Ferrari

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Brazil – 18th October 2009

Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 6th 1:32.56.421 + 33.340 71 279
G. Fisichella 11th 1:33.33.746 + 70.665 71 280

Weather: air temperature 27 °C, track temperature 33/37°C, partially cloudy.

Just three points on the scorecard for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, thanks to a sixth place from Kimi Raikkonen. Giancarlo Fisichella finished eleventh. After this race, the Scuderia now finds itself in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, just one point behind the third placed team.

Stefano Domenicali: “First and foremost, on behalf of the entire team, I want to congratulate Jenson Button and Brawn GP for winning both world championships today. I am particularly pleased for an old friend like Ross. As for us, obviously we are very disappointed, because today we had the chance to extend our advantage in the Constructors’ classification, but we have ended up one point down. What happened on the opening lap penalized Kimi heavily, as he had to restart from the back of the pack. It’s a shame, because today, our driver could match the pace of the best and could certainly have been fighting for a place on the podium: once again he delivered a great drive. After yesterday’s qualifying, Giancarlo started from the back row and faced a difficult race: he tried his best, but he could not get into the points. Now, we look forward to the final Grand Prix of the season at the new Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. There, we will have to do all we can to bring home a third place finish in the championship, which we are very keen to do and I am sure that all of us, drivers and team, will do all in our power to try and reach this target.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “Obviously, starting from the back row, my race was already compromised. Then there was also the incident with Kovalainen, who spun in front of me, forcing me onto the grass, which prevented me from trying to make up a few places in the fight on the opening lap. We had opted for a one-stop strategy and it was a good one, but in the final part of the race, the soft tyres began to develop a bit of graining and I was not able to match the pace of those ahead of me and I even lost a place. On top of that, the KERS worked in fits and starts. Looking at my experience with Ferrari so far, I don’t want to hide that I feel a bit upset, as there has not been a single weekend in which everything went to plan. Now we go to Abu Dhabi which will be a new venue for everyone: I will do my very best to help the team retake this third place which slipped away from us today.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “What happened on the first lap ruined my race. First I was hit at the first corner, then when trying to pass Webber, I was hit and lost the front wing. At the pit stop, I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye, from the fuel line stuck on Kovalainen’s car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded: I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out. Even now, my eyes are still burning, but I’m alright. After the restart, I could only try and use the strategy to move up the order and at least I brought home a few points. I am disappointed because today I’m sure we could have made it to the podium. There is one race to go: let’s see what we can do in Abu Dhabi to get back that third place."

Chris Dyer: “A very disappointing race for us. Yesterday already, Kimi had done a fantastic job, obtaining a good grid position and today, he did it again, climbing up from the back of the pack, all the way up to sixth place after the accident with Webber, which meant he had to pit to change the front wing. At this moment, his race was compromised, which is a real shame. With Kimi, we chose to use the soft tyre first and given how things went, it was the right decision, but then we had to use the hards, as the first part of the race would be very long. Giancarlo was stuck in traffic in the first stint and then, when he had a clear track, his lap times were reasonable. At the start of his second stint, when he was on the soft tyres, his pace was better, but then towards the end, he suffered with graining. Now we will do all we can in Abu Dhabi, to recover the third place that slipped from our grasp today.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Brazil

Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 RAI 2nd 1.23.047 10 FIS 20th 1.40.703 3
Q2 RAI 8th 1.21.378 11
Q3 RAI 5th 1.20.168 9

Chassis: G. Fisichella 280, K. Raikkonen 279
Weather: air temperature 17 °C, track temperature 18 °C.

Mixed feelings for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the end of the longest ever Formula 1 qualifying session. On the one hand, there is satisfaction at Kimi Raikkonen securing fifth place at the end of a very good session, while on the other there is regret for what happened with Giancarlo Fisichella, who was left stuck out on track at the start of Q1, when the track conditions were almost impossible to deal with. “Tomorrow we face a race that will be very important in the battle for third place and it’s a shame we will not be tackling it with both our cars in the top half of the grid, given that our main rivals are quite a way back. However, we also have to keep an eye on Toyota who are not too far behind in the classification.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “When qualifying started the conditions were almost impossible. I ended up spinning even though I wasn’t going that quickly, but I was at a point where the track was flooded. As I turned the wheel, I hit the engine cut-out switch and that was my qualifying over with. A shame, because the car goes well in the wet, as could be seen from Kimi’s performance. I hope he manages to bring home a good number of points, but for me that will be tough as I’m starting from the back row. At the moment, everything seems to be going wrong: I am very unhappy, because I so much want to show my worth in a major team like Ferrari. I hope that, starting tomorrow, some luck comes my way, as it has not done so far.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Overall, I’m pleased with this result. On the extreme wet tyres, we were very competitive and I actually think that if the conditions had stayed bad enough for these tyres, I could have done better than fifth place. However, on the intermediate tyres the car was no longer as easy to drive, because it is harder to get them working at their best. If it rains tomorrow, it will be very tough, because here, you see almost nothing if you are behind another car and the conditions become really difficult. I think that today, it was the right decision to delay qualifying: at least it meant we were able to drive in acceptable conditions, rather than just trying to stay on the track. The F60 worked well: we know we lack grip, but this is the problem we have carried with us since the start of the season.”

