Testing at the Barcelona circuit
Maranello, 27th February
Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelò – 4.655 km
Driver: Felipe Massa
Car: Ferrari F10
Weather: air temperature 8/15 °C, track temperature 10/16 °C. Overcast, with rain at times.
Third day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and ten other teams, at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona.
Today’s session was affected by intermittent light rain, which fell throughout the morning and then again right at the start of the afternoon, leaving the track either wet or damp for several hours. Felipe Massa, driving for the first time this year on this circuit, concentrated mainly on some set-up work and then, in the afternoon, he carried out a race simulation, which was completed successfully. The Brazilian driver drove a total of 115 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.22.344.
Testing at this circuit continues tomorrow, again with Felipe Massa on track for the Scuderia.
Ferrari
Moderator: Ed
Testing at the Barcelona circuit
28th February 2010
Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelò – 4.655 km
Driver: Felipe Massa
Car: Ferrari F10
Weather: air temperature 15/19 °C, track temperature 15/23 °C. Overcast.
Today marked the end of winter testing in preparation for the Formula 1 World Championship, at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona.
Having driven the F10 on its track debut in Valencia a month ago, it fell to Felipe Massa to bring Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s testing to a close. Today, the Brazilian driver had a packed programme, working on evaluating the handling of the car and the Bridgestone tyres under different fuel loads. Felipe completed a total of 114 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.20.539.
28th February 2010
Circuit: Catalunya Circuit, Montmelò – 4.655 km
Driver: Felipe Massa
Car: Ferrari F10
Weather: air temperature 15/19 °C, track temperature 15/23 °C. Overcast.
Today marked the end of winter testing in preparation for the Formula 1 World Championship, at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona.
Having driven the F10 on its track debut in Valencia a month ago, it fell to Felipe Massa to bring Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s testing to a close. Today, the Brazilian driver had a packed programme, working on evaluating the handling of the car and the Bridgestone tyres under different fuel loads. Felipe completed a total of 114 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.20.539.
Grand Prix of Bahrain – 12th March 2010
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 2nd 1.56.766 18 9th 1.57.140 25 283
F. Massa 4th 1.57.055 19 7th 1.56.555 30 281
Weather
First session: air 29/31 °C, track 37/42 °C; sunny.
Second session: air 33 °C, track 47/46 °C; sunny.
After winter testing featured rain and below average temperatures, the first round of the World Championship, which got underway today at Sakhir, took place in hot and sunny conditions. Therefore, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro work programme over the three hours of free practice, focussed almost entirely on assessing the behaviour of the F10 and the two types of tyre brought here by Bridgestone, in conditions very different to those experienced during the fifteen days of testing. “We had set ourselves an agenda based on preparation for Sunday’s race and we are pleased with what we have seen so far,” commented Stefano Domenicali. “Even more so than in the past, it is difficult to get an idea of the pecking order on Friday, because the fuel levels of the cars during these three hours of running can vary quite considerably. Now, we must try and prepare as well as possible for tomorrow’s qualifying, which will be difficult and closely contested for a variety of reasons, without losing sight of the fact that the points are only handed out on Sunday afternoon.”
Fernando Alonso: “A slightly different Friday to usual for me, as it was the first one with my new team. We concentrated mainly on comparing the two types of tyre, so as to be as well prepared as possible for the race on Sunday, trying to get a car that performs consistently over a long run. Obviously, with such high temperatures, tyre degradation was more rapid, especially with the rears. From what we could see, the indications we got from testing have been confirmed, with four teams that you could describe as favourites, although there could yet be a few surprises, Force India for example. The new track is not bad: it is fun, even if there are a few too many bumps which I hadn’t spotted when I inspected it by bicycle.”
Felipe Massa: “We worked a lot on finding the right balance on the car in race trim and on comparing the two types of tyre, running with various fuel levels, although never going for a quick time. I am quite happy with what we have seen today, even if it is difficult to get an accurate picture of how competitive we are compared to the others. We will definitely face stiff competition from many teams, but we were preparing as well as possible for Sunday’s race and tomorrow morning, we will work on qualifying. I’ve got a bit of a temperature today, but I feel 100% for this start to the season.”
Chris Dyer: “We are reasonably pleased with the work done today. We had a very busy programme and we got through just about all of it: the only problem was a loss of air from a tyre on Alonso’s car which interrupted his long run. We picked up a lot of data which we will use to decide on set-up and strategy for the rest of the weekend. It’s hard to say where we are compared to the other teams in terms of performance and we will only find that out tomorrow afternoon. The new part of the circuit is rather narrow and at some points the surface is very bumpy, but it does not present any particular problems for the car.”
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 2nd 1.56.766 18 9th 1.57.140 25 283
F. Massa 4th 1.57.055 19 7th 1.56.555 30 281
Weather
First session: air 29/31 °C, track 37/42 °C; sunny.
Second session: air 33 °C, track 47/46 °C; sunny.
After winter testing featured rain and below average temperatures, the first round of the World Championship, which got underway today at Sakhir, took place in hot and sunny conditions. Therefore, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro work programme over the three hours of free practice, focussed almost entirely on assessing the behaviour of the F10 and the two types of tyre brought here by Bridgestone, in conditions very different to those experienced during the fifteen days of testing. “We had set ourselves an agenda based on preparation for Sunday’s race and we are pleased with what we have seen so far,” commented Stefano Domenicali. “Even more so than in the past, it is difficult to get an idea of the pecking order on Friday, because the fuel levels of the cars during these three hours of running can vary quite considerably. Now, we must try and prepare as well as possible for tomorrow’s qualifying, which will be difficult and closely contested for a variety of reasons, without losing sight of the fact that the points are only handed out on Sunday afternoon.”
Fernando Alonso: “A slightly different Friday to usual for me, as it was the first one with my new team. We concentrated mainly on comparing the two types of tyre, so as to be as well prepared as possible for the race on Sunday, trying to get a car that performs consistently over a long run. Obviously, with such high temperatures, tyre degradation was more rapid, especially with the rears. From what we could see, the indications we got from testing have been confirmed, with four teams that you could describe as favourites, although there could yet be a few surprises, Force India for example. The new track is not bad: it is fun, even if there are a few too many bumps which I hadn’t spotted when I inspected it by bicycle.”
