Two races left in the Championship and the score is tied at 116! Yes, both Alonso and Schumacher are at 116 points each with Schumi nosing slightly ahead on the basis of more race wins.
The Chinese Grand Prix was full of drama as wet conditions during qualifying gave the cars with Michelin tyres an advantage over their Bridgestone counterparts. The Renaults of Alonso and Fisichella qualified one-two with Schumacher qualifying in a lowly sixth position.
The start of the race was no better as the conditions were wet and windy. Both the Renaults made a quick start and Alonso pulled away from the rest of the pack in no time. Three laps down, it looked as if Alonso was in a different league altogether. Schumacher looked barely in form to challenge him anytime soon. However, the track began drying and Schumacher began putting in some stonking laps. The intermediate Bridgestones began to gain grip and Schumi's lap times went into a free-fall. He made up places and was soon in the third spot behind Alonso and Fischella.
Renault then started playing the team game with Alonso allowing a faster Fisichella to overtake him while he held back Schumacher. Alonso then "overtook" Fisichella to regain the top spot. Isn't this going against the spirit of Formula One, an accusation Renault has often leveled against Ferrari. Schumacher had nothing to do with it and managed to overtake both the Renaults to take the lead. Alonso looked like he was really struggling and the Renault pit crew messed things up further.
Finally, the German crossed the chequered flag to bring up the 91st Grand Prix victory of his career and drew level with Alonos in the Drivers' Championship. Alonso finished second whereas Fisichella finished third. Ferrari's second driver Felipe Massa failed to finish the race after a collision forced him to retire.
The Japanese Grand Prix is next with both Alonso and Schumacher tied at 116 points and Renault just one point ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship. Over to Suzuka for the penultimate race of the season and also of Schumacher's racing career.
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Friday, October 06, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Massa on top
After a three week hiatus, the 22 car F1 caravan hit the circuit for the Turkish Grand Prix. With the hangover from the Hungarian Grand Prix still present, this race promised to be a keenly fought contest. The qualifying sessions on Saturday put a Ferrari on pole as usual. The only difference being, the guy in the driver's seat wasn't Schumacher but his team-mate - Felipe Massa. Schumacher qualified in the second place followed by his title rival Alonso.
There was entertainment right from the word go as Giancarlo Fisichella spun going into the first corner, causing a multi car pile up behind him. This took out a score of cars including Mc Laren's Kimi Raikkonen, who has almost equalled Super Aguri's record of retirements this season!! Lap 13 brought bad luck again as the safety car came out following the stalling of Vitantonio Liuzzi's Toro Rosso. Everyone tried to gain advantage of the situation by coming in to the pits. What could have been a gem of a move turned out to be a disaster for Ferrari, as Michael Schumacher had to literally wait behind his team mate while he refuelled. This gave Alonso the much needed opportunity to overtake Schumi and this set the tone for the laps to follow.
Schumacher drove at his spirited best to try and reduce the gap between Alonso and him and in the process ran wide of the track losing more time in the bargain. The last third of the race was a two-way battle between Alonso and Schumacher as they battled for the second spot and some valuable championship points. Meanwhile Massa drove a copybook race and kept out of trouble throughout. He crossed the chequered flag to win his first ever Grand Prix victory in Formula One. Alonso and Schumacher took the battle right down to the wire and Alonso finally won by half a car length to gain a two point advantage over his rival.
The gap between the two top drivers has now widened to 12 points with four races still to go. The next race at Monza - the home ground for Ferrari, will be a make or break one for Schumacher if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive.
There was entertainment right from the word go as Giancarlo Fisichella spun going into the first corner, causing a multi car pile up behind him. This took out a score of cars including Mc Laren's Kimi Raikkonen, who has almost equalled Super Aguri's record of retirements this season!! Lap 13 brought bad luck again as the safety car came out following the stalling of Vitantonio Liuzzi's Toro Rosso. Everyone tried to gain advantage of the situation by coming in to the pits. What could have been a gem of a move turned out to be a disaster for Ferrari, as Michael Schumacher had to literally wait behind his team mate while he refuelled. This gave Alonso the much needed opportunity to overtake Schumi and this set the tone for the laps to follow.