Chris Dyer “A bitter sweet qualifying for us. Once again, Kimi produced a fantastic performance to take a good fifth place, while Giancarlo, having felt comfortable in the wet this morning, was unfortunate in that his spin occurred when track conditions were at their worst. We have gone for a strategy choice that should allow us to have a good race whatever the weather. Well done to the team who remained concentrated throughout the entire qualifying session.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Brazil – 16th October 2009

Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 10th 1.13.321 24 18th 1.13.026 42 279
G. Fisichella 15th 1.13.619 23 20th 1.13.275 38 280

Weather
First session: air 19/21 °C, track 21/25 °C; covered skies, intermittent rain.
Second session: air 22 °C, track 23 °C; covered skies.

It was a rather difficult day for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, tackling the first two free practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Watched by Felipe Massa, making his return to a race meeting, even if only as a spectator in the pits, rather than wearing a race suit, the two F60s ended up towards the back end of the FP2 classification, while not managing anything better than tenth place for Kimi Raikkonen in FP1. “Clearly, we cannot be satisfied with the way things went today,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We definitely have a lot of work to do to try and improve the set-up of the car within the limitations of what we have to work with. However, we should also take into account how close the times are, with all twenty drivers out on track this afternoon setting times within the same second. It takes almost nothing to make the difference between being at the front or at the back of the pack. This means that everyone, drivers and team, will have to carry out their work perfectly if we aspire to getting a good result this weekend, starting with tomorrow afternoon’s qualifying.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “Eighteenth and twentieth places in FP2 is not a result we can be happy about but, to use a footballing expression, it’s all looking very tight, as it has been in fact for much of the year. On top of that, we are also working a lot for 2010 which makes it even harder to understand precisely where we stand compared to the others. We are really struggling in the second sector, where what counts the most is aerodynamic downforce, an area in which the F60 does not really excel. Tomorrow, it will be vital not to make the slightest mistake to try and get a good qualifying result: here it will only take a tenth or even less to fail to make it past Q1.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “I’d say this Friday was not too different to others we have experienced this season, especially in recent races. It’s all very close so it will only take a small step forward to climb back up the order, but we are definitely facing a difficult weekend. The tyres suffered with a bit of graining, which made itself felt especially in the second sector, but I believe that, as often happens here, once the track rubbers in, the situation will improve.”

Chris Dyer: “It was a pretty difficult Friday, with very changeable weather, which prevented us from getting through all our planned programme. Furthermore, we had a problem with Fisichella that prevented him from doing his final planned run in FP2. There’s a lot of work to do to try and improve the car, which lacks grip, which is particularly noticeable in the second sector, where we are not really competitive. We were also experimenting with some mechanical elements aimed at next season: without any winter testing available before the new car makes its debut, we have to exploit every opportunity, especially given the situation in the championship.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Japan – 4th October 2009

Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 4th 1:28.28.383 + 7.940 53 279
G. Fisichella 12th 1:28.35.039 +14.596 53 280

Weather: air temperature 28/27 °C, track temperature 43/41°C, sunny.

Five points in the bag for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Japanese Grand Prix, where Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth and Giancarlo Fisichella brought the car home in twelfth place. With two more races to go, the Scuderia is still third in the Constructors’ classification, even though the gap to our closest rival has come down to just two points.

Stefano Domenicali: “All things considered, this is a positive result: I don’t think we could have done any more than this fourth place. We got the most out of the F60 as it stands today and, thanks to yet another great drive from Kimi, we also managed to stay third in the Constructors’ classification. Giancarlo also drove a good race, driving competitively in terms of pace and performance, as can be seen from the fact he set the eighth best lap time. In the middle stint, on the soft tyre, both our drivers were very quick, their lap times matching those of the best. The team worked well and we must continue to do so for the final two races left to run in this strange season, fighting tooth and nail to reach the target we set ourselves from the mid-season onwards.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “I had a better feel for the car this weekend and I think the effect from that could be seen, although maybe not in terms of the results. Today, I could run at a good pace, especially in the middle part of the race. It’s a shame I lost a place in my battle with Kovalainen. We managed to get ahead of him in the pit stop, but then he swerved across to the inside at the only point where I left the door slightly open and he leaned on me, managing to get by. Towards the end, I had to fight off Sutil who was very quick and was on the soft tyre, while I was on the hard: at this point the KERS came in handy. Now I am looking forward to Interlagos in a more confident mood: it will be important to get a slightly better start position to try and finally make it into the points.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Today the car wasn’t bad, but it was not quick enough to fight for the podium. This fourth place is useful in terms of keeping the team in third place in the Constructors’ championship, but it will be hard to hang onto it over the final two races. I will definitely do everything I can though. I was unable to make up places at the start, especially as the first corner is not that far from the start line and so I was unable to make the most of the KERS. In the first stint, when I was on hard tyres, the situation was a bit difficult, but then, once on the softs, things improved considerably. I managed to close on Heidfeld and pass him at the pit stop, even though, coming away from my stop, I found myself in traffic behind Button. Then there was not much to fight for to the end of the race.”

