Second Fiddle
Fernando Alonso's public image underwent a change for the worse at the Italian Grand Prix. The controversial penalty on Saturday and his retirement on Sunday, followed by his attack on Michael Schumacher later, meant the Renault driver made the headlines for the wrong reasons for the first time this year. Richard Barnes looks at how the championship balance seems to be swinging
From the time it became known that Michael Schumacher would make his all-important announcement following Sunday's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the race itself was always destined to be little more than the appetizer for the 'big moment' afterwards.
It is hard to imagine the GP playing second fiddle to any other event in Italy over the race weekend. And, for the legions of tifosi, the GP (particularly with a victory for Ferrari) was again the highlight of the annual racing calendar. For the rest of the world, each successive lap on Sunday brought us closer not to the chequered flag, but to the long-awaited announcement by the most successful driver of his (or any other) era.
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No Man's Land
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