Strangely, a lot of tempers
flaring in Nürnburgring. Alonso and Massa having words (in Italian, no less, a connoisseurs choice for a heated argument ...) - just imagine them spinning out and the podium being Webber-Wurz-Coulthard! That overtaking situation wasn't very straightforward though, since grip was very different off the driving line. I couldn't make up my mind who was "more in the right" there. Needless to say that wet weather driving has never seemed like Massa's forté and perhaps Fernando was even a bit too aggressive, he could've taken the lead a bit later as he wasn't short of opportunities. Of course he didn't have forever as the track started to dry again.
Theissen wasn't too happy with his drivers running into each other. Neither Heidfeld nor Kubica admitted being responsible for their little ballet twirl, which, in the "ifs and buts land" cost BMW Sauber a podium finish. Details here:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61063 . That was nothing compared to the atmosphere at STR though ... their press release ("Nothing to say" - in its entirety) was an understatement indeed as it failed to mention that Speed was actually in the receiving end of a physical altercation by his boss Franz Tost! Liuzzi didn't spin off by his own accord either, but suffered a technical malfunction, a piece of information obviously omitted from the STR "communiqué" also. More to follow later, but I doubt it will be championship points at this level of co-operation. I wonder what Bourdais has (optionally) signed up for next year ... details here:
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/38913/
I wonder if, in the future, we're going to see more drivers who get stuck in gravel traps just sitting put in their cars, engines running in safe mode, until they're hoisted back on the track? What isn't forbidden ... to me, it's OK under safety car but otherwise ... it isn't often, though, that that many cars end up aquaplaning at the same exact spot. The Spa crash wasn't similar, but the situation did remind me of a certain Brazilian GP when the pouring water formed areas of flowing water over the circuit. Perhaps I'm a bit of a "dry" person, but rainy races aren't my favourite ones ... the cars, while manageable (most of the time), just don't function in any relevant range of performance when it's pouring q.e.d. the first shower.
Then under the "would you believe it" section is the fact that every time Schumi has been on the Ferrari pit wall things have gone seriously wrong for Kimi. Not once on the podium on those races. Add to that the fact that he has DNF'd because of technical reasons (and freaky ones at that like the rear wing coming off ...) what must be coming close to ten times in German GP's and one couldn't be blamed for betting that something happened this time also. Perhaps he needs to wear some garlic and holy water to his next German GP, or whenever Michael makes an appearance. It can't hurt.
It's mostly tighter now in the championship, for a bit of rain and some less than properly fastened wheel nuts ... oddly reminiscent of Hungary last year, in fact. Some solid racing, but overall, not a good quality race in my books.