Chinese GP - Feng Shui
Michael Schumacher chased away his Chinese jinx with a thrilling
win on the outskirts of Shanghai as he drew level with Fernando
Alonso in the World Championship with two races to go. Michael
and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro timed their pit stops to perfection,
making the right tyre choices as the track dried, while Michael's
championship rival made life difficult for himself by changing
to a new set of intermediates at his first pit stop, when
others stayed on worn sets.
Michael's moment came when Giancarlo Fisichella ran wide
as he exited the pits after his second stop and ran wide,
allowing the Ferrari driver into the lead which he held to
the end. Fisichella eased up, allowed teammate Alonso to overtake
thus limiting his loss to his two point lead in the championship
so that they are level as they go into the final two rounds
of the championship.
Felipe Massa, after his engine penalty, fought hard to drive
through the field but David Coulthard turned in on him as
he came down the inside to overtake at the hairpin and the
resulting damage put the second Ferrari out of the race.
The 56 lap race started on a damp track in front of a huge
and enthusiastic crowd. All cars were on intermediates and
the Renaults took the lead, although Kimi Raikkonen made a
superb start and tried to come around the outside, eventually
slotting into third, overtaking the Hondas of Jenson Button
now ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello. Michael stayed sixth,
Pedro de la Rosa stayed seventh but Scott Speed picked up
three places for eighth, ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Tonio
Liuzzi.
Alonso quickly pulled away at the rate of a second a lap
from Fisichella who held off Raikkonen. Button was next, leaving
Barrichello to hold off Michael Schumacher and the pair were
caught by de la Rosa. But out of the hairpin on lap eight,
Michael overtook his former teammate to move up to fifth place.
By lap 12, Alonso had a 15s lead over Fisichella under real
pressure from Raikkonen who got by on the next lap, while
Michael caught and passed Button on the straight to move into
fourth place.
Button was one of the first to stop on lap 15 with Raikkonen
coming in a lap later, but he only lasted two more laps before
he pulled off with a throttle problem. That left Alonso with
a 19s lead over his teammate, but Michael was now on Fisichella's
tail. They had a lengthy lead over Heidfeld in fourth, Mark
Webber was fifth from Barrichello who had come out ahead of
teammate Button. Kubica and de la Rosa were next.
Michael made his first pit stop on lap 21 and left the tyres
on the Ferrari whereas Alonso came in a lap later and fitted
new tyres. Fisichella pitted a lap after that and also left
his wets on. Alonso's stop had already cost him an extra eight
seconds so that he was now only 10s ahead of his teammate
while Michael was only a couple of seconds behind Fichella.
Kubica pitted on lap 24 and Heidfeld a lap later, close to
half distance.
Alonso rapidly lost time, so that his 10s lead had disappeared
within four laps and although Fisichella overtook his teammate
on lap 29, Alonso got ahead again immediately, and the Italian
had to wait another lap before he could make it stick. A lap
later Michael also overtook his championship rival.
On a drying track, the pair left Alonso behind so that he
was 7.7s behind before he finally changed to dries on lap
35. Michael was right on Fisichella's tail when he brought
the Ferrari in for its second stop on lap 40 and Fisichella
came in a lap later. But the Italian slid straight off as
he rejoined, and Michael nipped through and into a 10 second
lead.
There was no surprise that Fisichella eased up and allowed
Alonso to overtake but by then Michael Schumacher was heading
to the chequered flag, drawing level with Alonso in the championship.
Renault, however, regained a tiny one point lead in the Constructors.
Heidfeld was heading for fourth place when he was blocked
by a slower car and hit by the closely following Barrichello
who spun him, so Button nipped through for fourth, de la Rosa
claimed fifth and Barrichello sixth from the recovered Heidfeld
and Webber. The FIA were investigating the incident late on
Sunday night.
Massa fought his way up from the back to the grid to fifth
before his pit stop, rejoining tenth and then working his
way up to ninth before his car-damaging collision with Coulthard.
The championship now moves to Japan next weekend before the
finale in Brazil. Michael Schumacher can win the championship
next weekend, but Alonso cannot
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