Felipe Massa: “We worked a lot on finding the right balance on the car in race trim and on comparing the two types of tyre, running with various fuel levels, although never going for a quick time. I am quite happy with what we have seen today, even if it is difficult to get an accurate picture of how competitive we are compared to the others. We will definitely face stiff competition from many teams, but we were preparing as well as possible for Sunday’s race and tomorrow morning, we will work on qualifying. I’ve got a bit of a temperature today, but I feel 100% for this start to the season.”
Chris Dyer: “We are reasonably pleased with the work done today. We had a very busy programme and we got through just about all of it: the only problem was a loss of air from a tyre on Alonso’s car which interrupted his long run. We picked up a lot of data which we will use to decide on set-up and strategy for the rest of the weekend. It’s hard to say where we are compared to the other teams in terms of performance and we will only find that out tomorrow afternoon. The new part of the circuit is rather narrow and at some points the surface is very bumpy, but it does not present any particular problems for the car.”
Grand Prix of Bahrain – 13th March 2010
Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 1st 1.54.612 8 MAS 5th 1.55.313 4
Q2 ALO 2nd 1.54.172 6 MAS 4th 1.54.331 6
Q3 MAS 2nd 1.54.242 6 ALO 3rd 1.54.608 6
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 34 °C, track temperature 48/47 °C.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro got one car onto the front row of the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix and the other onto the second row. At the end of the first qualifying session of the season, Felipe Massa was second fastest in Q3, followed by his team-mate Fernando Alonso. “It’s a good result, coming at the end of a very closely contested session,” said Stefano Domenicali. “I want to thank all the staff of the Gestione Sportiva, who have worked hard these past few months to try and close the gap to what were the top teams at the end of last season. At least today, we have returned to breathing in the air at the top of the pack, even if we are well aware that the final figures are only totted up on Sunday afternoon after the race. We can expect quite a long and tough race, during which the number one priority, as always, will be reliability: with such hot weather, cars, drivers and tyres will be put under a heavy strain. It will also be important to manage the race as well as possible, finding the right moment to change tyres. I think this is something of an unknown for everyone, given that we will be experiencing very different conditions to those we experienced in the February tests. I am very satisfied with the way Fernando has integrated himself within our team: it seems as though he has been with us for years rather than months. And I am delighted that Felipe’s return to racing will start from the front row of the grid: it is well deserved after everything he went through last year.”
Felipe Massa: “It’s great to get back to being so competitive after such a difficult time. It’s a good way to start the new season and a nice reward for all the work the team has done over the winter. The race will be very difficult, but I am happy to be in with a chance of fighting for the top places. Yesterday, we did good work in preparing for the race and I think we went in the right direction, but this is only the first Grand Prix and there are still many unknown factors to work out, for example, finding the right moment to change tyres. Today, I gave it my all, doing a great lap on my last run, while the previous ones had not been so good. I wish to thank Sebastian for what he said about me at the start of the press conference. It pleased me a lot and shows the great respect that exists between we drivers.”
Fernando Alonso: “Up until today we did not have a clear reference as to how competitive we were: with our cars on the first and second rows we can be satisfied because it means our championship is getting off on a positive note. I am pleased with my qualifying debut for my new team. The F10 was strong in Q1 and Q2, but then Vettel managed to do better than us. On my last run I lost precious time in a couple of corners, losing a couple of tenths, which can happen when you are fighting for pole. I am not surprised to find Felipe ahead of me: he is my team-mate and we all know how good he is round this track. We know we have a good car which we fine tuned during the February tests: today we showed its potential and now we have eight months of work to develop it.”
Chris Dyer: “I am happy to be able to say there’s a whisker of disappointment after this result, given that I can hardly remember the last time we managed to get both cars into Q3! Two cars on the two front rows is a good basis to start from and tomorrow’s race looks like being very interesting. We had some minor problems on the cars during the day, but the team did a good job of managing the situation as well as possible. During yesterday’s long run testing, our cars seemed to be pretty consistent in terms of performance and we didn’t see anyone who looked particularly stronger than us.”
Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 1st 1.54.612 8 MAS 5th 1.55.313 4
Q2 ALO 2nd 1.54.172 6 MAS 4th 1.54.331 6
Q3 MAS 2nd 1.54.242 6 ALO 3rd 1.54.608 6
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 34 °C, track temperature 48/47 °C.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro got one car onto the front row of the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix and the other onto the second row. At the end of the first qualifying session of the season, Felipe Massa was second fastest in Q3, followed by his team-mate Fernando Alonso. “It’s a good result, coming at the end of a very closely contested session,” said Stefano Domenicali. “I want to thank all the staff of the Gestione Sportiva, who have worked hard these past few months to try and close the gap to what were the top teams at the end of last season. At least today, we have returned to breathing in the air at the top of the pack, even if we are well aware that the final figures are only totted up on Sunday afternoon after the race. We can expect quite a long and tough race, during which the number one priority, as always, will be reliability: with such hot weather, cars, drivers and tyres will be put under a heavy strain. It will also be important to manage the race as well as possible, finding the right moment to change tyres. I think this is something of an unknown for everyone, given that we will be experiencing very different conditions to those we experienced in the February tests. I am very satisfied with the way Fernando has integrated himself within our team: it seems as though he has been with us for years rather than months. And I am delighted that Felipe’s return to racing will start from the front row of the grid: it is well deserved after everything he went through last year.”
Felipe Massa: “It’s great to get back to being so competitive after such a difficult time. It’s a good way to start the new season and a nice reward for all the work the team has done over the winter. The race will be very difficult, but I am happy to be in with a chance of fighting for the top places. Yesterday, we did good work in preparing for the race and I think we went in the right direction, but this is only the first Grand Prix and there are still many unknown factors to work out, for example, finding the right moment to change tyres. Today, I gave it my all, doing a great lap on my last run, while the previous ones had not been so good. I wish to thank Sebastian for what he said about me at the start of the press conference. It pleased me a lot and shows the great respect that exists between we drivers.”
Fernando Alonso: “Up until today we did not have a clear reference as to how competitive we were: with our cars on the first and second rows we can be satisfied because it means our championship is getting off on a positive note. I am pleased with my qualifying debut for my new team. The F10 was strong in Q1 and Q2, but then Vettel managed to do better than us. On my last run I lost precious time in a couple of corners, losing a couple of tenths, which can happen when you are fighting for pole. I am not surprised to find Felipe ahead of me: he is my team-mate and we all know how good he is round this track. We know we have a good car which we fine tuned during the February tests: today we showed its potential and now we have eight months of work to develop it.”
