Rubens Barrichello left Scuderia Ferrari at the end of 2005, although he still had a year of contract left. A strange circumstance, since the Maranello team is the dream of many drivers. However, on Tuesday, August 2, 2005, in the aftermath of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari president Luca Montezemolo publicly declared:
"We gave Barrichello the opportunity to sign a multi-year offer, which is longer than the duration of the relationship with us, as we could also exercise an existing option in the contract we have with Felipe Massa, a young driver but already sufficiently experienced, which we have been aiming for since 2001. I want to thank Rubens for the contribution he has given us in these years and that has allowed us to win five Constructors' World titles so far. From him, from Ferrari’s men and our technical partners, first of all, at Bridgestone, I expect maximum concentration and continued efforts to win again by the end of this season".
Rubens Barrichello complains about the overtake on the last lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.
"Michael is a small man".
The Brazilian driver said, expressing for the first time a hostile feeling towards his team. In hindsight, it is suspected that the agreement with BAR was already ripe. The collision at Indianapolis also annoyed the Brazilian driver. The sensational breakup was announced last Friday, during the weekend of the Hungarian Grand Prix, by Nelson Piquet. The three-time Brazilian World Champion also revealed the arrival of Felipe Massa. Piquet’s reveal had angered Barrichello, who had weakly denied it. The fact is that the protagonists had decided to announce the news in August, a few days before the Turkish Grand Prix. With the surprise effect gone, the official communication arrived. Already in Budapest Jean Todt had not denied the rumours. Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa: here is the Ferrari line-up for 2006. Rubens Barrichello will leave at the end of the year, after six seasons of honourable service, and will move to BAR-Honda. It is a consensual and already anticipated divorce, though he has clumsily tried to hide it. After a Brazilian from São Paulo comes another one. An almost painless passage. Almost. One can say it was a deal for Massa. Twenty-four years old, excellent results in the minor series, many promises regarding his arrival in Formula 1. And none kept. At Maranello they took advantage of a contractual option, taking him away from the demands of BMW. They consider him a fast driver, who has gained experience in his three years in Formula 1 and who could prove to be a champion at the wheel of a competitive car.
"If so, we’ve won our bet. If he falls short of expectations, we still have time to think about the future calmly".
For Ferrari, December 31, 2006 is a critical date, since the contract of Michael Schumacher will expire, as well as that of all the dream team, from Jean Todt to Ross Brawn up to Barrichello, who solved the problem in advance. When Michael Schumacher negotiates his future, the Scuderia Ferrari organisational chart will be defined in cascade. Beyond that deadline, no decisions are taken. Barrichello might have stayed longer if he had had precise guarantees today. Instead, the situation had come to a halt: BAR offered him a two-year deal and guaranteed him an engagement of more than the 8.000.000 dollars that he currently earns and enticed him with the absence of bulky characters like Michael Schumacher.
"Rubens has revealed to us in recent weeks that he was no longer happy to be with us. When they offered him a multi-year contract, we agreed to let him go because we had a tailor-made solution".
The first idea was Kimi Räikkönen, but he would not have accepted a contract for a season nor would he have easily adapted to a coexistence with Michael Schumacher. Valentino Rossi is a fascinating idea and we will have to see how he does in testing at Fiorano. Felipe Massa’s career is short. In 2001 Scuderia Ferrari signed him without giving him a seat. In 2002, Peter Sauber hired him to replace Kimi Räikkönen, who was paid nothing and then sold for $25.000.000 to McLaren. It is not the same. At the end of the season, Peter Sauber released the Brazilian, who returned to Maranello as a test driver. A difficult role for a young, inexperienced and impetuous driver. They entrusted him with the development of the tyres, but his indications were not convincing. In 2004 he returned to Sauber, where he still is. In 46 Grands Prix, he scored 24 points. He has finished fourth twice. He never climbed on the podium. The strict Swiss discipline helped him to mature.
"Sauber scolds me when I’m wrong".