Chris Dyer: “After the disappointment of Singapore, it’s nice to see Kimi again finish a race in a good position. With hindsight, there’s some disappointment with a result that could have been even better: we opted to start on the hard tyres on Kimi’s car, because we weren’t entirely sure about how the soft ones would work over a distance. In fact, their performance stayed consistent, as we saw in the second part of the race, when both our drivers were very competitive. On top of that, we failed to make up places at the start, which is what we usually manage. We played about a bit with the stops to try and pass Heidfeld and we managed it. In the final stint, it seemed at one point that Hamilton had a problem and then the Safety Car closed everyone up. Kimi tried to see if there was room to attack him at the re-start but there was not. Giancarlo drove a good race and it was important for him and for the team to see him fighting with Kovalainen and Alonso for a place just outside the points. It’s a shame that, coming out of pit lane after his second stop, he lost a place in his battle with the McLaren driver.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Japan – 3rd October 2009

Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 RAI 6th 1.31.228 10 FIS 16th 1.31.704 11
Q2 RAI 5th 1.31.052 6
Q3 RAI 8th 1.32.980 7

Chassis: G. Fisichella 280, K. Raikkonen 279
Weather: air temperature 28/27 °C, track temperature 42/39 °C.

One car on the fourth row and the other on the eighth: that was the outcome of qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, whose drivers set the eighth and sixteenth times, with Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella respectively, at the end of a session that featured several interruptions. “We have to be realistic and recognise that this reflects our actual performance level,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Kimi produced another great showing, getting the most out of a car that, partly due to our strategy regarding next year, is definitely not among the quickest. There’s also a slight feeling of regret that, but for a few hundredths of a second in Q3, he might have been able to start from a bit further forward. A shame for Giancarlo who, despite the improvement he showed today, just missed out on going into Q2, which he would have deserved. Tomorrow’s race will be very long and tough. Kimi starts with a good fuel load on board and, also thanks to the KERS at the start, should be able to end up with a good result. It will be harder for Giancarlo, given his grid position, but you never know what can happen in the race.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “I am very disappointed not to have made it through to Q2. We only had this morning’s free practice to prepare the car in the dry, but I think all the same, I improved my performance level, growing ever more confident in the F60. On my final timed lap, I made a mistake which probably cost me the time I needed to get into the next part. Tomorrow, the aim is to get into the points: I know it will be very difficult, starting from the eighth row, but with a good strategy, maybe I can do it.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “I don’t think we could have expected much more today. We know what our potential is and we have to accept that. Here, the situation is definitely better than in Singapore, but we continue to struggle, especially with a lack of aerodynamic downforce, which makes itself felt especially in the first sector. Overall, the car is working well and it’s nice to drive on such a demanding track as this, where the slightest error is heavily punished, as we saw today. It’s a shame I didn’t have new soft tyres for Q3, but we had to use them earlier to avoid being knocked out: all in all it was a good qualifying. Tomorrow, we will try and have a good race: it will be difficult to fight for the top spots, but we will try and we can count on having a good strategy.”

Chris Dyer: “A really close fought qualifying. Another great performance from Kimi, at every stage of the session. It’s a shame that, for just a few hundredths in Q3, he could have got a better grid position. We were the only ones to get to the final part without any new soft tyres, as we didn’t want to take any risks in Q1, but we are happy with how things went all the same, partly because we have a lot of fuel on board and think we have a good strategy for tomorrow’s race. It’s a bit disappointing for Giancarlo who missed out on Q2 by a whisker: he is improving day by day and we are sure that tomorrow, he will make another step forward and therefore have a good race.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Japan – 2nd October 2009

Free practices
First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
G. Fisichella 4th 1.40.985 27 15th 1.49.553 5 280
K. Raikkonen 8th 1.41.577 25 11th1.48.886 5 279

Weather
First session: air 22 °C, track 23 °C; light rain at the beginning, damp track.
Second session: air 22 °C, track 23 °C; rain.

Formula 1’s first day at Suzuka after a three year absence was marked by rain at the start of the morning session and then throughout the one in the afternoon. In the morning, all the drivers managed to get in a good number of laps, but that was not the case in the afternoon. “Even if there was no real technical reason for doing so, we decided to do at least one run at the end of the day, as a sign of respect to all the fans who remained glued to their seats in the grandstands, despite the rain,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We only ran in the wet and the car’s handling in the conditions could be described as acceptable. Clearly if, as the forecast predicts, qualifying and the race are run in the dry, there will not be much time to get the cars working at their best, which makes predicting any outcome even more difficult. For our part however, we are aware that our potential is the same as it was in the last few races, as a result of a strategic decision taken regarding the development of the F60. The unknown factor remains the behaviour of the tyres, which has never been as unpredictable as it has this season.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “The conditions were very difficult today: let’s hope the situation changes for tomorrow and that we will be able to run in the dry. This morning, the track was changing continually, so it was difficult to understand where we were compared to the others. I concentrated mainly on the car, trying to understand its handling and I think the situation is reasonably good. We will have to try everything to defend our third place in the Constructors’ classification: it will be difficult because the McLarens are very strong and in Singapore they got a great result, although they have not yet got ahead of us. How was the track after three years away It’s impossible to compare: the tyres and cars are too different to those from 2006.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “The day was all about the rain that however should not be a factor on Sunday, which makes everything more complicated. I am pleased with the way the session went this morning, because I quickly had quite a good feeling for the car in the wet and managed to improve with every passing lap, running at the same pace as the best. We hope to improve compared to Singapore, but we know that will be difficult.”

