Analysis: Ferrari Still Able to Astonish

Even in the most one-sided Formula One season in years, champions Ferrari still have the ability to astonish.

Their eighth one-two finish in 15 races was met with some amazement as Brazilian Rubens Barrichello led seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher across the line in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

It was one of the Maranello team's most dominant performances of the year but it had looked far from that initially.

With Schumacher spinning off on the first lap, rejoining at the rear, and Barrichello pitting for new tyres after just five laps, the glorious homecoming could so easily have turned into a nightmare.

Instead clever strategy, and Ferrari's ability to lap far faster than their rivals in the heat of battle, paid off.

"At the beginning of the race I thought maybe it would be our first race without scoring points," confessed team boss Jean Todt afterwards. "Then I thought one or two points and slowly the points were improving."

"I'm almost lost for words," added technical director Ross Brawn. "It looked like a disaster after five laps and then we finished first and second - fantastic."

Ferrari left Monza with 234 points scored from a possible 270 in the Constructors' Championship, far more than they managed last year in 17 races, and every expectation of more wins to come.

Already with more wins (12) in a single season than any other driver in the history of Formula One, Schumacher should be back on the top step of the podium soon - possibly in the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

Warning Note

But even as the motorhomes were being packed up around him in the Monza paddock, with teams turning their backs on Europe for the season's three final long-haul races, Todt was sounding a note of warning.

All may be well with Ferrari on the track, but Formula One as a whole is suffering off it. Some of the teams were struggling and unless something was done, the Frenchman said, they might not be back.

"Clearly I feel that we should share more revenues, but that's not a secret," said Todt. "As long as major manufacturers are involved (in Formula One), it will cost money and then its very difficult for the small teams to get engines and to find the money.

"The economic situation is not very good, so definitely there are some risks of losing teams next year - one, two, three and then it will definitely damage Formula One. We have seen some teams which have disappeared - Prost and Arrows. Some teams are really struggling...the balance is not easy."

The same theme was hammered home by Ferrari and Fiat president Luca di Montezemolo, who used the Monza weekend as an opportunity to renew his calls for more transparency and a greater share of the revenues for the teams.

"A certain era is finished," he declared.

"We have to look at something new which is totally acceptable to the players who at the moment get only 47 percent of the money from the TV rights and nothing from the tickets, advertising and other sources of income.

"Now is the time to find a solution or we have to think carefully about the future....it is not possible for teams to survive with what is an unacceptably low level of revenues."