Sunday, October 01, 2006
Michael wins...
... but was Alonso quickest? It's hard to tell, since surely Michael backed off as soon as he was clear of Fisi. He had twenty seconds and about 15 laps in hand. There wasn't really a chance Alonso could catch him. I think Renault are closer, but the Ferraris might still have the edge. Hopefully we'll see in Japan.
Michael won not just the on-track race, but the psychological one too. Every little incident is being used to try to gain an edge: the Renault mechanic over the radio to Alonso after qualifying saying 'poor Michael is down in sixth' was quite striking for me. It also seemed like the attitude of Alonso and Fisi changed between the post-qualifying press-conference and the pig-pen afterwards - as if someone had briefed them on the correct stance to take in order to put more pressure on Ferrari: they suddenly became extremely positive about their pace in the dry and the wet, where before they had been quite vague. Michael, however, does have the upper-hand now, having beaten them in their own conditions, and at a track he wasn't supposed to like, before going to two tracks he loves...
Michael won not just the on-track race, but the psychological one too. Every little incident is being used to try to gain an edge: the Renault mechanic over the radio to Alonso after qualifying saying 'poor Michael is down in sixth' was quite striking for me. It also seemed like the attitude of Alonso and Fisi changed between the post-qualifying press-conference and the pig-pen afterwards - as if someone had briefed them on the correct stance to take in order to put more pressure on Ferrari: they suddenly became extremely positive about their pace in the dry and the wet, where before they had been quite vague. Michael, however, does have the upper-hand now, having beaten them in their own conditions, and at a track he wasn't supposed to like, before going to two tracks he loves...
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Yeah James kept saying things like "I saw a fast Renault here today" and so on. But I didn't. Michael was into conservation mode. He had the extra pace to be able to pick things up if Alonso had come close.
And as Murray would have said, "in Formula 1 catching is one thing but passing is quite another". Michael had plenty of spare to defend with and he knew it.
James was just getting confused because Alonso was breaking all of the fastest lap times, but then he was the only person pushing at the first time the race track was that good. Michael never pushed so how can we tell their relative pace?
And you're right about the psychology. I think they told Alonso to push to try and show power to Ferrari. But I too think Michael is winning.
Of everything the most interesting manouver of the day was the non-overtaking between Alonso and Fisi it was almost balletic in the way that they drove over all of the available track to stop the faster car. Very clever stuff.
And as Murray would have said, "in Formula 1 catching is one thing but passing is quite another". Michael had plenty of spare to defend with and he knew it.
James was just getting confused because Alonso was breaking all of the fastest lap times, but then he was the only person pushing at the first time the race track was that good. Michael never pushed so how can we tell their relative pace?
And you're right about the psychology. I think they told Alonso to push to try and show power to Ferrari. But I too think Michael is winning.
Of everything the most interesting manouver of the day was the non-overtaking between Alonso and Fisi it was almost balletic in the way that they drove over all of the available track to stop the faster car. Very clever stuff.
I'm not so sure it was deliberate. Martin seemed to think so, but then on the next lap Fisi got past. Watching the race again, the first time Fisi was on the inside, wet, line and therefore couldn't get into the corner, so Alonso came back at him. Next time around, Fisi went to the outside, dry, line.
Really, there was nothing else for Renault to do. If Fisi had stayed behind, Michael would've eventually taken them both either on the track, or at the next pit-stop.
I think, rather, it was all in Martin's head, but it was a great concoction: blocking the whole of the track so Michael wouldn't get a slipstream, then falling back in to line at the next corner. Martin does tend to invent things like this: always saying Ferrari are playing the team game, when sometimes they're not.
Really, there was nothing else for Renault to do. If Fisi had stayed behind, Michael would've eventually taken them both either on the track, or at the next pit-stop.
I think, rather, it was all in Martin's head, but it was a great concoction: blocking the whole of the track so Michael wouldn't get a slipstream, then falling back in to line at the next corner. Martin does tend to invent things like this: always saying Ferrari are playing the team game, when sometimes they're not.
Well maybe that's true. But I'm not sure.
It wasn't just Martin either, Jean Todt thought so too:
Ferrari 'learning' from Renault tactics
It wasn't just Martin either, Jean Todt thought so too:
Ferrari 'learning' from Renault tactics
But maybe if Renault didn't do it deliberately, Jean Todt saying it was clever actually makes them look stupid - does that make sense? Or am I slightly stretching the bounds of possibility to try to fit my argument?
Or maybe Todt was just talking about swapping positions during the race so obviously, which Ferrari have been criticised for in the past?
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Or maybe Todt was just talking about swapping positions during the race so obviously, which Ferrari have been criticised for in the past?
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