With a deep sense of déjà vu, I watched the Monaco GP on Sunday. Akin to Adamson & McHugh’s immortal creation “On a wing and a prayer…,” Ferrari landed their first podium of the season. The entire 1 hour 50 odd minutes that the Massa-Raikkonen duo was pushing their Ferraris, I was silently praying for the Ferraris to come home unscathed.
Such has been their fall from grace this season that a race finished is like a race won and a podium is Christmas!! Thanks largely to Kimi Raikkonen’s spirited drive to third place and Felipe Massa’s fourth; Ferrari had their best finish of the season. The 11 points gained at Monaco has helped them leap frog to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
The qualifying itself was a far better attempt. Raikkonen was on the front row in second and Massa was in fifth place. During the race, Button and Barrichello led the pack followed by Raikkonen, Vettel and Massa. Barrichello beat Raikkonen at sheer pace and had Raikkonen not been vigilant, Vettel would have found his way thru and the Ferraris would have been forced to toe his line.
On a circuit like Monaco, it is easier to predict an outcome. Overtaking is an arduous task and once the formation is in place, there is virtually no room for any excitement. Barring Sainte Devote and the Nouvelle chicane at the exit of the infamous tunnel, there are hardly any opportunities for overtaking. Hence while watching the race, by lap 3; I was more or less certain about the outcome of the race, any lapses notwithstanding. Raikkonen was 3 seconds down and Massa was 6 seconds off the leader Button. During the routine pits, the order varied a bit but the eventual result was more or less evident.
The Ferrari management and the tifosis are jubilant with the results. Domenicali confirmed that the car is back to being competitive. He hailed the team for showing resilience and bringing in a turnaround. Dyer confided that they bungled up Raikkonen’s second pit stop. But at the same time, he took heart from the fact that the F60 was remarkably quicker with heavier fuel than the competition during the second half of the race.
Raikkonen did seem a tad disappointed. He rued missing the pole, losing 2nd place on lap 1 and then not getting past Barrichello due to an elongated second pit stop. Massa however was overjoyed with the result. He lauded the car and the team’s performance. Admitting that he erred in the first half allowing Vettel and Rosberg to go ahead, he quickly pointed out that he had a realistic chance of overtaking Raikkonen.
While the Brawns had their usual ceremonial drive to the chequered flag, Ferrari’s market improvement has filled me with renewed sense of anticipation. I look forward to Turkey and hope that their movement up the ladder results in a victory soon.
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