Italian Grand Prix Review

Whether or not the Italian and US GPs should proceed at all was a matter of debate. With both championships decided, some drivers called for an early end to the season, while Sir Frank Williams, Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard said the show had to go on such that 'terrorism must not win'. There was a case to be made either way, but it was hard to degree with the latter sentiments. Sport, if gone about in the right way (which F1 doesn't always do), has a unifying power stronger than any diplomacy or politics.

And in the end, the race weekend proceeded as it should, as a purely sporting event, without too much pomp and ceremony. Jaguar blacked out their leaping cat, Jordan put a US flag on their cars, while Ferrari removed all logos altogether and painted their nosecones black. While many F1 fans would say they'd probably like to see the Prancing Horses returned to their all-red state more often, it was a fitting gesture (if a little on the ugly side), and to be perfectly honest I'm surprised more teams didn't follow the lead.

For all their image as tough Teutonic warriors, throughout the weekend the Schumacher brothers showed that they were possibly more affected by the week's events than others. Michael in particular has shown in the past how behind his ice-cold veneer lies a sensitive, deeply-principled man with a strong sense of values. Ralf, in originally saying he would avoid Indianapolis for moral and safety reasons, appears to be the same. It was no surprise, then, that at Monza they were both overshadowed by their team-mates.

For in qualifying, it was Montoya setting a devastating pace, scoring the most convincing of his three poles to date. Barrichello went well at Monza last year, but for him to beat Michael in a straight fight was a pleasant change. Jarno Trulli once again demonstrated his sheer qualifying speed by placing his Jordan 5th, though Jean Alesi was a lowly 16th despite his passion for Monza, and from his comments afterwards you could tell that Eddie Jordan was not best pleased about that.

Unless you're one of the all-time greats in the pantheon, Formula One forgets yesterday's hero very quickly (Jenson Button anyone?). Forget the talk of Mika 'taking a break'. He'll be hard-pressed to find a seat for 2003. As for how well Raikkonen will do, that will depend on two factors. Firstly, can McLaren regroup after a year when on-track performances suggest they have only been third best? And secondly, can someone with Kimi's level of experience guide the team technically as Hakkinen has done?

The other thing to remember is that Hakkinen has been part of the McLaren furniture since 1993. His relationship with Ron Dennis was of Clark-Chapman, Jones-Head, and Schumacher-Todt proportions. Just as McLaren post-Senna and Benetton post-Schumi were not nice places to be, McLaren post-Hakkinen will feel equally strange. Perhaps that's why McLaren were keen to snatch Raikkonen, a fellow Finn and mini-Mika, to ease the pain of transition. Plus the fact that Kimi seems supremely talented. Oh, and Ferrari wanted him!

This race also marked the debuts of two drivers, both of whom made the grid. To be frank, Tomas Enge, the first ever Czech F1 driver, had a very quiet weekend and was barely noticed. On the other hand, Alex Yoong, the first ever Malaysian F1 driver, had problems in qualifying and had to share a car with team-mate Fernando Alonso, so to actually make the grid was a great achievement in itself. But overall his pace throughout the weekend, honestly, was very much that of a pay-driver. Not that anyone was expecting much more; he shall improve as time goes on.

The big talk on Sunday morning was the supposed 'no-overtaking' pact some leading drivers, led by Michael Schumacher, had suggested for the first two chicanes. If that phrase was indeed used, then it was very clumsy choice of words, and quite understandably Jacques Villeneuve, the racer that he is, objected. Our opinion is they are either going 100%, or they shouldn't be out there. Frankly, it was ludicrous. DC may have worded it better when he said that the call was for drivers to be 'sensible' - but why? Aren't these drivers trying to be sensible all the time?

In his first year in F1 last year, Button generally earned everyone's praises, but the one man he turned off was Jarno Trulli. After incidents at Spa and Indianapolis, the Italian officially spat the dummy. After Trulli's move to Renault for 2002 was announced, it was always going to be interesting how he would get on with Button. This latest incident has simply made life at Renault next year a hell of a lot more interesting.

After all the melee, Hakkinen found himself going down the escape road and dropping right down the field. The Arrows, Jaguars, and Alesi suddenly found themselves in the top 10. Ralf had got past Michael, but not for long. The older brother went for the inside going into the Lesmos, but Ralf kept his promise and squeezed Michael for all his worth, forcing the Ferrari onto the grass for a moment. It certainly looked hairy, but ultimately the Williams driver was forced to back out as Michael was fully alongside.