Chris Dyer: “This morning we managed to do a good job in the wet, first on the extremes and then on the intermediates. Both drivers were reasonably happy with the handling of the car in these conditions: if it was to rain for the race, we have a good basis from which to work. In the afternoon the rain was very heavy for almost the whole session and the track conditions were very difficult, to such an extent that it wasn’t really worth going out and risking damaging the car. Giancarlo felt particularly comfortable in these conditions, which confirms his skill level. Now, we have to take into account that the number of sets of rain tyres available to us for the whole weekend is very limited and we have to manage them carefully, to avoid finding ourselves in trouble at the crucial moment. We only did a handful of laps at the end on used tyres and we took the opportunity to do a practice start on the grid.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Singapore – 27th September 2009

Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 10th 1:57.05.229 + 58.892 61 279
G. Fisichella 13th 1:57.26.227 + 79.890 61 280

Weather: air temperature 32/30 °C, track temperature 34/32°C, covered skies.

No points for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Singapore Grand Prix, which turned out to be as cursed as expected for the Maranello team. Kimi Raikkonen and Giancarlo Fisichella were classified tenth and thirteenth respectively. It thus brings to an end a string of races which saw at least one Ferrari finish in the points (10) and on the podium (5.) Today’s result means that the lead over its closest rival in the fight for third place has now been cut to just three points.

Stefano Domenicali: “Honestly, I don’t think we could have done much better. When you start this far back on a track like this, it’s difficult to climb up the order. Kimi and Giancarlo did their best, trying to exploit what their cars had to offer. We have to accept the fact that many other teams have made yet another step forward in terms of performance, which makes our technical situation even more difficult, given that development on the F60 stopped a while ago now. When we took that decision, we knew we would pay for it more and more as the end of the season approached, but let’s be clear on one thing, we are not giving up: there are still three races to go and we will tackle them with maximum effort because we want to do all we can to finish third in the Constructors’ classification. In a strange season like this one, anything can happen. Again today, for example, we saw teams that used to be a long way back, now at the front end, while others did the opposite.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “I couldn’t do any better. The car was sliding everywhere and I had no grip. In the final part, with the softer tyres, the situation improved a bit, but by then it was too late. I closed up to Nakajima and, a few times, I tried to risk a passing move, but here it’s really difficult to overtake unless the guy in front makes a mistake. I don’t expect the situation to be much different next week in Suzuka: it is a very demanding track for the car, from an aerodynamic point of view and we are lacking in this area. Having said that, I will be trying my hardest.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “It was a very tough race, both physically and mentally. The pace was not up to Ferrari’s standard and we have to take that on board. I was struggling to keep the car on track because of a lack of grip. At the end, on the softer tyre, the car’s handling improved and I managed to do some good lap times. We brought my first pit stop forward to try and get me out of traffic, given that I was stuck behind Sutil, but then with the safety car the move didn’t give the result we’d hoped for. Here, KERS was less of a factor than at Monza: at the start I managed to pass a car and then it was mainly useful to defend my position. Now we go to Suzuka, a real track: given how things have gone this year, with cars being strong in one race and weak the next, it’s difficult to make any predictions.”

Chris Dyer: “It was a very difficult race, for both Kimi and Giancarlo. Contrary to what has happened in recent races, we were unable to make the most of the start, which has been one of our strong points this year. We were already a long way back on the grid and so our situation was immediately more complicated, especially as overtaking is virtually impossible here. Today, several cars failed to finish, or were struggling with brake problems, but we were not able to exploit that to make it at least into the points. As for the tyre performance, the softer compound, in the final part of the race proved to be better than expected in terms of consistency, but it was not clear enough to decide to use it as from the second stint, which was the longest one. It’s easy to say things after the event, but I do really think we made the right choice.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Singapore – 26th September 2009

Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 RAI 3rd 1.47.293 8 FIS 18th 1.48.350 11
Q2 RAI 13th 1.47.177 6
Q3

Chassis: G. Fisichella 280, K. Raikkonen 279

Weather: air temperature 31/29 °C, track temperature 32/30 °C.

A disappointing qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the Singapore Grand Prix, where tomorrow, Kimi Raikkonen will start from thirteenth place and Giancarlo Fisichella from eighteenth. “Our target today was to get at least one car through to Q3 and the other to Q2, but we did not succeed and we have to accept that our package just wasn’t quick enough in this qualifying session,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Furthermore, if so many of our competitors continue to develop their cars, while we stopped doing so with ours several weeks ago, then the more time goes by, the more we will find ourselves in an ever more difficult situation. However, what really matters is the race result, where reliability is always the key factor, especially in a race that looks like being very tough and where all sorts of things could happen. Clearly, we will be trying to fight our way towards the front, which means it will be difficult to reach our minimum target of finishing in the top eight.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “Obviously, I am disappointed with this result. I really wanted to do well, but I still haven’t managed to find the right level of confidence in this car: it’s almost as if it is driving me rather than the other way round. Especially on such a difficult track, I don’t have the confidence to go right to the limit. Naturally starting from eighteenth place means I can expect a very difficult race. I will try and make up some places at the start and then make the most of the race pace. Getting into the points would be the maximum, but even that will be a very tough target to reach.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Unfortunately, today we were just not quick enough to get into Q3 and there was not much we could do about it. It’s logical that, as other cars improve, race after race, we pay a higher price for our decision to stop developing the F60. Tomorrow, we can expect a tough race as it is very difficult to overtake here, so getting into the points will be very difficult. It’s true that anything can happen on a track like this and we will have to do our best to make the most of every opportunity, maybe getting some help through a good start as we have usually managed in the last few races. As for the tyres, I think that tomorrow, there could be a problem with wear on the softer tyre, even if the situation could improve during the race.”

