F-1 Monza

[mika]

The stage is set for the Monza GP.

Kimi Raikkonen took pole position from Schumi by 0.002 sec.
Masa is ahead of Alonson . Monza is not a huge overtaking track.
BMWs sit in positions 3 and 7

In the team standings only two points separate Renault and Ferrari going into this race. BMW is a very distant 6th

The expectation remains that seven time champion Michael Schumacker will announce his retirement from F-1 after the race. If he does it with a win he will still have a chance to do it with his 8th F-1 crown.

The field
01 K. R?ñikk?Ânen McLaren 1:21.484
02 M. Schumacher Ferrari 1:21.486
03 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:21.653
04 F. Massa Ferrari 1:21.704
05 F. Alonso Renault 1:21.829
06 J. Button Honda 1:22.011
07 R. Kubica BMW 1:22.258
08 P. de la Rosa McLaren 1:22.280
09 R. Barrichello Honda 1:22.787
10 G. Fisichella Renault 1:23.175
11 J. Trulli Toyota 1:21.924
12 N. Rosberg Williams 1:22.203
13 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:22.280
14 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:22.589
15 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:23.165
16 C. Klien Red Bull no time
17 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:23.043
18 C. Albers Midland F1 1:23.116
19 M. Webber Williams 1:23.341
20 T. Monteiro Midland F1 1:23.920
21 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:24.289
22 S. Yamamoto Super Aguri 1:26.001

Drivers standing before Monza
Position Driver Pts
1 Fernando Alonso 108
2 Michael Schumacher 96
3 Felipe Massa 62
4 Giancarlo Fisichella 52
5 Kimi Raikkonen 49
6 Jenson Button 36
7 Juan Pablo Montoya 26
8 Rubens Barrichello 22
9 Nick Heidfeld 19
10 Ralf Schumacher 18
11 David Coulthard 14
11= Pedro de la Rosa 14
13 Jarno Trulli 10
14 Jacques Villeneuve 7
15 Mark Webber 6
16 Nico Rosberg 4
17 Christian Klien 2
18 Vitantonio Liuzzi 1
19 Christijan Albers 0
19= Franck Montagny 0
19= Yugi Ide 0
19= Robert Kubica 0
19= Sakon Yamamoto 0
19= Scott Speed 0
19= Tiago Monteiro 0
19= Takuma Sato 0

Teams - 2006
Position Team Pts
1 Renault 160
2 Ferrari 158
3 McLaren 89
4 Honda 58
5 Toyota 28
6 BMW-Sauber 26
7 Red Bull 16
8 Williams 10
9 Toro Rosso 1
10 MF1 0
10= Super Aguri 0

[NGAK12]

Alonso has received a blocking penalty during qualifying and will start 10th. Plus he has damage to the LR body from a tire problem. I'll bet Raikkonen is lighter on fuel. Hondas will probably blow up or reduce their rev's to make them last which will make them slow.
Renaults get some great starts however & the BMW's haven't held up very well during the races so far.
Still Michael needs to outscore Fernando by more than 2-3 points to have a real chance. Not many races left to do it. This could be the one. If he can't make up a lot of points this weekend he probably can't get it done.

[mika]

3 races after Monza

Shanghi ÔÇô Schumi holds the track record.
Suzuka -- Dito
Interlogos is the final race and could well decide the championship.

It would be nice if Alonso finished out of the points.

Will BMW play a roll in future seasons? Once they left Williams and went to Sauber they seem to be an also ran. Toyota and Honda seem set to move up the ladder.

[bubbagazoo]

F1 race is too early in the morning for me to bother. However, the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 is over and the 10 Chasers are set. Tony Stewart is out. Driver points now are :

1. Matt Kenseth 5050
2. Jimmy Johnshon 5045
3. Kevin Harvick 5040
4. Kyle Busch 5035
5. Denny Hamlin 5030 (first rookie to make the Chase)
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5025
7. Mark Marting 5020
8. Jeff Burton 5015
9. Jeff Gordon 5010
10. Kasey Kahne 5005

Smoke missed the Chase by 16 points. Ten races to go. Anything can happen.