The shock came when both Ferraris pitted early. Monza was meant to be a one-stop track after all, and Schumacher's early stop could have been seen as a way of leapfrogging Montoya. But then Barrichello came in, and the refuelling man was ready. Just not with Rubens' hose. How such a childish error was made is beyond me, and it cost the Brazilian some 6-7 seconds.

For a time, though, the Ferraris still looked like they were on a one-stopper, just having made their stops early instead of late, and with the Williams still struggling for grip perhaps things were still looking rosy. As it turned out, they did have to stop again. The tactic didn't work for Michael, leaving him a distant 4th, the first time he has finished this year in a place either than 1st or 2nd.

REJECT OF THE RACE
Ferrari pit-crew
A bungled fuel-stop cost Rubens 6-7 seconds, and victory at Monza

After all, it's been a long time since anyone won a race having made one more pit stop than the driver he beat. It's rare to see different fuel strategies at all. Ferrari's audacious plan required a hard-charging drive, and Barrichello delivered. Germany 2000 may have been a fine drive in an eventful race, but I thought overall this was the best weekend he has had with Ferrari. Regardless of whether or not Michael was off the boil, when it mattered Rubens had his measure, and he deserved to win this one.

That is not to take away from a solid performance from Montoya himself, now not just the first Colombian (out of 3) to score points, but the first Colombian to win a GP. It's well documented that he has had no luck this year. He was nerfed off while leading in Brazil, he led comfortably in Germany when his engine blew, and he stalled from pole in Belgium. I'm not sure if he's been as sensational this year as the hype says, but he has done enough to suggest he is race-winning material.

In de la Rosa's case, he was left behind by a superb battle for what had become 5th place between Jos Verstappen, Alesi and Raikkonen. All of them were two-stopping, so it was all a bit of a false dawn, but once again Verstappen was nothing short of sensational on low fuel. That Asiatech engine is not great, but only did he take advantage was the first corner mayhem to move himself up from 19th on the grid, he was able to stave off the Jordan for quite a while, although eventually the Frenchman did get through.

Alesi did really drive like a man possessed in the first stint, maybe in a desperate bid to keep the Jordan seat for next year, but in the end his two-stop strategy cost him dearly. In all honesty, in three races so far for the Silverstone team he has done nothing special, and on some occasions he has been well outshone by Frentzen, who had taken his Prost seat. Jean will need to match Trulli and score some points at Indianapolis and Suzuka if he is to sure up his place for 2002.

One of the most amusing moments of the race was when this battle came up to lap Yoong, who was having an eventful race. The Malaysian had already spun once at Lesmo 2, right in front of Montoya and Schumacher, and he would eventually spin out at Lesmo 1. But here, when he saw Bernoldi and co bearing down on him going into the Retafilio, he let Bernoldi, Panis and Frentzen through, and then proceeded to cut across the chicane in order to let Fisi and Heidfeld past as well. Now that's called 'getting out of the way'!

Eventually, the one-stoppers won out, and 5th went to de la Rosa, who had given a terrifically solid drive. Villeneuve may count himself somewhat lucky to have finished 6th, but it was another precious point for BAR which kept them 5th in the constructors' title, and inched them closer to Sauber. And so this rather subdued race weekend finished, before the circus reaches America in two weeks' time. Indianapolis is an emotion-charged place at the best of times. In light of recent events, it will be even more so this year.

It has been mixed season for those Australians looking to F1. First and foremost is Mark Webber's equal 2nd in the International F3000 championship, a massive 32 points behind Justin Wilson. But in taking 3 victories, frankly Webber would have been looking for the title, and not second place. He will not do F3000 in 2002, but the chance of an F1 drive looks slim; if Alonso leaves Minardi he may slot in there, but otherwise he'll stay testing with Benetton.

Meanwhile, Ryan Briscoe took a terrific win in the latest round of the Italian Formula Renault Championship at Mugello, his 4th victory of the season, and second in a row after Varano. The win moves him 40 points ahead of Fabio Carbone to all but sew up the title. His teammate, Cesar Campanico is 3rd overall. The next race is at Binetto on the 23rd of September. Ryan also had some experience in German F3 this year, as well as driving in the F3 Masters at Zandvoort. Things are looking great for the Toyota F1 junior driver...

Finally, in the Bristish F3 round at Brands Hatch, James Courtney was nerfed into the wall in race one by Mark Taylor. Starting from pole in race two, he finished second to Japanese champion Takuma Sato. There is still the chance he can take his Jaguar to second in the championship. Overall, James had overshadowed his teammate Andre Lotterer this year scoring 207 points to his 136, and it'll be interesting to see where they each go next year.