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On Tuesday, September 3, 2002, in Monza, Italian fans wants to celebrate Scuderia Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, but the heavy rain stops them. However, applause is not lacking for the team and the driver from the 300 brave and cold fans who populate the stands for the first day of testing ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Fans, as well as drivers, can appreciate the effort that the managers of Monza are making to renew the circuit. For now it looks like a construction site, but in the end it will become a jewel. There are many innovations, including a futuristic podium placed at the entrance of the pits. As usual, Michael Schumacher is the fastest both in the few laps made in the morning on the dry track and in the afternoon in the wet. But the rain is also useful to prepare some special setup for the car because it is not said that, the following week, they won’t have to deal with bad weather. Michael doesn’t make a statement, he just does track work. He has only one moment of distraction, when he meets the relatives of Pepi Cereda, the journalist from Mediaset who died prematurely and to whom a beautiful photographic exhibition has been dedicated. So in the paddock (all the teams are there, except for Arrows), there is a lot of chatter about Formula 1. Among the many topics, one more indiscretion regarding Jacques Villeneuve. After being listed as returning to the American races (denied by himself who renewed the contract with BAR), the Canadian is also forced to deny reports that he could switch to Ferrari in 2004.
"In these years I have never had the slightest contact with the Maranello team".
And then let's talk about the records of the German champion, those beaten and the others that he still has to reach. The first important goal will be to win a sixth world title, not to divide the crown with Juan Manuel Fangio, who still maintains the record of four titles won consecutively. And then there is to overcome the incredible limit set by Senna, who reached 65 pole position. Michael is still 17 short, and that may be the most difficult goal to achieve. In short, waiting for opponents to return to make Formula 1 more uncertain and hard-fought, there are no other reasons of interest, as confirmed by the organisers of the Italian Grand Prix, which still have 9.000 grandstand tickets to sell. But it must also be said that the seats in the circuit, with the renovation, have risen to 61.000. In any case, at least 150.000 spectators are expected for the race weekend. Fortunately, there is some news on the horizon. Minardi prepares it. He’s Russian and he’s driven a Formula 1 car for the first time. Given his background, they prepared an ice track for him. But Sergey Zlobin, 32, who has only a few races behind him in minor formulas, is not impressed and debuts without problems, driving last year’s Minardi, training in view of a possible employment after the sponsorship of the giant Gazprom towards the team of Faenza. In truth, the track of Fiorano is not really a sheet of ice but the grip is similar: the asphalt, in fact, completely redone, is covered with a layer of sand to dry it to the fullest. Zlobin runs about sixty laps and doesn’t complain. A good start. Instead, the commitment of the German champion, his teammate Rubens Barrichello and Scuderia Ferrari to continue winning seems more difficult. The Maranello team works hard to celebrate with its fans the two world titles already won, in the best way: winning. Two new F2002s, a qualifying engine, aerodynamics revisited for what remains the fastest circuit in Formula 1. But Williams is threatening, also because Bmw prepares for the British team a super engine to be used in qualifying, and Michelin produces extremely soft tyres. Michael Schumacher has already won everything in his sport and seems to have a very happy private life too. Is something missing?
"I know I’ve got the maximum. My relationship with Ferrari has made me very successful, I have a beautiful wife and two lovely children. What more can I ask for? Well, to be precise, one regret remains: I can’t find a piece of land to build a farm and fill it with animals, as I would like [Schumi refers to the fact that the municipality of Wolfhalden, where he lives in Switzerland, voted not to allow him to build his new home, ndr]. Then I have also done a little bit badly in the stock market, but these are difficult times, very uncertain, we will have - I hope - better chances in the future".
He will be able to try and win again in Monza, where he has already lived memorable days as in 1996...
"It was beautiful because here Ferrari had not imposed itself for a long time. But the most intense memory concerns the race of 2000. I was coming from Belgium where I had been overtaken by Hakkinen and we absolutely had to win to aim for the title. It was a triumphant day. Seeing that huge red heart on the track waved by a crowd of fans made me shed some tears of emotion and joy".
