Sports weekend marked by splendid and in some ways miraculous victory for Ferrari in the Formula 1 GP in Sepang, Malaysia. With a race disrupted by the rain, but masterfully interpreted by the Cavallino pits and skilfully conducted by Fernando Alonso at the wheel of his single-seater, the Spanish driver overturned all the predictions and brought home 25 points that even propel him into the lead of the World Championship.
Unexpected victory especially after the anonymous fifth place in Melbourne and the usual disappointing qualifying (Alonso started ninth, Massa 12th): Ferrari did not seem competitive this time either (and in fact it probably would not have been in dry conditions) and destined for the yet another game in defense. Instead, Mc Laren and Red Bull did worse than the Cavallino, while surprisingly Alonso was the young Mexican Perez at the wheel of Sauber (powered by Maranello). This is all to say about the unpredictability of the Sepang race, but Ferrari did its part and did it better than others: perhaps Alonso's first place is provisional and illusory, but, as Domenicali said, it will give the the best and believe it more and more.
“It was a big surprise: we weren't competitive in Australia and we weren't competitive here“, commented Alonso, who is also a firefighter: “This victory will make us happy, but it won't change our determination to improve the car”.
Sports weekend to remember, unfortunately, also for a mourning. He passed away at the age of 37, just as he was playing the umpteenth volleyball match of his endless career, the former blue international Vigor Bovolenta. The central Olympic vice-champion in Atlanta '96 collapsed during a B-2 challenge between his native Forlì and Macerata.
Bovolenta had made his debut at a very young age with the senior national team: it was May 3, 1995, in Havana, in the match the Azzurri lost 3-1 against Cuba. A lifelong friend of Samuele Papi (his best man), he was the phenomenal national team boy, called by Velasco to play the Atlanta 1996 Olympic final against the Netherlands (he was the masked man, wearing a broken nose cap). The story with the national team was interrupted in the 2002 World League, it reopened with the management of coach Andrea Anastasi, who called him up for Beijing 2008 (Italy finished in fourth place). With the national team, in addition to the Olympic medal, he won four editions of the World League, one World Cup and two European Championships.