Chris Dyer: “I am happy to be able to say there’s a whisker of disappointment after this result, given that I can hardly remember the last time we managed to get both cars into Q3! Two cars on the two front rows is a good basis to start from and tomorrow’s race looks like being very interesting. We had some minor problems on the cars during the day, but the team did a good job of managing the situation as well as possible. During yesterday’s long run testing, our cars seemed to be pretty consistent in terms of performance and we didn’t see anyone who looked particularly stronger than us.”
Grand Prix of Bahrain – 14th March 2010
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 1st 1:39.20.396 - 49 283
F. Massa 2nd 1:39.36.495 + 16.099 49 281
Weather: air temperature 34 °C, track temperature 47°C, sunny.
A one-two finish for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2010 World Championship. Fernando Alonso finished first on his race debut with the Prancing Horse, while Felipe Massa came second on his comeback after the accident in Budapest last year. This is victory number 211 for the Scuderia from 794 Grand Prix starts, the fourth in the seven editions of this race. For Fernando, it is win number twenty two from 141 Grand Prix starts, his third at the Sakhir circuit.
Stefano Domenicali: “A fantastic start to the championship! This amazing one-two is just reward for all the work of the team, both at the track and the factory in Maranello, over these past few months and I dedicate the result to them. Today, we had to manage a very complicated situation with Felipe’s car, because of the high temperatures, but we did it and I was very happy to see our driver on the podium on what was a very special day for him. As for Fernando, what can I say? There could be no better way for him to start his adventure in red! I also want to thank our technical and commercial partners, first and foremost Philip Morris and Shell, who have always supported us, even in the most difficult times and I think there is no better way to also welcome on board a new important sponsor like the Santander Bank. Now we can enjoy this wonderful day for a few hours, but as from tomorrow, we must start preparing for the next round in Australia, adopting our usual approach which involves keeping calm, with our feet on the ground and working hard. We have a very long season ahead of us, in which reliability will be crucial, as indeed we saw yet again today and where we will be fighting very strong and determined adversaries.”
Fernando Alonso: “I want to dedicate this victory to President Montezemolo, who believed in me and to our mechanics who did a really great job, especially this morning, when they changed the engine on my car in a very short time. Jumping onto the top step of the podium was a special feeling and I hope I have matched the expectations of the whole team. We worked so much this winter and now we are beginning to see the results of that. The first races of the season are very important: we must get to the European part of the year with a lot of points in the bag and a high level of understanding of how the tyres work at various types of track. The key to winning will be to continue to develop the car race by race. Today, on the harder tyres, we went very well, but with the softer ones, I was struggling a bit to stay close to Vettel. I was planning to attack in the final ten laps, but luck gave me a hand: you always need a bit in every race. At the start, I got away well, making the most of being on the clean side of the track and I managed to pass Felipe, going for a space that was big enough to pull off the move without any risk. Then I was lucky not to have any problems with the car, while my team-mate had a more difficult time and had to ease up a bit. Now it’s time to think about Australia. We will see who has the best car at that track, but I think the four top teams will all be in the fight.”
Felipe Massa: “I am very happy with this result and I want to thank all the team and our fans. It is my best opening race of a season since I started in Formula 1 and, given all the problems we had, I am very pleased. We had to manage the temperatures on the car and, for around thirty laps, I was not able to push as hard as I could. At the start, I lost a place to Alonso, but then the car worked well with both types of tyre. With the softer tyres, the Red Bull was quicker than us, but on the harder ones we were much better. I want to thank one more time all those who have been close to me over these past months, writing and sending me messages. Now we must look to Australia to be as well prepared as possible.”
Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result for the whole team. We worked so hard over the winter – in the wind tunnel, in the design office, the engine department, on track, everywhere –and today we reaped our reward. It was a great welcome for Fernando and an equally nice welcome back for Felipe: it would be hard to have asked for more in the first race. It was not an easy weekend, because we had to tackle a whole series of problems which we controlled thanks to the efforts of everyone at the track and back home, but I really hope we have fewer of them in the future. Because of the high temperatures, we were not able to run the race we wanted, but especially with Felipe, we had to adopt a very conservative approach, although I don’t think we were the only ones faced with that particular difficulty.”
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 1st 1:39.20.396 - 49 283
F. Massa 2nd 1:39.36.495 + 16.099 49 281
Weather: air temperature 34 °C, track temperature 47°C, sunny.
A one-two finish for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2010 World Championship. Fernando Alonso finished first on his race debut with the Prancing Horse, while Felipe Massa came second on his comeback after the accident in Budapest last year. This is victory number 211 for the Scuderia from 794 Grand Prix starts, the fourth in the seven editions of this race. For Fernando, it is win number twenty two from 141 Grand Prix starts, his third at the Sakhir circuit.
Stefano Domenicali: “A fantastic start to the championship! This amazing one-two is just reward for all the work of the team, both at the track and the factory in Maranello, over these past few months and I dedicate the result to them. Today, we had to manage a very complicated situation with Felipe’s car, because of the high temperatures, but we did it and I was very happy to see our driver on the podium on what was a very special day for him. As for Fernando, what can I say? There could be no better way for him to start his adventure in red! I also want to thank our technical and commercial partners, first and foremost Philip Morris and Shell, who have always supported us, even in the most difficult times and I think there is no better way to also welcome on board a new important sponsor like the Santander Bank. Now we can enjoy this wonderful day for a few hours, but as from tomorrow, we must start preparing for the next round in Australia, adopting our usual approach which involves keeping calm, with our feet on the ground and working hard. We have a very long season ahead of us, in which reliability will be crucial, as indeed we saw yet again today and where we will be fighting very strong and determined adversaries.”
Fernando Alonso: “I want to dedicate this victory to President Montezemolo, who believed in me and to our mechanics who did a really great job, especially this morning, when they changed the engine on my car in a very short time. Jumping onto the top step of the podium was a special feeling and I hope I have matched the expectations of the whole team. We worked so much this winter and now we are beginning to see the results of that. The first races of the season are very important: we must get to the European part of the year with a lot of points in the bag and a high level of understanding of how the tyres work at various types of track. The key to winning will be to continue to develop the car race by race. Today, on the harder tyres, we went very well, but with the softer ones, I was struggling a bit to stay close to Vettel. I was planning to attack in the final ten laps, but luck gave me a hand: you always need a bit in every race. At the start, I got away well, making the most of being on the clean side of the track and I managed to pass Felipe, going for a space that was big enough to pull off the move without any risk. Then I was lucky not to have any problems with the car, while my team-mate had a more difficult time and had to ease up a bit. Now it’s time to think about Australia. We will see who has the best car at that track, but I think the four top teams will all be in the fight.”