But now they accuse Schumacher of killing the championship and to be responsible for a drop in interest in Formula 1.
"It’s not my fault. Ferrari has produced a fantastic car and I have to give 100%. It’s my duty".
So the fans will come and party...
"I’m sure. They’ll support us. We want them here with us. Close to Ferrari. At Spa we dominated, but it wasn’t always so during the season. Monza is a very fast circuit. We will have the pleasure of driving, they will have the pleasure of watching the race. It is something special, an appointment that no one should miss".
And it has to be said that Michael Schumacher is not one to back down. He continues to be determined and passionate as a kid. So much so that Tuesday morning he had taken his plane and flew to Lecce. Why? To go to Muro Leccese where there is a kart track. He ran with one of those vehicles for several hours, having the secrets of the track explained to him by two-time world champion Davide Forè. The reason? On this mini-circuit, next October 27, there will be a world kart championship. And Schumacher will join the race. With every intention of making a good impression. For someone like him, it means he’ll want to fight for the win. As in Monza, where Friday, September 13, 2002, the Italian Grand Prix opens with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in first and second place at the end of the first day of practice. But the first free practices present at least a few small innovations: behind the two cars of Maranello and the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen, an old acquaintance returns. The fourth lap time is set by almost 37-year-old Eddie Irvine, whom Jaguar is planning to release in 2003. The Northern Irish driver, however, has already found a new job: the real estate developer. He buys houses and villas in Miami, Florida, through an agent, and resells them after a few months.
"I earn 200.000 to 300.000 dollars at a time, enough to live on".
Obviously it refers to the needs of those who are rich. Anyway, Saturday he hopes to confirm himself in qualifying. To warm up the environment, Ferrari shows two unscheduled events. Michael Schumacher, in a way, gets the best time (1'22"433, at an average of 252.990 km/h, already at 0.217 seconds from the record of Juan Pablo Montoya set in 2001) led by Ross Brawn via radio. With a back injury (but Saturday should be on the track), the technical director watches the tests on television from Fiorano and connects by phone with the pits and from there by radio with the cars, even when they are on track. So Michael exchanges impressions and opinions live with Brawn, getting the F2002 adjusted based on the data commented with the technician. In the morning, the German driver experiences a particular, exciting moment, having been rewarded for having won in Belgium the 100th victory of Ferrari with Shell fuel.
The German driver is given a painting in which the champion is portrayed with Juan Manuel Fangio and Froilan Gonzalez: the grandson of the Argentine champion, Juan Manuel junior and Froilan Gonzalez himself, who is now 81 years old and was the driver who in 1951 won at Silverstone the first Formula 1 victory of the Maranello team and also the first of the fuel supplier. On the other hand, Rubens Barrichello, stopped for almost the entire first hour of testing, is the protagonist of a gesture of intolerance towards the team. At one point, on camera, the Brazilian has a nervous reaction to one of his mechanics. A few hours later, faced with the evidence of the images, Rubens Barrichello explains:
"I had just gone to the track and I noticed that something was wrong with the car. Michael had passed me and we got almost simultaneously at the braking point. When I pressed the pedal it went to the bottom. I could also have gone off track or hit my teammate. I went back to the pits and asked for the system to be purged. They did it. But when I tried the pedal it went to the bottom again. Then I got nervous and got out of the car".
