Opinion

Victory At Monza

The victory at Monza was a beautiful one and all the more welcome after the incident at Spa. Justice was served when Coulthard's formerly conquering Mercedes gave up while he was leading with the ensuing smoke and oil allowing Michael to pounce on Hakinnen in a daring manner. It was a wonderful sight to see the joy of the tifosi as Michael led the race and Eddie's solid drive to second place finished the perfect Italian Grand Prix. In the face of all the criticism the team and Michael have been taking since Spa, hopefully this will silence all the hacks and doubters in the media. Monza showed that you can have the fastest car in the world but if you don't have a car that will last the distance and no skillfull drivers at the wheel, you can toss the car on the junk heap.

Take A Lesson From Ferrari

Being a tifosi, it has been very amusing to see McLaren's gradual demise this year. From being the all conquering Silver Arrows at the beginning of the season they seem to have become the miserable Dull Grey Disappointments in the space of fourteen races. In theory McLaren could and should have tied up both the Driver's and Constructor's Championships by now but thanks to their inability to produce a car that lasts the distance and think tactically they find that with only two races to go they are still uncertain if they will take any titles at all this year. Despite being the dominant team this year one has to ask why their race strategies are always reactive rather than proactive which Ferrari's have been. If McLaren want to take the title they must, as Ferrari have, think of winning races rather than defending them. Against all the odds this season, Ferrari have won when they have been on the attack and have out driven McLaren not only with skill and reliability but with the belief that they can win against the odds.

Shuey, a Deserving 1998 World Champion?

It seems that many in the press feel that if Michael does win the championship this year, he would do so undeservedly. What? I hear many of you cry in disbelief. Yes, it seems that there is growing criticism of Michael because they beleive him to be unorthodox and "ungentlemanly". Well lets put one thing straight. Anybody who believes that F1 has always been a gentleman's sport can get off the bus now because it never has been. A forceful approach and attacking style has always been part of a world champion's armoury and that is why Michael is a two times world champion while many others have never won a single race.

Another reason Michael deserves to win the 98 Championship is because in a sport which is supposed to be entertaining, Michael has been the only source of interest all year. The McLarens so called "dominance" has been the biggest turn off in many years and only Michael and Eddie's passionate drives have provided entertainment this year. People don't watch races so that they can see two grey cars passing backmarkers, they want to see action. Michael's performances in Argentina, Canada and Hungary stand out as examples of what F1 should be about, pure speed, skill and determination. F1 Racing magazine recently described Michael's Hungary win as "One of the mightiest drives in the history of the sport. If you were there, tell all your friends about it. If you weren't, one day you'll tell your grandchildren you were." Can anybody say that about any of Hakinnen's wins this year? I think not.