Fun F1

There are generally 2 types of Formula One fans – those who love Michael Schumacher, and those who hate him. Whichever category you fall into, you’d have to respect his post-race speech in Monza where he announced his retirement.

Often Schumacher seems frustrated in the post-race interviews, even when he wins. He regularly fires back blunt answers, giving the impression he’s trying to say “the answer to your question is obvious isn’t it?”. In most cases it is. But on Sunday we got to see a different Schumacher.

We got to see beyond the walls that he puts up. His farewell speech was heartfelt. He will certainly miss the sport and the special bond he has with Ferrari. It was really nice to see a humble, thankful and emotional champion say farewell. I think even the haters will be sad to see him go.. at least a little bit..

The 2006 Italian Grand Prix in Monza will go down as one of Michael Schumacher’s most special victories. After winning the race in a convincing fashion, he announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of the season. We’ll cover this some more later, but first let’s take a look at the race itself..

• Michael Schumacher – Controlled the race. Didn’t really seem to be under threat from Kimi Raikkonen at all. A great job, especially considering how much pressure he would have put on himself to win.
• Kimi Raikkonen – Did a great job for McLaren. Shame the one engine per 2 race rule probably meant he didn’t really want to push toward the end of the race. Plus, he wouldn’t want to upset his future employer would he?
• Fernando Alonso – Turned all his anger at the stewards into a brilliant drive, only to be robbed at the last minute. You have to feel for him. It must feel like the whole world is against him, especially in Italy.
• Robert Kubica – Wow! I wasn’t sure about this guy but now I am! Welcome to F1!!
• Felipe Massa – He’s either on or he’s off. Over the balance of a season, I think Kimi’s going to blow him away next season..
• Italian TV directors – Thank you for showing Felipe Massa with no-one around him when we could have watched Alonso pass Jenson Button

While the race wasn’t quite as exciting as the last 2 in terms of passing, it was just as exciting in terms of championship drama! It really has been a great season of F1 this year, and next year promises to be even better..

Out of all the stupid Michael Schumacher Rumours lately, the most ridiculous one I’ve seen would have to be the one claiming that Schumacher will leave Ferrari at the end of 2006 and join McLaren Mercedes in 2008.

First of all, why wouldn’t he join them next year if it were true?

Second of all, why would McLaren want him? I mean, all due respect to the guy – he can certainly drive a car – but in 2008 he’d be 39 years old! If he took one year off he’d surely have an impossible time against all the young blood that’s entering the sport next year..

Anyway, it was good for a laugh!

Reports are coming out of Italy that Kimi Raikkonen actually signed a contract to race for Ferrari in 2007 way back in August 2005. The buzz around the Monza paddock is that the driver line-up for Ferrari in 2007 will be Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.

Both Raikkonen and Massa started their Grand Prix careers with Sauber Petronas – ironically powered by a Ferrari engines rebadged as Petronas.

Michael Schumacher meanwhile is set for retirement at the end of the season. Whether he wins this year’s Formula One World Championship or not, it seems like a perfect year for him to exit as he’s still very competitive.

Renault has announced today that Heikki Kovalainen will partner Giancarlo Fisichella in the 2007 Formula One World Championship. Furthermore, Flavio Briatore has renewed his contract to lead the team for another 2 years. And even furthermore, furthermore, the Renault test drivers for 2007 will be Ricardo Zonta and Nelson Piquet Jr.

It’s funny because I thought Heikki Kovalainen was confirmed as the 2nd Renault driver months ago…? I guess I should pay more attention Would explain why I thought he didn’t have a shot at the Renault driver seat earlier in the year..