F-1 Notes: Ferrari Closing On Red Bull

September 14th, 2010

MONZA, Italy — That a Ferrari won the pole for the first time in 31 races is an interesting statistic, but more important is that The Reds fired an ominous warning shot at the Red Bulls. And Ferrari followed up on its pole Saturday with a win on Sunday.

Following a lackluster performance at Spa, the Ferrari engineers made a significant step forward with their car’s package for Monza, and the result is that Ferrari will be a real threat to the Red Bulls in the remaining races of this closely-fought championship battle.

“There has been a lot of work in the factory,” Fernando Alonso said after earning his 19th F-1 pole and his first for Ferrari. “A lot of analysis and trying to understand why we didn’t perform as expected in Spa. We went through the problem and everything should be clear now for us in terms of the direction to go.

“We have one package that should suit more or less all types of circuits,” he added. “Our main rivals have very specific characteristics in their cars and we are somewhere in the middle. I see quite a good package for the last part of the season.”

That means Ferrari as well as McLaren will be challenging the Red Bulls.

“Fernando was very strong, very, very quick,” Mark Webber rued after qualifying.

- Reliable sources tell National Speed Sport News that McLaren offered Rubens Barrichello a drive for 2010 but he had already signed for Williams. Jenson Button was, therefore, McLaren’s second choice — although, admittedly, the team thought at the time that Button would stay with Brawn/Mercedes. McLaren wanted Barrichello’s awesome car setting up abilities which are the best in the pit lane. A McLaren insider says that the team also courted Nico Rosberg. Mercedes also tried to sign Barrichello.

- Two-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti attended the Italian Grand Prix. So did Hollywood star Hugh Grant. Not that anybody really knew about it as F-1 did its usual poor job on the PR front. Unlike events such as the Indy 500, F-1 never puts out a list of which celebrities are attending a race.

- Mexico’s Esteban Gutierrez clinched the inaugural GP3 championship at Monza ahead of Canada’s Robert Wickens. Americans Alexander Rossi and Josef Newgarden ended up fourth and 18th respectively in the standings. Pastor Maldonado wrapped up the GP2 title with two races to go.

- Lotus wants to replace its Cosworths with Renault engines next year.

“We have a binding three-year contract with Lotus and there aren’t any break clauses in it. Cosworth CEO Tim Routsis said. “We fulfilled all of our requirements and obligations on it. We are aware of the debate that is going on. These are things that get sorted behind closed doors.”

NSSN hears that Cosworth is asking for: payment in full for the three-year contract; severance pay; and damages — because it would look like Lotus is dumping the inferior Cosworth for the superior Renault.

- Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari all passed the new and more stringent “flex tests” that now incorporate the floor of the cars at Monza. Some pundits declared that the Red Bulls were slower because their front wings now cannot droop as much as before. But Sebastian Vettel rubbished those reports by saying Red Bull was not quick at Monza last year either.

- Jenson Button’s second place on the grid was his best qualifying performance in 24 races.

- It was at Monza in 2006 that, after winning the race, Michael Schumacher announced he would retire at the end of the season. Four years later he is back in F-1 and back at Monza. Does he have any regrets that he stopped too early? Does he now wish he had just kept on racing?

“Announcing my retirement here in 2006 was a tough moment,” he said, “but it was the right moment, and certainly there were no regrets. And there are no regrets to be back on here again. The tifosi remember all the good times we had together.”