An usual episode that happens in Formula 1, made public and then magnified to the merciless presence of the camera. There are no aftermath, apart from the explanations that Rubens is forced to give to let everyone understand what happened. It is perhaps worse, even without the complicity of the media, for David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve, surprised by the radar of the Federation to exceed the limits, 60 km/h, imposed in the pits. The Scotsman - who then ends up mysteriously off track and ranks only sixteenth - will have to pay a $ 8.500 fine for passing at 77 km/h, while the Canadian will have to pay 8.000, having passed at 76 km/h. Saturday there will be the qualifying challenge, with McLaren-Mercedes and Williams-Bmw ready to fight and the unknown Jaguar, after the free practice of the morning. There is promise of show, even with the two Italians Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella, but they can hardly fit in the very first positions. On Friday you can feel the crisis in Monza. The organisers announce 20.000 presences, but the impression is that there are very few people, however less than the other years, on Friday. It is not excluded, however, that there will be a recovery on the weekend: the fans will not give up the party for Ferrari. Then, if in qualifying the usual Juan Pablo Montoya or some other rival were to snatch the pole position, maybe the interest will light up.
"They accused us of having turned off the interest in Formula 1. You cannot always do the pole position, but we still want to celebrate with our audience".
So, Luca Montezemolo is consoled by the pole position won, on the starting grid of the Italian Grand Prix, by Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian had already spite the Maranello team last year, in Monza, but he did not limit himself to do the fastest lap in qualifying, but he also took home the trophy of the winner the next day. The Ferrari president, perhaps by hoping and thinking otherwise, says:
"Sooner or later we will also have to lose a race. It would be a novelty. But we have some problems: here there are fans to please, in Indianapolis we will have to think about the American market for the prestige of Ferrari and Maserati, in Suzuka we would not want to disappoint the Japanese of Bridgestone who are very keen to make a good impression at home. And we worked very hard to get to this point. There is great satisfaction in being able to arrive at the next Paris Motor Show and to be able to show on our ventures the words World Champions, for the fourth consecutive year. I would also like the fifth, in 2003. I don’t forget that we could get the title in 1997 and for three seasons we lost it in the final. A situation that could have weakened a bull. We resisted".
Luca Montezemolo widens the horizons, deepens the analysis and not only of Formula 1. Since Ferrari is dominating, someone even proposed changing the regulations.
"I might even be okay with that if it was an idea for improvement. But I do not accept it when it is only an indirect way of trying to catch up on the technical level. Instead, we must hasten the ongoing operation by the constructors to redesign the distribution of the proceeds of this sport, not wait for 2008 when we can still give life to our championship leaving Ecclestone and the banks empty-handed. Bernie has done a great job so far, he has become one of the richest men in England, now he must allow the car companies and even the small teams to divide the revenues more fairly. We now have 47 percent of the television rights, which is only a fraction of the earnings. We are, by all accounts, under half of the total. And it’s absurd. We have to solve this problem. And we also want to think about reducing costs. We have to review the whole thing".
Meanwhile, Ecclestone says he would like to buy Ferrari.
"I heard Mediobanca’s intentions to list the company soon on the stock market. Since there will be so many to invest, let him come too. As for buying Ferrari, I think there are already enough components of the package owned by Ferrari".
Returning to the Italian Grand Prix, is Juan Pablo Montoya the real rival of Michael Schumacher? Luca Montezemolo replies:
"Different names are proposed every Saturday or Sunday of racing. One time is Raikkonen, the other is the Colombian. Among the emerging, Montoya is a very good one, a brave one, who pushes to the maximum. But the only thing is that the drivers also have to be judged over time, on the victories. He is very young, we will see him in the future. I'm keeping Michael Schumacher and I'm happy with him".
After the triumphs of the Ferrari and the records of Michael Schumacher, the essence of Formula 1 remains this: speed. Impressive that maximum speed reached by the Jordan of Giancarlo Fisichella: 360.3 km/h, equal to one kilometre every ten seconds (the record remains to Jean Alesi, also with Jordan: 363.2 km/h). And even more extraordinary is the performance of Juan Pablo Montoya, who completes his best lap in 1'20"264, running at the average speed of 259.827 km/h. Thus, one of the oldest records of the Circus collapses. It was held by Keke Rosberg, who in 1985 in Silverstone reached 259.005 km/h. It was a Williams then, with Honda engine, it is a Williams today, powered by a Bmw engine that breaks another limit in Monza, that of 19.000 RPM (19.050 RPM the value recorded by the revolution counter of the Colombian and his teammate Ralf Schumacher, three times more than a series car). Flashes of pluralism in the Ferrari dictatorship. Juan Pablo Montoya confirms his reputation as the Saturday man: seven pole positions against this year’s Ferrari are worth half the World Championship.
