| Sunday Race Day – Alonso Lucks Into Victory, Rosberg 2nd, Hamilton 3rd
Fernando Alonso came from 15th on the grid to take Renault’s firstvictory in two years as an early safety car turned the inaugural
Singapore Grand Prix inside out. The former world champion had pitted before the interruption, so was
able to vault to the front as others stopped during the yellow.
Nico Rosberg recovered from a penalty to take a remarkable second
for Williams, with Lewis Hamilton extending his championship lead in
third place as Felipe Massa finished outside the points after a
dramatic pitstop incident…
The Ferrari wrenched the fuel hose from the rig, with one mechanic
requiring a precautionary trip to the medical centre, and Massa then
had to wait at the pit exit while his crew ran down to detach the hose.
He would also incur a drive-through penalty for being released into the
path of Adrian Sutil during the chaos, leaving the pole-sitter at the
tail of the field.
Later Alonso led with a comfortable 14-second advantage over
Rosberg, and 25 seconds clear of Hamilton, until the safety car was
called again on lap 50 when Sutil crashed having seemingly been
distracted by Massa having a quick spin ahead of him.
This brought the pack right back onto Alonso’s tail, but the Renault
driver shrugged this off and stormed away at the restart –
re-establishing a six-second lead in just two laps.
Rosberg was able to resist Hamilton to take a career-best second,
while the result extended Hamilton’s championship lead back up to seven
points.
Glock finished fourth, with Raikkonen using a very long middle stint
to move back up to fifth after having to queue behind Massa at their
first stops. The reigning champion’s miserable season took another
unhappy turn though when he ran wide and crashed out with only three
laps to go…(read the full report here)
Classified:
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Alonso Renault (B) 1h57:16.304
2. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) + 2.957
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 5.917
4. Glock Toyota (B) + 8.155
5. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 10.268
6. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) + 11.101
7. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) + 16.387
8. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) + 18.489
9. Button Honda (B) + 19.885
10. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) + 26.902
11. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) + 27.975
12. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) + 29.432
13. Massa Ferrari (B) + 35.170
14. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) + 43.571
15. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) + 4 laps
Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:45.599
Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Trulli Toyota (B) 51
Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 50
Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 30
Barrichello Honda (B) 15
Piquet Renault (B) 14
Whatever! At least we took the fastest lap of the race, hahaha! (Full report will follow later today)
Update [17:05]
Evenstar hasn’t gone mad, don’t worry. I was only able to update the
blog at the time and not leave many comments. Well now I can, and the
Singapore Grand Prix was a dramatic one in the end, but not in the way
we would have liked…
It
looked set to be as dull as Valencia was in the opening laps, and
that’s really disappointing. All the buzz, the lights, the night,
whatever – but what’s the point in building street circuits when
overtaking is like climbing Mount Everest in bare feet? Thanks to
Piquet’s accident and the safety car period, we were able to see some
rather bumpy overtaking once all the cars had been squeezed back
together and muddled up during the unscheduled pit stops. Alonso and
Renault may have been miraclously lucky today winning from 15th on the
grid, but they did make it work in the first place by pitting before
the accident with Piquet had happened.
The
start was nothing great; Massa kept his line and ran away with it in
the lead, while Kimi didn’t get quite close enough to Hamilton for a
pass so we were stuck like that for a bit. After a couple of laps, Kimi
started flying once he was in his comfortable space and closed down the
7 second gap to Hamilton to 2 seconds. Taking the fastest lap of the
race with him, which wasn’t surprising but satisfying to see
nonetheless He’s equalled Schumacher’s most fastest laps in a season
record again (having previously done it in 2005).
Piquet’s
accident in the wall brought on fortune as well as disaster, similar to
like Canada 2008. Massa and Hamilton both came into their boxes once
the pit lane was open, and we saw again the race leader suffering the
most. The pit lane entry open/closed rule is a problem and needs to be removed.
