The French crowd was out in force to support their national team in its battle for the world title, facing no less passionate group of tifosi there to cheer their team for glory and national pride. It was close, the Italian team prevailed, and to the strains of the Italian national anthem the Italian team cheered on the German winner as he stood on the stand with his Spanish rival. Say What??? Forgot to mention it was the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours, and that there are two titles in dispute, a driver and a constructor championship. Runner-up Alonso drives for Renault with Michellin tires, and his German rival Schumacher drives for Scuderia Ferrari. While people from everywhere are Ferrari or a Renault fans, for Italians and the French it is a national contest, ditto German sentiment for BMW and Merecedes. In Maranello, Italy where Ferrari is based, Church bells ring when Ferrari wins, and Ferrari is a national obsession. Founder, Enzo Ferrari, sold his beautiful red cars to rich people, to support his relentless quest to be the best in auto racing, and Italians identify with that passion. Renault, not only represents speed, but to the French -with Michellin- it represents France's national industrial might and its storied automotive history. And this race in particular, was the 100th Anniversary of the first French Grand Prix, which gave it a sense of national urgency.
Pretty cool stuff.
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