"The speed record? Not bad, but if the circuit remains unchanged, next year someone will go even faster. Thinking that I was a couple of seconds faster than in 2001 is really impressive".
On the fast tracks, the Anglo-German team proved to be comfortable.
"But when aerodynamic load is needed, Ferrari is superior".
The Colombian also has the opportunity to spite Ralf Schumacher and does not miss it. In practice, the Williams driver sprints from the pits in front of his teammate-rival who makes the last assault on pole position and pushes him to accelerate.
Ralf Schumacher jumps to the left to pass him and he immediately lowers his foot on the accelerator.
"I forgot to disable the speed limiter".
Juan Pablo Montoya is excused, chuckling. Ralf Schumacher accepts the joke. Michael Schumacher takes the place between the two.
"That’s all I could do, I got the best out of the car. In Monza I said that, against Williams, it would be hard".
Both Scuderia Ferrari drivers scored the best performances in the second lap of each attempt. A question of tyres: the Bridgestones are harder and should hold better at a distance, while the Michelins are outstanding on the single lap. But these are theoretical considerations and the prediction remains uncertain. In fourth place, Rubens Barrichello promises some overtakes. And it’s darkened to hear the story of his fight with a mechanic in the pits on Friday:
"Absolutely nothing happened, and yet in Brazil they called me Mike Tyson. So, if I’m Tyson, pay attention".
The surprise of the day is again Eddie Irvine, fifth with Jaguar. These are his last races in Formula 1 and he wants to leave a good memory. He would have been sixth, if the stewards had not penalised Kimi Raikkonen by taking away his best time and losing a position. McLaren’s Finn did not look in the mirrors while Takuma Sato (Jordan-Honda) was passing him. For the Japanese it is the third bad accident of the season from which he comes out unscathed. The disappointments of the day were the McLaren-Mercedes (David Coulthard is only seventh) and the Italians: Jarno Trulli (Renault) and Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan-Honda) will start side by side from the sixth row. Sunday, September 15, 2002, at the start of the formation lap of the Italian Grand Prix, Jarno Trulli’s Renault has a problem that forces him to start from the back of the grid. At the start Michael Schumacher shoots better than Juan Pablo Montoya, but he closes the trajectory with decision. Both are overtaken by Ralf Schumacher, who cuts the first variant, imitated by his teammate. Further back David Coulthard hits his teammate, breaking the front wing and slipping at the back. At the end of the first lap, Ralf Schumacher leads Juan Pablo Montoya, Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, Eddie Irvine and Allan McNish. Rubens Barrichello immediately puts pressure on Juan Pablo Montoya, who struggles to contain the Brazilian’s attack, while the Williams team tells Ralf Schumacher that, due to the cut of the first variant immediately after the start, he should give way to his teammate not to incur a penalty. The German driver executes the order during the fifth lap, but a few moments later the Bmw engine of his Williams breaks, forcing the German driver to retire. Meanwhile, Rubens Barrichello passes Juan Pablo Montoya and immediately starts to lap with a rhythm much faster than that of the rival. During lap 6, Michael Schumacher also overtakes the Colombian driver. Further back Olivier Panis wins the seventh position against Mika Salo, entering the points on lap 12, when Allan McNish, author of an excellent race in sixth place until this moment, is forced to abandon the race for a suspension failure. During lap 28, Michael Schumacher stops in the pits: the German driver returns to the track in second position ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya, who makes his refuelling during lap 30. Meanwhile, on Kimi Räikkönen’s McLaren the Mercedes engine breaks down. During lap 33, also Juan Pablo Montoya is forced to retire due to a suspension failure.
Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher are now followed by Eddie Irvine, Olivier Panis, Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button. During lap 37, Rubens Barrichello makes the second pit stop, returning to the track in front of his teammate. Olivier Panis stops for the second time on lap 41, going down to sixth position. In the last laps the Scuderia Ferrari drivers are slowing down to arrive together: Rubens Barrichello wins the Italian Grand Prix, preceding at the finish line Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, who leads the Jaguar-Ford on the podium for the second time after the Monaco Grand Prix of the previous year, Jarno Trulli, Jenson Button and Olivier Panis, who in the last laps resisted the attacks of David Coulthard. The question will remain for posterity, perhaps with the memories of President Luca Montezemolo or Jean Todt. Did Ferrari let Rubens Barrichello win to give him the second place in the World Championship? The director of the Maranello racing team leaves few doubts:
"That was our main goal".
In any case, the Brazilian raced one of his most beautiful races, always on the attack, with a perfect overtaking on Montoya on lap 5 and a series of lightning passages that allowed him to also establish the best lap time record in Monza. To Michael Schumacher goes another record, that of the points won in a single championship. Last year he had accumulated 123, in Monza they became 128. Ross Brawn, back in the pits after the brief absence of Friday for a slight back injury, has implemented a double tactic that has stunned rivals. Rubens Barrichello with a two-stop strategy to be very fast at the start, Michael Schumacher with one stopper. The Williams team had also thought about this, loading less fuel into the tank of Juan Pablo Montoya’s car and more fuel into that of Ralf Schumacher. All useless, given the facts. And especially given the increased speed of the F2002. Everything calculated to the millimetre. The technicians of the Maranello team also prepared a particular setup: less aerodynamic load to be able to overtake the others. In short, a challenge won with strategy. It was said, after the extraordinary result in the Belgian Grand Prix, that Ferrari would still give a show for its audience. And people, coming to Monza, saw a one-way race, the seventh 1-2 of this championship, with the cars of Maranello ahead of everyone. A task facilitated by the situation in which Williams and McLaren came. The super engine presented by Bmw in qualifying only served to increase the suspense, but in the end, when it came to deal with it, the team remained empty-handed. Among other things, Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, separated at home, disturbed each other.
Not to mention Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, forced to chase without ever having a single chance to enter the fight for the podium. In the end, the crisis of the two top teams opened the way for the others. It rewarded Jaguar (in clear progress, so much so as to find the smile of Niki Lauda, team principal of the Anglo-American team) and Eddie Irvine. The Northern Irish driver, almost 37 years old, won third place with a determined race, as last year in Monte Carlo. Jarno Trulli also deserves a separate speech, fourth, after starting from last position, because the engine of his Renault stopped working regularly in the formation lap. The Italian did not lose courage, drove bravely and conquered his first points in Monza, where he had always been unlucky. For the French team of Flavio Briatore it is a great satisfaction, since also Jenson Button this time crossed the finish line in fifth position. And consolation prize for another veteran, Olivier Panis, sixth with the BAR, largely ahead of the most titled teammate, Jacques Villeneuve. The dominating Ferrari, which wins too much, which perhaps is beginning to annoy the boss Ecclestone, has seen the evolution engine used on Saturday on Michael Schumacher’s car in qualifying sealed. It will be examined on Monday, September 16, 2002, by the FIA technicians in Maranello. But - say the Scuderia Ferrari technicians - it is a routine operation that takes place at least once a season, for all teams. And they think about the future: on Tuesday, testing will begin at Mugello with Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti.