Massa’s
pit stop was a joke, one that seems to run through Ferrari’s recent
races. The fuel nozzle was clearly stuck, so then why did that useless
piece of traffic lighting system go green and allow Massa to drive off?
Obviously the ‘person’ who overrides the green light confirmation
button was asleep. Again. And again it’s cost the team big time and
poor Massa was given a drive through penalty for it. In Valencia, the
team was given a 10,000 euro fine for unsafely allowing Massa to exit
the pits. Why on earth was Massa given a drive through penalty here
then? It was the team’s responsibility, make them pay for it. It’s this
kind of inconsistancy with the FIA that boggles the mind. I guess it’s
doesn’t matter because Massa’s race was ineffectively ruined from the
moment he had to pull aside near the pit exit with the fuel hose still
connected to his car. Not only did all that drama cost Massa the win
and crucially important championship points, the pit stop mess cost
Kimi important time too as he pulled up behind. I’m sure he must have
thought "what the fuck" seeing the fuel hose that was meant to be ready
to be inserted in his car go flying off into the air. Ferrari really
stuffed it up today and the funny thing is, their chances were finally
looking great for them! Massa went from P1 to PLast and now Kimi was
somewhere in the mid-field. Their pit stop system is no good, how many
more pit stop accidents do they want to see before making a change?
Thank goodness no one was seriously injured.
So
the race became a bit dramatic and another safety car period followed
when Sutil hit the tyre wall, where Massa had spun but rejoined. After
the majority had done all their pit stops, Kimi managed to keep pushing
and was in 3rd place ahead of Hamilton in 4th. But obviously having
just pitted the once during the first safety car period, a one stop
strategy was too good to be true (eventhough Ferrari really should have
fuelled Kimi to the end because Massa was now out of it and cost Kimi
lots of time), but Kimi had to pit once more for the end and rejoined
in 5th place. That was pretty disappointing. From then on, I couldn’t
care less what happened and probably Kimi didn’t either. Ferrari
already fucked up everything that would have really mattered for the
‘best interests for the team’.
In 5th place, those 3 points wouldn’t
have meant much to Kimi but for the team in the constructor’s championship, it cost
Ferrari the lead and now McLaren are leading by one point. Whoops!
Naughty boy, Kimi. Those kerbs caught him out in the end and into the
wall goes the Ferrari…again. He wasn’t hassling the Toyota infront
for 4th place and Kimi was settled for the finish so it was probably a
lack of concentration which isn’t like Kimi. [Update: The reason I said Kimi probably
lost concentration was because 1. there were no quotes of Kimi on the crash at the time and 2. as much as he may have been pushing, it looked pretty clear
that he wouldn’t pass unless Glock made a mistake. Kimi confirmed this
in his comments. Concentration is part of the game and in my opinion,
he just needed to be extra careful on that chicane, but he clearly
wasn’t on that particular lap and that was the result. Whether he tried to gain time in that chicane, it didn’t work.
I did find it slightely
amusing though, please forgive me. It’s like it went like this…Kimi:
"ahhh… I already got the fastest lap. Look, I can drive into the wall
too!" *bam*
It was definately Kimi’s fault and he has no problem in accepting blame for costing a couple of points for Ferrari. Thing is, Ferrari won’t see it so simply. Whether they will be in an angry mood with Kimi for crashing or not, I won’t be surprised if they will be. Those 4 points would have been handy for the constructors. Kimi isn’t sad about crashing because he couldn’t win anyway, but it doesn’t means Kimi actually meant to crash. I just assume he really must feel that no matter how hard
you try, something will just ruin it in the end. You’ve got to be
patient and Kimi isn’t going to go off blaming Ferrari or the safety car or start crying
about it. That’s our job, not his. Hahahaha! Anyway, 2009 will be here
soon and we can forget all about it. I doubt we ever can because Ferrari really have made 2008 harder than it really shound have been for Kimi. The whole year they never successfully managed to help their world champion.
Seriously
though, nothing can be worse this season so I just laughed it off. I
hope you all did too because all the frustration is pretty much spent.
