So the heartless, callous, mind like a steel trap Schumacher is in tears in the press conference. What happened to the person that non-fans and the press describe as an unfeeling machine? Did something happen to change it all?

No, nothing changed. To portray Michael as some sort of mechanical, calculating machine was naive to put it mildly. In several press interviews he protested and tried to explain that under that veneer of hard professionalism was a real person, but maybe that was not as newsworthy.

Take a moment to assess what it takes to make it to F1 as a driver. Just the test drivers have a track record of several championship wins in other formulae. Before a driver is allowed to slip in behind the steering wheel of a modern formula one car he is already more successful in his field than any other driver in any other formula. Sure, there may be some that decide not to try F1 but not many. F1 is the top and only the very best get to the starting grid.

To be that good takes much more than skill, dedication and hard work. It needs extraordinary commitment, courage, determination and application but most of all passion. Passion for the sport as well as passion for the intense and dangerous competition against people you respect and admire.

To win a race against that level of passion and commitment takes even more passion and commitment. Not something that your average unfeeling machine can produce.

Do we have any idea of the emotional stress it takes to win a championship? Take Mika Hakkinen’s win last year. Even the thick-skinned must admit that it was obvious that he was living with extreme stress and finding it hard to cope at times.

Few drivers could ever hope to equal the late Ayrton Senna’s record. Very few would aspire to it and even less have the ability to reach that pinnacle.

Michael Schumacher did equal Senna’s record with his win at Monza. For him this was not just a statistical record. For him it was a major milestone in his career to match the record of a driver that he admired openly. It must have been an enormous sense of achievement but at the same time humbling.

Add to that the normal effect of a F1 race. After two hours of being submitted to the heat and G forces normal in a F1 race us lesser mortals would not be able to walk to the podium. The extreme concentration needed to drive and maintain race winning pace alone is enough to wipe the average person out for a week. Remember how many times Nigel Mansell had to be helped out of his car?

If it was me on that podium I would not be too sure I would have had the guts to face the press so soon after the race. I would have gone straight to my room (albeit in a truck) and yes, I would probably have cried my eyes out and hidden from the public until I have had a chance to come to terms with it.

If Schumacher did that he would have been branded as arrogant.

It is nice to see that behind the facade there is a real person with real feelings. It was a great achievement that deserved a show of emotion.

I was very impressed and touched by the obvious support and concern that Mika Hakkinen felt for Michael during the press conference.

He understood the emotions that Michael was experiencing and was very obviously angry with the press (but then he never did have a high opinion of the press, not that I blame him).

Ralf was just as concerned. He barely managed to answer coherently when it was his turn, constantly stealing concerned glances at his brother.

It was a pity that Villeneuve’s BAR did not make it to the end of the race. I was looking forward to the opportunity to assess BAR’s progress since the last race and although it looked as if Villeneuve could have made it to the podium we will have to wait for Indianapolis to see if they are faster than Williams. Zonta’s multi stop strategy made for a lot of overtaking but it certainly did not get him very far.

Ferrari did have the pace at Monza. There is no denying that.

I am however not convinced that Ferrari are faster by a large margin. I think that McLaren, for whatever reason, did not get their set up sorted out before the race. Hakkinen was significantly faster after the team made a few adjustments during a pit stop although not fast enough to threaten Schumacher in the closing laps.

I still expect to see McLaren faster for the rest of the season, but it is possible that Ferrari have closed the gap somewhat.

Unless both Hakkinen and Schumacher suffer severe problems in the next three races none of the other drivers have a chance of winning the championship.

The fatal crash that took both Barrichello and Coulthard out of the race certainly also took them well out of contention for the year. Barrichello is now 31 points behind Hakkinen and even if he wins all three remaining races and Hakkinen and Schumacher score no points, he will still be one point behind Hakkinen. Theoretically Coulthard could still win the championship but it is unlikely, very unlikely.