Felipe Massa admits. He is the same age as Fernando Alonso, but his career runs parallel to that of Kimi Räikkönen. In 2000 Felipe won the European Formula Renault, and Kimi the English Formula Renault. For both, it was the start of the big jump. Like Rubens Barrichello, he was discovered in Italy by Adriano Morini, head of Draco Racing. As a child, Felipe Massa cultivated the myth of Ayrton Senna:
"He once refused my autograph, it was a disappointment".
More than Nelson Piquet’s:
"I met him and he didn’t leave a good impression".
The Brazilian driver says now:
"I am very happy and proud to be racing with Ferrari in 2006. The Maranello team has believed in me since 2001 when I still had never been in Formula 1. Now I am in my third season as a Sauber driver and I can also count on the experience gained in the year in which I was a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari. An experience that has helped me a lot to grow. I feel ready for this new challenge, the most important of my career".
Praise and thanks follow:
"I am aware of my responsibilities. I look forward to being part of a team like Scuderia Ferrari and racing with the best driver in the world, Michael Schumacher. I want to thank Peter Sauber for putting his trust in me these last three years".
The Barrichello-Massa affair moves the driver market: Jenson Button could move from BAR to Williams, and Nick Heidfeld from Williams to Sauber which becomes BMW. What is confirmed for now is the move of Rubens Barrichello to BAR-Honda and the divorce between BMW and Williams, which in 2006 will adopt Cosworth engines. The transfer of the Brazilian driver to the Anglo-Japanese team has already been discussed. From the new team he got what the Maranello team could not promise him, a multi-year contract, although not yet defined. BAR chose him together with Honda because the team is convinced that with the Brazilian they can aim to win the title.
"I am happy to confirm that I will be with BAR. I want to thank Ferrari for a fantastic six years, during which I have contributed so far to winning five Constructors' World Championships. However, my goal remains the Drivers' title. I understood that I needed new stimuli. I witnessed the progress of BAR-Honda and I was impressed by the spirit of a team that has all the cards to win races and aim for the championship. At the moment, I think there is nothing more exciting than working with the British team and Honda to make our dreams come true together. I still have a lot of work ahead of me at Ferrari until the end of the season, but I am sure I will live other wonderful moments".
Williams and BMW will also continue together until the end of the season, but from 2006 they will be adversaries. For years, the Cosworth has been the benchmark in V8 engines that will be adopted next year and it is said that from the tests started in April it has already reached 20.000 RPM. At the same time, Williams announced that it had renewed the contract with Australian Mark Webber, silencing the rumours that he wanted to join Renault in 2006. It remains to be seen whether Jenson Button, who has a contract with the team but would like to stay at BAR, will arrive. After the summer holidays, the Circus of Formula 1 returns to the track. On Thursday, August 18, 2005, the teams and drivers landed for the first time in Istanbul, on the new circuit of Otodrom Park. But the topics are always the same. Fernando Alonso against Kimi Räikkönen for the victory of the World Championship, with a question mark on a competitive Ferrari in Budapest, before the mid-August holidays. And then Barrichello. The Brazilian driver comments for the first time on his farewell to the Maranello team, saying to a Brazilian television station:
"I am sure that next year when I am fighting with Michael Schumacher my radio will not call me anymore".
Translated: no team orders.
"But it is not true that the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix was the most critical moment (300 meters from the finish he left the victory to his teammate, ed). In fact, that was one of my best experiences: the team understood that I was also able to win and began to respect me more".
In the opinion of the Brazilian driver, the goal in Ferrari was to have only one car able to win, and often it was that of Michael Schumacher. Why did he not leave early?
"Because there was nothing better available elsewhere. Probably with Ferrari I would have become world champion if Schumacher hadn’t stayed for so long".
But then Rubens Barrichello tries to avoid further controversy:
"I want to thank Jean Todt who allowed me to release myself a year in advance. When I asked him if I could leave, he said he needed a week to decide, and then he gave me the okay. I am proud to have helped transform the Scuderia Ferrari. I think the team now has a much wider horizon and can focus on both drivers. If it weren’t for Ferrari I wouldn’t be the driver I’ve become".