Chris Dyer: “A really difficult qualifying for us, even more so than we expected. We knew it would be tough, but we felt we could have made it through to the final part of the session. But honestly, today we did not have the performance to do that. Kimi did two good laps in Q2, but it was not enough. Tomorrow’s race will be very long, so let’s hope we can make up some places at the start and then try and get into the points.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Singapore
Free practices
First Session Second Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 9th 1.50.865 19 14th 1.49.941 29 279
G. Fisichella 17th 1.52.390 24 16th 1.50.253 31 280

Weather
First session: air 32 °C, track 37/35 °C; covered skies.
Second session: air 31 °C, track 34/33 °C; covered skies.

Rather a difficult first day of practice for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: at the end of FP2, Kimi Raikkonen was fourteenth and Giancarlo Fisichella was sixteenth. “Clearly, when evaluating today’s free practice times, one has to consider the various unknown factors, but it is equally clear that our situation looks pretty difficult,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Besides, if so many other teams continue to bring significant technical updates to the track, while for the past two months we have frozen the development of the F60, then we can expect to find ourselves in this situation. All the same, we must now concentrate on ourselves and try and make the most of the package we have, as indeed we have done in the past few races: if we do a good job, we have seen that the results can follow.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “It was a rather difficult day. The car is very nervous and I have yet to find the ideal set-up. Now, I must sit down with the team to try and prepare as well as possible for qualifying and the race. My aim is to improve on my result from Monza, but I know that won’t be easy. The track was very slippery and sometimes I had a bit of graining on the tyres. Unfortunately, I never managed to do a long run with the soft tyres, because of the red flags following Webber’s accident: this compound is definitely quicker by three to four tenths, but there is a question mark over the consistency of its performance.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “It was a Friday like any other. We had a number of little problems with the car, but overall, we were able to get through the programme we had set ourselves. As for the times, there is always a question mark over the various fuel loads: we will see tomorrow what we can do in qualifying. Today is too soon to say if we can be in a position to fight for a podium finish as we have done in recent races. The softer tyres degrade more quickly, at least from what we could see today. It’s hardly surprising and usually, bit by bit, as the track rubbers in, the situation improves.”

Chris Dyer: “Today’s performance was definitely nothing to get excited about. The interruption to the session complicated the running of our planned programme, but overall we have gathered sufficient data to be as well prepared as possible for qualifying and the race. Tomorrow, our aim is to get both cars through to Q3: it won’t be easy, but we will do our best. Both types of tyre showed some signs of degradation today, which makes the choice for the race even harder. From what we have seen, I also expect to see different tyre strategies employed in qualifying.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Italy – 13th September 2009

Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 3rd 1:16.52.370 + 30.664 53 279
G. Fisichella 9th 1:17.48.562 + 86.856 53 280

Weather: air temperature 26/27 °C, track temperature 36 °C, sunny.

Another podium finish, the fifth consecutively for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, with a third place for Kimi Raikkonen, who has now been in the top three for four races in a row. Making his debut at the wheel of a Ferrari, Giancarlo Fisichella finished ninth. With four races to go to the end of the season, the Scuderia has consolidated its third place in the Constructors’ classification, now having a 15 point lead over its closest pursuer.

Stefano Domenicali: “A podium again, the fifth in a row, this time courtesy of a hefty dose of luck, which maybe hasn’t always been with us at other times. Once again, in this second half of the season, Kimi drove a fantastic race – in fact I’d say he was fantastic all weekend. He did not make any mistakes, giving his all and, along with the team, was able to get the best out of the car. Giancarlo had a good race, just missing out on a points finish: his weekend built up and up and I am sure that, as from the next race, he will be able to give the team what it needs in terms of points. Today, we were not quick enough, but we still managed to get one driver to the podium, a result which is good for morale and I believe, pleased all our fans. The European part of the season is over and there are still four races to go to try and finish this unusual season in the best way possible.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “I am happy with the way things went in my first race weekend with Ferrari. At the start, I managed to make up a few places, then I had a difficult moment with Vettel, who closed the door on me going into Ascari in a way that was, let’s say, very decisive. In the first part of the race, I felt comfortable on the softer tyre, while I struggled a bit more on the harder one, especially after the pit stop. It’s a shame I only just missed out on a points finish, but this afternoon, I did the best I could. I am upset that I went off the track in FP3, which prevented me from being as well prepared as possible for qualifying: starting a bit further forward might have seen me finish in the top eight. Right from tomorrow morning, I will be concentrating totally on preparing for the race in Singapore, a track that I like a lot.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “I am happy to have made it to the podium once again, even if this time I needed a heavy dose of luck. It’s a nice result, for the championship, for us and for our fans here at Monza. I got a great start and I almost managed to also get past Hamilton, but even if I’d managed it, the result would have been the same in the end. I’m disappointed I couldn’t fight for the win, but we did not have enough speed. All in all, the strategy we chose prior to the race was the best one for us. In my battle with Sutil, I was never really in difficulty: I knew I only had to avoid making any mistakes and drive in such a way as to get the best out of the car. The tyres? The softer ones suited us better, as we struggled a bit on the harder ones, especially at the start of the stint. In the upcoming races, we will try and do our best: maybe in some of them we could even try and fight for the win.”