There’s only so much that can really piss you off before it actually
makes you laugh instead. It’s now been four races in a row without
scoring a single point for Kimi. He was left stranded on the track
somewhere near where he crashed, even when the race was finished.
Where’s a helicopter when you need it. When you crash out and don’t even feel too bothered about it, it’s actually quite sad to witness. Kimi’s like a shooting star, travelling from galaxy from galaxy, but the distance remains as long as ever despite travelling as fast as you can. Kimi’s definately like a shooting star this season, one that sinks to lower heights before not even reaching it’s peak. Driving from 15th to 5th in the end showed he didn’t really give up, despite the chance of winning having disappeared. Massa on the other hand totally lost it once the pit fiasco put at the back. That’s the difference between the two drivers and probably what makes a champion from the rest. Massa won’t win this championship giving up so easily.
But what a drive from Alonso, he really deserved his victory
today. It’s funny how he was unlucky and lucky all at once this
weekend. His performance did mean it was deserved so at least we got a
worthy winner of this first ever night race in Singapore’s debut Grand
Prix. Rosberg coming 2nd was also riddled by strange luck. Hamilton’s 3rd place was pretty much lucky too,
championship wise. At worst, if all went to plan today, he would have
finished 3rd anyway with Massa winning and Kimi in 2nd. The best
overtakings of the race go to Alonso and Kimi which were very similar
and in the same spots. I don’t see what ITV found so great about
Hamilton’s move on Coulthard. It looked rather straightforward with
Hamilton literally staying in a straight line. He only had to brake a
bit harder, obviously, otherwise he would have gone straight past the
turn. Fascinating.
We’re
off to Japan next, and I don’t really care if it rains or not because
here at Singapore it was hot AND dry yet Ferrari still failed. Isn’t it
ironic!? The team need to fight back and it’s not just about the
drivers this time. Their traffic lighting system has to go. It doesn’t
even make a significant difference. At least Kimi keeps flying and
bringing those fastest laps in! Yes, they may not mean much when it
comes to winning championships or even races but he’s fantastically
fast and that, my friends, was originally the reason why I became a
Kimi supporter in the first place. Please share your comments below!
Keep Flying Kimi! | Post-Race Quotes, Interview with Kimi
Q. What happened?
Kimi Raikkonen: I touched the inside kerb I just bounced off and hit the wall.
Q. Was it a question of losing concentration?
KR: No. I wanted to stay close in places to the Toyota
because there were only two places that I could get very close and have
any chance if he made a small mistake. That was one – before the back
straight I needed to get very close and unfortunately I touched the
kerb slightly too much and just when you hit that quite hard you can’t
turn too much and I couldn’t turn any more so I just went a bit wide
and hit the wall. Not the tyre wall, but the plastic blocks and I took
the wheel off…
Q. Was the crash caused by a problem of the track?
KR: There is that one chicane where we talk about the kerbs
that are very high and if you touch the kerb too much it bounces the
whole car in the air. There’s nothing you can do and the wall is pretty
close. I tried to turn and slow down but it just took the wheel off.
Not too hard, but it was just enough to take the wheel off.
Felipe Massa – 13th: "It’s hard to deal with losing
in this fashion a race that was within our grasp, with a car that was
just the way I wanted it. We had a good strategy and all the signs were
there that we could get a one-two finish. But things can change in a
moment and that’s what happened today. At the pit stop, one of the guys
made a mistake. But we are only human. Each one of us always tries to
do our best and these things can happen.
"With the Safety Car still on track, I didn’t lose a lap, but then I
got a drive-through and later I also picked up a puncture in the left
rear. On this track it is almost impossible to overtake and ending up
at the back meant I had not chance of getting into the points. Seven
points to make up in three races? That can be a lot or it can be a
little. We have the potential to do well, as we saw today and we will
give it our best shot. We mustn’t give up and I’m sure we won’t."
