It was humiliating, if nothing less. But, amidst all the pain, I could still see some relief, which makes me love the sport even more.

The prelude:

• There was scarlet everywhere. The grandstands, people’s clothes, even the special safety car was a Ferrari scarlet. There were Tifosi everywhere.
• The day was bright and sunny. But the spy scandal clouds loomed large over certain teams at the paddock.
• Kimi Raikkonnen pushes as hard as possible and crashes his car during practice. Massa plays a relatively conservative role till qualifying.
• The McLarens set Monza on fire all the way to find themselves on the front row of the starting grid.

The race:

• I loved Massa’s rage; despite being pushed onto the grass, he overtook Hamilton for the second spot. But wasn’t for long. Never mind. It’s part of racing.
• Mechanical failure for Massa. Tough to take on, hard to believe it could’ve happened at Monza, but still, it’s part of racing. Disappointment for the fans and the engineers too, but it’s some learning for Massa’s race engineers. Technology, testing, improvisation is all they think about. They sure would’ve been utterly disappointed, but still, it’s technology and mechanics they’re more interested in.
• Kimi, his car, his engineers and Ferrari’s strategy: I stand up to salute them. It was by far the bravest effort put up by the team. On such a tough and scorching track, going for the one-stop strategy, with heavier fuel and hard tyres on the second stint. I can’t find words to appreciate them! Look at the track; you have corners where you brake from 350 kmph! How tough it must have been on the brakes! Kimi’s done a wonderful job by taking the car in one piece across the start-finish line. The team knows they’ve done their best.
• Alonso. Look at the way he drove in the few laps before he was supposed to pit for the second time. Driven by his own instinct, further fuelled by the fact that Kimi is on a one-stop strategy, and more impeded by Hamilton behind he’s provided us some real good display of perfect racing. I hope he gets into the best team for him next year!
• BMW: going stronger by the race weekend. They should be serious competitors next year. Heidfeld is as consistent as ever. Kubica picked up in the latter half of this season.

The end:
Yeah, it’s humiliating. No Ferrari on top. McLaren 1-2 adds salt to the wound.

The future:

• Many sides are waiting with varied expectations for September 13
• Formula One fans are waiting for the treat of the season in Spa this weekend! If Monza is the “hottest” track on the calendar, Spa is not lesser! The settings, environment and the atmosphere at Spa are nonetheless fascinating. So, Spa Francorchamps it will be. In less than a week.