The Brazilian Grand Prix
Many years ago I had a colleague called Giles who took the "Be Prepared" motto from his scouting days a little too much to heart, I thought. One of his eccentricities was to insist on never leaving his home without his passport on his person. One day, an urgent message was circulated around the building: "was there any junior person who could drop everything and get on a plane to Brazil within a couple of hours?" Giles, prepared as ever, took up the challenge and was promptly bundled off on a plane headed for São Paulo without so much as a change of underwear. Filled with thoughts of dancing the Samba into the night with a comely Brazilian lass, Giles endured the gruesome journey from Heathrow stoically. Alas, my poor friend's mission did not permit much Samba dancing or indeed much anything.
Giles was to take delivery of a brand new Embraer aircraft on behalf of a client and then fly straight back to London in the new plane. The reason for the panic was that Embraer had telephoned our client declaring an ultimatum and threatening to sell the plane to someone else. If delivery of the aircraft was not concluded within twenty four hours our client would lose a plane they had awaited for years. Upon arrival in São Paulo, the hapless Giles was whisked in a speedy car from Guarulhos International Airport past a vast slum nicknamed the City of God to Embraer's headquarters in São José dos Campos with hardly a moment to draw breath. Before he could protest that he would rather have enjoyed a little time off for a bite of churrasco and Brazilian red wine and a visit to the local underwear shop, Giles found himself sitting aboard an Embraer executive jet on his way back to London, receiving sustenance from a flat Coke and some stale sandwiches. I was tempted to goad the poor chap upon his return to the office. I wanted to enjoy a few laughs at his incessant boasts about preparedness but I held my tongue; the once enthusiastic boy scout had suffered enough.
I relate this tale not to poke fun at boy scouts (I too was one after all!) but to illustrate several features which make Brazil unique. No country juxtaposes First and Third worlds quite so starkly. Vast slums in the backyard of the fourth largest manufacturer of jet aircraft in the world; industrial excellence accompanied by Latin passion; and a flair for life and all the good things it can afford. This goes a long way to explaining the two areas in which Brazil excels: football and Formula One racing. Brazilian footballers come out of slums like the City of God. Brazilian racing drivers practice their art spitting distance away at the superb Interlagos circuit. The country's history in both sports defies description. You only have to mention the name Pele and watch any football fan go misty eyed. The name Ayrton Senna produces much the same effect on Formula One fans.
Sniffy commentators do not like Interlagos. They complain that it is too bumpy, poorly maintained and with low quality facilities. And yet the excitement Interlagos often produces consistently invites the thought "why won't they shut up?" Strange, preventable, things do happen at Interlagos - like stray dogs running onto the circuit or bits of advertising hoarding falling onto the race track - but they are part of what makes the place so unpredictable and exciting. Who can ever forget 2003 when heavy rain resulted in perhaps the most event-packed Brazilian Grand Prix ever. Car after car spun of the sodden circuit and crashed into the tyre barriers to the side. Even the master of wet conditions, Michael Schumacher, was not spared. It got so bad that the race was abandoned well before the final lap was over. At the end, the large number of ruined wrecks by the side of the track represented the world's most expensive scrap yard.
This weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix has the potential to be the most significant in the race's history. It is Michael Schumacher's last ever Grand Prix. It is also Michelin's last ever opportunity to do one over on their Japanese rivals. A world championship could very easily turn on the result of this race. If the race ends with Schumacher having scored ten points and Alonso having scored none, Schumacher will be world champion for the eighth time. Anything less - even a solitary point for Alonso - is not enough to prevent the Spaniard from walking away with a second world championship. I would love to say that we have been here before but I can't. Not in the modern era of Formula One racing. This has got to be as close as it gets.
Ironically the man with the most thinking to do is Alonso. Schumacher can afford to throw caution to the wind and gun as hard as possible for a win. If his car breaks in the process he will at least have the satisfaction of having done his best. It makes no difference if you lose the championship by one, ten or twenty points - the championship is still lost. In other words, Schumacher has nothing to lose by going hell for leather. The big question for Alonso is whether to approach the race with caution or not. He knows that Schumacher never gives up, so the most effective way of denying him any opportunity would be by bagging the race win for himself. But in doing so he risks breaking the car and handing the advantage back to Schumacher. What to do? Difficult one.
Let us not forget the part that may be played by other players. Interlagos has a very tight first corner and has been known to produce big crashes there. Ferrari may need a one-two result to guarantee the constructors' championship but I would not put it past them to enlist the assistance of other players. Would you be surprised if you learned of them slipping a few notes in the way of a lesser team like Spyker and requiring them to play "spoiler"? Italy is after all Mafia country. Money changes hands and people are found swinging under bridges with rocks in their pockets. A word of advice to Alonso: careful, matey, you may be about to get whacked!
An element to add to the heady mix is Kimi Raikkonen. Will he play the role of number three Ferrari driver or will he try and make sure that he does not end 2006 without a single win? Another difficult one. Psychologically it will be useful for Raikkonen to go into next year with a big win under his belt. It will also be handy to beat his future team-mate, Felipe Massa, at Massa's home Grand Prix and, thus, firmly buy himself numero uno within the Ferrari team. Nail-biting stuff, friends, nail-biting stuff. It's not over till its over (I have never seen any fat ladies at F1 circuits but a Maranello sinyora might have been flown in expressly for this purpose - you never know!).