Kimi Raikkonen – DNF: "I was trying to attack Glock
in case he might make a mistake, but I went slightly wide at the
chicane, jumping over the kerb and when the car landed, I lost control
and ended up in the barriers. My situation in the championship was
already rather compromised, so this doesn’t really make that much
difference but I am unhappy because the team has lost precious points
in the Constructors’ classification.
"In the opening laps, the car was a bit difficult but then it
improved a lot, to such an extent that I was able to close right up to
Hamilton. When the Safety Car came out, I know my race was compromised
given that I had to pit behind Felipe. I was able to get back up to
fifth but then the incident I described earlier happened. Clearly,
morale is not high today. But I am not used to giving up and will do my
very best to try and help the team reach its targets."
Stefano Domenicali: "A black day, there’s little
else to say. We had the potential to finish first and second but we
didn’t even pick up a point. We are very disappointed but that doesn’t
mean we are downtrodden. We have always shown our ability to react,
especially at the most difficult times and we will do it again this
time. The situation in the two championships has become more
complicated but there are still three races to go and a lot of points
up for grabs. We know what we have to do to reach our objectives.
"The first part of the race showed that today our car was the
quickest on track. The Safety Car came out at the worst possible
moment, but we are not looking for excuses because this uncertain
factor must always be taken into account. Then the team made a mistake
at the pit stop during the Safety Car period, which cost Massa the
race. I am very sorry for Felipe because he was driving a very strong
race following on from a great pole yesterday.
"I want to point out that it was Felipe himself who went to console
the mechanic who made the mistake, which shows the team spirit that we
have between us: we win together and we lose together. Kimi managed to
get into the points but then he ended up in the barriers at one of the
many tricky points around this track. A shame, as it would have meant
precious points for the Constructors’ classification. We must look
ahead and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the remaining three
races."
Luca Baldisserri: "It’s hard to put into words
today’s disappointment. We had everything in place to get the best
possible result and unfortunately we ended up with nothing. Felipe was
controlling the early stages of the race, while Kimi, after a few
difficulties at the beginning, was running at a great pace.
"The Safety Car threw our plans into the air. First and foremost, we
had to go for a double pit stop – the best choice in this situation –
but it penalized Kimi. Then we made a mistake in letting Felipe go and
that ruined his race. We could have made a significant step forward in
both championships but we ended up going backwards. Now we must roll up
our sleeves and prepare as well as possible for the coming races. There
is still plenty of time to recover but there is no more room for
error."
FUCK ISRAEL 
Is there a site where all the press conference are given? thank you
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i feel bad for kimi he dint score again…hope next race he score and at least win a race…….go kimi don’t give up…
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Saima you are so cute…. Whatever and hahaha… probably that just sum up the feelings… It didn’t actually feel that bad to me when Kimi hit the wall, but it’s sad to see him still waiting out there with the lights shone on him when the race finished.
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don’t have too many feelings when he crashed.but as soon as i saw his face i’m heart broken again…However it was his mistake and what we can do is to look forward to the next race..and for Ferrari, there’s nothing to say!!
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I think what happened with Alonso’s first pit stop and then followed by Piquet’s crash may have been planned. They got the idea perhaps when Piquet and Trulli benefitted in Hockeheim… I am pretty much sure that was planned because only Renualt have the guts to do this and they do seem to pull something bold out of the bag….
They knew they wouldn’t score points with either of their cars so they made a gamble, perhaps planned it earlier… They executed it to perfection.. if it was indeed planned..
As for Kimi, he didn’t had anything to lose so it’s ok. Scoring 3 or 4 points will not mean anything at all to him but he needs to make sure he doesn’t end up behind Kubica at the end of the championship.. that will be real embarassment…
His pure speed was truly breathtaking… how often do u see in modern Formula One that a car 8 seconds behind a real quick driver like Hamilton pulls right up to the tail within no time, on sheer pace…
that’s why we love Kimi Raikkonen and in every race he seems to give us something which is customary to him only, i am sure the paddock or should I say the whole world would now clearly realise who is the fastest driver in world… Kimi Raikkonen.. he is that damn good…
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Youre so right Evenstar. I think a lot of us are past the frustration phase. At least I want to be. I wasnt when Kimi crashed, but Im getting there. For many – a driver is only as good as his last race, so theres gonna be some bitching about this in the week to come. But Im sure that Kimi is gonna pull a stellar result out of the bag in one of the races to come. Let the chips fall where they may and bring on 2009 I say!