Thursday and Friday there will also be Michael Schumacher. It is likely that there will be something special on the F2002s in view of 2003. Rivals, especially the Williams-Bmw team, had boosted morale after Juan Pablo Montoya’s pole-record. But the race for the competitors of the Maranello team did not last long. Montoya paid for his attempt to resist the pace imposed by the F2002s of Barrichello and Schumacher. By cutting the chicanes and pushing to the limit, the Colombian managed to damage the front of the car chassis, putting the suspension in crisis, until he had to retire. But by the time Juan Pablo Montoya left the scene, his teammate, Ralf Schumacher, and Kimi Raikkonen with McLaren-Mercedes had already disappeared. The German had already had to take the reserve Williams because, just before the start, trying a start at the exit of the pits, he had noticed a problem with fuel pressure on his race car. Shortly afterwards, however, he was blocked by a leak from the V10 Bmw air valves. Same for Kimi Raikkonen. Great smoke from the Mercedes engine mounted on the McLaren and the Finn remained to watch the race on the track. David Coulthard collected only seventh place, after hitting his teammate’s car at the first corner and being forced to return to the pits and then navigate to half the group in total anonymity. Juan Pablo Montoya cannot hide his great disappointment. Seven times ahead of everyone at the start, fastest driver of all time in qualifying, but no victory.
"I didn’t have a good start, I almost had the engine shut down. Ralf overtook me in braking, but he had to cut the chicane badly. The sports stewards had put him under investigation because the manoeuvre had drawn an undue advantage and the team had warned him to let me pass. He didn’t have the time, because he had to retire. I could have finished third, because I was faster than the others, but the chassis broke. Races are like that, you never know what will happen. However, it is clear that our performances cannot be compared to those of Ferrari. Over the distance they are still untouchable".
A judgement shared by Ralf Schumacher who, however, had no way of understanding if he would have been competitive.
"In fact, my race was short-lived. The team had just told me to let Montoya through because I had cut the chicane too clearly, gaining an advantage. I was slowing down when the engine lost power without warning. Too bad because, given the fuel load I had in the tank, I was very quick".
Not even the McLaren drivers had any illusions. Kimi Raikkonen says that if he did not get to the finish line it is not his fault. David Coulthard explains that the Finn was forced to slow down because of another car that was in front of him and that he could not avoid the impact.
"Then I lost time to pass the leaders of the race, otherwise maybe I would have arrived sixth. It’s a shame to end the European season this way. I hope to make up for it in the last two races, in Indianapolis and Suzuka. My goal? Some good results".
Nice satisfaction, he has only seen the rear of the Ferraris. Several times. For one who aspired to the title after the feats of Mika Hakkinen is not the best. True, he won at Monte Carlo, a prestigious race, but it is too little for the ambitious Scottish driver.
"I saw a river of people that kept increasing, that filled that very long straight, that came towards our podium. Everywhere I looked, there were only fans celebrating".
Rubens Barrichello, on the other hand, tells of his dream, lived with his eyes open by the new circular podium of the Monza circuit. And Michael Schumacher repeats:
"It is the triumph we dreamed of and never dared to imagine. Seeing our fans from there was an extraordinary feeling: in so many years of career it has never happened. It is simply perfect".
We had already heard it and noticed it. How about the tyres?
"Bridgestone did an amazing job after the testing week right here in Monza last week. In qualifying they were better on the second lap, and for this reason we may have failed the assault on pole position. In the race they were exceptional".
When insisting, some divergence of opinion is also found.
"My car was improving lap after lap".
Barrichello claims.
"At the beginning I had some grip problems, but everything worked well after the pit stop".
Michael Schumacher reports. Details, given the overwhelming power over annihilated opponents forced to run a separate championship. And yet, the two red cars slowed down at one point. First the German, then the Brazilian. On the subject, the answers are evasive. The World Champion says:
"When Rubens came back from the second pit stop, I found myself behind him. From the pits we were ordered to slow down. It is right that I helped Rubens, as he so often helped me".
