Formula One: Miracles do happen!

Kimi Raikkonen

The team which began life in Formula One as Jordan, now reborn as Force India, was locked in a battle with the legendary Scuderia Ferrari team, for much of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. Giancarlo Fisichella pulled off a stunning performance in qualifying, clinched the pole position and at the start of the Grand Prix it seemed as if he was set to spring another surprise. The importance of a top spot in qualifying was validated when Championship leader Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were sidelined by first lap incidents as the anxious drivers jostled for room in ever decreasing spaces. When the carnage was over, Fisichella resumed duties at the front but an impatient Kimi Raikkonen would have none of it. Kimi, making use of Ferrari’s KERS, blew by Fisichella and took the lead. With Kimi in the lead, one would have thought that the Ferrari would leave the Force India for dead. But Fisichella had other ideas and completed a stellar job of driving at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Thanks to KERS

Benefitting from Mclaren Mercedes’s technical support and Mercedes power (having switched from Ferrari power) Fisichella‘s Force India car worked well. The chasis was very stable and the car remained reliable for the duration of the race. Kimi could not get rid of Fisichella who stuck to the Ferrari’s gearbox like a bad habit. Kimi should be eternally grateful to KERS because without the ‘boost’ the system provides, it would have been rather difficult to maintain his lead, in front of the relentless Fisichella.

Miracle

Ferrari to date has over 780 races in Formula One and has amassed over 4000 points. Force India on the other hand – a handful of races and no points. With the win, Ferrari has avoided its first winless season since 1993, but in my books, all praises go to Fisichella who accomplished nothing short of a miracle by taking the unknown Force India to not only a points scoring position, but to second overall, after giving Kimi and Ferrari hell.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-line Writer