Just finished qualies in Monza. Didn't particularly have ecstatic feelings going into this weekend. Kimi never seems to have much luck in Monza regardless which team he drives for. He's placed podium numerous times but that win always seems to escape him. And after the disappointment of SPA, I have a feeling the Lotus E-20 is behind on the development curve coming out of the summer break relative to the other front runners of the WDC and WCC.
Nonetheless, at least he is in the top 10 - ahead of Fernando Alonso! Hehehe, I dunno what it is but Alonso has never been this unlucky. In fact, I would say that he's been the luckiest of all the WDC. With talent, of course. Ferrari with Fernando were looking good for pole position all weekend but apparently something called a roll bar broke on the rear of his car at the beginning of the Q3 shootout and he was unable to set a competitive time. Thus he starts in 10th. While Kimi finished in 8th but gets upgraded to 7th because Paul DiResta has a 5-place grid penalty due to his gearbox change.
Yeah, that Renault engine is looking sketchy this week. The Mercedes and Ferrari both have had the measure of the Renault this whole weekend so far. We'll just have to see if that dominance continues tomorrow during the race. Martin Brundle commented that Kimi was setting impressive race pace on high fuel loads during FP2 yesterday and both Lotus were fastest in the speed trap. That sounds promising but Kimi can't make the most out of his speed if he's gonna get stuck behind slower cars as Monza is a circuit that punishes you if you have to sit behind the dirty air of another car for long periods.
Okay, enough bla, bla, bla. Just gonna have to see what the race will bring. I want Kimi to win but the Mercs of the McLarens are looking far too racy so the best I can hope for is a continuance of his podium runs. This would make him a truly serious WDC title contender. However, realistically, I'm just hoping he grabs enough points to jump Mark Webber for third and stay ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the points standings. That would essentially mean he would have to finish 5th at the most. Till tomorrow.....