While the Brazilian explains:
"I realised that I could win when Montoya retired and by radio they told us to lower the pace, not to take unnecessary risks. I let some lapped opponents still fighting for the points pass, and at the end we arrived together".
The cameras filmed Rubens Barrichello when he signalled to Jacques Villeneuve with his finger to pass. Even less clear is Jean Todt’s version, the General Manager of Sports Management:
"I said on the eve that our goal was Barrichello’s second place in the overall standings".
If the second place is mathematically won at Indianapolis, will we finally see a good fight on track between the two Ferraris in the final Japanese Grand Prix?
"No, we will see Ferrari fighting against the other teams".
We might as well resign ourselves: whoever is in front after the last pit stop wins. Other variables - adversaries, failures, etc. - are not taken into consideration at this point of the season. The race offers emotions only during the first laps. Rubens Barrichello says:
"In agreement with our strategist, Ross Brawn, I chose a two-stop strategy. I thought that otherwise it would be difficult to recover from the fourth position on the starting grid. Williams’ problems have paved the way".
More complex was the start of Michael Schumacher:
"Montoya and my brother Ralf closed the trajectory and I had to lift my foot twice. A correct manoeuvre, but I found myself in fourth place. Luckily, on the sixth lap we were in the lead. My strategy was a one stopper, so I wasn’t worried about my teammate gaining ground".
After crossing the finish line, the cheers of Rubens Barrichello by radio were broadcasted worldwide.
"What cheers? I was singing a Brazilian song".
Whoever has heard them will judge. He dedicates this triumph to his son Eduardo.
"It will turn one next week. I’m so happy. On the podium I felt the sensations I experienced in Hockenheim two years ago after my first Formula 1 victory. This time I didn’t cry, it’s true, but I assure you that I am still able to get emotional".
In Formula 1, engine data is always jealously guarded. It is known that the displacement is 3000 cc, that the cylinders are 10 inclined to V and a few other regulatory details. Power and top speed remain top secret. Bmw broke the taboo at the end of Saturday’s victorious qualifying, announcing that it had reached 19.050 RPM. An announcement that brought bad luck, because the engine of the Williams of Ralf Schumacher exploded after 30 kilometres of race. While for those of Ferrari, Paolo Martinelli, 49, engineer and head of the engine department, says:
"Our engine? Its rpm are enough to win. Seriously, we do not disclose this data".
Martinelli has been working on the 2003 Ferrari engine for some time. The first tests were carried out at the bench, but checks have also begun on the track.
"Here in Monza, during qualifying we introduced some preliminary parts for next year".
How do you improve a product that works so well?
"It is difficult, but we will do our best to maintain the current superiority over the opponents".
Ferrari’s dominance?
"We have to keep working, I say this at the end of every race. We were strong, but the weakness of the Williams on this occasion favoured us. The result is beyond our hopes. I am very happy for Barrichello, who confirms second place, and also for Irvine, who is a former Ferrari driver and who is still very popular in Italy".
Eddie Irvine has recently moved out. He moved to Milan, in the countryside, in a villa with a pool, of course. But he’s not coming home Sunday night. The Northern Irish driver celebrates in a nightclub, Hollywood, until dawn, a third place that is worth gold, even if Jaguar plans to release him next year to hire the Australian Mark Webber. Eddie Irvine talks to Eddie Jordan: maybe in 2003 we will see him again on track. Therefore, Eddie, on the podium, was perhaps the happiest. And he didn’t lose his humour.
"With Ferrari it was easier to finish among the first. I was moved by the affection of the Italian audience. I think I had a good race: I pushed to a certain point, then I realised that Trulli could not reach me and I did not take any more risks. The progress of the Jaguar is not a miracle: compared to the beginning of the season we have a new car, redone in every part, from the chassis to the engine".
Jarno Trulli is also happy.
"A result I’ve been waiting for. But I was very nervous until the end, even when the team signalled me to accelerate to see if I could catch Irvine".