Great post by the way. Cheered me up still 🙂 I do think Kimi was trying to get Glock tho. And that is why he made the mistake. But who knows. Maybe Kimi will clear that up when we get his comments.
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"You’ve got to be
patient and Kimi isn’t going to go off blaming Ferrari or the safety car or start crying
about it. That’s our job, not his. Hahahaha!" <— LOLAlso this: "It’s like it went like this…Kimi:
"ahhh… I already got the fastest lap. Look, I can drive into the wall
too!" *bam*Funny review, Saima. You’re right. We’re just going to have to laugh it off a bit, I guess. Anyway, we know for a fact that Kimi’s the fastest and next year’s going to be his year again 🙂 Thanks!
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Hey Saima 🙂 I liked your review… After this kind of race it was great fun. xD Especially ".Kimi:
"ahhh… I already got the fastest lap. Look, I can drive into the wall
too!" *bam*" About the race- I think Kimi could have won. But that SC messed up everything. I was really happy and proud of Kimi that he rised up from 15 to 5. When he crashed, first it was paranoiac laugh, then came sadness and in the end I resign to the result… It was really heart braking to see Kimi standing in the end of the race. He looked really sad. Don’t know what he was thinking… Well, before this race Kimi said that he needs a miracle to win the WDC but now he needs something more to do it… Anyway, don’t give up Kimi (and all Kimi’s fans of course) and keep flying… We won’t stop support you :)P.S. Sorry for terrible English 😛
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I’ve started to visit this site and read this reports when Kimi started
with his "no scoring points period" and after reading your reports
Evenstar I feel much better….after reading them I look to the
brighter side and I’m feeling ok again lol.So I want to say thank you
for all your work 🙂 …..anyway Alonso and Renault were lucky but I
still have to say congrats…..as
for Kimi,it was his fault,but I’m not that sad.From now till the end of
the season I’m not cheering for anyone to win the championship(cause
Kimi won’t win it )…I’m just enjoying F1 and Kimi’s fastest laps 😀
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Hey everyone! I don´t know what to say really, we´re thinking the same I guess, all trying to laugh this off. I don´t know if I´m sad, disappointed or what, because I know it´s not in Kimi´s hands anymore. His driving is intact, his skills better than ever, but that bloody Ferrari car and the team just don´t seem to get things right! I´m supporting Kimi all the way, forever, but the championship is really over now….what I can´t stand is Hamster winning it and having to watch him boast about it. I know Kimi´s our Iceman and that he handles pressure and defeat perfectly, but I´m starting to wonder, doesn´t it ever get to him?!?!? I mean to have this kind of results one after the other, it´s depressing…but then again, his thinking is what sets him apart from the other drivers.I liked the race overall, I´m happy for Alonso….I´m rooting for him to bounce back, and to think I hated his guts when he was battling MS…….funny how things change, right?As I said on the forum, I´m ashamed of being a tifosi today, Ferrari have made fools of themselves yet again.Whatever…..right?Keep flying Kimi – Keep flying Evenstar!!!
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So it was that damn kerb… for 3 days people had been worried about that…. It may look normal on a street …but on a F1 circuit with cars running 300km/hour it’s definite not safe…. whoever put that there must be mad.
Once again Saima, brilliant review!!! I feel so much better everytime I visit this space – you are the glue that hold us together and I really appreciate for everything you’ve done. I always told my friends that you are going to be a heck of a journalist!!! So keep smiling and flying Evenstar!!!!
