Italy 2007

UNFORTUNATELY, RACING ONCE AGAIN TOOK A BACK SEAT HERE IN ITALY. MCLAREN'S APPEAL AGAINST THE NON-AWARD OF MANUFACTURERS' POINTS FOR THEIR RESULTS IN HUNGARY WAS DUE TO BE HEARD IN PARIS ON 13 SEPTEMBER BUT THIS HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED BY A FULL WORLD MOTORSPORTS COUNCIL MEETING TO INVESTIGATE 'NEW EVIDENCE' IN THE SPYING ROW THAT HAS ENGULFED THE SPORT RECENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE ITALIAN LEGAL AUTHORITIES HAVE NOW STEPPED IN AND OFFICIALS VISITED THE MCLAREN SECTION OF THE MONZA PADDOCK ON SATURDAY IN CONNECTION WITH POSSIBLE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. AS IF RON DENNIS WASN'T UNDER ENOUGH PRESSURE - FERRARI ACCUSING MCLAREN OF SPYING, MCLAREN DRIVERS FALLING OUT CAUSING THE NON-AWARD OF MANUFACTURERS' POINTS AND NOW ITALIAN LEGAL PROCEEDINGS!

THE RACING ITSELF WAS UP TO THE USUAL MONZA STANDARDS ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A VERY CURIOUS INCIDENT IN FREE PRACTICE BEFORE THE QUALIFYING SESSION. KIMI RAIKKONEN SUFFERED A 200 M.P.H. CRASH WHEN HIS FERRARI SUDDENLY VEERED SHARP RIGHT INTO THE BARRIERS AS HE WAS BRAKING HARD PRIOR TO A LEFT-HAND TURN INTO A CHICANE. IT DESTROYED THE CAR AND THE MECHANICS HAD TO TRANSFER THE ENGINE TO THE SPARE CAR (TO AVOID THE AUTOMATIC 10-PLACE DROP FOR AN ENGINE CHANGE). ADMITTEDLY, THERE IS A FAIRLY LARGE BUMP IN THE TRACK AT THAT POINT, WHICH FERRARI BLAMED FOR THE INCIDENT - THEY SAID THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL BREAKAGE. A VERY CURIOUS ASSERTION BECAUSE EVERY CAR PASSES OVER THIS BUMP, WHICH HAS BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME, AND THERE HAVE NEVER BEEN SIMILAR INCIDENTS. ALSO, THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE REAR OF FELIPE MASSA'S CAR IN THE RACE ITSELF, AFTER HE HAD HAD A DOGFIGHT WITH LEWIS HAMILTON AND COULD HAVE DAMAGED THE REAR SUSPENSION ON THE KERBS, AND HE HAD TO RETIRE ON LAP 10.

THE START WAS THE USUAL ELECTRIFYING MAYHEM FOR A MONZA GP - THE CARS HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO REACH MAXIMUM SPEED BEFORE THE WHOLE GRID HAS TO TRY TO NEGOTIATE, EN MASSE, THE SHARP CHICANE THAT IS TURNS 1 AND 2. THERE ARE ALWAYS INCIDENTS HERE AND 2007 WAS NO EXCEPTION ALTHOUGH, SURPRISINGLY, EVERYONE NEGOTIATED THE CHICANE UNSCATHED. HAMILTON PUSHED MASSA WIDE ON THE STRAIGHT, MASSA STILL GOT PAST HIM INTO 2ND PLACE BEHIND FERNANDO ALONSO BUT HAMILTON WENT ROUND THE OUTSIDE AT TURN 1, OUT-BRAKED MASSA AND ALMOST OUT-BRAKED ALONSO BUT MASSA'S FRONT LEFT WHEEL NUDGED HAMILTON'S RIGHT REAR AND FORCED HIM TO CUT THE APEX OF TURN 2 BUT IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE ONLY MISSED THE APEX BECAUSE OF THIS NUDGE SO THERE WAS NO PENALTY. FOR THE NEXT 10 LAPS IT WAS BASICALLY A STRAIGHT FIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO MCLARENS AND THE TWO FERRARIS WITH A LITTLE INTERFERENCE TO RAIKKONEN'S PROGRESS FROM THE BMW'S. IT TRANSPIRED THAT KIMI WAS ONLY INTENDING TO HAVE ONE PIT-STOP AGAINST THE MCLARENS' TWO-STOP STRATEGY.

FERNANDO WAS NEVER TROUBLED - HAD BEEN THE DRIVER MOST LIKELY TO WIN ALL WEEKEND - AND SO IT PROVED. BUT KIMI GOT INTO 2ND PLACE BY ABOUT 2 SECONDS WHEN LEWIS PITTED FOR HIS SECOND STOP. BUT LEWIS HAD CHOSEN THE SOFT TYRES FOR THE LAST STINT AND QUICKLY GOT UP BEHIND KIMI AND THEN, IN A BRILLIANT OUT-BRAKING, OVERTAKING MOVE AT TURN 1, HE GOT BACK INTO 2ND PLACE AND THAT IS THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY FINISHED. LEWIS HAMILTON STILL LEADS THE TITLE RACE BUT THE GAP BETWEEN HIM AND FERNANDO ALONSO IS NOW DOWN TO 3 POINTS WITH RAIKKONEN A FURTHER 15 POINTS BACK AND MASSA HAS MORE OR LESS ADMITTED HE IS OUT OF THE RACE. BUT PARIS ON THURSDAY COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING!

Race Results posted by
David Little
10 September 2007

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