Michael Schumacher's 91st and final F1 win was classic Schumacher.
In qualifying, Schumacher was a lowly sixth on the grid with title
rival Fernando Alonso on pole position, with just two points
between them – 108 vs 106 in Alonso's favour. By this time, it had
already been announced that Schumacher was retiring at the end of
the season – or rather gently guided towards the Maranello exit
door by Ferrari management keen to sign Kimi Raikkonen for 2007, so
Schumacher's hopes of a record-extending eighth world title
depended on the final three races, the first of which was China.
In the previous two editions in Shanghai, Schumacher had finished
an off-the-pace 12th in 2004 and spun out in 2005, meaning he had
never scored a point at the circuit, and in the early stages of the
race, it appeared as if his hopes of a win were set to be dashed.
The article continues below. At the start, Alonso bolted in the
damp conditions, his Michelin tyres favouring the conditions more
than the Bridgestones bolted to the Ferrari, as Giancarlo Fischella
did his best 'Trulli Train' impression to allow his team leader to
escape up the road. As Schumacher navigated through the traffic, he
was about 20 seconds behind Alonso when he stopped for a top-up of
fuel, but did not change tyres as the drying conditions began to
favour the Bridgestones. But crucially, when he stopped one lap
later, Alonso did change some tyres – but not all. Renault elected
to only change the front tyres and keep the rear ones on amid
concerns from the reigning champion that the rubber could not last
until the transition to dry tyres. This would prove a costly
mistake. As Alonso struggled for grip, both Fisichella and
Schumacher passed him on Laps 29 and 30, respectively, handing the
Spanish racer a lot of work to do. By Lap 35, Alonso decided it
was time for those dry tyres and made the change, but a slow stop
with a wheel nut issue cost him nearly 20 seconds as he rejoined in
fourth, whilst Schumacher undercut Fisichella on the pit exit ,
aided by the Italian slipping wide as he tried to get his Michelins
up to temperature. But Alonso then set a ferocious pace, carving
great chunks of time out of Schumacher, but the old regenmeister
wasn't about to surrender that easily. At the flag, Alonso's
pursuit fell 3.121s short to bring the two title protagonists level
on 116 points apiece, Schumacher ahead on countback – seven wins to
six. The article continues below. But the fairytale would not
happen. Heading to Suzuka for the Japanese GP next time out,
Schumacher was leading and just 17 laps from a crucial victory,
when his Ferrari engine lunched itself and cried enough. As he
passed, Alonso punched the air in celebration, taking 10 crucial
points to lead 126-116 and saw out the Brazil finale to win the
title by 13 points. Schumacher's tally of 91 wins would not be
eclipsed until 2020, when Lewis Hamilton secured his 92nd career
win in the Portuguese Grand Prix, going on to further extend the
record to 105, at the time of writing.
In qualifying, Schumacher was a lowly sixth on the grid with title
rival Fernando Alonso on pole position, with just two points
between them – 108 vs 106 in Alonso's favour. By this time, it had
already been announced that Schumacher was retiring at the end of
the season – or rather gently guided towards the Maranello exit
door by Ferrari management keen to sign Kimi Raikkonen for 2007, so
Schumacher's hopes of a record-extending eighth world title
depended on the final three races, the first of which was China.
In the previous two editions in Shanghai, Schumacher had finished
an off-the-pace 12th in 2004 and spun out in 2005, meaning he had
never scored a point at the circuit, and in the early stages of the
race, it appeared as if his hopes of a win were set to be dashed.
The article continues below. At the start, Alonso bolted in the
damp conditions, his Michelin tyres favouring the conditions more
than the Bridgestones bolted to the Ferrari, as Giancarlo Fischella
did his best 'Trulli Train' impression to allow his team leader to
escape up the road. As Schumacher navigated through the traffic, he
was about 20 seconds behind Alonso when he stopped for a top-up of
fuel, but did not change tyres as the drying conditions began to
favour the Bridgestones. But crucially, when he stopped one lap
later, Alonso did change some tyres – but not all. Renault elected
to only change the front tyres and keep the rear ones on amid
concerns from the reigning champion that the rubber could not last
until the transition to dry tyres. This would prove a costly
mistake. As Alonso struggled for grip, both Fisichella and
Schumacher passed him on Laps 29 and 30, respectively, handing the
Spanish racer a lot of work to do. By Lap 35, Alonso decided it
was time for those dry tyres and made the change, but a slow stop
with a wheel nut issue cost him nearly 20 seconds as he rejoined in
fourth, whilst Schumacher undercut Fisichella on the pit exit ,
aided by the Italian slipping wide as he tried to get his Michelins
up to temperature. But Alonso then set a ferocious pace, carving
great chunks of time out of Schumacher, but the old regenmeister
wasn't about to surrender that easily. At the flag, Alonso's
pursuit fell 3.121s short to bring the two title protagonists level
on 116 points apiece, Schumacher ahead on countback – seven wins to
six. The article continues below. But the fairytale would not
happen. Heading to Suzuka for the Japanese GP next time out,
Schumacher was leading and just 17 laps from a crucial victory,
when his Ferrari engine lunched itself and cried enough. As he
passed, Alonso punched the air in celebration, taking 10 crucial
points to lead 126-116 and saw out the Brazil finale to win the
title by 13 points. Schumacher's tally of 91 wins would not be
eclipsed until 2020, when Lewis Hamilton secured his 92nd career
win in the Portuguese Grand Prix, going on to further extend the
record to 105, at the time of writing.
The post Michael Schumacher outclasses Fernando Alonso for record-breaking final F1 win appeared first on RacingNews365.