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I do not like Hamilon at all because he changed kimi’s good luck into lucks by a crazy crashing Kimi’s car. Additionally, Ferrari team for some reasons has made several bad jobs. Kimi has tried his best and he keeps trying.
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Hey Saima xcellent review made me feel a bit better. I wasnt feeling to bad until they showed Kimi stood there looking so
disconsolate it was horrible. I don’t know about you guys but it almost feels like 2006 with McLaren. Guess each race will be their own little adventure now – if Kimi can not win the WDC this year I have kinda lost interest in that side of things but lets hope there are some good races and Kimi has some fun!!! I agree with Sol123 the thought of Hamilton winning and bragging is not good. I was happy tho for Alonso and Nico it was good to see them on the Podium.
I say bring on 2009.
But in the mean time:
KEEP FLYING KIMI – KEEP FLYING EVENSTAR
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Oh, that’s a relief! I was scared I might have been too harsh. Thanks for the comments all, really appreciated.I was thinking this season feels like 2005 but you’re right Karen, it’s more like 2006.(I’m really sorry that I’m not able to ‘better’ the experience with all the latest photos and videos anymore though…)
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Saima excellent review and especially that famous line "Kimi: "ahhh… I already got the fastest lap. Look, I can drive into the wall too!" *bam*" Great..!!
I was reading Stefano Domenicali’s interview with autosport and he has pretty much confirmed that Kimi will play back up to Felipe… unfortunately this time round he has said in very clear words…. I feel sorry for Kimi since he is the best guy out there, the only flaw he has is his below par qualifying skill which I will openly admit with a sodden heart whereas Felipe has extra ordinary qualifying skill which conceals his relatively less race pace compared to Kimi. I was surprised to see him run that long in the first stint…. by the way does anyone have any idea of the fuel loads they both were carrying..
Coming back to Kimi himself, we can all say we laughed or we just snubbed off when Kimi shunted his car but to be honest, i felt nearly the same as I did when Kimi crashed in Spa… it hurts surely…. It’s awful to see the likes of Vettel, Kubica, Hamilton, Massa, Glock stealing all the limelight whereas the people like Raikkonen, Alonso, Heidfeld, Kovi, Webber find themselves under sustained criticism… Kimi is the guy who is No.2 to no one… he has proved this year with his fastest laps that he is the man, even the discriminating British media has come down to the knees when it comes to all out sheer pace… they admit Kimi is the best…
I am hurting after another disappointment today… i know those pathetic 3 or 4 points were ass but atleat the media backlash would have been in the toilet…. I want to read a few praises about Kimi, not those disgusting remarks and insulting questions that are shattered all around the internet, newspapers and television… for a long time…
Saima’s review was good but i was in such a foul mood, i didn’t read it properly… perhaps I’ll take another look tomorrow…. I am left with bad taste in the mouth after 4 consecutive non point scoring finishes…
nothing more to write but atleast i let the bile out thru my comments, that depression and frustration has been building up and it has made me sick… Alonso’s win was a little consolation.. I am really happy for him…
Did u notice that prick Hamilton coming so late in the Parc Ferme… the reason was clear, Alonso had won and hamilton had nowhere to hide that face except shoving it in Ron’s keister… (sorry for that)…
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I’m a ferrari fan through and through, but I am so disappointed in what has happened to them this season and what they have cost Kimi by all the things that have gone wrong, from messing up the car so it didn’t suit him any more to bad decisions, bad strategies and actually believing Massa is championship material. Massa might well outshine Kimi in qualy (still waiting for Kimi to stop making mistakes, been so long since he’s had a completely mistake free fast lap), but Kimi surely outshines Massa in the race. I’m afraid I don’t believe Massa can pull out the championship now that he’s fallen 7 points behind. Mind you, Ferrari reliability has cost him points, but I still remember his spin in Malaysia that put him out of the race that there was no excuse for, whereas most of the points Kimi has lost have been either directly or indirectly related to things out of his control. Fastest lap is great, but it doesn’t win championships if that’s all you get and it sure doesn’t shut up the media and the many fans thinking kimi should be ousted from Ferrari. I must say I’m disappointed that the review actually believed Kimi just lost concentration. It