[mika]

F1 race is too early in the morning for me to bother...

Ah to live in a time zone to the west of Lilydale or is it ah to be young and be able to stay up late and sleep in? I forget now.

[mika]

Shumi wins Monza.

Reikkonen takes second for McLaren.

Kubica for BMW-Sauber gets a podium third place finish! His first podium.

Alonso blew an engine and was a DNF.

Heidfeld finished eight and took the last point available for the race.

This closes the gap to 2 points between Alonso the current F-1 champ and the Schumacher the seven time F-1 champ. Three races to go!

[NGAK12]

Ought to be interesting now that the points are almost even again. But the Renault seems to lack the speed it had (tires?) relative to the Ferrari.
The Alonso penalty seemed very unfair to me. Didn't matter as it turned out with the engine problem but it still looked like a "fix" to me.
Oh, & one other thing. Invest in a Tivo. Best TV invention in years. You can watch things on your schedule, not theirs.

[GRANT63RT]

...if Schumi wins it will be the greatest comeback in F1 history. Nothing like giving a lead to someone and then pull the rug out from under them...

Who's doing the rug pulling, Schumi or the FIA? After the mass damper ruling and that "blocking" fiasco, it sure sure looks like the FIA is doing all they can to help Schumacher. I know, the blocking call ended up being a moot point but it sure is suspicious. Obviously, Schumi is one of the greatest drivers of all time but I won't miss him.

[mika]

I donÔÇÖt read too much into all of this. It is all part of what makes F1 what it is.

It is not unusual for one team to lead the first half of the season and others to catch up at the half way point or late in the season. McLaren had done this over the years, started weak and finished strong. Engine and chassis development is pushed on other teams while the leader focuses on winning. By mid season they catch up and push the leader and the leader finds out their equipment breaks when it is really pressed.

Team orders have been there for every team. Williams, for example, saw the constructorÔÇÖs championship as the real prized and so their team orders cost Damon Hill at times when he was still running. Barrichello has alluded to team orders for Ferrari in the past and Massa said if Schumacher would have passed Alonso at the Turkey GP he would have let Prince Michael win.

FIA has its own fights going with the teams for their own reasons.

[GRANT63RT]

...I can see Schumi winning it all and gloat about it for a decade while being a F1 newscaster...

Hopefully on German TV so I won't have to listen!

[mika]

Alonso slams Schumi after the race in interview.

[GlobalRider]

Alonso slams Schumi after the race in interview.

Yeah, Alonso is one to talk.

Rossi was putting in some good times in Ferrari test sessions, and Alonso tells the media he could also win some Moto GPs given some time. The poor man is dreaming and insecure.

"Michael is the man with the most sanctions and the most unsporting driver in the history of Formula One," the Spaniard told Radio Marca.

Yeah, and having to put up with drive through penalties or starting from the back of the grid, Michael often won the race. So what was Alonso's problem.

[mika]

Yeah, Alonso is one to talk...ace. So what was Alonso's problem.

Schumi

[GlobalRider]

Schumi

Good one! But it wasn't Schumi that had caused him to drop back 5 positions on the grid. Hell, if Alonso is so fast, that shouldn't be a problem with the fast car he has.

I guess they'll all be happy that Michael is retiring. The others can't handle the competition.

Just wait till Rossi moves to F1. The rest of the guys will probably quit.

[mika]

F-1 does strange things to people. Alonso is finding that out and we are watching it.

It is hard to win a championship, and even hard to win your second still harder yet to win your 3rd ...7th. On this Alonso does not seem to have a clue. I wonder if he will go the way of many one-time F-1 champions that can not put together a repeat? Schumi just happened to do it with two different teams and multiple combinations of team members. Oh and what about the changes in rules etc that have been made in F-1 aimed to keep Schumi down?

Agressive on the track, outspoken at times in Park Firme, admirable in his private life from what I have read. Good and bad together to make an era.


Rossi - Do you really think he will make the jump to F-1 and make successfully?