Well, baring Michael Schumacher having a bad physical, we will be looking at Felipe Massa’s replacement in the Ferrari garage. This brings up some very interesting questions though. For example; why aren’t one of the two Ferrari F1 test drivers being considered for the role next to Kimi Raikkonen? What kind of shape will Michael be in after his motorcycle fall earlier in the year? What is Ferrari trying to accomplish by getting Schumie back into the driver seat?
First, I think that Michael will be competitive, however I do not think he will win. As much as a lot of us would like to see him win, I’m not sure if he can because of how the car is today along with him not being in an F1 car in over a year.
Michael Schumacher Back In The Saddle Again
So what is it that Ferrari is trying to do here? I think part of it has to do with the development of the car. Michael is well known for his abilities in creating and developing a car to become as fast as it can. We all know that this is not Kimi’s strong point (because he just drives any car well whether it’s good or not) and Massa is still learning from Michael on the optimum setup of a car (who probably is still better than Kimi). This development of the car will be ideal for Ferrari and potentially make the car even better, stronger and more reliable than the Red Bull and Brawn teams. Even though they are out of the hunt for the manufacturer’s title, they can still make some huge ground on the competition ahead.
Publicity may help with moral and hopefully bring a new spark to the team. I think that the devoted Ferrari Tifosi will see and feed of that spark which will translate in bringing new life and new hope to the team. With Brawn and Red Bull taking the headlines for a majority of the year, this could be the big boost that Italian team have been looking for. Oh the passion.
As we all hope that Felipe Massa’s quick recovery, I can’t help but wonder how the 40 year old German will do in Massa’s place. A large part of me hopes that he continues where he left off… but maybe not ahead of Kimi. The other part of me says that that era is gone and it’s time to let the new bread carry on with the torch. Either way, Ferrari F1 will be exciting to watch and with new twist, hopefully a new reign.
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw a mixture of emotions at the old order of Ferrari and McLaren worked their way back to the front and Brawn GP started to show some weakness and chinks in their armor.
Aside from the podium finish however, were several sides story that surrounded the weekend. Jaime Alguersuari is now the new Scudaria Toro Roso (Red Bull’s second string team) with the ousting of Sebastian Bourdais. The concord agreement is in the final stages of being signed. But the biggest news of the weekend was Filipe Massa’s accident. The Ferrari driver hit Rubens Barrichello’s spring that ejected from his car’s suspension, at high impact. Knocking the Brazilian unconscious he had a head-on collision with the tire wall. Emergency personnel moved to the Brazilian quickly and efficiently. He was airlifted to a hospital and had an emergency surgery done to relieve pressure on the brain and deal with his fractured skull. Althouh his health is improving, Ferrari seem optimistic on his return to Formula One however the doctors have yet to decide. We here at GripAndHammer.com wish Massa a fast recovery and a quick return to Ferrari.
Massa's Accident at the Hungaroring
The start of the Kimi was attempting to make up some grid position but got squeezed into other cars which brought an investigation and a decision to be determined at the end of the race by the stewards. They called it a racing accident and assest no penalty to Raikkonen or any of the cars involved.
Mark Webber was under investigation for aggressive driving while leaving the pit lane. We have yet to hear an official word on that action.
During the race, Fernando Alonso had a tire leave the car. The crew were unable to lock the wheel in place and two-thirds on the out-lap the Spaniard lost his front right wheel. Now the FIA have suspended them from the Valencia race but Renault have appealed the suspension.
So with Massa’s injury and time out, who will take his place? Also will this put on hold the Raikkonen rumors of his retirement and now it could be a Raikkonen and Alonso teaming up at Ferrari? Will there be any test drivers that will come forth to take the Brazilian’s place next to Kimi? There are four weeks till the next race so there’s time before Ferrari has to make a decision.
Raikkonen had a blistering pace the weekend and took second place to Louis Hamilton’s maden podium and win for 2009. It seems like the stars are finally start t align back up and everything is returning back to order. Now if Kimi can only get back on to the top of the podium… then it would be back to “perfect”.
Recent rumors are around that Kimi Raikkonen is planning a more full season in WRC and possibly moving away from Formula 1. This once again sparks and would solidify the other rumors about Fernando Alonso possibly moving to Ferrari next season. Kimi has sparked a recent interest in rallying by participating in a snow and tarmac rally earlier this year. Could Ferrari/Fiat be using Kimi as a test driver or test bed to get into the WRC? I “believe” that Kimi has a contract through 2010 but as we all know, contracts can be bought out (right McLaren Mercedes?).
Kimi Raikkonen Rallying
A post just put out by www.autoblog.com stating that the FIA have already dropped the charges against FOTA in hopes that it will help bring the two organizations back to the negotiation table. Although the post was interesting, I actually found that the responses were more interesting. Most people were still hoping that FOTA come up with their new race series and rules. They want to see the “cutting edge technology” return to open wheeled racing with little regulation.
This is both good and bad. As I’ve stated in earlier posts, that the FIA are heading in the right direction but they’re doing it in the wrong fashion. We have to remember that anytime there is a rule change, that it will end up costing the teams millions upon millions of dollars or pounds. There has to be a progression and a plan in place and not drastic jumps in rule changes (unless it will save money in the long run). Also remember the Formula One is supposed to be the example in which the auto industry will follow. F1 should be able to make more “green” cars and they should be able to use technologies that are not in cars. It’s not just about racing but about how that technology brings racing to the next level. Padel shifting is a great example of this, along with many others and it’s these types of technologies that work their way into our everyday cars (well… almost everyday, exotic sports cars).
I’m also surprised by the FIA backing down a little bit. I actually thought this was going to end in a stalemate with both actually creating their own sport. However we’ve seen that with the possiblity of the teams and the FIA working together. This may pan out for the fans and the teams. I’m not holding my breath though, we all know how Mr. Mosley can screw it up. The question is “How?”