The Italian driver receives compliments from Flavio Briatore:
"We know he’s good. If I wanted him in Renault, there was a good reason. Sooner or later an Italian will come back to win".
The last doubt about Ferrari’s power evaporates on Monday, September 16, 2002: the engine used by Michael Schumacher in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix is regular. The FIA stewards analysed it in the factory of Maranello, checking piece by piece (some components were already those for 2003), without finding anything to complain about. Routine checks, as the FIA explains, do not undermine the joy of Jean Todt.
"Our main goal at Monza, after Schumacher won ten races in the season, was to allow Rubens to finish second in the World Championship".
Said and done. In theory, Montoya can recover 17 points behind Rubens Barrichello by winning the last races and hoping that the rival won’t even get a fourth place (or a fifth and a sixth). Basically, the Colombian doesn’t even think about it. Ferrari has conquered all the objectives and has also allowed itself the optionals (records and disarming demonstrations of superiority). On the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, the President of Ferrari, Luca Montezemolo, recalled the F2002 presentation speech:
"I said that I would be happy to repeat the results of an extraordinary year like 2001. Well, we managed to do better".
There is talk of team orders, it is said that Michael Schumacher raised his foot a little from the accelerator when Rubens Barrichello made the second refuelling. And, in fact, Jean Todt emphasises:
"Rubens Barrichello was second in the World Championship. Interpret my words as you want, what matters is the interest of Ferrari. We are very satisfied with this order of arrival".
The head of the Maranello Sports Management admits only one order: the one - after the pit stops - to slow down, that is to keep the positions unchanged.
"You will never see our drivers duelling against each other, but only against opponents. We want to win the last two races of the season and we will work hard to do so. The current situation in the standings allows us to get the second place of Rubens also with a success of Michael".
How does it feel to triumph in Monza?
"It warms my heart to see so much enthusiasm at the end of the race. And then the thirteenth victory out of fifteen Grand Prix, the seventh 1-2 meant great reliability, great car, great engine, great tyres. Bridgestone worked day and night after last week’s tests right here in Monza to give us these extraordinary tyres".
How to improve a perfect car?
"We must do it, because what is good today will not be enough in the future".
The secret of extraordinary reliability?
"No secret, in free practice an engine broke down. At each start there is a risk that pushes us to double our checks".
Jean Todt in Indianapolis sees an open race, with his rivals close, while in Suzuka he thinks of a more favourable situation for Ferrari.
"Eddie Irvine’s podium? It is clear that he succeeded thanks to the withdrawal of the others. But I am happy for him and for Jaguar, after so much suffering".
Ferrari, at one point, lapped everyone. Then, it slowed down to allow the opponents to unlap themselves.
"It was a condition-driven choice. It didn’t make sense to push or make fun of the opponents".
At the end of the race, unusually alongside in a press conference, the builders of the single-seaters of Maranello spoke: the technical director Ross Brawn, the designer Rory Byrne, and the head of the engines Paolo Martinelli.
"Ferrari is the result of a great collective effort. In October and November we started to develop a new project, with a very high goal. But we never thought it was unreachable".
However, still hungry for success, Scuderia Ferrari does not spare efforts. From Tuesday, September 17, the F2002s will be engaged in the Mugello circuit to prepare for the last two races of the season, Indianapolis and Suzuka. At the wheel for two days are test drivers Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti, Michael Schumacher will also arrive on Thursday and Friday, while Rubens Barrichello is granted a few days of vacation to go to Brazil and celebrate the first birthday of his son Eduardo. The presence of Michael Schumacher has a double meaning: the German certainly aims to increase his winning score in the United States and Japan, but at the same time he will have the opportunity to personally evaluate some elements of the 2003 car which is being built. Ferrari will not make a revolutionary single-seater, but intends to optimise and improve its performance in every sector, from aerodynamics, to electronics and mechanics.