Formula 1 Championship Results

Championship Review

 DOUBLE FOR ALONSO AND RENAULT

Last season experience gave us a new champion in Fernando Alonso, and that provided fresh air to the fans and followers of the sport in general, bringing winds of enthusiasm.

Admittedly, the FIA always attentive and active in seeking to improve the performance, security and more recently the reduction of costs introduced new rules. The most notable of them: the change on the engines specifications, now to be 8-cylinder 2.4L (coming from the V10 3.0L). Such a move would expect a reduction in horsepower of about 150-200, and therefore lap times would probably be 4-5 seconds slower. It happened that eventually the difference in time was reduced as the tournament progressed, but the measure finally forced the teams to reinvent themselves and find alternatives in design to compensate, something that brought a degree of speculation prior to the start of the actions.

Very important was the change in the classification format. Three sessions determine the starting order for the race. Each session would be 15 minutes long, with all cars being part of the first (Q1) but only only the top 16 moving to the next round (Q2). This intermediate session allows the top 10 to advance to the final round (Q3). Each session will define the starting order independently, which means that records are deleted with the advance of each session.

Businesswise, there were many changes too. Minardi decided it was better to quit the sport and it was acquired by Redbull, who would use it more for development and training. The new team was called Toro Rosso, so to preserve some of its Italian blood, and for this season, Vitantonio Luizzi and American Scott Speed were chosen as drivers.

Before the start of the season, the almost defunct Jordan was acquired by the Russian-Canadian billionaire Alex Shnaider, who named Midland F1 (MF1), then late in the championship, passed into the hands of the Dutch Spiker.
On the other hand, BMW left Williams and bought a majority share in Sauber, this meant a huge change for such a small-midsize outfit. Nick Heidfeld and Villeneuve, who would be later on the season replaced by Robert Kubica, would be the drivers. The consequence for Williams was they have to find another engine supplier, and they did with the renowned Cosworth. Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg would be at the wheels of their cars.

Teams had few changes with their driver line-ups. The most relevant of them was made at Ferrari, since Barrichello, now with Honda and partnering with Jenson Button, left his seat to his country mate Felipe Massa. The seven-time champion Michael Schumacher stayed at Maranello, so he could redeem himself emotionally from the results of last season.
McLaren did not change and kept Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, a duo who provide a first class driving. Similarly happened at Renault, where the reigning champion Fernando Alonso, shared again the team responsibilities with Fisichella.

SCHUMACHER RETIRES AND A NEW GENERATION COMES ON BOARD

It turned out that the title was a matter of two. Fernando Alonso started the action with a win in Bahrain, and then escorted Fisichella in Malaysia, to then succeed in Australia. Two consecutive second places continued, but from there, a string of four consecutive victories gave the impression that everything was sealed. In nine races, Alonso emerged victorious six times with three 2nd place finishes, it was almost impossible to do better than that.

However, during the same period, Schumacher efficiently began to quietly accumulate points as he could while his team worked on his car and made it more competitive. He emerged victorious three times and finished second in four. At to this point, just before the U.S. Grand Prix, Alonso was leading the German by 26 points.
On American soil, Schumacher began his attack towards the very top of the table. With Indianapolis, and then France and Germany, he collected three consecutive victories, a streak that was snatched by a complicated race in Hungary where he finished in 8th.

The circuit of Hungaroring brought many surprises including a complicated weather, something that required better preparation. Finally, in a very exciting race, Alonso missed an opportunity to end in second because a tire problem, while Button crossed the finish line first in great form. Finally, there was a change in the season’s script that at times looked boring and predictable; races decided early, a title a battle of only two and a little push from the other teams.

Schumacher continued his charge; and again he triumphed in Italy and China, reaching the Spaniard Alonso at the top of the standings with two races to go. At the Japanese GP, and supported by Massa, the German took the lead from race, while Alonso started to gain ground and set at the second (started from 5th). The German advantage was undeniable, but the providence maybe presented itself, and on lap 37 the engine yielded to the pressure, and a trail of smoke indicated the end of Michael on this race. So, his arch-rival of the moment, a surprised Alonso, passed him by a side in route to victory. It was the first failure of this type for Schumacher since the French GP in 2000.

The difference of ten points on the standings with just one more GP on the schedule brought an air of legit confidence to Alonso, and while at the end fate smiled at him, another story could have been told. The Renault man needed a single point no matter what Schumacher could do to secure the championship, while the German required a win and hope that Alonso did not finish in the points.
An inspired Felipe Massa drove fantastically, and left no room for anyone to snatch the first place. The Brazilian was on pole by over half a second over the second best, and its dominance in the race was total. An intelligent and pragmatic Alonso chose to fight for what he knew he was able, and without much effort he settled for a second place, which was enough to be crowned champion for the second consecutive year.

Although Michael Schumacher had announced his retirement few races back, leaving the f1 brought a confusion of emotions. Much revered him and others repudiated, but somehow the tacit agreement was that the time had come for new forces, for a new generation.