Felipe Massa: “I am very happy with this result and I want to thank all the team and our fans. It is my best opening race of a season since I started in Formula 1 and, given all the problems we had, I am very pleased. We had to manage the temperatures on the car and, for around thirty laps, I was not able to push as hard as I could. At the start, I lost a place to Alonso, but then the car worked well with both types of tyre. With the softer tyres, the Red Bull was quicker than us, but on the harder ones we were much better. I want to thank one more time all those who have been close to me over these past months, writing and sending me messages. Now we must look to Australia to be as well prepared as possible.”
Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result for the whole team. We worked so hard over the winter – in the wind tunnel, in the design office, the engine department, on track, everywhere –and today we reaped our reward. It was a great welcome for Fernando and an equally nice welcome back for Felipe: it would be hard to have asked for more in the first race. It was not an easy weekend, because we had to tackle a whole series of problems which we controlled thanks to the efforts of everyone at the track and back home, but I really hope we have fewer of them in the future. Because of the high temperatures, we were not able to run the race we wanted, but especially with Felipe, we had to adopt a very conservative approach, although I don’t think we were the only ones faced with that particular difficulty.”
Grand Prix of Australia – 26th March 2010
Free practices
First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 6th 1.27.747 21 15th 1.29.025 20 283
F. Massa 4th 1.27.511 18 17th 1.29.591 21 281
Weather
First session: air 27/25 °C, track 34 °C; sunny, then cloudy.
Second session: air 21/20 °C, track 26/24 °C; overcast, with occasional rain.
Two elements affected Friday practice: traffic and, in the second session, changing weather conditions. Therefore it is hard to draw any conclusions as to the pecking order among the teams at the end of these three hours of free practice, as fact confirmed by Stefano Domenicali. “We tried to get through all our planned programme, which centred on finding the best set-up for the race and on evaluating the two types of tyre Bridgestone has supplied for this Grand Prix. Obviously, we would have preferred to have been able to do more laps in consistent conditions, but this applies to everyone, so it’s not worth complaining about. All in all, from what we could see, the situation is similar to the one in Bahrain. Tomorrow, it will be vital to have a good qualifying: in order to do that, it will be very important to manage the timing to find the best moment to go out and do a time, especially in the first two sessions.”
Fernando Alonso: “I am happy to be racing in Melbourne: this is one of the most enjoyable events on the calendar. Overall, I am reasonably happy with the work we managed to get done today, despite the rain that came in the second session. Sure, I would have liked to have got a greater understanding of the tyre behaviour, especially the softer ones, which we only used in FP2. However, I think everyone was in the same situation. We worked exclusively at preparing for Sunday’s race and that’s why I’m not bothered by my position in the classification. Usually on Friday, this track is very dirty but this time the grip level on the first lap was not so bad. For the race, tyre management will be a key factor, given that it’s very probable that we will have to do a lot of laps on the same set of tyres. We will need to try and handle it in the best way possible to be able to attack when the right moment comes.”
Felipe Massa: “It was a difficult Friday, especially the second session. Because of the rain which came and went, we did not manage to do exactly what we would have wanted. We concentrated on race preparation while it’s possible some other teams were on a different programme to us. So, there is no point in trying to understand the situation simply by looking at the time sheet. Our aim tomorrow is to be well prepared for qualifying, which at this track will be even more important than usual. From what we have seen, the tyres do not suffer much degradation, but it’s still a bit early to draw any definite conclusions. I like the Albert Park circuit a lot: I have always been quick here, but for one reason or another, I have never managed to finish the race in the points, apart from in 2007 when, after a difficult qualifying, I finished sixth. I hope I have better luck this time.”
Chris Dyer: “We did not manage to get through everything we wanted to do, but all the same, we were able to acquire enough information on the handling of the car and the tyres. The F10 seems to be pretty good on this track too, both on the harder and softer tyres. As scheduled, both cars were fitted with the engines they had on Friday and Saturday in Bahrain. On Fernando’s car, we also tried a new updated front wing, which gave positive results. Tomorrow, it will be available to both drivers.”
Free practices
First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 6th 1.27.747 21 15th 1.29.025 20 283
F. Massa 4th 1.27.511 18 17th 1.29.591 21 281
Weather
First session: air 27/25 °C, track 34 °C; sunny, then cloudy.
Second session: air 21/20 °C, track 26/24 °C; overcast, with occasional rain.
Two elements affected Friday practice: traffic and, in the second session, changing weather conditions. Therefore it is hard to draw any conclusions as to the pecking order among the teams at the end of these three hours of free practice, as fact confirmed by Stefano Domenicali. “We tried to get through all our planned programme, which centred on finding the best set-up for the race and on evaluating the two types of tyre Bridgestone has supplied for this Grand Prix. Obviously, we would have preferred to have been able to do more laps in consistent conditions, but this applies to everyone, so it’s not worth complaining about. All in all, from what we could see, the situation is similar to the one in Bahrain. Tomorrow, it will be vital to have a good qualifying: in order to do that, it will be very important to manage the timing to find the best moment to go out and do a time, especially in the first two sessions.”
Fernando Alonso: “I am happy to be racing in Melbourne: this is one of the most enjoyable events on the calendar. Overall, I am reasonably happy with the work we managed to get done today, despite the rain that came in the second session. Sure, I would have liked to have got a greater understanding of the tyre behaviour, especially the softer ones, which we only used in FP2. However, I think everyone was in the same situation. We worked exclusively at preparing for Sunday’s race and that’s why I’m not bothered by my position in the classification. Usually on Friday, this track is very dirty but this time the grip level on the first lap was not so bad. For the race, tyre management will be a key factor, given that it’s very probable that we will have to do a lot of laps on the same set of tyres. We will need to try and handle it in the best way possible to be able to attack when the right moment comes.”