was far from the truth, it was just another time that he was pushing too hard because his race had been scuppered by things out of his control and he wasn’t willing to settle (Monaco with having to start with a penalty thanks to the team, Spa where as soon as the track started to get wet he had no grip with the car and Hamilton had cheated his way around Kimi and now here, where Ferrari scuppered his race by once again making Kimi queue behind Massa). When you have to push more than usual, you very much risk an accident, we’ve seen it from some of the best drivers ever on track. He feels he has nothing to lose and needs to risk everything and that’s what he’s been doing, though he was sorry he lost points for the team. We’re expecting rain in probably the rest of the races, so we could be in more trouble since Ferrari seems to fall apart whenever there is a safety car on track (well, can’t completely say that, it wasn’t their fault what happened in Canada, can blame Hamilton for that). Both titles seem to be waving goodbye, when by all rights they should both belong to Ferrari this year (WDC to Kimi). But, they are not running like a championship team and if they win the WCC, it will only be because Kovi was worse for Mclaren than Ferrari did for Kimi and Massa. It’s actually amazing to see them still with a chance for both titles with how they have looked this season. I am so disappointed in my team, but not in the least disappointed in Kimi, only disappointed for him. And like others, I am tired of the media BS about kimi not being motivated, no spirit, asleep in the race, etc. These people get paid big money and they can’t even see the problems below the surface. I can’t believe they get paid for that. Shame it’s so hard to find someone to read that actually recognizes what is going on and gives an honest appraisal of things (and isn’t kissing Hamilton butt). That is why I have basically stopped going to F1 news websites, because I’m tired of reading trash from people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Here’s to hoping Kimi does great in Japan. Unlike some, I couldn’t just laugh it off. I was gutted and hurting for Kimi. It was terrible that he should have so much going against him this season. It’s going to be so hard to watch the rest of the season, but I haven’t given up hope for Kimi to get at least another win, hope to see him break the fastest lap record (even if he does own it with my other love) and hope to see him make Hamilton eat dust (or mud, because I want him to run Hamilton into the ground in the wet, the one so many want to call the rain master). So, I will ride the roller coaster that is Kimi and hope for more highs than lows in the remaining races.
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Excellent review Evenstar. Loved it. Highs, lows the lot. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Kimi head off into the wall on the big screen, he had looked just brilliant two corners before when he passed us. It just seemed such a sad ending to the weekend. After the pitstop debacle (what is wrong with those guys, we have had some absolute shockers of pit stops lately) and having to fight back from that, especially since before the safety car he was flying and looking superb out there. The only consolation for the weekend was seeing Alonso win. He did drive so well, he literally threw that car around the track, and after his "failure" in practise it was a good win. Nice to see Nico up there too. The press here weren’t too harsh on Kimi which was good so reading the papers etc today isn’t so bad. Roll on Japan.
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Nyte, the way you put things in your comment was excellent. I agree with pretty much all the points you raised, especially with this:"…It
was just another time that he was pushing too hard because his race had
been scuppered by things out of his control and he wasn’t willing to
settle (Monaco with having to start with a penalty thanks to the team,
Spa where as soon as the track started to get wet he had no grip with
the car and Hamilton had cheated his way around Kimi and now here,
where Ferrari scuppered his race by once again making Kimi queue behind
Massa). When you have to push more than usual, you very much risk an
accident, we’ve seen it from some of the best drivers ever on track." Hope to see more of you here and in the forums/fora.
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@Nyte: thanks for your thoughts. The reason I said Kimi probably lost concentration was because 1. I hadn’t read his comments at the time and 2. as much as he may have been pushing, it looked pretty clear that he wouldn’t pass unless Glock made a mistake. Kimi confirmed this in his comments. Concentration is part of the game and in my opinion, he just needed to be extra careful on that chicane, but he clearly wasn’t on that particular lap and that was the result.
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