Top 5 Drives of 2006
January 14th 2007 00:49
In no particular order:
Michael Schumacher – Brazil:
In his last race, Schumi was supreme. He didn’t win, he didn’t even make the podium – but he was awesome. Forced to start from tenth after a mechanical problem in qualifying, Schumacher stormed to fifth by lap nine, but was forced to pit with a puncture, rejoining 19th. Still, he didn’t give up hope, and drove at a second a lap faster than the field to scythe his way to a hard-fought fourth place, taking his heir apparent in brilliant style along the way.
Takuma Sato – Brazil:
Taku had been solid in the hopeless Super Aguri all year – but in Brazil he found speed not thought imaginable in such a slow car. He spectacularly raced and beat Red Bulls, Torro Rossos and Spykers for a fantastic 10th place – and went on to set the 9th fastest lap of the day.
Mark Webber – Monaco:
The pain of Webber’s miserable year was almost temporarily numbed when he found himself P2 on the grid at the Principality. He struggled to hold back an irresistibly fast Kimi Raikkonen, but clung to the pace set by the leading pair of Fernando and Kimi. He kept Montoya at bay, and at times, seemed to be reeling Kimi’s McLaren in, but on lap 48, it all came to tragic, smoky end. The frustration was all too evident when Webber slammed his steering wheel back into the cockpit of his smouldering Williams.
Jenson Button – Hungary:
Weather wreaked havoc at the Hungaroring, catching many out – but Jenson and Honda played the tyre game right and came out victorious. Although attrition played a major role in Jenson’s maiden victory, any drive from P14 to P1 is nothing short of heroic. He had a great start - picking off opponents at will, and was right up in front before the first round of stops. An excellent breakthrough for a driver who was under immense pressure to win.
Felipe Massa / Fernando Alonso – Turkey:
A split gong for Massa and Alonso after each man put in stellar performances in Turkey. Massa outclassed Michael all weekend, taking pole by three tenths from the German and pulling ahead of his teammate and Alonso to win his first ever race. Michael ended up losing out to Alonso after queuing in the pits behind Massa during a safety car – and spent the rest of the race heaping on pressure on
his Spanish title rival. Fernando, with fading tyres, though was unwavering. He kept the far quicker Ferrari at bay for around 30 laps, and crossed the finish line a breath ahead., The official timed gap read Alonso as 0.081 seconds ahead. First and second place in Turkey were earned from two career-defining drives from two highly skilled drivers.
Michael Schumacher – Brazil:
Takuma Sato – Brazil:
Mark Webber – Monaco:
Jenson Button – Hungary:
Felipe Massa / Fernando Alonso – Turkey:
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