The future at BAR looks positive to him:
"I’ve been talking to them for a long time and this season everything has taken on a more concrete aspect. If it were not for the experience accumulated in Ferrari, I would not be in a position to seek victory next year".
Rubens Barrichello wishes his fellow countryman and successor Felipe Massa the best of luck:
"I see hard times ahead for him, but in his position, being young and eager to win, I probably would have done the same".
Barrichello assures that he will remain with the Maranello team until December 31, 2005. As is customary in these cases, however, he will be exempted from testing to avoid learning the latest technical secrets. Felipe Massa, who will already be on track the week after the Turkish Grand Prix in Monza, will try his best to prepare for the Italian Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher greets his teammate with some words of commendation:
"He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had. It’s always weird when someone leaves a winning team, but I respect his decision. Felipe is an excellent substitute. When we talk about young talents, next to Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen we must also name him".
Ross Brawn, Scuderia Ferrari’s Technical Director, was disappointed to learn about the departure of Rubens Barrichello, who has decided to move to BAR:
"We are sorry for Rubens' departure. We had a great time with him. I saw him work hard. He always tried to beat his teammate. It was not an easy task but sometimes he succeeded. I’m sure he would have become world champion once or twice if he didn’t have Michael in front. Every year he got better".
Will Rubens Barrichello’s departure limit his presence at the tests that are still left until the end of the World Championship?
"I think there are some tests that he will not want to do".
Making it clear that he will not test the new car but only do tests that concern the specific work for the current championship. The following day, Friday, August 19, 2005, Michael Schumacher talks about the Istanbul circuit. Or maybe the Turkish language. Two puzzles of the same difficulty, seeing the debut of the brand new Istanbul Park, a postmodern cathedral of motorsports built on the outmost Asian suburbs of the city.
"It seemed easier".
The first test was difficult for Scuderia Ferrari. Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello agree, the protagonists who went off-track a total of eight times:
"There is no grip and the car slips away".
But the two get along well, showing relaxed faces and wide smiles, almost as if the divorce at the end of the year had given new appetites to both after the five years spent bringing glory. There is no diagnosis for the Maranello team: it seems that they can not find a decent set-up, and it seems that this time the Bridgestone tyres are to be absolved. The World Champion claims to have been betrayed by the track walk on a motorbike:
"The view was too high, I did not realise how difficult it was".
But Rubens Barrichello makes a prediction:
"Victory is within our reach".
He sits behind the wheel and therefore we must give him credit, but the performances are disconcerting: tenth time for the German and twelfth time for the Brazilian if the test drivers are removed from the standings. The most competitive team is McLaren. Kimi Räikkönen says:
"Here the World Championship is at stake. I win or nothing. There are six races left, I need six pole positions and six successes".
His ideas are clear, this Iceman. Although perhaps the nickname should be updated because the icicle gives signs of melting. His latest stunt was recorded by the Finnish magazine Seven Days, which - they say in Helsinki - is not renowned for its seriousness but often gets it right. After a generous tasting of spirits, Kimi was supposedly caught in the company of two beautiful girls. It seems that his wife Jenni Dahlman, former Miss Scandinavia, took it badly and invited her husband to leave the marital home quickly. Kimi Räikkönen, for his part, avoids any comment:
"I don’t mind stories published by a tabloid magazine. I think about racing. Driving a car that is a missile, that’s the important thing".
Now that he has grown a goatee, even his expression has changed. Or, better, for the first time he has one.
"I like the challenge with Alonso. I know that my teammate (Montoya, ed) will not help me. In free practice he was faster than me only because I was slowed by traffic".
On the contrary, in Renault Giancarlo Fisichella promises his total support to the cause. The Italian driver must score points for the Constructors' World Championship standings and cover Fernando Alonso’s back if necessary.
"We have to defend ourselves here, at Monza and Spa. Then a new aerodynamic package will come that will help us".