Schumacher drove at his spirited best to try and reduce the gap between Alonso and him and in the process ran wide of the track losing more time in the bargain. The last third of the race was a two-way battle between Alonso and Schumacher as they battled for the second spot and some valuable championship points. Meanwhile Massa drove a copybook race and kept out of trouble throughout. He crossed the chequered flag to win his first ever Grand Prix victory in Formula One. Alonso and Schumacher took the battle right down to the wire and Alonso finally won by half a car length to gain a two point advantage over his rival.
The gap between the two top drivers has now widened to 12 points with four races still to go. The next race at Monza - the home ground for Ferrari, will be a make or break one for Schumacher if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
What a race!!
Drama that began even before the race did and continued even after the chequered flag! This is how one would describe the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. This was one of the most keenly contested and unpredictable races in recent times. Only when the last 3-4 laps were remaining, could one predict the winner! How I wish all the remaining races of the season would turn out like this!
The Friday practice results threw up fastest times for the test drivers as usual. However, Saturday morning brought some shocking news. Both the title contenders, Schumacher and Alonso were penalised two seconds on each qualifying lap(!) due to some apparently dangerous overtaking maneuvers during the morning practice sessions. The race stewards have recently come up with some really strange penalties and our football referees can very well learn from them instead of just handing out yellow & red cards :-)
The stiff penalties would mean that no matter how fast Schumi and Alonso drove, they would be relegated to somewhere on the back of the grid. Qualifying on Saturday saw both the champions setting some fast times. However, inspite of a scorching qualifying lap, Schumacher qualified eleventh and Alonso fifteenth. Schumacher's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa looked almost set to start from the front till Kimi Raikonnen grabbed the pole position from him in the dying seconds of the third qualifying session.
This was just the beginning of all the drama as a strong morning spell of rain made the track wet & slippery. All the pre-calculated race strategies went for a toss as the cars switched to the wet treaded tires, conditions which promised a real humdinger of a race. The start of the race saw both Schumacher and Alonso gobble up the poor, unsuspecting drivers in the middle rows and make up a good 4-5 places. The track proved really slippery and the first one to crash out was Mark Webber in his Williams Cosworth. Schumacher known as the master in wet conditions was struggling in his Ferrari and it did not take Alonso too long to overtake him. Alonso looked in sublime form as he effortlessly negotiated the treacherous conditions and built up a huge lead over Schumacher, who had problems in keeping off the second Renault of Fisichella.
Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen drove superbly and one thought that the Flying Finn, as he is know might finally win this race. However, his extended bad luck continued as this time he was taken out of the race in a spectacular accident on Lap 25 by a slow moving Vitantonio Liuzzi. I think, Kimi Raikkonen must definitely be the driver with the most rotten luck in the history of Formula One. Kimi Raikkonen's retirement meant that Alonso was back in the front. Renault once again looked like the team that can do nothing wrong till the 51st lap when Alonso made a pit stop and put on dry weather tires. This looked like a master-stroke from Renault as the track had begun to dry out in a lot of areas and the dry weather tires would give Alonso some much needed speed. However, the car began slipping and sliding and it was evident that all was not right. Alonso finally crashed into the barriers, putting an end to hopes of gaining any points in the race.
One man's loss is another's gain - they say, and Schumacher proved this saying right as he put in some stonking laps to gain places and move into the second place behind race leader Jenson Button. He looked all set to gain some valuable championship points and cut down Alonso's lead to practically nothing. All seemed well till the 67th lap of the race when the Ferrari slowed down considerably and eventually returned to the pit-lane bringing the championship equation back to square one!! Jenson Button in his Honda finally won his maiden Grand Prix with Pedro De La Rosa in a McLaren coming in second and Nick Heidfeld of BMW-Sauber coming in third. It was good to see new faces on the podium for a change and this would be a real encouragement for the younger and newer F1 drivers.
If you thought this was enough drama for a day, you are mistaken! Coz, Robert Kubica, the first Polish driver to race in a Formula One was disqualified from his seventh place finish as his BMW-Sauber was found to be two kgs(!!) lighter at the finish. Because of this, Massa who finished eighth moved up one place to earn two points and surprise surprise - Michael Schumacher, who had been classified as ninth, was awarded eighth place and a priceless point, cutting down Alonso's overall lead to just 10 points!!
With five more races to go, just ten points separating the top two drivers and new drivers tasting victory, the Driver's Championship is heading for a fighting finish! Gone are the days of Ferrari or Renault domination! The Constructor's championship is also hotting up with Ferrari just seven points behind Renault. Also, with a few driver change announcements from the top teams in the pipeline for the next season, the next couple of months are really something to watch out for!
