By Ollie Barstow
With the
Formula One season now entering the second half of the season, the circus moves back to Europe following a significant North American jaunt that has thrown
Michael Schumacher a lifeline in his quest to hunt down
Fernando Alonso.
Indeed, while Alonso was on his usual imperious form in Canada, he was an unusually lacklustre fifth place at Indianapolis, while Schumacher duly seized his opportunity for a third win of the year on a weekend where
Ferrari harked back to their dominant days with a resounding 1-2 finish.
As a result, the gap between the two is down to 19 points as the season reaches the eleventh round at Magny-Cours in the Nevers region of France. A popular testing destination, Magny-Cours is not renowned for producing classic encounters, but with Schumacher back on Alonso's scent, the annual trip to usually French countryside could well throw up a thrilling battle at a pivotal time in the year.
FIA F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS:
Arguably the biggest, and definitely the most surprising, story of the season broke between the United States and the French Grand Prix, with the announcement that
Juan Pablo Montoya would be snubbing Formula One in favour of trying his hand at the NASCAR Series - with immediate effect.
The first modern driver to make the leap from F1 to NASCAR, many have switched from open-wheel single seaters to oval racing, stock cars but few have actually made had success and this is the challenge facing Montoya, who has never properly driven the Chip Ganassi Dodge he will be racing in 2007.
However, the shock announcement reportedly angered McLaren top brass, meaning that Montoya has now raced his last race for
McLaren, following 'mutual' agreement for the Colombian to stand down, allowing test driver Pedro de la Rosa to get his big chance in the second race seat for the remainder of the year.