Chris Dyer: “We were expecting a bit more in terms of performance, but we are pleased with yet another podium finish from Raikkonen, even if it owed something to luck. Kimi again drove an impeccable race, as he has always done in this part of the season. Giancarlo ended up just outside the points, but this was nevertheless a positive weekend for him and we are confident that he is capable of making an important contribution to the team in the final part of the season. We went for a two stop strategy for Kimi and it was the right decision, given the pace we had. Also in terms of our tyre useage, we feel we made the best choice: our car struggled more than others to get the best out of the harder compound, especially in the first few laps.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Italy – 12th September 2009

Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 RAI 1st 1.23.349 11 FIS 12th 1.23.828 15
Q2 RAI 7th 1.23.426 9 FIS 14th 1.23.901 9
Q3 RAI 3rd 1.24.523 8

Chassis: G. Fisichella 280, K. Raikkonen 279

Weather: air temperature 27 °C, track temperature 38 °C, partially cloudy.

One Ferrari on the second row and the other on the seventh: that was the outcome of qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, with Kimi Raikkonen starting from third place and Giancarlo Fisichella from fourteenth. “Given how the day started, we can be reasonably happy with how things turned out,” said Stefano Domenicali. “I am very happy for Kimi, who produced an amazing performance. Giancarlo did the best he could given the circumstances: he was unable to prepare for qualifying as well as possible during FP3, which was a significant handicap on his Ferrari debut.
Tomorrow’s race will be tough and difficult, fighting against very strong opposition, which now includes Force India, hardly a surprise any more. The choice of strategies could be different from one driver to the next, so it will be vital to fully exploit every opportunity. Our aim is to pick up as many points as possible to consolidate our third place in the Constructors’ classification, but it would be very nice to produce a crowd pleasing result in front of all our fans at this our home race.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “Overall, I am reasonably happy, even if I’m aware that a fourteenth place on the grid is not up to the Ferrari standard. Yesterday, I drove the F60 for the first time and this morning, because of a mistake by me, I lost valuable time to prepare for qualifying, as I crashed into the barriers. I want to thank all the mechanics who did a fantastic job of rebuilding the car for qualifying. I was a bit tense before the session, as I knew I didn’t yet have enough confidence in the car. Unfortunately, in Q2, I never managed to put together a perfect lap and so I couldn’t make it through to Q3. It’s a shame, as the potential was there, but tomorrow there is still time to have a good race nevertheless. Maybe, I can try and immediately make up some places at the start thanks to the KERS.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “That was one of my best qualifying sessions of the year and we hope that tomorrow things can go even better. I am pleased with this result, for the team and for our fans. The car is not yet perfect, but it’s good all the same. We knew the hardest task would come in Q2 as after that, the car is always very competitive with a race fuel load on board: all the same, it was a pleasant surprise to see how it handled in the final part. I am confident for tomorrow: at the start it won’t be as easy to make up a lot of places as it was at Spa, because there are other cars fitted with KERS near me, but if everything goes well, we can fight for a place on the podium.”

Chris Dyer: “First of all, I want to compliment Giancarlo. After this morning’s accident, the task facing him in qualifying was not an easy one and managing to take fourteenth place despite this is a good way to start his career with Ferrari. Compliments also go to all the mechanics who did a great job of repairing the car in a very short space of time. Kimi had a great qualifying, especially in Q3. Possibly, other drivers behind him have more fuel and that means we will try and make the most of the first stages of the race to make up ground. Yesterday, we saw that we have a good race pace and I think we can fight for a place on the podium.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Italy – 11th September 2009
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
G. Fisichella 8th 1.24.732 24 20th 1.25.543 36 280
K. Raikkonen 10th 1.24.761 26 8th 1.24.796 39 279

Weather
First session: air 23/25 °C, track 30/35 °C; sunny.
Second session: air 28/29 °C, track 38 °C; sunny.