I am donning my Ferrari cap and keeping my fingers crossed! :-)
The Friday practice results threw up fastest times for the test drivers as usual. However, Saturday morning brought some shocking news. Both the title contenders, Schumacher and Alonso were penalised two seconds on each qualifying lap(!) due to some apparently dangerous overtaking maneuvers during the morning practice sessions. The race stewards have recently come up with some really strange penalties and our football referees can very well learn from them instead of just handing out yellow & red cards :-)
The stiff penalties would mean that no matter how fast Schumi and Alonso drove, they would be relegated to somewhere on the back of the grid. Qualifying on Saturday saw both the champions setting some fast times. However, inspite of a scorching qualifying lap, Schumacher qualified eleventh and Alonso fifteenth. Schumacher's Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa looked almost set to start from the front till Kimi Raikonnen grabbed the pole position from him in the dying seconds of the third qualifying session.
This was just the beginning of all the drama as a strong morning spell of rain made the track wet & slippery. All the pre-calculated race strategies went for a toss as the cars switched to the wet treaded tires, conditions which promised a real humdinger of a race. The start of the race saw both Schumacher and Alonso gobble up the poor, unsuspecting drivers in the middle rows and make up a good 4-5 places. The track proved really slippery and the first one to crash out was Mark Webber in his Williams Cosworth. Schumacher known as the master in wet conditions was struggling in his Ferrari and it did not take Alonso too long to overtake him. Alonso looked in sublime form as he effortlessly negotiated the treacherous conditions and built up a huge lead over Schumacher, who had problems in keeping off the second Renault of Fisichella.
Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen drove superbly and one thought that the Flying Finn, as he is know might finally win this race. However, his extended bad luck continued as this time he was taken out of the race in a spectacular accident on Lap 25 by a slow moving Vitantonio Liuzzi. I think, Kimi Raikkonen must definitely be the driver with the most rotten luck in the history of Formula One. Kimi Raikkonen's retirement meant that Alonso was back in the front. Renault once again looked like the team that can do nothing wrong till the 51st lap when Alonso made a pit stop and put on dry weather tires. This looked like a master-stroke from Renault as the track had begun to dry out in a lot of areas and the dry weather tires would give Alonso some much needed speed. However, the car began slipping and sliding and it was evident that all was not right. Alonso finally crashed into the barriers, putting an end to hopes of gaining any points in the race.
One man's loss is another's gain - they say, and Schumacher proved this saying right as he put in some stonking laps to gain places and move into the second place behind race leader Jenson Button. He looked all set to gain some valuable championship points and cut down Alonso's lead to practically nothing. All seemed well till the 67th lap of the race when the Ferrari slowed down considerably and eventually returned to the pit-lane bringing the championship equation back to square one!! Jenson Button in his Honda finally won his maiden Grand Prix with Pedro De La Rosa in a McLaren coming in second and Nick Heidfeld of BMW-Sauber coming in third. It was good to see new faces on the podium for a change and this would be a real encouragement for the younger and newer F1 drivers.
If you thought this was enough drama for a day, you are mistaken! Coz, Robert Kubica, the first Polish driver to race in a Formula One was disqualified from his seventh place finish as his BMW-Sauber was found to be two kgs(!!) lighter at the finish. Because of this, Massa who finished eighth moved up one place to earn two points and surprise surprise - Michael Schumacher, who had been classified as ninth, was awarded eighth place and a priceless point, cutting down Alonso's overall lead to just 10 points!!
With five more races to go, just ten points separating the top two drivers and new drivers tasting victory, the Driver's Championship is heading for a fighting finish! Gone are the days of Ferrari or Renault domination! The Constructor's championship is also hotting up with Ferrari just seven points behind Renault. Also, with a few driver change announcements from the top teams in the pipeline for the next season, the next couple of months are really something to watch out for!
I am donning my Ferrari cap and keeping my fingers crossed! :-)
Monday, July 31, 2006
Un Dos Tres - Ferrari are back with a vengeance!
