Volume 1 (1999/2000)
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Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
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Thoughts from the Pit Lane

Troy Murphy
Ballincollig CS, Cork

Finally it's happened, Michael Schumacher has succeeded in his quest to bring the formula one world championships back to Ferrari for the first time since Jody Scheckter clinched it in nineteen seventy-nine. Schumacher clinched the title in thrilling fashion at the penultimate grand prix of the season causing heartbreak for his championship rival Mika Hakkinen. Even I, an avid McLaran and Hakkinen fan, cannot help but feel a slight bit of happiness for Ferrari and their millions of supporters. However, I can't feel happy for Michael Schumacher.

His actions this season have been utterly deplorable. Schumacher needs to sit back take a good hard look at himself and realise that he is not the only man allowed to win a formula one race. A prime example of this came at this year's German grand prix when Schumacher cut across Benetton's Giarcarlo Fisichilla and left the driver nowhere to go but straight into the back of Schumacher's Ferrari. This fierce competition is nothing new in F1. However Schumacher then had the audacity to try to blame Fisichilla for the accident. This is just one of the incidents that has forged my opinion of Schumacher.

Another topic of discussion this season has been the question as to who will be the team to make the most significant steps forward and will threaten the dominance of MacLaren and Ferrari? At the moment the main threats appear to be Williams (with their surprisingly reliable BMW engine). Jordan who have recently signed a works Honda deal, Bar who are improving all the time with the hugely talented Jacques Villeneux leading the charge and Benetton who have recently signed to become Renault in 2002. At the moment I would say that Williams will be the team to step up and challenge the big two. They are a team steeped in winning tradition and having recently taken back the amazing Juan Pablo Montoya from CART. So for now it seems that Ferrari will be keeping the world championships warm for a season while Mika Hakkinen and MacLaren regroup and ready themselves for an assault on the coming season. Ferrari beware!

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