Formula 1: Alonso and Ferrari illuminate the night in Singapore

The round at Marina Bay, Singapore is now being touted as 1 of the main events on the F1 calendar. The race on Sunday confirmed why. At a spectacular location which boasts an unforgiving street circuit, notorious for its treachery, the world’s best drivers showed up for battle.

Only a chainsaw could cut the visible tension along the pitwall! It was that thick. The commentators kept reminding the captive audience, that no other season, as far back as a few decades ago, has had five drivers jostling for the world championship (with a handful of races left). A more intense, intriguing and highly contested championship could not have been arranged, even if Bernie employed the match fixing detail plaguing cricket worldwide!

The mob in Mel Gibson’s epic, Mad Max, had a blood thirsty chant – “Two men enter, 1 man leaves!” F1 modified it, but the outcome is the same – “Five men enter, 1 man leaves!”

Webber led the championship going into Sunday’s race. The race, the pundits thought, was Red Bull Racing’s (RBR) to lose. All bets were hinged on their superior chassis. Alonso extinguished that flame in 1 bullfight by stealing pole from Vettel.

Alonso
Alonso’s departure when the red lights faded was purposeful. As rapid as lightning, he moved over, blocked Vettel’s forward motion and paddle-shifted to P1. Miraculously the field survived the first few laps unscathed, but a safety car period on lap 3 prompted a strategy revision for Webber.

Alonso had suggested that he needed to finish in the points in all of the remaining races and despite a mechanical scare during practice, his faith in the F10 and his focus were neither shaken nor stirred.

Hamilton, on the other hand, was a silly as calves! He allowed his frustration in Monza and his hunger to cloud his judgement. While wrestling for 3rd, Hamilton employed a hurried and impatient attempt to pass a moving brick wall – Webber. Webber is as friendless as an alarm clock when he is behind the wheel! Both machines made contact and Lewis’s fortunes joined the marbles off-line. Points – zero!

At the front RBR monitored Vettel’s delicate machine. Alonso’s Ferrari was bulletproof. Alonso remained resolute and even when Vettel got the green light to ‘push’, Alonso and the F10 were as elusive as quicksilver!

With the unexpected win, Alonso and Ferrari improve their prospects. Alonso is now 2nd in the championship, 11 points behind Webber. Any predictions for Japan?

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer