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London - Too early to talk about poetic justice?
Yes, it may be, but…
There will be few neutrals arguing with those who grinned when Ferrari, in general, and Felipe Massa, in particular, saw their title hopes suffer a serious self-inflicted setback in Sunday’s extraordinary inaugural Singapore Grand Prix.
As the Ferrari mechanics ran down the pit lane to rescue their stranded Brazilian driver, who had departed a pit-stop with the refuelling rig hose still attached to his car, the cheers – or jeers -- from the McLaren Mercedes team garage were clearly audible.
Another bungled Ferrari pit stop, while the race was running under the control of the first Safety Car, was not only the highlight of the afternoon in terms of dramatic incident, it was also its defining moment.
Leaving the pits
Until then, Massa was in charge, pulling clear of drivers championship leader Briton Lewis Hamilton, of McLaren, with some ease.
Ferrari’s fiasco of a pit-stop was then compounded by the most surprising event of the day – a stewards' decision, during the race, to give Massa a drive-through penalty because he was released dangerously from that stop.
He had pulled out in front of Force India's German Adrian Sutil, with his hose trailing, and then when he realised eased over, out of the way, to stop inside the pit lane.
It was not the first time this year he had dived out of the pits dangerously, or in front of Sutil, but it was the first time he had been handed the standard punishment.
Virtually the same sequence of events happened in Valencia, during the European Grand Prix, where Massa and Ferrari went unpunished – controversially.
That furore, plus the stripping of Hamilton's victory at Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Grand Prix, had appeared to gift the championship momentum to the Italian team and their Paulista driver.
Raikkonen's race
This race, its drama and its stewards decisions, seemed to go some way towards rectifying what most observers believed was the unfair treatment of Hamilton.
The sight of defending drivers' world champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen also crashing out again, as he did in Belgium, merely confirmed that on present form, he no longer has what it takes to keep his crown.
Given that he crashed while leading and under pressure from Hamilton in Belgium, in the rain, and lost control on the Marina Bay street circuit this time, it was no surprise that he conceded afterwards that his title ambitions are over this year. He is after all without a win since the Spanish Grand Prix in April – hardly the form of a champion.
Hamilton's strategy:
Hamilton, unable to beat Massa for pure pace on this track, drove with a sensible mixture of boldness, when required (for example, when he passed veteran Briton David Coulthard’s Red Bull), and controlled caution.
He knew that a podium finish and six more points with Massa failing to score any was a good result in a difficult unpredictable and exhausting race.
With three races remaining, in Japan, China and Brazil, Hamilton now leads Massa by seven points and knows that three successive second places would be enough for him to take the title.
That is a psychological cushion for him that leaves Massa knowing he has to win, or beat Hamilton, to reverse that scenario and take the title down to the wire in his home city of Sao Paulo.
A close finish may remain in prospect, with the two championship contestants slugging it out hopefully on the track and without unwarranted interference, but that should not eclipse the joy of seeing Fernando Alonso back on the top of the winners podium.
His and Renault’s cunning strategy did them proud in Singapore, delivering him a 20th career win and his first for a year – since he raced alongside Hamilton for McLaren – and the team's first for two years.
Win for Alonso
That it owed much to luck is amusing, too. If it had not been for his Renault team-mate Brazilian Nelson Piqeut's misfortune in crashing so heavily, there would not have been an initial Safety Car period that helped the Spaniard make up so many places.
His strategy, of taking a short first stint and driving as fast as possible, meant he had pitted already and was ready for a strong middle stint from a strong position. It fell into his hands.
Yes, it may be, but…
There will be few neutrals arguing with those who grinned when Ferrari, in general, and Felipe Massa, in particular, saw their title hopes suffer a serious self-inflicted setback in Sunday’s extraordinary inaugural Singapore Grand Prix.
As the Ferrari mechanics ran down the pit lane to rescue their stranded Brazilian driver, who had departed a pit-stop with the refuelling rig hose still attached to his car, the cheers – or jeers -- from the McLaren Mercedes team garage were clearly audible.
Another bungled Ferrari pit stop, while the race was running under the control of the first Safety Car, was not only the highlight of the afternoon in terms of dramatic incident, it was also its defining moment.
Leaving the pits
Until then, Massa was in charge, pulling clear of drivers championship leader Briton Lewis Hamilton, of McLaren, with some ease.
Ferrari’s fiasco of a pit-stop was then compounded by the most surprising event of the day – a stewards' decision, during the race, to give Massa a drive-through penalty because he was released dangerously from that stop.
He had pulled out in front of Force India's German Adrian Sutil, with his hose trailing, and then when he realised eased over, out of the way, to stop inside the pit lane.
It was not the first time this year he had dived out of the pits dangerously, or in front of Sutil, but it was the first time he had been handed the standard punishment.
Virtually the same sequence of events happened in Valencia, during the European Grand Prix, where Massa and Ferrari went unpunished – controversially.
That furore, plus the stripping of Hamilton's victory at Spa-Francorchamps in the Belgian Grand Prix, had appeared to gift the championship momentum to the Italian team and their Paulista driver.
Raikkonen's race
This race, its drama and its stewards decisions, seemed to go some way towards rectifying what most observers believed was the unfair treatment of Hamilton.
The sight of defending drivers' world champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen also crashing out again, as he did in Belgium, merely confirmed that on present form, he no longer has what it takes to keep his crown.
Given that he crashed while leading and under pressure from Hamilton in Belgium, in the rain, and lost control on the Marina Bay street circuit this time, it was no surprise that he conceded afterwards that his title ambitions are over this year. He is after all without a win since the Spanish Grand Prix in April – hardly the form of a champion.
Hamilton's strategy:
Hamilton, unable to beat Massa for pure pace on this track, drove with a sensible mixture of boldness, when required (for example, when he passed veteran Briton David Coulthard’s Red Bull), and controlled caution.
He knew that a podium finish and six more points with Massa failing to score any was a good result in a difficult unpredictable and exhausting race.
With three races remaining, in Japan, China and Brazil, Hamilton now leads Massa by seven points and knows that three successive second places would be enough for him to take the title.
That is a psychological cushion for him that leaves Massa knowing he has to win, or beat Hamilton, to reverse that scenario and take the title down to the wire in his home city of Sao Paulo.
A close finish may remain in prospect, with the two championship contestants slugging it out hopefully on the track and without unwarranted interference, but that should not eclipse the joy of seeing Fernando Alonso back on the top of the winners podium.
His and Renault’s cunning strategy did them proud in Singapore, delivering him a 20th career win and his first for a year – since he raced alongside Hamilton for McLaren – and the team's first for two years.
Win for Alonso
That it owed much to luck is amusing, too. If it had not been for his Renault team-mate Brazilian Nelson Piqeut's misfortune in crashing so heavily, there would not have been an initial Safety Car period that helped the Spaniard make up so many places.
His strategy, of taking a short first stint and driving as fast as possible, meant he had pitted already and was ready for a strong middle stint from a strong position. It fell into his hands.