Three wins in three races - it almost looks like a repeat of the 2004 F1 season as Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa made it a Ferrari one-two at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on Sunday. It was a dream win for Schumacher at his home Grand Prix in front of thousands of Tifosi supporting the Scuderia Ferrari team. With this win, Schumi has further eroded Alonso's lead in the driver's championship this year and is now only 11 points shy of the world champion. Alonso suddenly does not look like the calm, invincible juggernaut he was at the start of the season. Ferrari have put a sudden stop to Renault's & Alonso's quest for a second successive world championship. The Ferrari 1-2 has brought back memories of the era when the two scarlet cars of Schumacher and Barrichello used to race alone, far ahead of the rest of the pack. The second place result for Massa has also robbed Renault of precious points in both the drivers' and constructors' championships.
The Renault team looked a pale shadow of itself with a fifth and a sixth place finish for Alonso and Fisichella. Alonso did not look comfortable in his blue-yellow machine and never looked like challenging Schumacher. Renault will have to do some serious brainstorming and out-of-the-box thinking to stop the momentum that Ferrari have built up over the past three races. Renault top-boss Flavio Briatore seemed to be doing just that as he was seen discussing animatedly with the Michelin guy after the end of the race. It will take them more than just sheer speed to topple Ferrari's combination of speed, strategy and skills.
Another outcome of the Hockenheim race was the return to form for Kimi Raikonnen. Although a two place drop after a pole position in qualifying, he atleast managed to appear on the podium after almost a month. Raikkonen, although a brilliant driver capable of beating the world's best on his day, seemed to have been blessed with rotten luck as his McLaren Mercedes failed him on more than one occasion. Now, the battle for the third place in the driver's championship would get hotter if Raikkonen continues to finish amongst the leaders. I just hope that McLaren gets their act together and allow Raikkonen to be competitive over the remainder of the season, so that it does not end up being only a Ferrari-Renault battle.
With three successive race wins under his belt and able support from Massa and the Ferrari team, Schumi has all the momentum on his side to win more races going ahead. The action now shifts to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lets see if Ferrari makes it four in a row and further dents Renault's chances or will Alonso rise from the ashes (or should I say the pitlane?) and stop Schumi in his tracks?
The Renault team looked a pale shadow of itself with a fifth and a sixth place finish for Alonso and Fisichella. Alonso did not look comfortable in his blue-yellow machine and never looked like challenging Schumacher. Renault will have to do some serious brainstorming and out-of-the-box thinking to stop the momentum that Ferrari have built up over the past three races. Renault top-boss Flavio Briatore seemed to be doing just that as he was seen discussing animatedly with the Michelin guy after the end of the race. It will take them more than just sheer speed to topple Ferrari's combination of speed, strategy and skills.
Another outcome of the Hockenheim race was the return to form for Kimi Raikonnen. Although a two place drop after a pole position in qualifying, he atleast managed to appear on the podium after almost a month. Raikkonen, although a brilliant driver capable of beating the world's best on his day, seemed to have been blessed with rotten luck as his McLaren Mercedes failed him on more than one occasion. Now, the battle for the third place in the driver's championship would get hotter if Raikkonen continues to finish amongst the leaders. I just hope that McLaren gets their act together and allow Raikkonen to be competitive over the remainder of the season, so that it does not end up being only a Ferrari-Renault battle.
With three successive race wins under his belt and able support from Massa and the Ferrari team, Schumi has all the momentum on his side to win more races going ahead. The action now shifts to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lets see if Ferrari makes it four in a row and further dents Renault's chances or will Alonso rise from the ashes (or should I say the pitlane?) and stop Schumi in his tracks?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
The clash of the Titans!!
The semi-finals are over and the battle-lines for the final are drawn!
After fighting through against lesser and on occasion better opponents, Italy and France have managed to enter the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The way these sides played throughout the tournament has been contrasting - Italy playing good football consistently whereas France starting slow and picking up their game during the knockout stages. However, if their performances during the semi-finals is an indicator of things to come, the final promises to be one hell of a contest...
In their semi-final clash against Germany, Italy came across as a determined and focussed team. Their tackling was superb and passing was immaculate. The way they snatched the ball from the Germans showed that the side meant business and set the tone for the entire match. The Germans on the other hand were playing a safe and subdued game. It looked as if they had set their sights on a penalty shootout right from kick-off. All seemed to go well for the Germans when suddenly during the 119th minute during the second extra-time a brilliant goal by Grosso left the Germans shell-shocked. Before they could even recover from the goal and think about scoring an equaliser in the last couple of minutes of the match, Del Piero sent another one to the back of the net to hand Italy a 2-0 victory over Germany and a place in the finals. After dominating throughout the tournament it was sad to see a good side lose in the dying moments of a closely fought match. The German team and the fans however took it in their stride and showed that they weren't bad losers like Argentina!!
