Special GTP F1 Season 6 Endgame Preview: Battle Royale
With the race in Monza in the books, there are now only 3 races left in this thrillride of a season. And with the championship standings as they are, it's hard to imagine it getting any less exciting.
Leading the charge is Jef Beyens of Ferrari. Starting the season strong with 2 consecutive 2nd-place finishes, he laid low for a bit before going on a stunning charge with 5 podiums in 7 races midseason, taking a near-insurmountable lead of over 20 points - or so it seemed at the time. With only one point scored in the last 3 races the Ferrari team has certainly begun to sweat - his margin in the championship is now a mere 6 points - 63 to 57.
A mere six points over who? None other than James Shepherd of Williams F1. If you had traveled back in time to Montreal and told people that this man was to be in striking distance of the championship in 6 races, you'd be laughed at. Now he has won 3 races and scored 40 points in those 6 races, skyrocketing up the standings. Can he continue his charge?
Behind the two leaders stands an even larger main pack of 40-somethings, drivers with points in the 40s who with a little luck and a win or two could possibly close this championship up.
The first of these drivers is Lee Davidson in 3rd place for the Honda with 47 points. He has always been somewhat of a threat of the season, taking 2 wins and hanging in close to the champoinship lead. He has faltered a bit midseason as his rivals took off, but he still cannot be counted off.
One point back lies Season 5 champion Bruno Domingues. Blindingly fast but horribly unreliable, the Renault driver has racked up a league-leading 6 DNFs. However, he has reined in also a win and 4 podiums, too.
Renault's second driver, Herman Chang, is only 2 points off his teammate's pace. Chang started the season slow but quickly swept into the lead with a 3-podiums-out-of-4 string, leading many to believe that this could be his season. ...And then he failed to score points for 5 races. But now he seems to have regained his pace, finishing 3rd in Monza - can he make a run on the leaders?
3 back with 41 points is another Honda driver, Brad Horton. Preferring to be seen and not heard, Horton has quietly racked up 2 wins and 2 podiums this season, slowly but surely accumulating points. And now he has 41, and is 6th in the championship.
7th, but with the same amount of points, is Midland driver and Season 3 champ Yuuji Kawasie. Kawasie has been struggling in the last few seasons following his rookie championship, but has put in a noteworthy drive in his second year at Midland, with 3 podiums and no finishes outside the top 10...except for his retirements. He may not be able to catch Beyens and the leaders, but certainly 3rd place overall is within his sights.
At the tail end of the lead pack is another champion, Guillaume Dubois who took the Season 4 trophy. He has battled with teammate issues, often having to take control of Shepherd himself, but now the team has taken off. Strangely, Shepherd is the one in the spotlight now in 2nd place, while Dubois is mired in 8th with 40 points. Still, he has been strong in points, and is coming off a win 2 races ago. A bit of luck could easily push him up the standings.
The final mathematically-in-it pilot is Blake Haswell of McLaren. He has not had an incredibly stellar season back after a break from GTP F1, but still can win the championship if he wins 3 times and Beyens fails to score a point (and Shepherd scores less than 6). You never know, although Haswell is still looking for his first win this season.
The team front is equally interesting with 4 teams battling for the Constructors' Championship. Williams, who has been on fire recently, leads with 97 points. 7 points back in 2nd is Renault, always a strong competitor. 3rd place is Honda which is having a remarkable season with 88 points. Finally, Ferrari has slipped to 4th with 83 points, after Beyens's slip in the standings, and his teammate Allman only totaling up 20 points so far.
Certainly it is shaping up to be a fine championship battle with 3 races to go, as long as Ferrari doesn't decide to let too many more engines go...
And that goes for you too, Williams! There is not many inches to give here, and every point just may be crucial...