Felipe Massa: “It was a difficult Friday, especially the second session. Because of the rain which came and went, we did not manage to do exactly what we would have wanted. We concentrated on race preparation while it’s possible some other teams were on a different programme to us. So, there is no point in trying to understand the situation simply by looking at the time sheet. Our aim tomorrow is to be well prepared for qualifying, which at this track will be even more important than usual. From what we have seen, the tyres do not suffer much degradation, but it’s still a bit early to draw any definite conclusions. I like the Albert Park circuit a lot: I have always been quick here, but for one reason or another, I have never managed to finish the race in the points, apart from in 2007 when, after a difficult qualifying, I finished sixth. I hope I have better luck this time.”
Chris Dyer: “We did not manage to get through everything we wanted to do, but all the same, we were able to acquire enough information on the handling of the car and the tyres. The F10 seems to be pretty good on this track too, both on the harder and softer tyres. As scheduled, both cars were fitted with the engines they had on Friday and Saturday in Bahrain. On Fernando’s car, we also tried a new updated front wing, which gave positive results. Tomorrow, it will be available to both drivers.”
Grand Prix of Australia – 27th March 2010
Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 5th 1.25.082 6 MAS 9th 1.25.448 10
Q2 ALO 3rd 1.24.335 9 MAS 7th 1.25.010 8
Q3 ALO 3rd 1.24.111 7 MAS 5th 1.24.837 6
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 21/20 °C, track temperature 23 °C. Covered skies.
Third and fifth places: that was the end result for Scuderia Ferrari in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso will start from third spot on the starting grid, just ahead of his team-mate, Felipe Massa, who posted the fifth fastest time. “We are satisfied with this result,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We knew the Red Bulls were very quick, but we are not far off them. Fernando really drove a great qualifying, getting the most out of the car. Felipe struggled a bit to get the tyres working properly, but all the same he managed to get a good place. Tomorrow’s race looks like being very unpredictable. Traditionally at this track, the safety-car very often plays its part and I don’t think tomorrow’s race will be an exception to this rule. We will therefore need to be ready to deal with any eventuality. Furthermore, there is a question mark over the weather. For our part, we will try and bring home the best result we can: in a long and closely contested championship like this one, the key is to always score points.”
Fernando Alonso: “I am pleased with the way qualifying went. You always want to be on pole, but third place is still a good result. We knew the Red Bulls were very strong, but we are close to them and can count on having a good race pace. Our aim is to get to the finish, not making any mistakes and getting a good result, maybe making it to the podium. Of course I want to fight for the win but it is not worth taking risks as it is too important to bring home points. After yesterday’s free practice, we were not worried because we knew our work had only focussed on being ready for Sunday’s race. Anything can happen here and we must be ready for any eventuality. A new engine? Yes, it brings luck to change it…But joking apart, it was part of our engine management plan to have a new unit for this race.”
Felipe Massa: “Not the qualifying I was expecting, going into this Grand Prix. Ever since the temperature dropped, I have always struggled to find the best way of getting the tyres up to temperature, while yesterday morning for example, when it was hotter, the situation was much better. With today’s temperatures, I had no grip, which is not particularly encouraging. Let’s hope it’s a bit warmer tomorrow. In FP3 I really found it difficult, but come the end of qualifying I still managed to get a reasonable result. It’s definitely not ideal in terms of looking for a win, but all the same, I will try and bring home a good number of points. This race is very tough, partly because, as we have often seen in the past, anything can happen here.”
Chris Dyer: “We are quite pleased with this result, given that we came pretty close to getting the most out of the potential of our package. We still lack a little bit of performance to be ahead of the two Red Bulls, but nevertheless, we are in a good position for tomorrow’s race. After the difficulty in the last free practice session, Felipe did a good job in qualifying, managing to get a good position on the grid. Both cars will be starting from the clean side of the track, which could be an advantage. At the moment, the weather forecast for tomorrow is dry for the race, but we saw both yesterday and today that there is real chance of short showers. We must therefore be ready to deal with this eventuality, as well as making the most of any opportunities that might arise during a race that traditionally seems plenty of action.”
Qualifying session
Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 5th 1.25.082 6 MAS 9th 1.25.448 10
Q2 ALO 3rd 1.24.335 9 MAS 7th 1.25.010 8
Q3 ALO 3rd 1.24.111 7 MAS 5th 1.24.837 6
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 21/20 °C, track temperature 23 °C. Covered skies.
Third and fifth places: that was the end result for Scuderia Ferrari in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso will start from third spot on the starting grid, just ahead of his team-mate, Felipe Massa, who posted the fifth fastest time. “We are satisfied with this result,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We knew the Red Bulls were very quick, but we are not far off them. Fernando really drove a great qualifying, getting the most out of the car. Felipe struggled a bit to get the tyres working properly, but all the same he managed to get a good place. Tomorrow’s race looks like being very unpredictable. Traditionally at this track, the safety-car very often plays its part and I don’t think tomorrow’s race will be an exception to this rule. We will therefore need to be ready to deal with any eventuality. Furthermore, there is a question mark over the weather. For our part, we will try and bring home the best result we can: in a long and closely contested championship like this one, the key is to always score points.”
Fernando Alonso: “I am pleased with the way qualifying went. You always want to be on pole, but third place is still a good result. We knew the Red Bulls were very strong, but we are close to them and can count on having a good race pace. Our aim is to get to the finish, not making any mistakes and getting a good result, maybe making it to the podium. Of course I want to fight for the win but it is not worth taking risks as it is too important to bring home points. After yesterday’s free practice, we were not worried because we knew our work had only focussed on being ready for Sunday’s race. Anything can happen here and we must be ready for any eventuality. A new engine? Yes, it brings luck to change it…But joking apart, it was part of our engine management plan to have a new unit for this race.”
Felipe Massa: “Not the qualifying I was expecting, going into this Grand Prix. Ever since the temperature dropped, I have always struggled to find the best way of getting the tyres up to temperature, while yesterday morning for example, when it was hotter, the situation was much better. With today’s temperatures, I had no grip, which is not particularly encouraging. Let’s hope it’s a bit warmer tomorrow. In FP3 I really found it difficult, but come the end of qualifying I still managed to get a reasonable result. It’s definitely not ideal in terms of looking for a win, but all the same, I will try and bring home a good number of points. This race is very tough, partly because, as we have often seen in the past, anything can happen here.”