The Renault driver also talks about Felipe Massa’s transfer to Scuderia Ferrari, saying he is not convinced that his former Sauber teammate will be able to race more than a year with the Maranello team.
"I’m quite surprised. Massa is a good driver, very fast but maybe not yet experienced enough to drive a Ferrari. However, running alongside Michael Schumacher could be good for him".
And when asked if he might be interested in becoming Michael Schumacher’s partner, the Italian driver replies:
"I currently have a contract with Renault until the end of 2006 and they have just taken Massa. 2007 is still to be decided".
On Saturday, August 20, 2005, the fastest Scuderia Ferrari driver in qualifying was Felipe Massa. Too bad that the young Brazilian, aspiring talent of Formula 1, will arrive in Maranello only next year. With Sauber, which only has Ferrari’s engine, he was a second faster than Rubens Barrichello, the driver he will replace. Michael Schumacher, author of the seventh spin of the weekend on the Turkish asphalt, is missing.
"We thought it was going to be bad, it was worse".
Summarises Jean Todt. The qualifying of the first Turkish Grand Prix is closed with the worst performance of the Maranello cars. The fascination of the race is different: the fate of the World Championship could be decided on the Bosphorous without the Scuderia Ferrari being able to do anything about it, neither protagonist nor witness of the challenge between Renault and McLaren. Simply away from the games. The usual suspects are in front. Kimi Räikkönen took his fifth pole position of 2005, fuelling his dreams of a comeback. If he wins, he can keep hoping he can win the World Championship, otherwise, there will be no dreams of glory. He is followed by Giancarlo Fisichella, Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya. Two Renault cars between two McLarens. The others, starting with Jarno Trulli going down, are the supporting characters. Renault is favoured for three reasons: first, it still has a good lead in the standings (26 points Fernando Alonso, 12 the French team); second, the car is more reliable (Kimi Räikkönen regularly breaks something every other race: in Hungary, it went well, so here he is taking a risk); third, drivers work as a team.
"I am helping Fernando".
Giancarlo Fisichella repeats.
"I am not helping Kimi".
Juan Pablo Montoya confirms. Giancarlo Fisichella, the fate of the World Championship of Fernando Alonso also depend on you?
"I will help him, as I have already assured several times. And this is because Renault does not have team orders. My task is to bring points for the constructors' title and finish ahead of McLaren".
Let us make a hypothesis: you are first in front of your partner. It is the last lap: what do you do, let him pass?
"No, I win".
Nice help...
"If we are first and second it means we have the World Championship victory in our hands".
You complained about Barrichello, what happened?
"I found him in front of me during the lap. He was slowly coming back to the pits. Too slowly".
He claims that he did not bother you.
"Because of dirty air, a car forces those who follow to slow down. I have proof: in the morning in the same sector, I was almost two tenths faster. I’m not saying that I would have been on pole, but I would have been very close".
Do you think he did it on purpose?
"No, I am not saying that. We all slow down a lot on the lap back to the pits. It is a technique to save 3-400 grams of fuel, almost half a lap of the track. But you need common sense to do certain things: I remain in continuous radio contact with my engineer, who warns me when the following drivers are approaching".
Is second place on the starting grid not enough, since the Renault starting system is the most sophisticated?
"Unfortunately I’m on the dirty side of the track. I hope I don’t have problems at the start".
Will this be the decisive race for the World Championship?
"It is very important, this yes: there are four of us in front all fighting for the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. A qualifying like this was needed, after the holidays and the disappointing results in Hungary".
Did you expect to be this fast in free practice?
"Yes, I was optimistic. I knew that the first two rows were within our reach".
Another thing about Barrichello: are you surprised to see him leaving a team as prestigious as Ferrari?
"Don’t write it down, but I think he’s sick of being there. He was looking for a team that aspired to the World Championship, he found this opportunity with BAR and he jumped at it".
Excuse us, but how would Fisichella have behaved?
"I have a contract with Renault for the whole of 2006. And I will respect it".
The challenge for the victory of the 2005 World Championship will probably end with a few points of difference, perhaps those scored by the second drivers. The bad relationship with Bridgestone tyres weighs heavily on the Scuderia Ferrari crisis.
