The Lady Fortune sure can. And seems to delight in doing so.
First Kimi’s engine had to be replaced and he started 10 grid positions back (for the 3rd time this season). McLaren then changes the strategy for him to 1-pit stop and the crazy Finn sets the pole-position time with heaviest fuel load on the grid. That was simply a magnificent lap to behold. Then in the middle of the race his left rear tyre started to go to hell and had to be replaced – 24 laps is too much and he had to push which is impossible with such tyre condition. This ultimately killed all hope of finishing in front of Alonso.
Montoya also had problems with the same tyre and when I saw it 3 laps before the end I could not believe it. Was it possible that both drivers would fail and Renault will be given undeserved 1–2? Luckily, Juan managed to save the tyre and the weekend did not turn into a complete disaster.
Alonso is 99% champion now. Only a miracle and complete twist of Lady Fortune’s mood could make Kimi champ. Too much to wish for…
And in one week time is my beloved Spa. Oh Spa, how long have I waited for you.
I’ll never understand this: how can it be “undeserved”?
Renault has a more reliable car. McLaren has a more powerful car. They all know in front that race is going to be 300km, and that they need BOTH. Maybe McLaren drivers are pushing their cars too hard? Maybe that’s why their tyres blow up, engines fail, etc.
Obviously, at these races, Renault has shown to have a better *overall* car. As simple as that. Or better drivers (but lets compare them only when they end up driving the same car).
Nice point and a theme for never ending debate: what do you expect from a racing driver? Which one do you prefer — one always on the edge or one who bring reliable results?
Personally, I always go with the first bunch. “Driving my car, minding my business” drives never really got to me. Alonso is a master driver, no doubt, but not a very exciting one to me. He never went above the edge, take his chances. Like Kimi did in Hockenheim (last lap tyre failure) or Montoya in Monza. Or Barrichello on his first victory (driving slicks on half-wet half-dry track). Or Mika and the famous Zonta-shoulder-shrinking pass in Spa few years back. Those are the moments I remember from the races and I expect to see in the races.
And I say “undeserved” because I alwasy hated when people win because other failed. Not only in sports, but generally. If you win on your own merits — kudos for that.
BTW, if you want to see how good the driver is and how well he knows the car — just watch the graphics that started appearing this year. When they show how driver uses throtle and brakes in one lap. I.e. there was a side-by-side example of Alonso and Button few races back. Alonso very lightly use brakes in curves — usually brakes to decrease the speed and then masterfully adds throtle little by little to exit the corner. Button on the other hand uses both throtle and brakes a lot and makes a lot of corrections when passing through corners.