Chris Dyer: “We are quite pleased with this result, given that we came pretty close to getting the most out of the potential of our package. We still lack a little bit of performance to be ahead of the two Red Bulls, but nevertheless, we are in a good position for tomorrow’s race. After the difficulty in the last free practice session, Felipe did a good job in qualifying, managing to get a good position on the grid. Both cars will be starting from the clean side of the track, which could be an advantage. At the moment, the weather forecast for tomorrow is dry for the race, but we saw both yesterday and today that there is real chance of short showers. We must therefore be ready to deal with this eventuality, as well as making the most of any opportunities that might arise during a race that traditionally seems plenty of action.”
Grand Prix of Australia – 28th March 2010
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Massa 3rd 1:33.51.019 + 14.488 58 281
F. Alonso 4th 1:33.52.385 + 16.304 58 283
Weather: air temperature 21/26 °C, track temperature 25/24 °C, light rain at the start, covered skies.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro comes away from the Australian Grand Prix with 27 points to its name, thanks to a third place for Felipe Massa and a fourth for Fernando Alonso. This result means that the Maranello team continues to have its drivers in the top two places in the Drivers’ Championship (Fernando first on 37 points and Felipe second with 33) and the team also leads the Constructors’ classification on 70 points.
Stefano Domenicali: “We can be satisfied with this result. At the end of an incident packed race we managed to get one driver onto the podium and the other – who had been last after the first corner – into fourth spot. Fernando staged a fantastic climb through the field and might have got an even better result, but we know overtaking is always difficult, especially when it involves cars with similar performance levels. He was perfect when defending his position against Hamilton in the closing stages. Felipe got a really good start which formed the basis of his final result: he had a difficult weekend and I am sure this second consecutive podium is pleasing for him. Reliability however is the key factor, as we saw again today. In terms of the championship, today’s result is very positive: those who are our strongest competitors at the moment picked up just a few points and even when compared to other drivers, we have extended our lead. Now we must remain focussed and prepare as well as possible for the next week’s race in Malaysia, where we will again find different conditions to those we have experienced in the first two Grands Prix.”
Felipe Massa: “I am very happy with this result, for myself and for the team. Given everything that happened, rain at the start, the safety car, the switch to slick tyres when the track was still very slippery – we did a great job. These points are very important for the classification: I have never been very lucky here and in the past, I have often struggled in the early part of the season. The key to getting on the podium was the start. I managed not to spin the wheels, while other drivers struggled for grip and I managed to move up to second. Then I lost some places in the early stages, when I had a few problems with grip, but thanks to the strategy, I then managed to make up some. I was able to close on Kubica but I never had a real chance of passing him, while behind me Fernando got very close on more than one occasion, making the most of a few errors. I think the spectators in the grandstands and in front of their TV screens had fun today: you could hardly call it boring!”
Fernando Alonso: “I am pleased with this result. I got an awful start, because I had wheel spin on a white line and was last after the first corner following a collision with two other cars, so to finish fourth is very significant, especially given what happened to some other drivers, meaning we have increased our lead over some of our closest rivals in the title fight. Thanks to the strategy, we managed to get this result. The car was perfect and we were able to run a very long stint with the soft tyres. When I found myself behind Felipe, maybe I could have gone a bit quicker, but we know it’s very hard to pass in Formula 1 and between team-mates, one should not take any unnecessary risks. If we had managed to get past Kubica, then it might have been a different story, but it wasn’t possible, apart from the fact I also had to defend my position against Hamilton and Webber, who were on fresher tyres than us. For sure, after an exciting and action packed race like this, I don’t think we’ll hear much more talk about boring races!”
Chris Dyer: “Before the race, we had hoped for a better result, but after what happened at the start and the first corner, with Fernando relegated to the back of the pack, we have to be happy with taking home a third and a fourth place. We opted to run just one set of dry tyres and that proved to be the right decision. If we had pitted a second time, we would definitely have lost a few places, while staying out on track, we knew our pursuers would catch us in the closing stages and then it would be a case of defending position which is exactly what happened, with a positive outcome. After two races, we are leading both championships and that means we can look forward with confidence to the rest of the season.”
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Massa 3rd 1:33.51.019 + 14.488 58 281
F. Alonso 4th 1:33.52.385 + 16.304 58 283
Weather: air temperature 21/26 °C, track temperature 25/24 °C, light rain at the start, covered skies.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro comes away from the Australian Grand Prix with 27 points to its name, thanks to a third place for Felipe Massa and a fourth for Fernando Alonso. This result means that the Maranello team continues to have its drivers in the top two places in the Drivers’ Championship (Fernando first on 37 points and Felipe second with 33) and the team also leads the Constructors’ classification on 70 points.
Stefano Domenicali: “We can be satisfied with this result. At the end of an incident packed race we managed to get one driver onto the podium and the other – who had been last after the first corner – into fourth spot. Fernando staged a fantastic climb through the field and might have got an even better result, but we know overtaking is always difficult, especially when it involves cars with similar performance levels. He was perfect when defending his position against Hamilton in the closing stages. Felipe got a really good start which formed the basis of his final result: he had a difficult weekend and I am sure this second consecutive podium is pleasing for him. Reliability however is the key factor, as we saw again today. In terms of the championship, today’s result is very positive: those who are our strongest competitors at the moment picked up just a few points and even when compared to other drivers, we have extended our lead. Now we must remain focussed and prepare as well as possible for the next week’s race in Malaysia, where we will again find different conditions to those we have experienced in the first two Grands Prix.”
Felipe Massa: “I am very happy with this result, for myself and for the team. Given everything that happened, rain at the start, the safety car, the switch to slick tyres when the track was still very slippery – we did a great job. These points are very important for the classification: I have never been very lucky here and in the past, I have often struggled in the early part of the season. The key to getting on the podium was the start. I managed not to spin the wheels, while other drivers struggled for grip and I managed to move up to second. Then I lost some places in the early stages, when I had a few problems with grip, but thanks to the strategy, I then managed to make up some. I was able to close on Kubica but I never had a real chance of passing him, while behind me Fernando got very close on more than one occasion, making the most of a few errors. I think the spectators in the grandstands and in front of their TV screens had fun today: you could hardly call it boring!”
Fernando Alonso: “I am pleased with this result. I got an awful start, because I had wheel spin on a white line and was last after the first corner following a collision with two other cars, so to finish fourth is very significant, especially given what happened to some other drivers, meaning we have increased our lead over some of our closest rivals in the title fight. Thanks to the strategy, we managed to get this result. The car was perfect and we were able to run a very long stint with the soft tyres. When I found myself behind Felipe, maybe I could have gone a bit quicker, but we know it’s very hard to pass in Formula 1 and between team-mates, one should not take any unnecessary risks. If we had managed to get past Kubica, then it might have been a different story, but it wasn’t possible, apart from the fact I also had to defend my position against Hamilton and Webber, who were on fresher tyres than us. For sure, after an exciting and action packed race like this, I don’t think we’ll hear much more talk about boring races!”
