The Best Race we had this season!

"Mera Number 1!" - Felipe Massa - The Man of the Moment!

Whow! What a race! Its been a while since we had such an exciting, eventful and power-packed race. The Hungarian GP was small fries as compared to what unfolded in the Turkish GP. It started spectacularly and ended with a bang. Cars getting banged from front, rear and the side. Collisions and failures and overtaking opportunities gone terribly wrong! This race had it all. Alonso and Schumi were spearated by just 0.1 second on the clock! What a race!

It was a bitter-sweet race for a Renault fan like me. On one hand, Renault's lead over Ferrari in the Constructors championship was reduced to just 2 points, while on the other, Alonso managed to stay ahead of Schumi, gaining a 2 point advantage in the process.

It was also good to see Massa win the race. I am not as much Anti-Ferrari as much I am Anti-Schumi. No offense to the 7-time Champ, but he should be retiring and paving the way for fresh blood in F1. I still respect Schumi as a driver - let there be no doubt - he's the best F1 driver in the history of the sport - but its time to call it quits and let the sport be more dynamic and young.

So, in that sense, it was good to see neither Alonso nor Schumi on the top pedestal of the podium. Just like last time, in the Alonso-Schumi rivalry, we forget that there are fine drivers like Massa and Button who have the mettle and the skill to be race winners.

What was even more endearing was to watch an emotional Massa, battling his tears while the Brazilian national anthem played in the background. Here is a young guy who has just won a tough race - the toughness within him however melts away to reveal his human side. Remember his days at Sauber anyone? Kudos to him.

What was the turning point in the Alonso-Schumi battle I think was the safety car time pitstop that Ferrari made, where Schumi lost valuable seconds, enabling Alonso to get ahead. I found that move hilarious and stupid. They should have allowed him to stay ahead. I am certain Schumi would have had a much better chance of finishing ahead of Alonso and mebbe even win the race. What were the Ferrari guys thinking? I am not complaining at the suicidal pitstop though. Here's wishing more such screwed up pitstops to Ferrari. :P

With 4 races to go, I believe the Constructors race has been settled - it was settled long ago, when Fisichella just coudn find the form. But the Driver's race is still very much open. All it would take is one screw-up and either Schumi or Alonso would kiss their ass goodbye. This has been a gr8 season to watch! No one driver/team dominating - under such circumstances, its okay to see a couple of Ferrari/Schumi wins. F1 should be open, dynamic and unpredictable. Finally we had a season which has been all that and much more.

Here's looking forward to a fine 4 races more to go!

Some Links :
RACE SUMMARY
RACE PHOTOS