THE WHOLE HEART OF FERRARI

Spring in the Emilia Romana: Red is again in the lead of the constructors´ championship

He rarely is attending the races. Because he does not like the whole press carry-on and also the crowds. Ferrari´s chief designer Rory Byrne, one of the bloodbrothers of the old Toleman days, later the genius behind Michael Schumacher´s both world titles at Benetton (today: Renault) is a shy person. For some years he is married to an exciting Thai, his son Sean soon is in the age going to a kindergarden. Byrne, a native South African like Flash Gordon Murray, had been on the way to the home country of his wife. Ferrari´s technical director Ross Brawn, the Einstein of Formula One, more a strategist than a designer, persuaded him to stay in Europe for some years. Since 1998 the Axis Schumacher - Brawn - Byrne does well also in Maranello. In Imola 2002 Byrne protected himself against the champagne shower of his drivers Schumacher and Barrichello by putting the pretty ugly trophy for the winning constructor onto his head.

Pole position, the complete front row on the grid, start to finish victory and the fastest lap of the race: The 22nd Gran Premio di San Marino in the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was a one big Via Triumphalis for Ferrari. The spring in the Emilia Romana also brought back the lead in the constructors´table to them, they had handed over to Williams BMW before for some weeks. Rubens Barrichello rehabilitated himself with the first six 2002 worldchampionship points. For the first time he drove the new F2002 during qualifying and race, and with that mashine he was only a little slower than Michael Schumacher. Number 2 drivers should not have a great gap to their team leaders, but Barrichello had not been very helpful both for the German and his team very during the first three races in 2002.

The Ferrari F2002 goes, without many corrections at the steering wheel, nearly like driven on rails. It has got constant aerodynamics, is full of extraordinary harmony in all sectors (beginning, middle and end) of the curves and also keeps the tyre temperatures constant. Italian ambience, British cleverness and German discipline give the team a personal stability in contrast to the other competitors outside. The greatest budget makes no sense, if human difficulties make it spend without getting something in return. For this reason the comment of Niki Lauda is very short: "If there is a chance to follow the Ferrari F2002, it only will be taken by Williams."

McLaren Mercedes is not able to do so in spring 2002. In the five chicanes of the former high speed circuit of Imola (Tamburello, Villeneuve, Aqua Minerali, Alta and Bassa) the Silver Arrows jumped over the curbs like young kangeroos. Coulthard came home 6th position, one time lapped by the winner. Raikkonen was taken out of the race by his team, because an exhaust pipe had been broken to make the Lambda Sond, that measures the temparetures of the exhaust fumes, show extreme results. Modern Grand Prix Cars are blowing their exhaust fumes over the rear suspension under the rear wing for aerodynamic reasons. But those parts cannot be confronted with unlimited temperatures. The best performance McLaren Mercedes showed in Imola by their new motorhome, in reality being a transportable house. Paragon, their new headquarter, designed by Lord Norman Foster, must have been the model for it.

Ferrari´s rivals in fact have not become worse in 2002. But Maranello have got a better performance much faster than the other competitors on the grid. For this reason, the rival teams´ public impression looks worse, than it is in reality. McLaren Mercedes needs time for the - shortly scheduled - switch to Michelin rubber, because there is a rule for three decades: You have to design your car around the tyres. Williams BMW have got the strongest engine in the field, but there are also deficiencies of the aerodynamics. And the Honda powered teams of BAR and Jordan are those ones, who have not scored a single 2002 point, when a quarter of the championship is over. Only Arrows Cosworth did the same way. Who wants to succeed in Grand Prix Racing needs money, time and much, much patience. Before the great Schumacher-Ferrari-Epoque Maranello had to eat grass for 21 long years.

Because of the low temperatures, this time Jaguar and Toyota got no support by the Michelin tyres, becoming better, the higher the temperatures are and the longer the race takes. Both teams lost all their cars by technical faults. And also the Jordan Hondas retired very early, while both the Renaults finished (to win points again by Jenson Button´s 5th place). Nick Heidfeld, started 7th position on the grid behind the Ferraris, Williams BMWs and McLaren Mercedeses, missed points only by silly mistakes. First he had misunderstood an order at the radio to receive only fresh rubber but no fuel at his first pit stop to make the German come in a second time within two laps. Then he did some pit lane speeding to be sentenced the usual Drive Through Penalty making him drop down 10th place. In spite of that, behind the scenes Heidfeld is one of the most wanted drivers for 2003, but he is tied both to McLaren Mercedes and Sauber by options. The second Sauber driver Felipe Massa, whose car is always in action like it once had been at Nannini or Alesi in the past, or at the other novice Sato in the present, gave a good battle to Jarno Trulli in the Renault, finally coming home ahead of the Italian a fine 8th place.

Many of the very great bosses, lead by DaimlerChrysler board of directors´member Professor Juergen Hubbert and Ferrari president Dr Luca Montezemolo, had come to Imola to talk about the future of Grand Prix Racing, and also F.I.A. president Max Mosley was there. In the week before one company of the Kirch Group, owning 75 % of the shares of the Formula One rights holding company SLEC ( the rest still is in the hands of Bernie Ecclestone) had gone into the bankruptcy proceedings. The German media enterpreneur Dr Leo Kirch once had wanted to build up a monopoly: Movies, sporting events´rights and broadcasting companies - all united in one hand. The thing remained from his plan is the greatest collapse in the history of German industry. The carmakers made no decisions in Imola, but concerning the television rights of Formula One, they want to contact Kirch´s creditor banks.

The emotional national anthem of Italy again and again is listened to with pleasure. Once again there was tradtion and emotion in Imola 2002: The whole heart of Ferrari. The last one-two-victory at Imola Maranello had celebrated back in 1982. There the Italian-French Didier Pironi had disobeyed all the order coming from the pits to overtake his team mate Gilles Villeneuve (the father of today´s BAR Honda driver Jacques) shortly before the end of the race. The Canadian had been so frustrated over the breach of confidence, that he had cut off all connections to Pironi. Only a few weeks later Villeneuve crashed fatally during the qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. Pironi, who would have celebrated his 50th birthday in spring 2002, sustained so heavy leg injuries during the 1982 German Grand Prix practice at Hockenheim, making him stop his racing car career. Some years later he had switched to offshore boat racing, and during one of it´s competitions he was killed in an accident in the British Channel in August 1987. Pironi´s sons have never got to know their famous father, because they were born some weeks after his death. The twins are named Didier and Gilles. Ferrari had ever been one great family.

Klaus Ewald

© 2002 by researchracing

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