PASSION AND PERFECTION

Michael Schumacher in Montreal: 150th Grand Prix victory for Ferrari

Five laps before the end of the race the great strategist got a little hunger. Ferrari´s technical director Ross Brawn took a banana like it once had been done by Boris Becker during a tennis match. Twenty minutes later not Brawn, but Michael Schumacher´s race engineer Luca Baldisserri stood in the podium´s champagne shower.

It was the 150th Grand Prix win in Ferrari´s triumphant, but sometimes tragic history. And at the half of the 2002 worldchampionship Michael Schumacher leads 43 points ahead of the Williams BMW drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, who both suffered under blown engines in Montreal. "That is a real defeat for an engine constructor," BMW director Dr Mario Theissen was pretty sad about. Only a great misfortune could take away the fifth title, the third in a row, from Michael Schumacher. Ferrari´s most successful Grand Prix driver of all times had seen the chequered flag in all 2002 races so far. Technical problems he was only confronted with during the warm up, when the t-car´s engine had exploded.

Actually Juan Pablo Montoya had left pole position best at the start, but after one lap he was out-accelerated by Rubens Barrichello on the start and finish line. Then Jacques Villeneuve´s new BAR Honda (revised aerodynamics and engine-gearbox unit, but with original monocoque) stood still already in lap 8 caused by a technical failure. The car parked so unfavourably in front of a wall, that the safety car had to come out for four laps. Montoya immidiately came into the pits for re-fuelling and a change of only the rear tyres, as many other Michelin drivers had also done.

In contrast to the general expectations Montreal 2002 neither a series of accidents nor of retirements had been. Finally 15 cars were classified, but except the Ferraris only the Silver Arrows were able to stay out of real troubles, if you exclude the fact, that Kimi Raikkonen had to save petrol. The Finn had not got enough fuel because of a failure within the team´s re-fuelling system. Also at Ralf Schumacher re-fuelling had been a complete chaos, before he had to stop with a blown engine during the last lap, but was classified 7th place. Also this time enough nonsense was made. A series of shortening the chicane in front of the start and finish straight was seen, Salo, Yoong, Massa and Heidfeld (twice) were punished because of pit lane speeding. On Monday noon German television company RTL gave one of their news reports the title: Michael Schumacher and the twits.

At the end of the race David Coulthard was able to beat Rubens Barrichello and he proved his Monte Carlo victory being no win by chance. But for Michael Schumacher, whose one-stop-strategy made him win the Canadian Grand Prix for the fifth time, he was no challenge for. Actually Juan Pablo Montoya had come nearer and nearer to him, but the chances of the Colombian had gone in the light blue smoke of the blown engine on the start and finish straight. In contrast to that the Ferraris are both quick and reliable. "The car is a perfect car. At the moment they are unbeatable, there is nothing to discuss about," commentated Jaguar boss Niki Lauda, whose both cars had to retire in Montreal. In 2002 the passion is added by perfection at Ferrari.

Ferrari had won their first ever Grand Prix at Silverstone back in 1951 with José Froilan Gonzalez in the cockpit. This man was, like many racing automobilists of those days, a rustic type of massive build, a total contrast to the model star-athlete Michael Schumacher. Today Gonzalez is 79 years of age and lives as a pensioner in his home country of Argentina. When taking part in active competition he was called the Pampas Bull.

Klaus Ewald

© 2002 by researchracing

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