Formula One: Woes for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso continue at Silverstone, British GP 2010
Ferrari has always been one of the top performers in Formula One World Championships and this year started off on a very similar note. The race at Bahrain kicked-off the season and it was the scarlet duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa who brought them top honors by clinching the first and second spots. Although on paper, this seemed like a standard start from the Italian team, however, it was far from the way the rest of the season was to unfold. Since then, the two drivers have seen their hopes been dashed time and again as the 2010 season slowly slips away from them. With ten rounds of the 2010 Championship complete, it seems that lady luck is not on their side.
The Ferraris came to Silverstone with hopes of making some crucial steps forward in terms their pace. Ever since round two of the season, the championship has continued to go into the hands of the McLarens and Red Bulls. Fernando Alonso must have felt extremely confident going into the race after he was able to take third position in qualifying behind the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. But as the lights went out and the race got underway, it seemed that his car wasn’t able to get enough traction in the second gear. From the onboard camera, it could be seen that the engine note was wearing as he was struggling to keep the car straight while the field started to go past him. It was his teammate who was in front of him as they tried to navigate the first series of corners but only to rub Massa’s back car tyre causing the Brazilian to have a puncture for which he would have had to pit. This caused him to rejoin at the back of the field just ahead of Sebastian Vettel who had succumbed to a similar fate at the hands of his Red Bull teammate.
As Alonso started to make his way back through the grid, it was the Renault of Robert Kubica who was in front of him after the first round of pit stops. Kubica has shown great form throughout the season but given the qualifying pace of the Ferrari, it seemed that Alonso might have the legs to get past him. As Alonso made his move, the two were going into a chicane. Kubica had the inside line on the first left-hander but as they hit the right hander, it was Alonso who had the inside line. Television replays clearly showed that all four tyres of Alonso’s car had cut across the second part of the chicane thus giving the driver had an unfair advantage. A few laps later, the stewards seemed to concur with the verdict and as is the case, they asked the driver to relinquish his position. But as was the case in Valencia, the delay in the stewards’ decision was what caused all the drama.
When the order came over the race radio, Alonso had overtaken Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes to take over third place in the race. Having to yield his place would have meant yielding two places now. Secondly, as the order came, Kubica encountered an engine failure and was ambling across the track in a bid to make his way back to the pits and retire. This meant that the penalty for Alonso had to be changed to a drive through penalty. The driver had three laps from time when the penalty awarded was actually implemented. The norm in this case is to try and go as fast in the three laps before pitting to try and come out in as good a place as possible. As he was about to start his third lap, it was the safety car once again that ruined his race. With the field now closely packed, he lost a lot of ground. In normal circumstances, Kubica would’ve come out in fifth place, but the safety car meant that he was out of the points table and had to finish the race.
Ferrari and Alonso will be bitterly disappointed after this race, but they do have to look at the brighter side. The car now seems to have the pace to make it to the front. With back-to-back races coming in Germany and Hungry, they will feel that the time is here for them to take a step forward. But the case this season has been more about picking the right strategy. The McLarens are in the lead even though the Red Bulls have the superior car. If the Ferraris lose their cool now, the season can only go backwards for them.
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