"This is the same car that took pole position in Budapest with a 0.9-second lead. Here we pay a couple of seconds per lap".
An accusation at Bridgestone?
"No, we are working together with our supplier and together we decided to bring stronger tyres. We feared the unknowns of a new circuit".
The result?
"A step back. We are back to the troubles of Magny-Cours and Silverstone".
Sometimes Michael Schumacher managed to cover up the tyre problems. In Istanbul, however, nothing. Maybe there was wind, maybe the track was dirty, maybe he made a mistake, maybe the Ferrari is hard to keep on track. All assumptions are valid, and probably the last two were decisive in the spin. It is not the first time that a new track is immediately indigestible to the World Champion: it happened a year ago in China when Michael Schumacher drove the invincible F2004 and finished twelfth.
"We took a step back. The spin? There was wind bringing sand on the asphalt. I knew, but I underestimated the problem".
Any chance of a comeback?
"We are slow. Eighth place is not the goal for a Ferrari, but I expect nothing more".
Having nothing left to lose, the mechanics will replace the engine. A move that here in Turkey will not be very useful, but will prevent the same engine from facing the two most challenging Grands Prix, Monza and Spa. Rubens Barrichello was 2.5 seconds slower than Kimi Räikkönen and received a warning from the stewards. The Brazilian slowed down too much in the return lap, ending up blocking Giancarlo Fisichella. Flavio Briatore:
"Amateur stuff. Giancarlo lost two-tenths, we have telemetry to prove it. Next time I’ll tell my drivers to park in the middle of the track to stop Räikkönen".
Rubens Barrichello replied:
"In that sector of the track, Fisichella was the fastest of all. I don’t understand what he is complaining about".
Takuma Satō, with the BAR-Honda, did even worse, forcing Mark Webber to change trajectory in the last chicane. The stewards punished him by deleting his time from the standings. On Sunday, August 21, 2005, at the start of the Turkish Grand Prix, Kimi Räikkönen had a good start but Giancarlo Fisichella managed to pass him in braking, before facing the first corner. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, fended off Juan Pablo Montoya’s attack at the first corner, while Felipe Massa hit Nick Heidfeld’s car. During the first lap, at the entrance to turn 9 Kimi Räikkönen managed to come up beside and pass Giancarlo Fisichella. Then, the Italian driver let his teammate, Fernando Alonso, pass, thus moving down to third position. This happened after his track engineer, Alan Permane, asked him via radio to let Fernando Alonso pass:
"He’s faster than you, let him overtake you".
Despite this, the Spaniard could not get close to Kimi Räikkönen. The Finnish driver managed to increase his advantage against the Renault driver at every lap. During lap 13 Fernando Alonso returned to the pits to make the first refuelling. Subsequently, Kimi Räikkönen managed to get back into the pits without losing the race lead, while his teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, went up to second place thanks to the early stop of Fernando Alonso and a problem at the fuel system that slowed down the pit stop of Giancarlo Fisichella. Flavio Briatore will say later:
"One mistake the driver, one mistake the team. The head mechanic is on paternity leave".
In the laps to follow, the audience’s attention shifted to the back, as Jenson Button undertook a series of overtakes, climbing from thirteenth to sixth place, before starting a brief duel with Jarno Trulli for fifth place. Further back, the Red Bull Racing driver, Christian Klien, was engaged in a fight that saw him in opposition to the BAR-Honda driver Takuma Satō, and the two Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, until the German driver was forced to return to the pits after clashing with the Williams-Bmw of Mark Webber. The Australian was then forced to retire on lap 20 after a series of punctures on the right rear tyre. A problem that will also affect the Williams-Bmw of Nick Heidfeld, forced to retire during lap 29. After the first 30 laps, the race seemed like it could not reserve other emotions. Then, however, three laps from the end Juan Pablo Montoya was lapping Tiago Monteiro and left the Jordan driver little space. As a result, the Portuguese driver’s car crashed into the rear of the McLaren-Mercedes of the Colombian driver, who spun out, allowing Fernando Alonso to move into second place. Kimi Räikkönen won the Turkish Grand Prix, followed by Fernando Alonso. Juan Pablo Montoya completed the podium, while Giancarlo Fisichella finished the race in fourth place. Jenson Button led Jarno Trulli, while the two Red Bull Racing drivers, David Coulthard and Christian Klien, took seventh and eighth place. Kimi Räikkönen smiles. The Finnish driver won the fifth Grand Prix of the season and is the first to win the Turkish Grand Prix. And he almost justifies himself:
"That’s all I can do. What happens behind my back is not up to me".
