Translated material
Finishing smoke
The Red Baron's engine failed
The retirement of Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher at the penultimate stage of the Formula 1 World Championship practically ensured victory in the individual competition for Renault's Fernando Alonso, who won the Japanese Grand Prix. The second driver of the Scuderia, Felipe Massa, took second place, and another Renault driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, finished the race third.In qualifying, all attention was focused only on two “stables” - Ferrari and Renault, or rather, on their leading pilots - Schumacher and Alonso. After an unsuccessful visit to China, Fernando, increasingly dissatisfied with his team, could no longer contain his indignation. Immediately after the race, management also fell under his hot hand, allegedly not wanting the Spaniard, who was moving to McLaren, to win the individual championship, but setting the goal of winning the Constructors' Championship. Michelin tire makers also suffered because, in the driver’s opinion, they reduced the quality of their products. And his attack on his teammate looked completely unexpected. Nando did not like the fact that in Shanghai Fisichella overtook his slower car and did not hold off Schumacher.
Alonso is understandable. In a certain scenario (the Spaniard's retirement and Schumacher's victory), already in Suzuka he could part with the championship title. Renault took his condition into account and gently made it clear that he was wrong. Michelin admitted a mistake in changing the tires, but asked the pilot to be more restrained in his assessments. And Fisichella was indirectly defended by... Ferrari sports director Jean Todt. “We have seen that Renault is using dirty tactics,” said one of the Scuderia’s leaders, hinting at Giancarlo’s attempts to block Michael. “And now nothing will stop us from applying the same methods.”
In the third qualifying session, Massa demonstrated what his boss had in mind. Having outpaced both Renaults at the pit lane exit, Felipe took a position behind Schumacher’s car and created space for his partner to accelerate. Neither Alonso nor Fisichella were ultimately able to show a decent result, finishing in fifth and sixth places. Briatore tried to complain about Massa’s actions, but he himself admitted the futility of this attempt: “If it were McLaren, then the appeal would be carefully examined, but with Ferrari it’s all useless. I have no doubt what the answer will be." And the Renault boss was right: the judges considered that Massa did not in the slightest degree interfere with the movement of other cars, especially since the Brazilian won pole. The elder Schumacher was 0.112 seconds behind his teammate.
For the Japanese there was their own intrigue. As you know, next year the Japanese Grand Prix will change its location. The Suzuka Circuit, owned by Honda, will cede the right to host the Circus Maximus to the Fuji Circuit, the testing arena of its main competitor, Toyota. In qualifying, Honda also lost to Toyota - Honda's Button and Barrichella took 7th and 8th places, and Ralf Schumacher and Trulia rose to 3rd and 4th positions.
The start went off without a hitch. Only Barrichella got a little carried away and caught Heidfeld's car with the nose cone: only the Brazilian was injured - an unplanned repair spoiled Honda's farewell race at his home circuit. Contrary to expectations, Shumi did not immediately overtake his partner - Massa still managed to make a symbolic circle in the role of leader. Having paid tribute to decency, on the second lap Ferrari nevertheless changed the location of its pilots. But further acceleration was somewhat difficult for Schumacher. In any case, the German was in no hurry to create a big foundation. Also, Alonso's expected starting push was only half successful: the Spaniard pulled off a beautiful effort at the Trulli corner, but he was unable to cope with the younger Schumacher. A couple of times he threw his Renault too wide in the turns, and yet on the 12th lap another attempt to overtake was crowned with success.
Alonso beat Massa at the pit stop. “Due to a puncture, I was forced to go to the pits early, got stuck behind Heidfeld and lost the position to Fernando,” Felipe explained his failure after the race. Schumacher's leadership position no longer looked secure. Alonso squeezed all its immeasurable horsepower out of the Renault and increasingly reduced the five-second gap from Michael. On lap 20, Christian Alberts' Spiker falls apart for no apparent reason. The right rear wheel of the car, torn out by an unknown force, flew into the air, and suspension parts littered the asphalt. The race organizers did not bring the safety car onto the track, and the nimble Japanese stewards quickly collected the largest pieces of debris.
After this, the race went into a calm direction. The second wave of pit stops also took place under the sign of Schumacher's leadership. And then... “At first I didn’t believe it when I saw smoke behind Michael’s car,” Alonso admitted at a press conference. -- There are rarely any breakdowns with Ferrari this season. Well, this is racing, and no one is safe from this kind of thing.” Yes, at the most important moment, Schumacher’s technology failed him. The engine could not withstand the intense chase 17 laps before the finish. The great racer endured a heavy defeat in a situation where victory seemed already in his pocket. When he reached the pits, he warmly thanked all the members of his team. And to the journalists who surrounded him, who had lost interest in what was happening on the track, Michael announced that he considered the question of the champion closed for himself. Indeed, to win the title in the last race, Michael needs to win and hope that Alonso does not manage to score a single point.
On the podium, the three race winners had different moods. The winner Alonso rejoiced like a child. Massa, who scored points for Ferrari in the fight for the Constructors' Championship, stood calmly on the second step. And Fisichella cried bitterly - on Thursday he lost his best friend and dedicated this race to his memory.
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Formula 1 World Auto Racing Championship. Japanese Grand Prix. 1. Alonso (Renault) - 1 hour 23 minutes. 53 sec. 2. Mass (Ferrari) - lag 16 seconds. 3. Fisichella (Renault) - 23. 4. Button (Honda) - 34. 5. Raikkonen (McLaren) - 43. 6. Trulli (Toyota) - 46. 7. R. Schumacher (Toyota) - 48. 8. Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) - 01 min. 16 sec. Drivers' Championship: Alonso - 126 points, M. Schumacher (Ferrari) - 116, Massa - 70, Fisichella - 69, Raikkonen - 61, Button - 50, Barrichello (Honda) - 28. Constructors' Championship: Renault - 195, Ferrari - 186, McLaren - 105, Honda - 78, BMW-Sauber - 36, Toyota - 35.