Fernando Alonso cruised to an easy victory at the Italian Grand Prix at the historic Monza track. He easily raced to the pole in qualifying, and was never seriously challenged in the race.
Monza stands out as the only real low-downforce "speed" track on the F1 schedule. He led home championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 6 seconds (though it wasn't nearly that close), with Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari far, far behind. At Ferrari's home track, it was a huge disappointment for the tifosi.
Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica continued to be "the best of the rest", followed by the resurgent Wiliams-Toyota of Nico Rosberg. He led Heikki Kovalainen's Renault, and Jensen Button in the forlorn Honda, who gained one point and doubled Honda's points haul for the season.
Felipe Massa retired early on with a broken suspension, effectively ending his title hopes.
Ferrari had hoped their form in Turkey would lead to success at Monza, but it wasn't to be. McLaren was easily the class of the field all weekend, and Alonso made it very clear he wasn't going to surrender his title to Hamilton without a fight. Alonso has the bit firmly in his teeth now, and he has always liked Spa.
As the circus heads to my favorite track, the title looks to be a straight fight among the McLarens. Kimi Raikkonen let too many races get away before he found his form, and Massa's been too inconsistent to really challenge the boys from Woking.
Spa. The greatest track in the world, without a doubt. Eau Rouge, The Bus Stop, the list of legendary corners goes on. The greatest test of man and machine is the ability to go through Eau Rouge flat. Even in recent years, with the incredible downforce available, this complex of corners has always been the greatest challenge. If you really want to see the greatness of Spa, rent (or preferably buy) John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix. The shots he took of the old course from a low-flying helicopter, while his cameraman hung out the door, are some of the best racing footage ever brought to the screen.
See you there.
Monza stands out as the only real low-downforce "speed" track on the F1 schedule. He led home championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 6 seconds (though it wasn't nearly that close), with Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari far, far behind. At Ferrari's home track, it was a huge disappointment for the tifosi.
Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica continued to be "the best of the rest", followed by the resurgent Wiliams-Toyota of Nico Rosberg. He led Heikki Kovalainen's Renault, and Jensen Button in the forlorn Honda, who gained one point and doubled Honda's points haul for the season.
Felipe Massa retired early on with a broken suspension, effectively ending his title hopes.
Ferrari had hoped their form in Turkey would lead to success at Monza, but it wasn't to be. McLaren was easily the class of the field all weekend, and Alonso made it very clear he wasn't going to surrender his title to Hamilton without a fight. Alonso has the bit firmly in his teeth now, and he has always liked Spa.
As the circus heads to my favorite track, the title looks to be a straight fight among the McLarens. Kimi Raikkonen let too many races get away before he found his form, and Massa's been too inconsistent to really challenge the boys from Woking.
Spa. The greatest track in the world, without a doubt. Eau Rouge, The Bus Stop, the list of legendary corners goes on. The greatest test of man and machine is the ability to go through Eau Rouge flat. Even in recent years, with the incredible downforce available, this complex of corners has always been the greatest challenge. If you really want to see the greatness of Spa, rent (or preferably buy) John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix. The shots he took of the old course from a low-flying helicopter, while his cameraman hung out the door, are some of the best racing footage ever brought to the screen.
See you there.
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