Ferrari's Home Race
If you only began watching Formula One racing in 2006, you might, just might, be forgiven for entertaining speculation that Michael Schumacher is negotiating a drive for next season with another F1 team. Rumour has it that he has been offered a job at Renault, his old team, which, when he drove for it, styled itself "Benetton". If you have been watching F1 for longer and have given this ridiculous notion a moment's consideration you ought to be ashamed of yourself. I have said this before many times. More times than I care to count. I have said it ad nauseum. I will say it again: Scuderia Ferrari is Team Schumacher. Michael Schumacher may not be the principal shareholder of Fiat, the company which ultimately owns Ferrari, but where the racing team is concerned - and remember, Ferrari is a racing team which happens to manufacture road cars - he could just as well be. Michael Schumacher will leave Ferrari when he chooses to leave motor racing. He will never ever drive for another team. Never.
Michael Scumacher's history with Ferrari is one of the most remarkable affairs ever known in motor racing. He joined Ferrari as World Champion in 1996. He could have walked into any Formula One team because he was by far and away the most valuable commodity in F1 racing. All the top teams were screaming for him to come in and write his own pay cheque. He refused. Instead he chose to join a team which had last won a championship before Schumacher had reached puberty. Ferrari, however, had a heritage like no other team. It was a crap F1 team in 1996 but it had the biggest, most adored, most powerful name in motor racing anywhere in the world. Ferrari was about flair, romance and beauty. "What colour is a Ferrari?" a little boy was heard to ask his father as the pair stood by the side of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. "Blood red, son," came the reply, "blood red". The name "Ferrari" evoked emotion. It brought tears to the eyes of grown men. While walking in Knightsbridge with Chipo some years ago, I saw a Japanese girl staring at a parked Ferrari in rapt amazement. "Ferrari," I whispered. The girl blushed. There was no need to say more. We both knew what we were talking about.
If Schumacher achieves nothing else in his driving career, he will have this as his epitaph: "the man who restored greatness to Ferrari". No greater accolade can be paid to a racing driver. It is the holy grail. Now, stop reading for a moment and think for thirty seconds. Do you still think it is possible for Michael Schumacher to leave Ferrari and join Renault? There, see now why I say it is impossible? Feel free to sneer derisively at anyone who ever dares spout such twaddle again.
So, now that is cleared up, let us turn our minds to this weekend's Formula One action. We will be watching events in Imola a few miles away from Maranello, the town where they make Ferraris. I believe that this is the race which will make Michael Schumacher's mind up for him. If his car is uncompetitive at Imola this weekend he will retire from F1 at the end of this season. For Imola represents the best opportunity Michael Schumacher has of winning a race this season. It is Ferrari's home race. It is suited to Bridgestone tyres. He has won it more times than anybody else. And it is the place where his hero, Ayrton Senna, died.
World champion, Fernando Alonso, the youngest grown-up in Formula One, has all but accepted that he will not win the race on Sunday. Alonso's middle name must be "Pragmatic". He understands better than the idiots at Honda and elsewhere that the world championship is not about race wins. It is about points. He has said that he will be more than satisfied with coming second on Sunday because it will serve significantly to extend his lead in the championship stakes (currently fourteen points). I expect, therefore, that Renault will be adopting a conservative strategy this weekend.
The man to look out for is Kimi Raikkonen. Have you ever looked at a chained dog? It yanks at the chain with increasing annoyance. When you release it, it darts across the field furiously until it exhausts itself. Raikkonen feels like a chained animal. He sleeps with his foot pressed firmly down an imaginary accelerator. Look at the way his nostrils flare when he is putting on his helmet. This guy is serious. Rumour has it that he has been offered free membership at his favourite lap dancing joint in Helsinki if he wins this race. I think that is sufficient incentive. Don't you?
I have decided to upgrade my enjoyment of watching motor racing in Italy. I am not going to get a six pack of Peroni or Nastro Azurro this year. Oh no. I have gone out and bought a decent bottle of red wine from the Emilia Romagna region ("is-a verry good-eh!"). I will be drinking the Sangiovese and chewing on some prosciutto from my local Italian deli while I watch the battle to the first corner. I expect, therefore, that like you, I will,
Enjoy Imola!
Gitau
21 April 2006
Michael Scumacher's history with Ferrari is one of the most remarkable affairs ever known in motor racing. He joined Ferrari as World Champion in 1996. He could have walked into any Formula One team because he was by far and away the most valuable commodity in F1 racing. All the top teams were screaming for him to come in and write his own pay cheque. He refused. Instead he chose to join a team which had last won a championship before Schumacher had reached puberty. Ferrari, however, had a heritage like no other team. It was a crap F1 team in 1996 but it had the biggest, most adored, most powerful name in motor racing anywhere in the world. Ferrari was about flair, romance and beauty. "What colour is a Ferrari?" a little boy was heard to ask his father as the pair stood by the side of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. "Blood red, son," came the reply, "blood red". The name "Ferrari" evoked emotion. It brought tears to the eyes of grown men. While walking in Knightsbridge with Chipo some years ago, I saw a Japanese girl staring at a parked Ferrari in rapt amazement. "Ferrari," I whispered. The girl blushed. There was no need to say more. We both knew what we were talking about.
If Schumacher achieves nothing else in his driving career, he will have this as his epitaph: "the man who restored greatness to Ferrari". No greater accolade can be paid to a racing driver. It is the holy grail. Now, stop reading for a moment and think for thirty seconds. Do you still think it is possible for Michael Schumacher to leave Ferrari and join Renault? There, see now why I say it is impossible? Feel free to sneer derisively at anyone who ever dares spout such twaddle again.
So, now that is cleared up, let us turn our minds to this weekend's Formula One action. We will be watching events in Imola a few miles away from Maranello, the town where they make Ferraris. I believe that this is the race which will make Michael Schumacher's mind up for him. If his car is uncompetitive at Imola this weekend he will retire from F1 at the end of this season. For Imola represents the best opportunity Michael Schumacher has of winning a race this season. It is Ferrari's home race. It is suited to Bridgestone tyres. He has won it more times than anybody else. And it is the place where his hero, Ayrton Senna, died.
World champion, Fernando Alonso, the youngest grown-up in Formula One, has all but accepted that he will not win the race on Sunday. Alonso's middle name must be "Pragmatic". He understands better than the idiots at Honda and elsewhere that the world championship is not about race wins. It is about points. He has said that he will be more than satisfied with coming second on Sunday because it will serve significantly to extend his lead in the championship stakes (currently fourteen points). I expect, therefore, that Renault will be adopting a conservative strategy this weekend.
The man to look out for is Kimi Raikkonen. Have you ever looked at a chained dog? It yanks at the chain with increasing annoyance. When you release it, it darts across the field furiously until it exhausts itself. Raikkonen feels like a chained animal. He sleeps with his foot pressed firmly down an imaginary accelerator. Look at the way his nostrils flare when he is putting on his helmet. This guy is serious. Rumour has it that he has been offered free membership at his favourite lap dancing joint in Helsinki if he wins this race. I think that is sufficient incentive. Don't you?
I have decided to upgrade my enjoyment of watching motor racing in Italy. I am not going to get a six pack of Peroni or Nastro Azurro this year. Oh no. I have gone out and bought a decent bottle of red wine from the Emilia Romagna region ("is-a verry good-eh!"). I will be drinking the Sangiovese and chewing on some prosciutto from my local Italian deli while I watch the battle to the first corner. I expect, therefore, that like you, I will,
Enjoy Imola!
Gitau
21 April 2006
posted by Gitau at 11:57 am
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