?"

 

From understanding, the opponents switch to mockery. Robert Kubica is ruthless: 

 

"If I took 2-3 seconds per lap I would stay at home. And if I was 0.5 seconds slower than my teammate they would send me". 

 

Stefano Domenicali tries to soften the blows: 

 

"Luca felt the pressure, he didnt give the best. Next Sunday at Spa we expect a big improvement". 

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Faced with the hypothesis that Badoer is not able to take home even a point in the six races missing at the end of the World Championship, the team principal leaves several doors open: 

 

"First lets see how Massa is. In a week, hell be undergoing further medical examinations that might tell us when hell be able to return. After the Belgian Grand Prix we will evaluate Badoer".

 

And he adds:

 

"McLaren has decided to continue investing in 2009 and now has a very competitive car even if it has little chance of winning the world championship. Our strategic choice was different. After Montecarlo we decided to stop the development of the F60 and to concentrate on the single-seater of 2010". 

 

A clear speech from which it follows that even the minimum goal that the team had set itself, the third place in the constructors' championship, is at risk. 

 

"Of course, this will make everything harder. But we will do our best". 

 

If it fails, it is difficult to find a solution. Schumacher?

 

"They say he trains, Im happy, but I rule out his return for this year"

 

Answers Stefano Domenicali suggesting that in 2010 the German will probably be on track in a third car: the one that the big teams will have to line up to fill the holes caused by the withdrawal of Bmw (already announced) and Toyota (very likely). It was Schumachers reverse gear that got the Maranello team in trouble, which for two weeks gave him the team and did not look for an alternative solution. Badoer is the rebound, the old test-driver thrown into the fray that needs to learn, who has his head so engaged in driving that he asks his engineer not to talk to him on the radio when he is in the corner and at the finish he doesnt even know who won. 

 

"Barrichello? Really? Im happy, there was a good relationship between us when he was in Ferrari. And who came second?"

 

He’s not kidding, Luca Badoer. The blender they put him in turns much faster than he does and, an hour after the end of the Grand Prix, he still hasnt understood what happened. So in the press conference he asks for enlightenment to journalists. Second came Hamilton. 

 

"Ah, thank you, I know the third one".

 

Its something... and how did it go in Badoer? 

 

"Well, Im quite happy, goal achieved". 

 

But he came in last.

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"I said it was important for me here to finish the race, drive a lot and get to know the car. The team asked me this. And thats what I did. If I had tried to do more and maybe Id crashed on lap 20, the team would have said to me: you dumb ass. And in Spa I would have to start all over again". 

 

But what about this? 

 

"So at Spa I will be a nice step forward. I know the car well and I know the circuit well. I am certainly more optimistic. Do not forget that I am also a test driver and that I am also working in a future key". 

 

Optimism aside, when are you going to score some points? 

 

"Honestly I think I can have a good race in Monza". 

 

Gotta be patient, right? 

 

"I know, I know there isnt much. But Im optimistic".

 

And at last he promises: 

 

"Spa will be better because I know the track, then in Monza you will see me at my best".

 

And what if he was not at Monza at the wheel of Ferrari for manifest incapacity? The team postpones any decision. Any hypothesis is valid: Giancarlo Fisichella is enthusiastic about the idea:

 

"But I didnt get a call". 

 

From a contractual point of view there would be few problems: Vijay Mallya, patron of Force India, has an old debt with Maranello for a supply of engines and could take on Luca Badoer in the galley. Nelsinho Piquet and Sebastien Bourdais are on the market, but it is difficult for Maranello to take over the discards of other teams. Then, fascinating hypothesis, throw a young man in. The most successful is Nico Hulkenberg, 22, a talented GP2 dominant, who has the same manager as Michael Schumacher. For him, however, the future is rosy. Indeed, red: from this autumn Ferrari intends to work on the nursery. And Hulk is the first name on the list.

 

"My son will be ready soon". 

 

The only words of comfort for Ferrari, after the wreck of Valencia, come from Brazil and are those of a father proud of the strength and courage of his son. Luis Antonio Massa says:

 

"Felipe is recovering quickly and we hope that he will be able to return soon to drive his car, the thing he likes". 

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Which is also the thing that Ferrari would like the most right now. The Maranello team is today in a situation of serious embarrassment: it is forced to score points against a wild McLaren but can count on a single driver, Kimi Raikkonen. The other, Luca Badoer, is a giant question mark. His record of the European Grand Prix is to throw up one’s hand: he scored a comical time in qualifying, finished last in the race and never gave the impression of really controlling the car. At the end of the race, Stefano Domenicali, the team principal of the team, renewed his confidence: 

 

"Luca did what he had to do, he ended the Grand Prix on a very complicated circuit, he learned about the car and now its a long way ahead". 

 

Then, however, on the future of Badoer driving the F60 was much more vague: 

 

"Next week we are waiting for important news about the physical condition of Felipe Massa, then we will see how Luca will go to Spa: that will be a very important Grand Prix for him". 

 

Words that sound like the opposite of a confirmation and that in the paddock have been received with great interest by all those drivers who could aspire to apply. The first thought was obviously that of the Italians. Both Fisichella and Trulli are credible leads. The reality, however, is that in Maranello - at the technical meeting after the Grand Prix there is also Luca Montezemolo - they hope not to have to resort to another driver. They hope that Luca Badoer, with a Grand Prix experience on the F60 and on a more familiar track like the Belgian one, can reach a decent standard with which to face the home race, in Monza and those that will come. But above all, they hope that Felipe will come back soon.


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