Renault ace admits ‘pressure is off’ and eyes third win of the season in title showdown

Fernando Alonso is adamant that Renault are now the third best team on the grid and reckons that victory could well be on the cards in Brazil after his impressive back-to-back wins in Singapore and Fuji.

The Spaniard had a torrid start to the year and found himself entrenched in the mid-field during the early races, his Renault powered R28 seemingly suffering from a lack of horsepower and straight-line speed. That triggered speculation that he was on the move for 2009 with a string of teams lined up to accommodate him, including Ferrari, Honda and BMW Sauber.

But Renault turned things around in spectacular style in the second half of the season. Solid points finishes beckoned before Alonso’s back-to-back victories in Singapore and Fuji, which although lucky, were only possible after major upgrades to the R28.

While Alonso has yet to confirm his whereabouts for 2009, the general consensus is that he will stay with Renault – and his confidence in the French team in the build up to the season finale does little to suggest otherwise.

“Our victories in Singapore and Fuji were a wonderful surprise and our fourth place in China confirmed our return to form,” he said. “We were clearly the third strongest team and we had similar race pace to the Ferraris, which is really satisfying for everybody in the team.”

“We’ve all worked really hard and so it’s a nice reward, especially as we have now confirmed our fourth place in the championship, which was the objective we set ourselves in the middle of the season. So it’s mission accomplished and we can now approach the Brazilian Grand Prix calmly and aim to have another strong weekend.”

Renault have already beaten rivals Toyota to fourth in the constructors’ championship courtesy of Alonso’s impressive performances, and that, reckons the Spaniard, puts the team in a perfect position to score strongly in Brazil, given that rivals Ferrari and McLaren will be locked in a fierce title scrap.

“This year we have already achieved our objective to end the season fourth in the constructors’ championship with the third quickest car so we can therefore approach this race with less pressure and be more relaxed, which may help us take advantage of the situation,” he added, “after Singapore and Fuji, the team now believes that anything is possible.

Team boss Flavio Briatore meanwhile has suggested that Alonso will probably stay with Renault for next year.

“The chance (that Alonso stays) is fairly big,” the Italian said in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“The last race is this Sunday, so both of the sides will decide then.”

By Christopher Hayes on Monday, October 27, 2008

Former team boss Eddie Jordan reckons Hamilton will have to watch his back in Brazil, while Massa insists he is focussed only on winning.

Michael Schumacher’s appetite for controversy and carbon-fibre has never really rubbed off on his protégé Felipe Massa. That was until the Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji that is.

Massa’s reckless collision with Lewis Hamilton in the opening laps – for which he was penalised, but let off the hook by virtue of identical punishment for his victim – may not have been intentional, but it certainly planted the seed about the Brazilian’s respect for clean racing.

Such was the success of the move that it may have even been an eye-opener for Massa: it ultimately enabled him to close the gap to Hamilton in a race he had no hope of winning.

Indeed, with a seven point deficit to Hamilton going into Brazil, Massa will be hard pressed to appease his home crowd with the title he and they crave.

Will the Ferrari ace succumb to temptation should he find his Bridgestone rubber in kissing distance of Hamilton’s suspension? Team principal turned pundit Eddie Jordan thinks so; retaliation the Irishman’s prescription.

“People may not like me for saying this, but if Massa tries to take him out as he did in Japan in order to steal the title then Lewis has to be ready for it,” he told the Daily Express.

“If he tries that on then Lewis has to turn his wheel into Massa to ensure he does not finish the race either - he has to take his wheel off.”

“Hamilton needs to be careful. He knows that right now the world is against him - the other drivers are against him and the stewards are against him.

“Yet I think what happened to him after his win at Spa was ghastly and his penalty in the Japanese Grand Prix was harsh too. That’s what he has to contend with.”

To his defence, there is something unconvincing about the picture painted of Massa as an underhanded racer. He says he is intent only on winning the race in front his home crowd.

“Yes it’s true I have a tougher job than Lewis in terms of the points situation, but my own objective for the weekend is much more straightforward than his,” said the Ferrari driver.

“I only have to focus on winning the race on Sunday afternoon, hopefully with my team mate second behind me. The only thing I am thinking about is winning. After that, the matter is not in my hands and we will have to wait and see exactly what and how much we have won.

“For sure, Lewis will try and put pressure on me, but I have zero pressure, because I have nothing to lose.

“I have my people behind me and all the pressure will be on him, especially when you think about what happened at this race last year. I can’t wait for the final Sunday of the season.”

