What the papers say

[Wizzo]

'Fernando Alonso leaned over from the podium after finishing second in the Chinese grand prix and, in long-established tradition, dropped a magnum of champagne into the clutches of his loyal Renault mechanics. Sadly, the mechanic concerned fumbled the catch and the bottle shattered ignominiously on the pit lane. Seconds later Michael Schumacher, celebrating his 91st career victory, did the same and his Ferrari colleague caught it with stylish aplomb. 

'Somehow this symbolic little cameo summed up a day on which Alonso should have delivered Renault a dominant victory only for the Spaniard to see it slip through his fingers by a sequence of unfortunate events and sheer bad luck.

'The two protagonists will now go into next Sunday's Japanese grand prix at Suzuka equal on 116 points, making it almost certain that the season-ending Brazilian grand prix at Interlagos on October 22 will not only be the last race of Schumacher's career but also the world championship decider in one of the closest-fought campaigns in formula one history' - Alan Henry, The Guardian.


'If Giancarlo Fisichella's performance in China yesterday was a guide, Renault are going to be in trouble in 2007. The Italian could have taken a damage-limiting victory over Michael Schumacher, once the early leader Fernando Alonso had run into trouble. Instead, a mistake from the Italian gifted the German his seventh win of the season and the 91st of his career.

'And it gave him the lead for the first time in the 2006 title chase even though he and Alonso, who recovered to finish second, share 116 points; Schumacher has seven wins to Alonso's six.

'The Italian, who will lead Renault next year as Alonso transfers to McLaren, looked as crestfallen as he had after losing to Raikkonen in Japan last year in similar circumstances. And well he might have' - David Tremayne, The Independent.


'Fernando Alonso must wonder sometimes what he has to do to stop Michael Schumacher. Possibly a Dracula-style stake through the heart might do it because, although the German seven-times world champion is just two races from retirement, he is driving with as much passion, pace and tenacity as ever.

'With his seventh victory of the season in difficult, damp conditions at the Shanghai International Raceway yesterday, Schumacher finally took Alonso's season-long lead in this year's drivers' championship and thus continued a Ferrari fightback that is among the best in the Scuderia's long and glorious history.

'The race had earlier witnessed an impressive exhibition of seat-of-the-pants driving by Kimi Räikkönen, the flying Finn, who is due to replace Schumacher at Ferrari next season. Räikkönen gunned his McLaren Mercedes from fifth on the grid up to second place behind Alonso at the expense of the two Honda drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. But in a repeat of an all-too familiar pattern, Räikkönen was let down by his car, which suffered a failure of its engine throttle mechanism on lap 19, forcing his retirement for the sixth time in a season in which he has yet to win.

'The switch to dry tyres from intermediate wets provided plenty of thrills as one driver after another came back out on track and ran the gauntlet under smoother rubber' - Edward Gorman, The Times.


'Michael Schumacher is close to one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history after a shock victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. Should Schumacher, who now has seven victories this season to Alonso's six, triumph at his favourite circuit and Alonso fail to score, Schumacher's position would be unassailable by virtue of winning more races, making the last round in Brazil on Oct 22 academic' - Kevin Garside, The Daily Telegraph.