He refers to Fernando Alonso. Or perhaps teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, who on the penultimate lap compromises McLaren’s result. For Kimi, there is so much glory, but the chance to win the World Championship is far away. There are five races left.
"I’ll win them all".
Bravo, so he will become the best runner-up in the history of Formula 1. Mathematics is implacable: Fernando Alonso just needs to finish four times third and once sixth. That is why he smiles in Istanbul:
"I did my race as always. I pushed hard to put my opponents in trouble. So they risk to make a mistake or break".
The championship is theirs. Ferrari has disappeared from the scene and downsized to a secondary role. Rubens Barrichello, tenth at the finish line, is the first of the lapped drivers. Michael Schumacher has repeatedly clashed with Mark Webber and retired. Since 1993 in Maranello they did not remember such disastrous performances. Other times Ferrari came home with a zero in the standings, but they never suffered so much in terms of performance.
"We were slow over the single lap in qualifying, at the start, mid-race and in the final".
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso thanks Juan Pablo Montoya for the second place he gifted him:
"Finishing second this way is a lot of fun. The World Championship? Calm down, all it takes is one mistake to ruin everything. Of course I wouldn’t want to be in Räikkönen’s shoes...".
The Scuderia Ferrari engineers hoped that the Michelin tyre rivals would drop over the distance. The opposite happened: McLaren, Renault and all the teams with Michelin tyres available ended up in a crescendo. Even Red Bull Racing appeared unreachable. Only Williams had problems: four left tyres in pieces - plus one in Saturday’s practice - forced Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber to retire, Jean Todt almost gives up:
"Let’s resize our goals. The title is gone. We have to think about recovering performance to better prepare for 2006".
For the general manager of Scuderia Ferrari, it is not the blackest day:
"I’ve been in Maranello since July 1993. I remember when it was said that we hadn’t won in 17 years, we hadn’t won in 18 years... In 2006 we’ll say that we haven’t won in a year".
Michael Schumacher says at the end of the Turkish Grand Prix:
"I returned to the track to recover three positions".
And the seven-time World Champion, the man of all records, succeeded. But the rivals had stopped. They had parked in the pits. Retired. The Ferrari #1 virtually surpassed Mark Webber’s Williams (two punctured tyres), Felipe Massa’s Sauber (engine power drop) and Heidfeld’s Williams (two other tyres in pieces).
Then he went back to the pits. He retired too. It was a strategic choice, already adopted in the past by smaller teams. Never by Ferrari. The advantage will be in the qualifying of the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, September 4, 2005, in Monza: Michael Schumacher will avoid going first, with the dirty and not very rubberised asphalt, for the lap that is worth pole position. This is the epilogue of a Turkish Grand Prix that Jean Todt defined in the manner of one of his fellow countrymen of the past, Pierre-Jacques Cambronne. A black day, indeed, the worst result for the Maranello team since 1993. Yet the start of Michael Schumacher, lined up in P19 due to the spin in qualifying and the engine replacement, is encouraging: the German driver untangled well in the bottleneck of the first corner, avoided trouble, crushed without damage the pieces of Sauber scattered along the circuit and recovered eight positions. Ready, set, go and he was already behind Rubens Barrichello, who started eleventh and climbed up to tenth place. Given the premises (bad performance, lack of grip), the comeback seemed promising. On lap 15, though one lap behind due to a puncture, Mark Webber attacked Michael Schumacher, who closed the trajectory, collided and spun. Williams lost its front wing, Ferrari its steering. Both drivers went back to the pits. The Australian replaced the broken piece and started again, the German after a check-up of 30 seconds, had to change the two left tyres. He also started again but was forced to return to the pits at reduced speed, risking being hit by Giancarlo Fisichella.