Chris Dyer: “Before the race, we had hoped for a better result, but after what happened at the start and the first corner, with Fernando relegated to the back of the pack, we have to be happy with taking home a third and a fourth place. We opted to run just one set of dry tyres and that proved to be the right decision. If we had pitted a second time, we would definitely have lost a few places, while staying out on track, we knew our pursuers would catch us in the closing stages and then it would be a case of defending position which is exactly what happened, with a positive outcome. After two races, we are leading both championships and that means we can look forward with confidence to the rest of the season.”
Grand Prix of Malaysia – 2nd April 2010
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 8th 1.35.959 20 7th 1.35.581 34 283
F. Massa 11th 1.36.451 22 15th 1.36.602 30 281
Weather
First session: air 28/32 °C, track 33/38 °C; sunny.
Second session: air 33 °C, track 45/41 °C; sunny.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro tackled Friday’s two free practice sessions concentrating entirely on preparation for Sunday’s race. Both Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso worked on finding the best set-up for the F10 and on a comparison of the two types of tyre Bridgestone has brought to this Grand Prix. “This year, it’s impossible to work out exactly where we are compared to the others, after the first three hours of free practice,” said Stefano Domenicali. “And today, was no exception to that rule. For our part, we followed a very precise programme, aimed at acquiring data for Sunday’s race. Once again, it looks like being a weekend when everyone is very evenly matched, with at least four teams looking capable of fighting for the top places. The major unknown factor is the weather: since we have been in Sepang, not a single day has gone by without a storm putting in an appearance at the time when qualifying and the race are due to take place and if that was to be the case tomorrow and Sunday, any predictions could go out the window.”
Fernando Alonso: “It’s pointless to look for any significance in Friday’s classification: I’m seventh, but I could just as well have been second or last and it would not have changed anything. It all depends on the difference between the programmes adopted by the teams. From our side, we are reasonably happy with what we have done and first impressions would be that there is no reason to expect a very different picture to the one we saw in Bahrain and Australia, partly because, in the space of four days, nothing much is likely to have changed. As before, I expect Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes to be very competitive and we will have to do our best. It will not be easy, but there is no reason to be pessimistic. The temperatures of the engine, brakes, tyres and last but not least, the drivers, will be an important factor, which we will have to keep under control.”
Felipe Massa :“As usual, it’s difficult to draw any hurried conclusions after these three hours of free practice. We ran a different programme to the other main teams, therefore we can’t tell where we are compared with them. What is clear is that Red Bull and McLaren seem to be going very well: let’s wait and see what we can do in qualifying and especially in the race. We tried to find a good set-up and to understand the behaviour of the tyres. The car handles reasonably well. We just need to work a bit more to improve our outright performance, but we don’t have problems in any particular area. Once again, this time on a track with a variety of very quick corners, I’ve got a good feeling from the F10.”
Chris Dyer: “A few little technical problems prevented us from getting through every last item on our agenda, but nevertheless, we have gathered sufficient data to prepare as well as possible for qualifying and the race. We need to find a bit more performance for qualifying: that is what we will work on this afternoon and tomorrow morning, in the third free practice. The two types of Bridgestone tyre are pretty similar in terms of their level of degradation: the softer one seems quicker over the first lap, while over a distance, the situation is less clear. Obviously, the weather is the unknown factor that hangs over the rest of the weekend, with the possibility of rain playing a major role.”
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 8th 1.35.959 20 7th 1.35.581 34 283
F. Massa 11th 1.36.451 22 15th 1.36.602 30 281
Weather
First session: air 28/32 °C, track 33/38 °C; sunny.
Second session: air 33 °C, track 45/41 °C; sunny.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro tackled Friday’s two free practice sessions concentrating entirely on preparation for Sunday’s race. Both Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso worked on finding the best set-up for the F10 and on a comparison of the two types of tyre Bridgestone has brought to this Grand Prix. “This year, it’s impossible to work out exactly where we are compared to the others, after the first three hours of free practice,” said Stefano Domenicali. “And today, was no exception to that rule. For our part, we followed a very precise programme, aimed at acquiring data for Sunday’s race. Once again, it looks like being a weekend when everyone is very evenly matched, with at least four teams looking capable of fighting for the top places. The major unknown factor is the weather: since we have been in Sepang, not a single day has gone by without a storm putting in an appearance at the time when qualifying and the race are due to take place and if that was to be the case tomorrow and Sunday, any predictions could go out the window.”
Fernando Alonso: “It’s pointless to look for any significance in Friday’s classification: I’m seventh, but I could just as well have been second or last and it would not have changed anything. It all depends on the difference between the programmes adopted by the teams. From our side, we are reasonably happy with what we have done and first impressions would be that there is no reason to expect a very different picture to the one we saw in Bahrain and Australia, partly because, in the space of four days, nothing much is likely to have changed. As before, I expect Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes to be very competitive and we will have to do our best. It will not be easy, but there is no reason to be pessimistic. The temperatures of the engine, brakes, tyres and last but not least, the drivers, will be an important factor, which we will have to keep under control.”
Felipe Massa :“As usual, it’s difficult to draw any hurried conclusions after these three hours of free practice. We ran a different programme to the other main teams, therefore we can’t tell where we are compared with them. What is clear is that Red Bull and McLaren seem to be going very well: let’s wait and see what we can do in qualifying and especially in the race. We tried to find a good set-up and to understand the behaviour of the tyres. The car handles reasonably well. We just need to work a bit more to improve our outright performance, but we don’t have problems in any particular area. Once again, this time on a track with a variety of very quick corners, I’ve got a good feeling from the F10.”
Chris Dyer: “A few little technical problems prevented us from getting through every last item on our agenda, but nevertheless, we have gathered sufficient data to prepare as well as possible for qualifying and the race. We need to find a bit more performance for qualifying: that is what we will work on this afternoon and tomorrow morning, in the third free practice. The two types of Bridgestone tyre are pretty similar in terms of their level of degradation: the softer one seems quicker over the first lap, while over a distance, the situation is less clear. Obviously, the weather is the unknown factor that hangs over the rest of the weekend, with the possibility of rain playing a major role.”