The results are difficult to interpret on this first day of free practice for the Italian Grand Prix, marked by Fisichella’s debut at the wheel of a Ferrari. “First of all, I want to welcome Giancarlo, who today was finally able to drive the F60, after eight days of theoretical work with the engineers,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Obviously, the team adopted a different approach to its work on the two cars: Kimi concentrated on race preparation, while Giancarlo worked on getting confident in the car. We completed a lot of kilometres which means we have plenty of data to analyse over the rest of the day. It’s hard to know where we are compared to the others: the gaps are very small and ten kilos of fuel more or less can translate into a significant step up the order.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Overall, I’m reasonably pleased with the way things went in these three hours of free practice and the initial impressions are good. There is still room to improve the handling of the car, which we hope to do in tomorrow morning’s free practice. The new kerbs don’t allow you to cut them with impunity, which is not a bad thing given the difficulty we have experienced in this area in the past. Our pace on a long run isn’t bad and we will do our best to fight for a place on the podium. As for the tyres, the softer compound is definitely quicker, but it’s also quite consistent in terms of performance.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “I feel satisfied with this first day, which was particularly tough from a driving point of view. The major difficulties are in adapting to the different positions of the buttons and gaining confidence with the KERS. This morning, braking heavily at Ascari, I flatspotted the left front tyre and that meant I had to fit the softer tyres earlier than planned: I felt more confident with those and I managed to drive at a strong pace. In both sessions, we didn’t go looking for performance and I had a lot of fuel on board. The potential is there to get onto the front few rows, but I need a bit more time to improve, especially in terms of braking and cutting the kerbs.”

Chris Dyer: “We can be satisfied with the result of the work we did with both drivers today. We completed our programme without any problems, concentrating on finding the best set-up on the car. We are pleased with the performance over a long run and, naturally, tomorrow morning, we will work on performance over the first lap, to prepare for qualifying. Giancarlo tackled the day’s work without experiencing any difficulty and we are not worried about his lap time, because the fundamental thing is for him to get experience in the car and with the use of KERS.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Belgium – 30th August 2009

Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 1st 1:23.50.995 - 44 279
L. Badoer 14th 1:25.33.172 + 102.177 44 280

Weather: air temperature 20/17 °C, track temperature 26/24 °C, sunny.

First win of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen. This is the Finn’s eighteenth career victory, the fourth at this track. For Ferrari, it is win number 210 from 788 Grands Prix starts, the sixteenth at this race. Luca Badoer finished in fourteenth place.

Stefano Domenicali: “We are very happy with this win, which is a reward for all the hard work that the entire team has done during such a difficult and at the same time, dramatic season. I wish to dedicate it first and foremost to President Montezemolo, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow. I don’t think he could have asked for a better present. Thanks go to our partners, first and foremost Philip Morris and Shell, who have always stood shoulder to shoulder with us, as have our fans, with their unfailing support. A thought also goes to Felipe who kept in touch from Miami, where tomorrow he undergoes a medical check. Kimi drove an amazing race today: we knew the first lap would be decisive and so it proved. He drove impeccably all race long and the team was at its very best during the two pit stops. In the last four races, we have always got one driver onto the podium and we have picked up a fair haul of points at the highest level, even in unusual circumstances. Today, Luca did the best he could and this win also reflects his contribution within the team: now we will take a few days to evaluate his immediate future, also based on what Felipe’s recovery time might be. Now we look to Monza, our home race, where we will do all in our power to continue down this road, even if we know it will be very difficult.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “A great victory for me and the team. The champagne tastes the same wherever you are on the podium, but the feeling when you win is definitely different. This track has everything a driver could want and it’s a pleasure to drive here, however, there’s no particular secret to explain why I’ve won here four times. We wanted to win at least one race and we’ve done it. Our car was not the best in the pack, but we managed to put everything together and this result comes from all the work done with the team. I got away well, but Rubens was stuck in front of me and I had to avoid him. Then, at the first corner and at the end of the straight, I managed to move up to second. Behind the Safety Car, I thought mainly about keeping the tyres and brakes up to temperature to be able to attack Fisichella at the restart, and that’s how I managed to pass him quite easily. At the first pit stop, maybe it would have been better to stay with the softer tyre but that’s easy to say afterwards. In the final part, when it seemed I might not be able to fight off Giancarlo, I slightly changed the way I used the KERS so as to defend myself on the straight at Stavelot and so I managed to stay in front. Monza will be difficult, because our car is not particularly good over the kerbs, but we will try and do our best.”

Luca Badoer: “Today I did my best. Unfortunately, at the first corner after the start, I flat-spotted the front tyres and so I always had strong vibrations throughout the first stint. Once the tyres were changed, the situation improved, but the performance of the harder compound was not as good as the soft one. I have upped my performance level yet again and I really want to race at Monza, one of the tracks I know best, along with Fiorano and Mugello. I am very happy for Kimi and the team: this is a fantastic victory, which was just what we needed at this point in the season.”

Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result for the team and for Kimi. After qualifying, we knew that we could have a good race if we got a good start. Kimi was fantastic, both on the first lap and then at the restart after the race was neutralised and he managed to take the lead. Fisichella was always right behind him and congratulations also to him for his performance. He and Kimi always pitted together and our guys managed on both occasions to send our driver out on track ahead of his closest rival. In the middle stint, we used the harder tyre but, with hindsight, we might have done better to pick the softer one: not only could we not open the gap over Giancarlo but we then had Vettel closing us down. Fortunately, at the second stop, the positions remained unchanged and Kimi did a good job of managing the situation in the closing laps. Today, the F60 was not the best car, but the team work and the talent of the driver produced the win and that’s what counts.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Belgium – 29th August 2009

Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 RAI 10th 1.45.579 9 BAD 20th 1.46.957 11
Q2 RAI 9th 1.44.953 6
Q3 RAI 6th 1.46.633 6

Chassis: L. Badoer 280, K. Raikkonen 279

Weather: air temperature 16/19 °C, track temperature 20/25 °C, partially cloudy.