"Something was wrong with the steering. We couldn’t risk it".
Unbuckling the belts, the German driver got out of the car, took off his helmet, and gloves and took a look at the telemetry. He argued with the engineers and hinted to leave. But the sports director, Stefano Domenicali, held him back:
"Wait, maybe the guys can fix the car".
The mechanics' work is extraordinary: in twenty minutes the steering box, some body parts and the right rear tyre are replaced. When Michael Schumacher returned to the track, Kimi Räikkönen was nineteen laps ahead. But there was a task to be accomplished, that is, to overtake the drivers who had retired. The World Champion performed the task and after a total of 33 laps (about 170 km), he abandoned the race and returned to the pits. There remains a series of controversies. No complaints or disciplinary action: just the anger of the two protagonists. He attacks Michael Schumacher:
"I will start by saying that I have not seen the images on TV and therefore I reserve the right to change my mind, but I do not understand why a lapped driver would try such a manoeuvre".
Well, since you tried, was the collision inevitable?
"I didn’t see him coming up beside me on the left, otherwise I wouldn’t have closed the trajectory. While braking I noticed that he was on my right and I don’t know when he moved inside. Even without the accident, I would not have been able to finish in the points, as evidenced by the tenth place of Barrichello. We were never competitive. It was clear from Friday that the situation was going to be very difficult. I did not expect to finish in the points and so it was".
Mark Webber, nearby, is furious. Wasted anger, since the right rear tyre of his Williams burst anyway (and here a mystery arises because Michelin denies any problem like Indianapolis and attributes the problem to the car) and did not allow him to finish the race.
"I was much faster than the Ferrari on the straight. I was on the inside. The rule is that your opponent, when placed side by side, has to maintain his racing line. And Michael did not do this. I am 100% right".
Have you spoken with him?
"No, we did not cross paths, but I will certainly raise the issue during the next meeting of the drivers' association".
Giancarlo Fisichella took fourth place reluctantly.
"I had a good start and I took the lead. Unfortunately, the tyres at the start were not the best. I ended up going slightly off track and Räikkönen passed me. Then the team asked me to let Fernando through, who had less fuel than me".
Fourth place allowed him to gain five points and overtake Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher in the overall standings, leading him to sixth position.
"I lost to McLaren, but given their pace here in Turkey I can’t complain".
In the standings of the Constructors' World Championship, the challenge with McLaren is tightened: Renault has only nine points of advantage. The other Italian in the race, Jarno Trulli, was also the protagonist of a good performance, finishing in sixth place.
"After a few months of misfortune and disappointment, it’s nice to have a good day again. I started well and I pushed throughout the Grand Prix. Apart from being stuck in a bit of traffic, I have nothing to complain about. My goal was to keep up with the McLaren and Renault cars that are out of reach for us at the moment. I almost succeeded".
Jenson Button passed him at the last pit stop. The three points do not allow him to keep the fourth position in the World Championship (Juan Pablo Montoya passed him). But if the value of a driver is measured in comparison with his teammate, Jarno Trulli won the challenge with Ralf Schumacher, protagonist of a crash at the start that kept him away from the heart of the race. Monday, August 22, 2005, the downfall is already over. Jean Todt minimises the event, not the problems:
"I have experienced more difficult moments, for example when we lost the World Championship at the last race (from 1997 to 1999, ed.) or when we were told it had been 18 or 19 years since we last won. It is a sad season, but we must be good losers".
It means learning from defeats and maintaining motivation. Or even increasing it.
"We are hungry for victories and if we do not win, the appetite increases".
