Alonso’s Delight, Kimi’s Nighmare!
Kimi Raikkonen’s title dreams were shattered yesterday when mechanical failure stole victory from his grasp and handed championship leader Fernando Alonso his sixth win of the year.
The Finn had dominated all weekend and looked a safe bet for victory halfway through the race until bad luck struck once again to leave him stranded on the track as his Renault rival flew by.
Raikkonen could only watch in dismay as Alonso gained another vital 10 points advantage in the title race.
“There is still a mathematical chance that I can win the drivers’ championship but it is getting difficult,” admitted Raikkonen.
The omens were there before the race as Raikkonen had never finished a race at the Hockenheim circuit, but the Finn was left shocked after yet another mechanical failure cost him dear.
Engine failure in practice for the last two races in France and Britain cost him potential victories and the sight of the McLaren shuddering to a halt brought shivers to the team on pit wall.
But there was joy in the opposing camp as Alonso was there in the shadows to steal the win, ease home to his seventh career victory, and push himself 36 points clear of Raikkonen in the championship race.
Alonso refused to get carried away, insisting that it could all turn around with 70 points still on offer from the remaining seven races, but he admitted the result put him in a very comfortable position for the title. “It was obviously a fantastic day, perfect for me,” said Alonso.
It was little satisfaction for McLaren that Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya raced through from 20th on the grid to secure them second place, thanks to a different strategy and the teams clear race-winning pace.
It was Montoya’s second podium of the season, following on from his victory at Silverstone two weeks previously, but even he was left admitting his own mistake had cost him the chance of handing McLaren victory.
A podium finish was more of a delight for Briton Jenson Button as it was his team’s first top-three finish of the season and proved they are back on the pace after a tough year so far.
World champion Michael Schumacher looked set to secure fourth but the Ferrari driver buckled under pressure from Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella in the closing stages and dropped to fifth on the penultimate lap.
“..the Ferrari driver buckled under pressure”? i think you’re the only person who thinks so
cccp, that may be correct and I could possibly be the only one to believe he “buckled under pressure.”
It could also be the only one that’s right in his assessment of the final few laps.
You may also note that is a common way of describing a driver that has been followed for a number of laps by a faster car. It in no way implys the overtaken driver folded or yielded due to a lack of talent. It just states the inevetable occured due to the “pressure” being applied.