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Ralf let big brother dictate the conditions |
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Formula 1 news, results and statistics when you need it |
Ralf let big brother dictate the conditions |
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Michael did win the race at the slowest pace he could. And Ralf might have given away 4 points and a very clear lead in the championship by letting big brother dictate the conditions. Ralf gave Michael the opportunity to nurse the F2002 home. I am not suggesting that the car was at risk of breaking or that there was any problem with it, simply that Ralf was not pushing an untried car, on a track that is infamous for decimating the field, running on Bridgestone tyres that haven’t traditionally matched Michelin on hot tracks. Many would argue that Ralf did the right thing, banking his six points, not risking his position relative to Juan Pablo and keeping Williams BMW at the top of the constructors’ table. They would be wrong. Somewhere between JPM’s arrogant aggression and RS’s timidity is the best of both worlds. If the roles were reversed Michael would have been climbing all over the back of Ralf, using the 1% peak speed advantage of the Williams, making him push the car harder and hoping it would break. If it didn’t he had 6 points and second place, if it did, he was on the centre step and the team had 5 extra points. I don’t believe Michael was sandbagging, he was controlling the race but he didn’t have huge reserves and he must have been nervous of the car’s ability to sustain a quicker pace. I still don’t know, and I guess we never will, why Ferrari bought just one F2002 to Brazil. I can only assume it (or the Williams?) performed better than they expected and so they took the chance to run it in the race. McLaren may well have finished 50 seconds behind the lead and only a few seconds in front of the Renault, but had they got away in front of the 2 Renaults (who seem to have the best launch control slingshot on the grid) they would have finished 30 seconds behind Michael and a ½ minute in front of the Renault’s. Renault has got very fast, amazingly quickly, but they still have a long way to go to match the clear air race pace of the McLaren. Raikkonen’s rapid wind-up after passing Button showed that very clearly. They will get there, but perhaps not quick enough to take 3rd in the constructor’s in 2002. Lets wait for Europe to write off the rest of the Bridgestone pack, although I question how much effort is going into satisfying the requirements of the other coloured cars. As for JPM – He stuffed it up yet again. I truly believe that Juan Pablo is his own worst enemy and the primary reason why he won’t take a Drivers Championship is his own take no prisoners, win at all cost in THIS corner style. He will win many races, and do so spectacularly, but he won’t finish enough to get a championship - Geoff H - Australia (Reference Heretic 4-07 - Was Michael trying ?) The Heretic replies: Geoff, I wonder what mind games Michael was playing with his younger brother (that is if he did indeed have the pace to dominate the race). Whatever they were, Ralf got the message early and they both coasted home. If Ralf could pressure Michael (and I am not convinced that he had the pace) there would have been words in the Williams camp. With all his faults and propensity to barge and throw himself on his sword, Montoya would have been more aggressive, but then he would have been all race and who knows if he would have finished? The one F2002 issue will remain a mystery. It was reliable (it finished when the old car did not), it was fast and launched off the start at least as fast as the Williams. If Michael’s car was so good why not bring at least two? McLaren having to fight off Renault for third must be a major concern for them. What happened to the advantage they had in the past seasons? Amazing how fortunes change. I agree, Bridgestone works for Ferrari only. Must be hard for the other teams, but then they can hardly claim that they are challenging the limits of their tyres. Regards Back to Top Loading
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