The Chinese Grand Prix
When I was a boy it was easy to work out the country of origin of any of my toys. If I raced a toy car along the floor with gusto and the wheels did not fall off it, I knew that the thing in my hand was a genuine Matchbox from good old Blighty. If its wheels fell off after five minutes I wouldn't even have to look at the "Made in.." label underneath the toy: it was obviously "Made in China". Things have moved on rather a lot since those days. The days when China produced lorry-load after lorry-load of cheap tat are not quite over - they still produce tonnes of it - but they are now complimented by more sophisticated manufacturing. You can now buy a BMW with the barely believable label "Made in China". Soon you will be able to buy a Chinese manufactured Airbus. This is massive progress. In keeping with this progressive thinking, it was inevitable that China would demand to be taken seriously and insist on hosting motor racing's badge of sophistication and engineering excellence: a Grand Prix. For the third time ever, Formula One does its thing in Shanghai this weekend.
The Shanghai circuit does not do any disservice to the "S" in its title (all the best circuits have names beginning with an "s": Spa, Silverstone and Sepang). It is a fast circuit which is heavy on tyres and good for overtaking. It is difficult to tell at this stage which of the two championship contending teams it suits better. Ferrari won in 2004 with Rubens Barrichello and Renault won in 2005 with Fernando Alonso, so both have a positive history in Shanghai. I think this race will come down to hunger. Which of the two drivers' championship contenders is hungrier, Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso?
Michael Schumacher has announced that he will retire from motor racing at the end of this season. A record he is particularly proud of is having achieved a win at every circuit on the current calendar bar two, Turkey and China. Turkey has gone now, so he can limit the no-wins list to one by winning in Shanghai. Leaving aside the championship implications for a minute, Schumacher has a powerful incentive to perform well in China: his reputation. At his first outing in Shanghai in 2004 he, bizarrely, had a collision with a no-hoper in the parade lap which effectively destroyed his race. Last year Ferrari simply weren't playing in the top league. Schumacher needs to demonstrate that there is no jinx on the Shanghai International Circuit. He needs to prove that he is as capable of winning there as anywhere. It used to be said that Silverstone was jinxed against the German but not any more. Schumacher needs to do a Silverstone on Shanghai. He has shown that he can go fast there - the lap record for the circuit was set by him in 2004 - but needs to translate this into ten points. If he scored the full whack of points and Alonso came second, the two would be level-pegged in points for the final two races of the season. I can think of no more powerful incentive than that.
Fernando Alonso too has good reasons to feel aching hunger pangs. First, he knows better than anybody else that this season provides him with perhaps the best ever opportunity to clinch a second world championship and, thus, move into the history books (one championship is simply not enough). Next year he will be racing with the unpredictable and unreliable McLaren while the man who would be king, Kimi Raikkonen, will be in the bullet-proof Ferrari. At the same time, another speedy Finn, Heikki Kovalainen, will be taking his seat at Renault and seeking to prove to the world that he also is worthy of being spoken of in the same breath as Alonso and Raikkonen. Secondly, beating Schumacher - the man with the unbeatable statistics - would give any driver satisfaction beyond measure. It would assure Alonso that 2005 was not a fluke; that even in a year when Ferrari were competitive he was able to be crowned world number one. Finally, to earn the championship when - as he has declared - the powers that be are ganged up against him would be the ultimate way of sticking two fingers up at the FIA.
Much as I would dearly love to see Alonso do it again this year, I must admit that the momentum seems to be moving Ferrari's way. Renault have not won a race since Canada - six whole races ago. That is a lot. If you exclude the weather-occasioned aberration in Hungary, Ferrari have been on the top step at each of these races. Michael Schumacher won at Indianapolis, Magny Cours and Hockenheim. His winning record was interrupted by his team-mate in Turkey but he was on hand to take the prize silver three weeks ago at Monza. When Ferrari are on a roll like this they are like a juggernaut. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the German android could clinch all three remaining races and wrap the championship up beyond question.
The bad news for Alonso is, now that it is official that Kimi Raikkonen will be joining Ferrari in 2007, Ferrari have two drivers, not one, assisting Schumacher this weekend. In addition to assisting Schumacher, Raikkonen has incentives of his own for doing well in Shanghai. First, he would not like to end an entire season without a single win - that would be bad form. Secondly, he needs to throw down the gauntlet before Alonso. He needs to say to the Spaniard "look, matey, don't forget about me - I am as good as if not better than you but I haven't been given the right toys to play with yet!" Felipe Massa suffered an engine change this morning which means he will be demoted ten places on Sunday and, therefore, less able to influence things. Keep your eyes on the ice man...
