We couldn’t believe it when a Force India car got pole yesterday and today it proved it was not a fluke. It had consistent speed and even though it did not win, came; a deserved second behind another first, for this season; yes a Ferrari winning. Yes, it was a race of firsts, the first points for Force India and the first win for Ferrari in a dismal season, the first “did not finish” for Brawn (unfortunately Jenson Button) as he was taken out on the first lap with Lewis Hamilton who was also taken out.
Spa is a favourite for drivers often described as a roller coaster ride and there is no doubt often brings surprise results with high speeds and less down force needed. The first corner often brings trouble and you can say that the accidents that happened further down the track probably were caused by drivers off their normal line with dirty tyres trying to keep out of trouble.
What wasn’t a first was Barrichello’s inability to get off the start line. He eventually got away at the back of the field, he then finished 7th with oil pouring from his car, which promptly caught fire in the pit lane.
After Jenson was taken out by a Renault, he must have thought that was his championship in trouble, but in reality even though points were gained to get closer, his leads was only reduced by 2 points with Barrichello finishing 7th.
It was different; it was good racing and good for Formula one.
Of course I wanted Jenson to win and even Lewis would have been great to get hi second win this year which is something of a turn around for Mclaren, but there was something special about Rubens winning in Valencia on his own merit.
To understand the reasons why, you need to see the mechanics from Ferrari and other teams clapping Rubens down the pit lane. He has been around for ages and now is 37 years old, but he is well liked in the F1 world and if anyone deserved another win he did.
You need to go back to his previous wins to understand why this win will be so important. For many seasons Rubens had followed Michael Schumacher and was his number 2, only allowed to win when Michael couldn’t and in one case was asked to move over. This season he has been allowed to race Jenson his team mate, although there were a few moments when Rubens felt the Brawn team had made bade decision. Even on one occasion when he publicly criticised the Brawn team straight after the race, he came back to apologize when he got to know the real facts such the man he is.
A recent trip back home to Brazil to see friend Massa still recovering from his accident, encouraged him to put a get well soon message on the back of his helmet, I am sure Brazil and possibly Massa will be celebrating after the win. It has been another great season and Valencia was better this year, at least on TV anyway. Jenson Button came 7th but gained 2 points on Webber, but now his main rival is his team mate Barrichello.
I write this sitting in Spain watching the European Grand Prix Qualifying which just happens to be up the road in Valencia, wondering why I am not there. Actually the truth is I was not too impressed with last years race that ended up being a possession from start to finish and with many other issues reported such as parking and more I decided to stay away even though I am only 2 hours away.
But as there has been 4 week break in the schedule, so much has happened. First Michael Scumacher was coming back to replace the injured Massa, then he was not, so instead Ferrari has brought back Lucca Badduer. He used to drive in F1 back in 1999 and for the lats 10 years has been a test driver for Ferrari.
The result is a barrage of criticism from TV presenters around the world, who at first wondered about the decision, after all there are plenty of race fit drivers out there and who would love the chance to drive for Ferrari even if it is only for a few races. But the real criticism came with such a bad performance of over 3 seconds slower that the leading man and 1 and a half second slower than the car in front. As this is a Ferrari and although not showing the pace of previous seasons, it was pretty obvious there were younger drivers out there that could have made a bigger difference in the scarlet red car.
He says he is here as long as Massa is unfit to drive, even before the race it is already predicted to replace him. He qualified last in 20th by merit. This issue is not his fault, he was probably asked to come on board to help Ferrari through this difficult time and no doubt he is doing his best. But in this very competitive form of racing, there is just no room for 3 seconds, 3 tenths maybe, but his pace is too far off.
It just shows you how 3 seconds can hurt your name even when you have stepped in to do a favour. If I was Lucca, I would withdraw and suggest a replacement and keep my pride and reputation in place.