Kimi Raikkonen is Massa’s best asset in Brazil. Should the Finn come second to Massa - a real possibility given Ferrari’s dominance at Interlagos - then that would put pressure on Hamilton to keep a clean nose and bring home the points. And don’t rule out Alonso taking things into his own hands either.

Just how willing Raikkonen is to have a world champion alongside him in the garage next year is another matter.

“It is a team sport and both me and Kimi know we have to do what is best for the team,” upholds Massa. “For sure, psychologically a racing driver always wants to finish in front, always wants to win: it doesn’t matter if you are playing a friend on a computer game or driving a Formula One car.”

“But all drivers have a contract with their team and so you are not racing as an individual.”

“When you are fighting for the championship, with only one driver with a mathematical chance of winning, then all the teams in the pit lane would do the same, which is to put that one driver in a position where he has the best chance of winning. That is part of this sport.”

By Christopher Hayes on Monday, October 27, 2008

Robert Kubica may have dropped out of contention for the title – a position he never expected to find himself in – but the Polish star is determined to fend of Kimi Raikkonen in Brazil for third place in the championship.

The Canadian GP winner, and seven-time visitor to the podium this season, found himself with an outside chance of championship glory right up until the penultimate race of the season.

But qualifying outside the top ten in Shanghai, allied with Hamilton’s dominance of the race, quickly pulled the trigger on what was already an unlikely scenario.

The Pole, who will enjoy a fresh engine and gearbox for Brazil, has now set his sights on defending third place: “I’m currently third in the drivers’ standings, six points in front of Kimi, and, of course, it’s my aim to defend this position,” he said.

“Brazil is traditionally the final race of the season, and Interlagos is a very demanding and interesting circuit. My first race there was in 2002 in Formula Renault, and I’ve been back with the BMW Sauber F1 Team for the last two years.”

“Interlagos is physically very tiring because we drive the circuit anticlockwise. That’s something we’re not used to, and we feel it especially in the neck.”

Kubica also has a critical role to play in the outcome of the constructors fight, with BMW Sauber only ten points behind second place-sitters McLaren.

By Christopher Hayes on Saturday, October 25, 2008

Lewis Hamilton may not be about to sit back and gift Massa the win at his home race in Brazil, but if he did, the British ace could still become world champion.

Here are the permutations that would see the McLaren ace crowned the youngest ever world champion, and the first British driver to claim the top honours since Damon Hill in 1996.

Lewis will be world champion if:
He wins
He finishes second
He finishes third
He finishes fourth
He finishes fifth
He finishes sixth and Felipe is second or lower
He finishes seventh and Felipe is second or lower
He finishes eighth and Felipe is third or lower
He fails to score and Felipe is third or lower

Felipe will be world champion if:
He wins and Lewis finishes sixth or lower
He finishes second and Lewis is eighth or lower

If the pair are tied on points on Sunday afternoon, Felipe would win the title by virtue of more victories (six to Lewis’s five) or second-place finishes (three to Lewis’s two).

By Christopher Hayes on Saturday, October 25, 2008

Under pressure McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen admits he has struggled behind the wheel of his MP4-23 in his first year with the Woking outfit, but vows to build on his experience in his preparations for 2009.

Heikki’s sensational pole position at Silverstone back in July seems a long time ago. Had it not rained on Sunday, it might have been him and not team mate Hamilton destroying the field on race day and getting his championship campaign back on the rails.

A timely confidence pill it would have been at that: Kovalainen’s results took a hit after that memorable rain-hit afternoon in Northamptonshire. A win at Hungary beckoned, but it came as a result of others’ misfortune, and wasn’t the kind of season-resurrecting result that it might have been.

Then came Spa and Monza. The chaos and controversy of both races let Kovalainen off the hook, but it won’t go unnoticed that the Finn was a country mile of Hamilton’s pace in Spa - despite carrying less fuel in qualifying - and in Italy, he could and should have beaten Sebastian Vettel’s Toro Rosso.

Bottom line is that Kovalainen, while proving more than a match for Hamilton at times in qualifying, has struggled over the course of a race stint, particularly when its been in the rain.

That led to experimentation with the set up of his MP4-23, but not the sweet-spot he so craved.

“It didn’t take too long to find where I wanted to be with the team, but it’s taken longer to get used to the MP4-23,” reflects Kovalainen.

“Sometimes I’ve pushed the set-up in the wrong direction but, over the year, I’ve found a better direction. I’ve been particularly pleased with my qualifying pace; even from the first race, I was competitive.”

