Although Fernando Alonso was criticised for making negative comments about his team after the Chinese Grand Prix, he turned in a polished performance at Suzuka.
By Mike Fourie – Editor
Nobody likes a whinger! In the days preceding the pivotal Japanese Grand Prix I had several “water cooler/coffee room chats” with other F1 enthusiasts about the imminent outcome of the 2006 F1 driver’s championship and it seemed that many fans felt irritated by the Spaniard because of the unfavourable comments he was reported to have made about Michael Schumacher “being the most unsporting driver”, Formula One “was no longer a sport”, and, in particular, complaining about “a lack of support” from his team and the driving tactics of team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella following last week’s Chinese Grand Prix, where Schumi brilliantly snatched victory from Renault’s grasp. Even people who were ambivalent to the German taking an emotional eighth title in his swansong season felt that Alonso didn’t behave in a manner becoming of a world champion.
If Alonso was quoted correctly by the admittedly zealous and sensation-seeking media (especially with regards to his post-Shanghai comments), the talented young Spaniard clearly has one chink in his armour – he is an incredibly emotional and outspoken man, there is nothing wrong with his behaviour on track. All world champions have the ability to rally teams, suppliers and support structures to the benefit of their respective title causes and Alonso learnt how to do just that from a master – the exuberant Renault team principal, Flavio Briatore! In addition, world champions are able to back up their inextinguishable ambition and rousing skills with solid results on the track.
Nobody expected Alonso to win the Japanese Grand Prix – let alone keep up with Schumacher – following the Bridgestone-shod Ferrari team’s utter domination of the qualifying session. But on Sunday, the Spaniard put his supposed insecurities out of his mind and just got on with job. He bravely overtook Jarno Trulli’s Toyota at the start, patiently wore down Trulli’s team-mate, Ralf Schumacher, to take third position and then gained track position over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa as a result of a burst of speed just before the first round of pit stops. Despite expectations, the Spaniard and Schumacher were very evenly matched – when the German’s engine expired, Alonso was perfectly placed to take the lead and win the race despite Massa’s belated efforts to haul him in.
Following his fortunate victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, Alonso is well-positioned to win the driver’s championship and Renault has a substantial lead in the constructor’s title race ahead of the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. Schumacher can still win the title, but then he must win at Interlagos and Alonso finish lower than eighth. Even then, the rivals will be equal on championship points and the German will win the title by virtue of having won more races than his rival. In truth, Alonso should have had the title wrapped up by now… the Spaniard was uncompetitive at Indianapolis, then Renault was rocked by the FIA’s unexpected ban on the mass damping system the Enstone-based team pioneered last year, technical problems robbed him of a likely victory in Hungary, his engine blew up at the controversial Italian Grand Prix, and grained front tyres and a botched pit stop saw him trailing Schumi at the finish in Shanghai.
With the exception of the Hungaroring, where Schumacher was out of sorts, the German has been at his brilliant best since the Canadian Grand Prix in June. In the second half(!) of his swansong year, he has delighted not only his legions of fans, but F1 enthusiasts all over the globe. However, nobody can deny that Alonso’s misfortunes played a significant part in Schumacher’s erasure of the Spaniard’s (initial 25-point) championship lead.
At Suzuka, the gods of motorsport (who have been kind to the seven-time champion since his F1 career began in 1991) frowned on Schumi and smiled on Alonso. The dramatic shift in the balance of the championship means that the title will either be decided by a conservative race strategy (as Alonso employed at Brazil last year), or another twist of fate (a Schumacher victory and the Spaniard suffering a mechanical failure or a on-track incident). I, for one, would like to see Alonso and Schumacher duel for victory to the chequered flag one last time at Brazil – now that would be a fitting end to a riveting championship and the glittering career of a Formula One superstar!