Ensure that your telly is working but don't be satisfied with this. Have a contingency plan assured by keeping your neighbour well buttered up. Stock up on Brazilian Skol or whatever takes your fancy and,
Enjoy Brazil!
Gitau
17 October 2006
Giles was to take delivery of a brand new Embraer aircraft on behalf of a client and then fly straight back to London in the new plane. The reason for the panic was that Embraer had telephoned our client declaring an ultimatum and threatening to sell the plane to someone else. If delivery of the aircraft was not concluded within twenty four hours our client would lose a plane they had awaited for years. Upon arrival in São Paulo, the hapless Giles was whisked in a speedy car from Guarulhos International Airport past a vast slum nicknamed the City of God to Embraer's headquarters in São José dos Campos with hardly a moment to draw breath. Before he could protest that he would rather have enjoyed a little time off for a bite of churrasco and Brazilian red wine and a visit to the local underwear shop, Giles found himself sitting aboard an Embraer executive jet on his way back to London, receiving sustenance from a flat Coke and some stale sandwiches. I was tempted to goad the poor chap upon his return to the office. I wanted to enjoy a few laughs at his incessant boasts about preparedness but I held my tongue; the once enthusiastic boy scout had suffered enough.
I relate this tale not to poke fun at boy scouts (I too was one after all!) but to illustrate several features which make Brazil unique. No country juxtaposes First and Third worlds quite so starkly. Vast slums in the backyard of the fourth largest manufacturer of jet aircraft in the world; industrial excellence accompanied by Latin passion; and a flair for life and all the good things it can afford. This goes a long way to explaining the two areas in which Brazil excels: football and Formula One racing. Brazilian footballers come out of slums like the City of God. Brazilian racing drivers practice their art spitting distance away at the superb Interlagos circuit. The country's history in both sports defies description. You only have to mention the name Pele and watch any football fan go misty eyed. The name Ayrton Senna produces much the same effect on Formula One fans.
Sniffy commentators do not like Interlagos. They complain that it is too bumpy, poorly maintained and with low quality facilities. And yet the excitement Interlagos often produces consistently invites the thought "why won't they shut up?" Strange, preventable, things do happen at Interlagos - like stray dogs running onto the circuit or bits of advertising hoarding falling onto the race track - but they are part of what makes the place so unpredictable and exciting. Who can ever forget 2003 when heavy rain resulted in perhaps the most event-packed Brazilian Grand Prix ever. Car after car spun of the sodden circuit and crashed into the tyre barriers to the side. Even the master of wet conditions, Michael Schumacher, was not spared. It got so bad that the race was abandoned well before the final lap was over. At the end, the large number of ruined wrecks by the side of the track represented the world's most expensive scrap yard.
This weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix has the potential to be the most significant in the race's history. It is Michael Schumacher's last ever Grand Prix. It is also Michelin's last ever opportunity to do one over on their Japanese rivals. A world championship could very easily turn on the result of this race. If the race ends with Schumacher having scored ten points and Alonso having scored none, Schumacher will be world champion for the eighth time. Anything less - even a solitary point for Alonso - is not enough to prevent the Spaniard from walking away with a second world championship. I would love to say that we have been here before but I can't. Not in the modern era of Formula One racing. This has got to be as close as it gets.
Ironically the man with the most thinking to do is Alonso. Schumacher can afford to throw caution to the wind and gun as hard as possible for a win. If his car breaks in the process he will at least have the satisfaction of having done his best. It makes no difference if you lose the championship by one, ten or twenty points - the championship is still lost. In other words, Schumacher has nothing to lose by going hell for leather. The big question for Alonso is whether to approach the race with caution or not. He knows that Schumacher never gives up, so the most effective way of denying him any opportunity would be by bagging the race win for himself. But in doing so he risks breaking the car and handing the advantage back to Schumacher. What to do? Difficult one.
Let us not forget the part that may be played by other players. Interlagos has a very tight first corner and has been known to produce big crashes there. Ferrari may need a one-two result to guarantee the constructors' championship but I would not put it past them to enlist the assistance of other players. Would you be surprised if you learned of them slipping a few notes in the way of a lesser team like Spyker and requiring them to play "spoiler"? Italy is after all Mafia country. Money changes hands and people are found swinging under bridges with rocks in their pockets. A word of advice to Alonso: careful, matey, you may be about to get whacked!
An element to add to the heady mix is Kimi Raikkonen. Will he play the role of number three Ferrari driver or will he try and make sure that he does not end 2006 without a single win? Another difficult one. Psychologically it will be useful for Raikkonen to go into next year with a big win under his belt. It will also be handy to beat his future team-mate, Felipe Massa, at Massa's home Grand Prix and, thus, firmly buy himself numero uno within the Ferrari team. Nail-biting stuff, friends, nail-biting stuff. It's not over till its over (I have never seen any fat ladies at F1 circuits but a Maranello sinyora might have been flown in expressly for this purpose - you never know!).
Ensure that your telly is working but don't be satisfied with this. Have a contingency plan assured by keeping your neighbour well buttered up. Stock up on Brazilian Skol or whatever takes your fancy and,
Enjoy Brazil!
Gitau
17 October 2006
posted by Gitau at 4:29 pm
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