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F1 COLUMNS
McLaren Bounce Back…Again!

Each race weekend seems to be about McLaren. Everyone comments about their speed, the skill of their drivers, how they are the form team and then something inevitably goes wrong. Welcome to Hungary.

In Germany it was Raikkonen who suffered a failure; in Hungary it was the turn of Juan Pablo Montoya. So for McLaren's benefit perhaps some explanations are necessary - F1 is a sport whereby each team endeavours to get two cars to the end of the race on the same day. McLaren should be leading the driver’s championship and they should also be leading the constructor’s championship.

The problem isn't cowboy drivers who take each other out but a lack of reliability. If the likes of Jordan can get both cars to complete the race then why can't McLaren? Yes, so McLaren are pushing the boundaries and seems that they are also crossing those boundaries and it isn't paying off! Kimi drove a great race and secured 10 points for his day in the sauna that was his car.

Michael Schumacher claimed his 64th career pole on Saturday afternoon. It really was a stonker of a lap. Ferrari has not been on top of their game lately, in fact their performances have been dismal but they have been the best team on Bridgestone tyres although when your only competition is a Minardi and a Jordan that's not really anything to be particularly proud of. But let's not detract from Michael's super qualifying lap because it was definitely something to write home about - nearly a second quicker than second man on the grid.

The race pace of the Ferrari is not impressive though and the moment the McLaren had a chance to stretch its legs it did exactly that.

With the early retirement of Juancho and not much competition from anyone else Michael claimed second place. Baby brother Ralf did try to cuddle up to Michael towards the end of the race but Schumi senior refused to give his kid boet any tender loving care. Rumours have been circulating that Rubens is set to join BAR next season presumably in favour of Sato. Little embarrassing for Rubens to be beaten by the Japanese driver then, isn't it?

With the imminent birth of his second son (to be christened Fernando - does Rubino's wife have a secret crush on a certain young, hunky Spanish driver?) the Brazilian can almost be excused for not performing. Rubens finished in 10th spot just behind Fisichella.

The Renaults had an absolute nightmare of a weekend and it will be one that they will be hoping will never be repeated again. The team came to Hungary hungry for victory and expected to be top dog. What they got was a nasty surprise instead.

A disappointing qualifying saw both drivers start lower than normal on the grid in 6th and 9th. A nudge from Ralf Schumacher's rear right tyre saw Alonso losing his front wing in dramatic fashion and causing the demise of David Coulthard.

Pitting for a new nose basically put an end to Alonso's hopes of scoring points. Fisi had a few little trips on the grass and through the kitty litter and got stuck behind the Williams boys. So no points for Alonso means that his win at Hockenheim is effectively nullified. At least it makes the championship more exciting.

The Red Bulls also had a disastrous race. In fact both cars were out of the race before the first 5 laps were over. According to Christian Horner both cars were fat with fuel and were expected to perform well and score more points for the team but even the best-laid plans sometimes come to nought. Klien caught one of the Saubers and ended up rolling his car.

That must have been a scary moment which is just as well that Hungary is such a hot race because other bodily fluids can very cleverly be disguised as sweat! DC tripped over Alonso's front wing as it flew of the car and had a heavy spin.

'Lucky' David got a lift back to the pits with three Hungarian babes so he wasn't complaining too bitterly - perhaps that's not something you should be advertising too loudly DC, you never know when your girlfriend could be listening.

Toyota was one of the revelations of the weekend. Trulli has gained a reputation of having the widest rear in F1 and Ralf hasn’t been much of a shining star. This weekend all that changed. Jarno had a fantastic qualifying session and started from third on the grid with Ralf only 2 spots behind. Both drivers managed to steer clear of trouble and just got on with it.

Ralf wasn't able to overtake big brother in the final stages of the race but Ralf has never been much of an overtaker. Nevertheless Ralf finished with his first podium for Toyota with Trulli right behind him in 4th. Good on you, boys!

Another impressive team this weekend was…drum roll please…Williams. There is so much going on within the team - engine suppliers, drivers, untested aero pieces that many other teams in their position wouldn't be pushing but this is a team that just does not give up.

Saturday qualifying was really horrible but the reason seems to be fuel. Somehow the strategy worked for Williams. Nobody expected them to be anywhere near the points finishers yet both drivers scored for the team.

It seems likely that Williams are going to be powered by Cosworth engines next year but who will be driving for the team still remains a mystery. Sir Frank is insistent that it's going to be Jenson but the Brit seems to think that he is better off at BAR. Wonder if this little dispute is going to head to court? At least it would provide some entertainment for the off-season.

Speaking of BAR, they had an okay performance. Not fantastic but not awful. Sato finally managed to score points. Yes, you read right - Sato scored points. Well actually just the one point which means that he is still chasing the likes of Karthikeyan, Monteiro and Albers in the championship race. Seems that 13 is lucky for some after all.

Both Saubers had problems. The mechanics managed to repair Massa's smoking car but allowed Jackie Villeneuve to continue. Massa actually finished the race albeit a good few laps down whereas Jackie Villeneuve ended up having to take a long, slow, scorching hot walk back to the pits.

Jordan and Minardi took the minor places but it must be mentioned that young Christian Albers is starting to generate some interest. It would appear that it is not only Flavio Briatore who has a knack for spotting talent. Or perhaps Paul Stoddard just has a knack for accepting money from the right people? It’s possible that this is one rookie who will actually have a future in F1.

So now the teams have a 3-week break and F1 fans around the world ponder what to do on a Sunday afternoon. Not even reading the latest Harry Potter holds any appeal. Three weeks can be a really long time in the life of an F1 addict. Guess there are always the reruns!

So the circus returns in Turkey on a brand new circuit. Will it be McLaren or Renault or perhaps Minardi will be thrown into the mix (a little optimism never hurt anyone). Let's hope that the next 21 days fly by quickly because withdrawal is never a pretty sight!