“Now I’m working hard to improve my knowledge of the tyres and everything is headed in the right direction.”

McLaren are working hard with Kovalainen to help him address some his weaknesses and this will continue into the winter. The Finn is adamant he can come out stronger.

“It’s been a good season overall. I’ve done a lot of learning throughout the year and I already feel much better prepared for next year,” he said.

“I now understand how to make the car fast and what I need to do to get the most out of it. I thought this year would be more difficult, but I feel I’ve done a good job.”

And as for the season finale in Brazil, Kovalainen is under no allusions of the responsibility that rests on his shoulders in terms of the constructors fight with Ferrari.

“With the championship as it is, things are a little different going to Brazil.”

“Clearly, I want to be able to help the team and Lewis wherever necessary - but the easiest way to do that is to be running at the front.”

“The team knows I will play my part, but we are also targeting the constructors’ championship.”

“We may be 11 points behind Ferrari, but there are 18 points available in Brazil and we go into the final race still looking at securing both world titles - that has to be our aim.”

By Christopher Hayes on Saturday, October 25, 2008

After a trying second half of the year, McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen insists he has only one thing on his mind as he gears up for the Brazilian GP: winning.

How has your knowledge of the car and the team developed over the 2007 season?
“It didn’t take too long to find where I wanted to be with the team, but it’s taken longer to get used to the MP4-23. Sometimes I’ve pushed the set-up in the wrong direction but, over the year, I’ve found a better direction. I’ve been particularly pleased with my qualifying pace; even from the first race, I was competitive. Now I’m working hard to improve my knowledge of the tyres and everything is headed in the right direction.”

With the 2008 season almost finished, how are you approaching the winter?
“It’s been a good season overall. I’ve done a lot of learning throughout the year and I already feel much better prepared for next year. I now understand how to make the car fast and what I need to do to get the most out of it. I thought this year would be more difficult, but I feel I’ve done a good job.”

What are your aims for the last race of the year?
“To win it, obviously! With the championship as it is, things are a little different going to Brazil. Clearly, I want to be able to help the team and Lewis wherever necessary - but the easiest way to do that is to be running at the front. The team knows I will play my part, but we are also targeting the constructors’ championship. We may be 11 points behind Ferrari, but there are 18 points available in Brazil and we go into the final race still looking at securing both world titles - that has to be our aim.”

By Christopher Hayes on Saturday, October 25, 2008

Lewis Hamilton insists he will not be leaving championship rival Felipe Massa an open door to victory in Brazil.

Hamilton arrives in Sau Paulo with a seven point lead over Massa and only needs to finish fifth or higher to be crowned the youngest ever world champion.

But as he gears up for the most important race in his career, Hamilton says he will tackle the weekend in the same way he has approached previous races, and will strive for the best result possible, despite not needing to win the race.

“Obviously, my aim for Brazil is slightly different from the other grands prix,” he said. “I don’t need to win the race, but that won’t stop me from going into the weekend looking to be as strong as possible.”

“Shanghai was a good example of that: we hit the ground running on Friday morning and never looked back. Our aim wasn’t to push too hard, but we found ourselves in a position at the front and took it comfortably from there.”

“That’s what I am hoping to achieve in Brazil - a straightforward weekend that allows me to just focus on my car and my driving.”

Yielding to his rivals is not something that comes naturally to Hamilton, though. In his rookie year, the Briton memorably saw his title dreams go up in smoke after unnecessary scraps with Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in Shanghai and Brazil respectively.

“I went to Interlagos with the title battle still up in the air and all my emotions just bubbling up and down,” recalls Hamilton.

“It was a very emotional time because I knew it would end with either great success or huge disappointment. In 2007, things didn’t end up too well for me - but I still had a great first year.”

In Japan a fortnight ago Hamilton’s championship lead took a hit when he was dealt a drive through penalty for attempting to repass Kimi Raikkonen at the first corner after a bad start.

Besides it being against Hamilton’s racing instinct to go down without a fight, the Briton also has an important role to play in the constructors battle.

McLaren are eleven points adrift of rivals Ferrari and maintain only a ten point advantage over BMW Sauber.

And with Heikki Kovalainen struggling to demonstrate the same pace as Hamilton behind the wheel of his MP4-23, primary responsibility for bringing glory back to Woking after a ten year drought rests on Hamilton’s shoulders.

“Lewis will be as focused as the team to score the necessary points in Brazil,” said Mercedes-Benz Vice President Norbert Haug.

By Christopher Hayes on Saturday, October 25, 2008