Massa or Hamilton??

Well, it's that time of the year again when the Formula 1 championship title is up for grabs. This time around it is a One on One Battle among Hamilton and Massa.

Here's how it stands. 1 race left. Brazil, Massa's home race. He's already won this race in 2006 for Ferrari and he won it the last year too, well, technically speaking, He let Kimi pass him in the last lap so that Kimi could win the Title. But this time around, Kimi is not in Contention and its just Massa against Hamilton. Massa needs to win this race, nothing else. Just the victory. And pray that luck will favour him and Hamilton finishes less than 6th place.

In my opinion, this is one of the worst seasons ever. Ferrari has never ever raced this poorly. They've won just 10 of the 17 races. But it's not the numbers I'm concerned about. They lacked quality. Pit stops are THE best forte of Ferrari. They screwed that up So many times in this season. Driver's mistakes, team mistakes, seriously disappointing. As a Ferrari fan, it's very disturbing to watch the best team perform like some 2nd grade amateurs.

But Mclaren haven't been all perfect either. I mean, as a team, their cars have been awesome, perfect set up for every race and decent pit stops. But they lack quality too. The quality it takes to be the World Champions. It's not some 20rs cake that you can buy at a bakery outside your home, its Formula 1. The Epitome of racing and if Mclaren manages to win the Constructors this time, I'd be flabbergasted.

Comparing Driver to Driver, both of them have made enough mistakes to last them a life time. Nigel Mansell once said "Each driver's allowed 1 mistake in the season if they are in pursuit of the Championship". That's so true, they are humans after all, they need to learn from their mistakes. But these 2, Massa and Hamilton have made so many mistakes, it makes me wonder how they are even in contention for the title! They crash into each other, miss braking points, get penalties, be stupid in the Pits. That's nonsensical, especially when you know you are going for the title.

If Hamilton wins the Championship, Ferrari and Massa have no body to blame other than themselves. They've raced like Amateurs and need to learn a lesson. Massa needs to handle pressure, he was fine till Michael was his team mate. The problem is exactly that. Massa isn't used to being the Number 1 of the team mates. When he was with Michael, there wasn't even a question as to who the Number 1 was. Last year, he was good, but Raikonnen was the better of the two. This year too, it started off well for Raikonnen, but half way through the season, the mantle was on Massa to go for the win. He isn't accustomed to the whole team banking on him to bring the title home, he's been happy playing second fiddle.

And if Hamilton wins indeed, he's got nothing to be proud of. Winning a Championship riding on the back of some team's faults and knowing that the way you've raced is pretty poor for a "Champion" will definitely haunt him.

Massa needs more than just luck on Sunday. He needs to make sure he grabs the Pole. Ferrari needs to make sure that Raikonnen joins him in the front row. There's nothing else they can do. Massa victory, Raikonnen 2nd for the Maximum points in Constructors'. Meanwhile, Raikonnen has to make sure that he bunches up the others well behind Massa to allow for Massa's usual mistakes. But keeping in mind Ferrari's awesome record in Sao Paulo and Mclaren's lack of one, we can safely assume that it's a Red 1 and 2 all the way.

The point is, where will Hamilton land up in all this. That's exactly why Saturday counts. If Hamilton manages to qualify in the 2nd or 3rd rows, its doubtful he'll finish less than 6th. Meanwhile, Hamilton's foolish too. No matter how calm and composed he claims to be, while driving the race, his thoughts are going to be fixed on the title and that should make room for some mistakes.

Both Massa and Hamilton Will surely make some mistake or the other. I bet my life on it. But, what matters is the effect of those mistakes.

Whatever happens, being the True Tifosi that I am, I'm hoping for the best. Ferrari 1 and 2. Massa win. And Hamilton crashing out. This could be a perfect time for Alonso to grab Ferrari's attention. If he wants to race for Ferrari, helping Massa win the Championship this time around will definitely help.

But Alonso in the same Reds as Michael? That'll be the day I stop watching F1.