It is bound to be edge of the sofa stuff, my friends. Make the most of it and sip at something refreshing. Tsingtao goes down rather well with spicy spare ribs. I thoroughly recommend it and hope that, like me, you will,
Enjoy China!
Gitau
29 September 2006
The Shanghai circuit does not do any disservice to the "S" in its title (all the best circuits have names beginning with an "s": Spa, Silverstone and Sepang). It is a fast circuit which is heavy on tyres and good for overtaking. It is difficult to tell at this stage which of the two championship contending teams it suits better. Ferrari won in 2004 with Rubens Barrichello and Renault won in 2005 with Fernando Alonso, so both have a positive history in Shanghai. I think this race will come down to hunger. Which of the two drivers' championship contenders is hungrier, Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso?
Michael Schumacher has announced that he will retire from motor racing at the end of this season. A record he is particularly proud of is having achieved a win at every circuit on the current calendar bar two, Turkey and China. Turkey has gone now, so he can limit the no-wins list to one by winning in Shanghai. Leaving aside the championship implications for a minute, Schumacher has a powerful incentive to perform well in China: his reputation. At his first outing in Shanghai in 2004 he, bizarrely, had a collision with a no-hoper in the parade lap which effectively destroyed his race. Last year Ferrari simply weren't playing in the top league. Schumacher needs to demonstrate that there is no jinx on the Shanghai International Circuit. He needs to prove that he is as capable of winning there as anywhere. It used to be said that Silverstone was jinxed against the German but not any more. Schumacher needs to do a Silverstone on Shanghai. He has shown that he can go fast there - the lap record for the circuit was set by him in 2004 - but needs to translate this into ten points. If he scored the full whack of points and Alonso came second, the two would be level-pegged in points for the final two races of the season. I can think of no more powerful incentive than that.
Fernando Alonso too has good reasons to feel aching hunger pangs. First, he knows better than anybody else that this season provides him with perhaps the best ever opportunity to clinch a second world championship and, thus, move into the history books (one championship is simply not enough). Next year he will be racing with the unpredictable and unreliable McLaren while the man who would be king, Kimi Raikkonen, will be in the bullet-proof Ferrari. At the same time, another speedy Finn, Heikki Kovalainen, will be taking his seat at Renault and seeking to prove to the world that he also is worthy of being spoken of in the same breath as Alonso and Raikkonen. Secondly, beating Schumacher - the man with the unbeatable statistics - would give any driver satisfaction beyond measure. It would assure Alonso that 2005 was not a fluke; that even in a year when Ferrari were competitive he was able to be crowned world number one. Finally, to earn the championship when - as he has declared - the powers that be are ganged up against him would be the ultimate way of sticking two fingers up at the FIA.
Much as I would dearly love to see Alonso do it again this year, I must admit that the momentum seems to be moving Ferrari's way. Renault have not won a race since Canada - six whole races ago. That is a lot. If you exclude the weather-occasioned aberration in Hungary, Ferrari have been on the top step at each of these races. Michael Schumacher won at Indianapolis, Magny Cours and Hockenheim. His winning record was interrupted by his team-mate in Turkey but he was on hand to take the prize silver three weeks ago at Monza. When Ferrari are on a roll like this they are like a juggernaut. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the German android could clinch all three remaining races and wrap the championship up beyond question.
The bad news for Alonso is, now that it is official that Kimi Raikkonen will be joining Ferrari in 2007, Ferrari have two drivers, not one, assisting Schumacher this weekend. In addition to assisting Schumacher, Raikkonen has incentives of his own for doing well in Shanghai. First, he would not like to end an entire season without a single win - that would be bad form. Secondly, he needs to throw down the gauntlet before Alonso. He needs to say to the Spaniard "look, matey, don't forget about me - I am as good as if not better than you but I haven't been given the right toys to play with yet!" Felipe Massa suffered an engine change this morning which means he will be demoted ten places on Sunday and, therefore, less able to influence things. Keep your eyes on the ice man...
It is bound to be edge of the sofa stuff, my friends. Make the most of it and sip at something refreshing. Tsingtao goes down rather well with spicy spare ribs. I thoroughly recommend it and hope that, like me, you will,
Enjoy China!
Gitau
29 September 2006
posted by Gitau at 12:13 pm
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