Qualifying did not live up to the expectations of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, with one driver, Kimi Raikkonen on the third row and the other, Luca Badoer, on the last one. “One could certainly say the starting grid order is unexpected,” said Stefano Domenicali. “As we have already seen several times this season, the pecking order between the teams can change really suddenly from one race to the next. For our part, we would have liked to be a little bit higher up with Kimi, but all the same, we are in a position that will allow us to fight for a podium finish, especially when looking at the F60’s performance over a long run. As for Luca, once again we could see an improvement in his performance, but unfortunately, it was not enough to avoid him ending up last on the grid again.”

Luca Badoer: “I’m not happy, because this morning, at the end of free practice, I had hoped to make it through to Q2. Unfortunately, partly because of traffic and partly because of a few small problems, I didn’t manage to put together a perfect lap. I was counting on doing so on my final run, but there was the incident with Vettel which then led to me going off the track and that put an end to my qualifying. I have made another step forward in terms of performance, but it’s still not enough: for me the hardest thing is getting into a rhythm and finding the limits of the car. Unfortunately, there’s no opportunity to do the testing that would put that right. I am sure that tomorrow, I will perform better than I did in the Valencia race. I will try and do my best.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “Of course I would have preferred to have started from further up the grid, but I think we did our best today. We knew it would be hard to be at the front, but all the same, this is a good position, especially as the gaps between the front runners are pretty tight. With more fuel on board, the car handles better than on a light load and that was the case again in this qualifying session. Such an unusual grid makes it even harder to make any predictions for tomorrow and we will have to make the most of any opportunities that present themselves. The final outcome will depend a lot on the first two corners after the start. The fact the car handles differently at various sections of the track can be explained by the lack of aerodynamic downforce we have this season.”

Chris Dyer: “We are a bit disappointed because, after yesterday’s showing, we expected a better result. Sixth place for Kimi must be assessed in the light of the different fuel loads of all the cars in the top ten. We believe we have come up with a good strategy and, given the car’s performance over a long run, we expect that,yet again, we can fight for a place on the podium. As for Luca, everyone can see that, day by day, his performance level is improving: unfortunately, it is not yet at a sufficient level to see him through at least to Q2.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors

[Ed]

Grand Prix of Belgium – 28th August 2009

Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
K. Raikkonen 7th 1.52.930 16 3rd 1.47.285 26 279
L. Badoer 10th 1.55.068 20 20th 1.49.211 30 280

Weather
First session: air 19/16 °C, track 20/18 °C; overcast, occasional rain.
Second session: air 19/20 °C, track 26/29 °C; sunny.

Once again, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro ran their day on two fronts. On the one hand, there was Kimi Raikkonen setting the third fastest time of the day, on the other, Luca Badoer was again at the tail end of the field. “The results of free practice always have to be looked at with a pinch of salt, as we don’t know what programmes the other teams are running,” said Stefano Domenicali. “For our part, we can be satisfied with the performance of the F60, which showed itself to be competitive both in the dry and in the wet. Kimi was very quick and I think that he can be a major player this weekend. Furthermore, we have seen how close it is, with nineteen drivers all within just over one second of one another: clearly, all you need is to have around ten litres of fuel more or less on board to change the look of the time sheet. In twentieth place, Luca has made a step forward compared to Valencia, showing that what he needs most is to do more kilometres on track. This morning’s rain definitely did not help him, even if he was more competitive in these conditions than in the afternoon. We expect to see him continue to improve throughout the weekend.”

Luca Badoer: “In the wet this morning I was reasonably happy with my performance, even if I would have preferred to have run all the time in the dry, to increase my understanding of the car. In the afternoon, we made some modifications to the set-up, but I still haven’t managed to find the ideal settings for my driving style and so, I didn’t have the right feel for the car to attack all the corners. We still have a session available to us to work on the car tomorrow morning. My aim for qualifying is very simple: to make the cut at the end of Q1.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “I am pleased with the work we have done today and the overall feeling is a positive one. The car seems to be quick, even though we know it’s only Friday and therefore we cannot be entirely sure where we are compared to the others. We had a few technical problems, although they didn’t have a significant effect on the way we got through our planned programme for the day.”

Chris Dyer: “The changing weather conditions, typical of this Grand Prix, meant we were able to test for a long time in the rain and I have to say that both drivers reckoned they were pleased with the performance of their cars in the wet and were competitive compared to the others. In the afternoon, we had a few niggles with both cars (a failure in the hydraulic system meant Kimi couldn’t get back to the pits at the end of the second session) which did not really affect our programme. Kimi proved to be very quick: now we will analyse the data to decide in which direction we should go with the car in order to improve still further the performance of his F60. Luca continued to gain experience with the car and we hope he can also improve his performance bit by bit, as he gets more mileage under his belt.”
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Your predictions in 2010 - Drivers - Constructors