Ferrari returns at Imola

I was really happy with the fact CBS covered the press conference (even for a little bit). In my opinion, it's one of the most interesting parts of the race. If Kimmi is on the podium though, the press conference is unbearable. The boy simply cannot speak. Imola is such a great track. Too bad most races (Monaco) are mostly parades with no areas to overtake. And no, the tunnel under caution is not the best place to pass. The BMW car from the car cam looked like it has tremendous understeer. Schumi's charge from 13th through the field was impressive. Watching him drive with light fuel before he has to pit is amazing. He just blisters the field when he is nearing empty.

As impressive as was Schumi's charge, I was really impressed with Alonso's composure in the closing laps with the big red stallion filling his mirrors. I thought Alonso and Renault's wins were flukes with so many prominent dnfs and Ferrari's troubles. Yesterday's drive proves to me this kid is the real deal. Should make for an exciting, or at least compelling, F1 season for a change.

Which will make Catalunya (the next race) all the more amazing for Alonso in his native Spain. I really want to see both of these guys go head to head there with them closer off the pole. I thought Schumi was going to get around Alonso instead of forcing him to make a mistake. It's good to see people like F1 around here. It is better this year to watch b/c of the rules changes.

Renault is definitely the team for Ferrari to beat. What a change from last season. Forza.

The CBS announcing crew is so bad that it almost makes the race unwatchable. The guys from Speed are so much better.

Some quick points: 1) Imola is not a "great" track by any stretch of the imagination. They ruined it after Senna's death in 1994 with the addition of all those chicanes. Way too difficult to pass and not a great technical "driver's" circuit a la Suzuka. 2) With that in mind, Alonso's ability to hold off Schumacher was mostly due to the track configuration. Had their sprint to the finish occurred on any track other than Monaco, Hungaroring, or Imola, Schumi would have passed Alonso with ease. His pace was 1-2 seconds a lap quicker throughout the race. Essentially, Schumi lost the race in qualifying due to his slight mistake. However, what is particularly impressive about his drive is that, had he been able to pass Button 1 lap earlier (that darn track configuration again.), or stay out 1 more lap than he was able to, he would have had enough of a gap to come out ahead of Alonso after his final pit stop. Even though he did not win, this was one of Michael's best drives in a while. Watching him reel in Button was a joy to behold. His pace relative to the rest of the field reminded me of his form in Hungary in '98 or Monaco in 2000.

The Button pass was very nice, but as pointed out earlier, it was Schumacher's poor driving that cost him the race. The new Ferrari was much quicker than the Renault, and had Michael not slid off the track in qualifying, he would easily have won. Alonso did a nice job in intentionally slowing down the last several laps to avoid catching the lapped traffic. He definitely used the track to his advantage.

Well bugger me with a fishfork. I thought the interest in the USA was the same as the number of world titles Jenson Button is going to win, ie zero. Glad to see there are some fans there.

If F1 is serious about increasing the awareness of their brand in America, then Bernie needs to get more American drivers involved. Pretty simple, really. At a minimum, they could get American drivers involved at the U.S. Grand Prix. Obviously, if they were just driving for one weekend it couldn't be in a particularly competitive car (the championship implications for the top teams being too important), but still, it would be fun and hopefully increase fan interest. It would be neat to see Jeff Gordon race for Red Bull or Sauber.

Of course, economically it probably makes more sense for F1 to keep expanding the championship beyond European countries into Asian or 3rd world ones. These countries think nothing of depleting their treasuries to pay for world-class circuits and facilities for the VIPs/journalists/etc. The third world countries are very image conscious and they are not going to let the tracks and infrastructure deteriorate a la Silverstone. Also don't forget these countries don't place restrictions on tobacco advertising and they pay very lucrative licensing fees to Bernie. The future lies in India and Russia, not San Marino, England, or France.