The re-birth began symbolically on Tuesday, August 23, 2005, in Monza. Scuderia Ferrari brought two single-seaters: one for Rubens Barrichello, who had his last test session behind the wheel of a Maranello car. The other for Felipe Massa, who went back to test a Ferrari with the 2006 contract in his pocket. In the last five races of the championship, the driver will still be Rubens Barrichello, in 2006 it will be Felipe Massa’s turn. It is the most traumatic break to start building the future. Rubinho has signed five constructors' titles and has twice been vice World Champion behind Michael Schumacher. But he knew that in Maranello he would get nothing more than a second place.
"To go forward in life and work you have to dream".
And to continue dreaming he had to change air. BAR-Honda is waiting for him. Massa is still a mysterious object. From his future teammate, he has already received praise.
"He’s as good as Alonso and Räikkönen".
If that is not the case, the turning point in 2007 will be radical. In Maranello the heir of the German has already been identified: Kimi Räikkönen. Jean Todt publicly praised him in recent months and the technical director, Ross Brawn, interviewed by a Finnish television on the eve of the Turkish Grand Prix, admitted:
"We like Kimi".
But we must see when Michael Schumacher decides to retire. Bild raises some doubts.
"The marriage with the Italians is in crisis, Schumi talks to Mercedes".
Headlines the German newspaper. And the article reads:
"Schumi met Norbert Haug twice for confidential talks. The first meeting took place three weeks ago in Hungary. The second was in Istanbul".
And Norbert Haug confirms to Bild:
"It’s true that we met, but we only talked about the future of Formula 1. I rule out Michael leaving Ferrari".
A blunt reaction by Sabine Kehm, spokesperson of the German driver:
"Let’s not comment on gossip".
But the newspaper also reports that Willi Weber, the driver’s manager, did not lie and that he would have suspended negotiations with the Maranello team for the renewal of the contract:
"Michael is fine in his Ferrari family, but when the contract expires in 2006 he can do what he wants".
The news forces Michael Schumacher to intervene:
"Everyone knows how close the connection with the team is. I don’t even want to dwell on the rumours that I could leave".
Ferrari does not comment, but remembers how close the relationship with his driver is and raises a doubt: could it be that McLaren-Mercedes is jealous of the charm of the Maranello cars and is afraid of losing Kimi Räikkönen? In addition to replacing a driver, there will be a technical renewal. The tests continue not because Ferrari wants to defend third place at all costs but to solve the puzzle with the tyres and prepare as best they can for 2006. The data from Istanbul Park is disconcerting: the same car - with different tyres - that in Budapest was on pole with a 0.9-second advantage and in the race was just 0.2 seconds behind the winner, in Turkey was lagging 2 seconds behind. The relationship with Bridgestone at the moment is not in question for two reasons: first, Japanese tyres have been the protagonists of a cycle of successes; second, the supply contract guarantees a lot of money to the Maranello team. Next year’s engine will be completely different: 8-cylinder 2400 cc instead of the current 10-cylinder (3000 cc), as required by the regulations to reduce performance and make Formula 1 safer. The first examples have already been tested on the chassis of a properly modified F2004. The team of the last year is confirmed en bloc. Another topic to be evaluated concerns the engineers. There is a remarkable turnover of specialists in Formula 1. Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne themselves, among the main architects of the successes of the Maranello team in these years, are defectors from other teams. So Scuderia Ferrari lost some valuable employees. One of the most important outputs is that of Nikolas Tombazis, English aerodynamics of Greek origin. He was at Benetton at the time of Michael Schumacher’s first titles, and he accompanied him to Scuderia Ferrari until he moved to McLaren in 2004. And coincidentally, since he came to Woking after the team had flopped for years producing many disappointing models, McLaren has returned to the top. Tombazis brought with him not only his experience, and his skills, but also the working methods of Ferrari, which were one of the secrets of many successes. The top management - Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne - have a contract that expires at the end of 2006 like that of Michael Schumacher. The next single-seater will be again signed by Aldo Costa, while the head of the engine division remains Paolo Martinelli, with Gilles Simon as the head of design. Never change a winning team.