World champion Michael Schumacher proved his resilience when he took a hat-trick of defeats in his stride to return to the top of the pile in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The German driver had become more accustomed than normal to jumping on to the top step of the podium this season after winning a record 12 of the opening 13 races on his way to a seventh world championship title.
His form faltered in Belgium in August, when he was beaten fair and square by McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, and he then succumbed to two more defeats, to Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello, in Italy and China in September.
But after one of the worst grands prix in his 211-race career in Shanghai, where he qualified in a career-low 17th place and finished in a career-low 12th position, he bounced back the only way he knows how.
He led from start to finish on the tricky Suzuka track after qualifying on pole and his technical director, Ross Brawn, said: ”It’s typical Michael. When things get a little bit tough he gets quiet and introspective.
”He is an incredible professional already, but I have noticed it before, he just gets a little bit more focused, a little bit more concentrated and it is a very positive thing.
”He asked to do a test between China and Japan and really the test was not hugely significant but he just wanted to do some driving after China and he went to Jerez.
”I think he broke the lap record. He wanted just to polish his technique a little bit and he came here this weekend with his normal high level of determination and maybe a bit more.”
Ferrari have been dominant this season but their closest challengers this year, BAR-Honda, enjoyed another successful weekend as Briton Jenson Button and Japan’s Takuma Sato finished third and fourth respectively.
After a run of strong results in the past four races, the team have now virtually sealed the championship runners-up spot behind Ferrari, with Renault needing to claw back 16 points in the one remaining race.
Third-place Renault will be rueing their decision to ditch Italian Jarno Trulli and bring in Canadian Jacques Villeneuve for the final three races of the season after the former champion failed to perform again.
Villeneuve, who returned in China after almost a year on the sidelines, blamed a lack of fitness and an inability to get used to this year’s crop of ultra-fast cars for his struggles.
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore is now resigned to defeat and said: ”This was a disappointing result after a difficult weekend. Looking to Brazil it is hard to remain hopeful about our championship chances.”
Schumacher, meanwhile, will be racing for fun at Interlagos and he displayed that fun means winning with a sublime display in Japan on Sunday.
The German is known for his intense attention to detail and one of his greatest talents throughout his career has been his ability to improve his performance by working closely with the team around him.
One of his weaknesses is his potential to crack under pressure, which was shown in Monaco this year when he crashed out in the tunnel and also at the last race in China, where he spun in both qualifying and the race.
But it is his ability to shut out the disappointments and work towards the next race that singled him out for success in Japan. He is now even more eager to end the year on a high in Brazil.
Brazilian Barrichello, who failed to finish in Japan after crashing with McLaren-Mercedes driver David Coulthard, is desperate to win on home soil after years of disappointment.
But Schumacher is already looking ahead and warned: ”I guess everybody likes to win his home grand prix, but I am sorry but I feel like I want to win another grand prix as well this year.
”We have nothing, in a way, to win other than the single grand prix and that’s actually a good thing.
”I’m pretty sure Rubens will be very strong there. He likes the competition and he likes it if he earns it without any support, I am pretty sure of that. But first we have to do the job.” — Sapa-AFP
Predictable win for Schumacher