The second semi-final saw a resurgent France taking on a charged-up Portugal. Portugal having got the better of England during the quarter finals looked eager to take on the former world champions - a side filled with ageing players. Of course, a point to note was that France had Zenedine Zidane amongst their ranks, who showed that age does not matter in their previous encounter against Brazil. Zizou as he is popularly called played sublime football and his passes were as good as they come. The match was evenly contested till the 33rd minute, when Zidane scored through a penalty and put the Portugese on the back foot. France had drawn first blood and they held their nerve through the 90 minutes and put an end to the Portugal dream run. Les Bleus as they are called were on their way to Berlin for a clash against Italy on Sunday - August 9th.
Some snippets to chew on till August 9th
1) Italy have made the World Cup finals every 12 years from 1970 and are three time winners
2) France have won once - on home soil in 1998
3) Italy have Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni in their ranks
4) France have Patrick Vieira, Thiery Henry and the grand old man - Zidane in their ranks.
5) Buffon looks like a better keeper than Barthez
6) Its almost time for Zidane to hang up his boots and he would love to make a mark in his final World Cup.
7) On current form, Italy look a better equipped side but on their day France can get rid of even the best sides - ask Brazil!!
I can hardly wait for the grand finale to begin; and with Germany eliminated I will root for both the sides :-) May the best team win!!!
After fighting through against lesser and on occasion better opponents, Italy and France have managed to enter the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The way these sides played throughout the tournament has been contrasting - Italy playing good football consistently whereas France starting slow and picking up their game during the knockout stages. However, if their performances during the semi-finals is an indicator of things to come, the final promises to be one hell of a contest...
In their semi-final clash against Germany, Italy came across as a determined and focussed team. Their tackling was superb and passing was immaculate. The way they snatched the ball from the Germans showed that the side meant business and set the tone for the entire match. The Germans on the other hand were playing a safe and subdued game. It looked as if they had set their sights on a penalty shootout right from kick-off. All seemed to go well for the Germans when suddenly during the 119th minute during the second extra-time a brilliant goal by Grosso left the Germans shell-shocked. Before they could even recover from the goal and think about scoring an equaliser in the last couple of minutes of the match, Del Piero sent another one to the back of the net to hand Italy a 2-0 victory over Germany and a place in the finals. After dominating throughout the tournament it was sad to see a good side lose in the dying moments of a closely fought match. The German team and the fans however took it in their stride and showed that they weren't bad losers like Argentina!!
The second semi-final saw a resurgent France taking on a charged-up Portugal. Portugal having got the better of England during the quarter finals looked eager to take on the former world champions - a side filled with ageing players. Of course, a point to note was that France had Zenedine Zidane amongst their ranks, who showed that age does not matter in their previous encounter against Brazil. Zizou as he is popularly called played sublime football and his passes were as good as they come. The match was evenly contested till the 33rd minute, when Zidane scored through a penalty and put the Portugese on the back foot. France had drawn first blood and they held their nerve through the 90 minutes and put an end to the Portugal dream run. Les Bleus as they are called were on their way to Berlin for a clash against Italy on Sunday - August 9th.
Some snippets to chew on till August 9th
1) Italy have made the World Cup finals every 12 years from 1970 and are three time winners
2) France have won once - on home soil in 1998
3) Italy have Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni in their ranks
4) France have Patrick Vieira, Thiery Henry and the grand old man - Zidane in their ranks.
5) Buffon looks like a better keeper than Barthez
6) Its almost time for Zidane to hang up his boots and he would love to make a mark in his final World Cup.
7) On current form, Italy look a better equipped side but on their day France can get rid of even the best sides - ask Brazil!!
I can hardly wait for the grand finale to begin; and with Germany eliminated I will root for both the sides :-) May the best team win!!!
Schumi wins again!!
It finally happened!! And I thought that the champion in red had forgotten how to win a race. And what better place to win than the scene of the biggest fiasco Formula 1 has seen in recent times - The U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis. And a Ferrari 1-2 finish was the icing on the cake!!
Prelude: After four wins on the trot by Fernando Alonso, Team Renault were looking as if they would run away with the drivers championship in a hurry. One race after another - Alonso drove like a man possessed and looked like he was in a world of his own right from the start of the race right till the chequered flag. It was common to see him open up a huge gap over his opponents in the first couple of laps itself. Schumacher's performance in comparison was mediocre to say the least! The best he could manage in the last four races was a second place in the Spanish, British and Canadian events. There was no way the 37-year old champion was going to take this lying down. At the start of the weekend, no one would have given Ferrari even an outside chance of winning. However, the qualifying results on Saturday proved everyone wrong. Schumacher and team mate Felipe Massa qualified 1-2 to put Ferrari on the front row for the race on Sunday. I couldn't have been happier and hoped Schumi would break the monotonous Renault bull-run that we have been seeing this year.
Raceday: Thankfully all eleven teams finished the warm up lap and lined up on the starting grid successfully unlike last year. The five lights illuminated and went off and the race started. Schumi made a slow start allowing Massa to take the lead. Alonso made a rapid start as well & challenged his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. Meanwhile, at the back of the grid, there was utter chaos as cars rammed into each other at the first corner to create a pile-up that took atleast half a dozen cars out of the equation including the McLarens of Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. The ensuing safety car period meant that Schumi had to be content driving zig-zag behind Massa. Once the safety car was in, Massa showed that he is no minnow and pulled away from the rest of the pack. It looked as if Schumacher would have to play second fiddle this time to his own team mate. However, a clever pit strategy and a flying lap after the pit-stop allowed him to regain the lead. From then on, it was vintage Schumacher as he set one fastest lap time after another. Never in the entire race did Alonso look dangerous enough to challenge the Ferrari ace. Both the Ferraris kept up their pace and finally after 73 laps, Michael Schumacher crossed the chequered flag to win the 2006 US Grand Prix. Felipe Massa came in second and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was third.
Thus broke Renault's four race domination which frankly was becoming really boring. I can now imagine how it must have been for the other teams and their supporters during Schumacher's continuous reign over Formula 1 before Alonso took over last year! I hope Ferrari remain competitive and give Renault a real run for their money. As far as Mc Laren, Honda and the other teams are concerned, it looks like they will have to watch to watch the battle from the side-lines or should I say the pit-lane??
Prelude: After four wins on the trot by Fernando Alonso, Team Renault were looking as if they would run away with the drivers championship in a hurry. One race after another - Alonso drove like a man possessed and looked like he was in a world of his own right from the start of the race right till the chequered flag. It was common to see him open up a huge gap over his opponents in the first couple of laps itself. Schumacher's performance in comparison was mediocre to say the least! The best he could manage in the last four races was a second place in the Spanish, British and Canadian events. There was no way the 37-year old champion was going to take this lying down. At the start of the weekend, no one would have given Ferrari even an outside chance of winning. However, the qualifying results on Saturday proved everyone wrong. Schumacher and team mate Felipe Massa qualified 1-2 to put Ferrari on the front row for the race on Sunday. I couldn't have been happier and hoped Schumi would break the monotonous Renault bull-run that we have been seeing this year.
Raceday: Thankfully all eleven teams finished the warm up lap and lined up on the starting grid successfully unlike last year. The five lights illuminated and went off and the race started. Schumi made a slow start allowing Massa to take the lead. Alonso made a rapid start as well & challenged his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. Meanwhile, at the back of the grid, there was utter chaos as cars rammed into each other at the first corner to create a pile-up that took atleast half a dozen cars out of the equation including the McLarens of Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya. The ensuing safety car period meant that Schumi had to be content driving zig-zag behind Massa. Once the safety car was in, Massa showed that he is no minnow and pulled away from the rest of the pack. It looked as if Schumacher would have to play second fiddle this time to his own team mate. However, a clever pit strategy and a flying lap after the pit-stop allowed him to regain the lead. From then on, it was vintage Schumacher as he set one fastest lap time after another. Never in the entire race did Alonso look dangerous enough to challenge the Ferrari ace. Both the Ferraris kept up their pace and finally after 73 laps, Michael Schumacher crossed the chequered flag to win the 2006 US Grand Prix. Felipe Massa came in second and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was third.
Thus broke Renault's four race domination which frankly was becoming really boring. I can now imagine how it must have been for the other teams and their supporters during Schumacher's continuous reign over Formula 1 before Alonso took over last year! I hope Ferrari remain competitive and give Renault a real run for their money. As far as Mc Laren, Honda and the other teams are concerned, it looks like they will have to watch to watch the battle from the side-lines or should I say the pit-lane??
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