Monza 2008
THE F1 PADDOCK HAD PLENTY OF VIEWS ON THE SPA INCIDENT LAST WEEK. IGNORING CURRENT DRIVERS, WHOSE VIEWS ARE BOUND TO BE BIASED BECAUSE THEY ARE HAMILTON'S COMPETITORS, TWO PAST MULTIPLE WORLD CHAMPIONS - NICKI LAUDA AND JACKIE STEWART - BOTH CONDEMNED THE STEWARD'S DECISION IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. HOWEVER, THE APPEAL IS TO BE HEARD ON 22 SEPTEMBER AND WE SHALL HAVE TO AWAIT THE OUTCOME.
INCIDENTALLY, THE 2 ARTICLES OF THE F1 SPORTING REGULATIONS QUOTED BY THE STEWARDS IN THEIR DECISION SIMPLY STATE THAT 'THE RACE TRACK ALONE SHALL BE USED BY THE DRIVERS DURING THE RACE' AND NOWHERE DOES IT MENTION THE PROCEDURES TO AVOID A PENALTY FOR NOT USING THE TRACK. I PRESUME THAT FORMS PART OF THE DRIVING BRIEFINGS OR ARE INFORMAL AGREEMENTS ACCEPTED BY ALL THE TEAMS. PLENTY OF GREY AREAS THERE! THE DRIVERS BRIEFING FOR MONZA CLARIFIED THE SITUATION BY STIPULATING THAT A DRIVER WHO CUTS A CORNER, GAINS A POSITION AND THEN GIVES UP THAT POSITION, CANNOT OVERTAKE AT THE NEXT CORNER BUT MUST WAIT UNTIL THE SECOND CORNER. RETROSPECTIVE LEGISLATION?
NOW TO THE RACE! MONZA DISAPPEARED UNDER WATER AND HAD THE FIRST WET RACE SINCE THE 1970'S. THAT COMPLETELY THREW ALL THE STRATEGIES AND FORWARD PLANNING. QUALIFYING WAS A LOTTERY DEPENDING AS MUCH ON WHEN EXTREME WET TYRES WERE SWOPPED FOR INTERMEDIATES AS ANYTHING ELSE AND SO WE HAD A MIXED UP GRID COMPARED TO USUAL.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL EMERGED ON POLE POSITION WITH HEIKKI KOVALAINEN SHARING THE FRONT ROW. FELIPE MASSA MANAGED 6TH BUT THE OTHER CONTENDERS FOR THE TITLE LOST OUT - KUBICA 11TH, RAIKKONEN 14TH AND HAMILTON 15TH.
SUNDAY WAS EVEN WETTER AND THE RACE STARTED BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR AND THE RAIN PERSISTED FOR MOST OF THE RACE WITH A DRIER SLOT THAT COINCIDED WITH THE SECOND SET OF PIT-STOPS, GIVING SOME DRIVERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE TO INTERMEDIATE WET TYRES. SEBASTIAN NEVER LOOKED LIKE RELINQUISHING THE LEAD, DRIVING A PERFECT RACE TO TAKE HIS FIRST F1 VICTORY AND BECOME THE YOUNGEST DRIVER EVER TO WIN A GRAND PRIX. AND THAT'S ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW - IT WAS SIMPLY SEBASTIAN VETTEL'S WEEKEND FROM START TO FINISH.
BUT SPARE A THOUGHT FOR HIS TEAM-MATE, SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, WHO QUALIFIED 4TH. HIS CAR STALLED ON THE GRID. THAT IS BAD ENOUGH NORMALLY BUT AT LEAST STARTING FROM THE PIT-LANE TO JOIN THE BACK OF THE FIELD GETS THE DRIVER INTO ACTION. IN SEBASTIEN'S CASE, HE WAS DENIED THAT POSSIBILITY BECAUSE STARTING UNDER THE SAFETY CAR MEANS THAT THERE IS NO WARM-UP LAP - THE FIRST LAP IS COUNTED AS A RACING LAP - AND THOUGH SEBASTIEN WAS READY TO GO FROM THE PIT-LANE AS THE FIELD CAME AROUND, HE WAS ALREADY A LAP DOWN AND NOT EVEN MICHAEL SCHUMACHER HAS EVER, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, COME FROM A LAP DOWN TO WIN A RACE!
JOY ON ONE SIDE OF THE GARAGE AND DESPAIR ON THE OTHER.
STARTING GRID
| | | |
| 1.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
| 2.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 3.
|
Mark Webber
|
| 4.
|
Sebastien Bourdais
|
| 5.
|
Nico Rosberg
|
| 6.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 7.
|
Jarno Trulli
|
| 8.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 9.
|
Timo Glock
|
| 10.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 11.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 12.
|
Giancarlo Fisichella
|
| 13.
|
David Coulthard
|
| 14.
|
Kimi Raikkonen
|
| 15.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 16.
|
Rubens Barrichello
|
| 17.
|
Nelson Piquet
|
| 18.
|
Kazuki Nakajima
|
| 19.
|
Jenson Button
|
| 20.
|
Aidrian Sutil
|
RESULT
| |
| 1.
|
Sebastian Vettel
|
| 2.
|
Heikki Kovalainen
|
| 3.
|
Robert Kubica
|
| 4.
|
Fernando Alonso
|
| 5.
|
Nick Heidfeld
|
| 6.
|
Felipe Massa
|
| 7.
|
Lewis Hamilton
|
| 8.
|
Mark Webber
|
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers :
| |
| Lewis Hamilton
|
78
|
| Felipe Massa
|
77
|
| Robert Kubica
|
64
|
| Kimi Raikkonen
|
57
|
| Nick Heidfeld
|
53
|
| Heikki Kovalainen
|
51
|
| Fernando Alonso
|
28
|
| Jarno Trulli
|
26
|
Constructors :
|
| Ferrari
|
134
|
| McLaren
|
129
|
| BMW
|
117
|
| Toyota
|
41
|
| =Renault
|
41
|
| Scuderia Toro Rosso
|
27
|
| Red Bull Racing
|
26
|
| Williams
|
17
|
| Honda
|
14
|
| Force India
|
0
|
| Super Aguri
|
0
|
Race Results posted by
David Little
15th September 2008
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