Grand Prix of Malaysia – 3rd April 2010
Qualifying session
Session Driver Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 19th 1.53.044 8 MAS 21st 1.53.283 7
Q2
Q3
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 30/28 °C, track temperature 35/30 °C. Rain.
A very bad qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, as both its drivers failed to get through to the second part of the session. Fernando Alonso was nineteenth fastest, with Felipe Massa twenty first. “We are very disappointed with the way qualifying went,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We made an error of judgement in trusting the weather forecast: when we went out on track the rain, rather than dying down, suddenly got even stronger. With hindsight, it is easy to say we should have gone out immediately. It’s a real shame because all the signs were that we could have done well and now we will have to prepare for an uphill fight in the race. But there’s no point in crying about things before they have even happened, because the race is not until tomorrow. And as we saw today, anything could happen. We will try and pick up as many points as possible, making the most of any opportunity that presents itself.”
Fernando Alonso: “We were expecting the rain to stop and that’s why we stayed in the garage longer than the others. When we went out, in fact the conditions got worse and even on the extreme wets, we were unable to improve our time. Rain might make things more spectacular, but the session just turns into a lottery. Today, it went badly for us and we found ourselves in the wrong place – the track – at the wrong time. However, the result of qualifying is only worth the paper on which it is written, because the points are assigned at the end of the race. Of course, starting from the back puts us in a difficult position but, as we saw last Sunday in Melbourne, anything can happen and we have to trust in our abilities. We must do our best to bring home a points finish.”
Felipe Massa: “We are very sorry about what happened. We waited a bit before going out, because it was raining hard and the forecast was for an improvement, however we found ourselves out on track where there was more water than predicted. We made a mistake and we were caught out by the weather forecast. Now we must do our best for tomorrow’s race. It will be tough, as always when you start from the back of the grid, but we will have to try and score at least a few points. It’s hard to say whether it’s better to hope for rain or sunshine: maybe with the former there might be more chance of the tables being turned, but it’s equally true that there are more chances of ending up out of the race.”
Chris Dyer: “Obviously, we are very disappointed. Yesterday, we did a good job of preparing for the weekend and this morning, the F10 was clearly very competitive in the dry and we therefore hoped for a good result this afternoon. The way the weather changed caught us on the back foot. An improvement had been predicted up to the end of Q1 and, in those circumstances it made sense to go out in the late stages. We went out at the mid point and after a few laps, some of them spoiled by yellow flags, the rain got heavier and we could no longer improve our performance, even if Fernando got very close right at the end. A real shame, as tomorrow’s race now becomes a case of damage limitation because of our grid positions. All the same, we are confident that we have a competitive car and we also have faith in our drivers, therefore we will try and make the most of this situation.”
Qualifying session
Session Driver Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 19th 1.53.044 8 MAS 21st 1.53.283 7
Q2
Q3
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 30/28 °C, track temperature 35/30 °C. Rain.
A very bad qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, as both its drivers failed to get through to the second part of the session. Fernando Alonso was nineteenth fastest, with Felipe Massa twenty first. “We are very disappointed with the way qualifying went,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We made an error of judgement in trusting the weather forecast: when we went out on track the rain, rather than dying down, suddenly got even stronger. With hindsight, it is easy to say we should have gone out immediately. It’s a real shame because all the signs were that we could have done well and now we will have to prepare for an uphill fight in the race. But there’s no point in crying about things before they have even happened, because the race is not until tomorrow. And as we saw today, anything could happen. We will try and pick up as many points as possible, making the most of any opportunity that presents itself.”
Fernando Alonso: “We were expecting the rain to stop and that’s why we stayed in the garage longer than the others. When we went out, in fact the conditions got worse and even on the extreme wets, we were unable to improve our time. Rain might make things more spectacular, but the session just turns into a lottery. Today, it went badly for us and we found ourselves in the wrong place – the track – at the wrong time. However, the result of qualifying is only worth the paper on which it is written, because the points are assigned at the end of the race. Of course, starting from the back puts us in a difficult position but, as we saw last Sunday in Melbourne, anything can happen and we have to trust in our abilities. We must do our best to bring home a points finish.”
Felipe Massa: “We are very sorry about what happened. We waited a bit before going out, because it was raining hard and the forecast was for an improvement, however we found ourselves out on track where there was more water than predicted. We made a mistake and we were caught out by the weather forecast. Now we must do our best for tomorrow’s race. It will be tough, as always when you start from the back of the grid, but we will have to try and score at least a few points. It’s hard to say whether it’s better to hope for rain or sunshine: maybe with the former there might be more chance of the tables being turned, but it’s equally true that there are more chances of ending up out of the race.”
Chris Dyer: “Obviously, we are very disappointed. Yesterday, we did a good job of preparing for the weekend and this morning, the F10 was clearly very competitive in the dry and we therefore hoped for a good result this afternoon. The way the weather changed caught us on the back foot. An improvement had been predicted up to the end of Q1 and, in those circumstances it made sense to go out in the late stages. We went out at the mid point and after a few laps, some of them spoiled by yellow flags, the rain got heavier and we could no longer improve our performance, even if Fernando got very close right at the end. A real shame, as tomorrow’s race now becomes a case of damage limitation because of our grid positions. All the same, we are confident that we have a competitive car and we also have faith in our drivers, therefore we will try and make the most of this situation.”
Grand Prix of Malaysia – 4th April 2010
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Massa 7th 1:34.15.480 + 27.068 56 281
F. Alonso 13th 1:31.05.241 DNF 54 283
Weather: air temperature 34/32 °C, track temperature 44/38 °C, cloudy.
Only seven points in the bag for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix, courtesy of a seventh place for Felipe Massa. Fernando Alonso had to retire at the start of lap 55, when the engine broke. After the first three races of the season, Felipe heads the Drivers’ classification on 39 points, two more than his team-mate and Vettel, while the Scuderia stays at the top of the Constructors’ classification with 76 points, ten more than McLaren.
Stefano Domenicali: “There’s no way we can be happy with the outcome of this third race weekend of the season. We came to Malaysia with very different objectives and taking home a mere seven points is a disappointment. Today’s result is down to yesterday’s qualifying: when you start that far back on the grid, it’s difficult to do better. On top of that, we had a few reliability problems which should put us on our guard: if we want to aspire to the title we absolutely have to sort this out. Fernando drove an amazing race, given that right from the formation lap, he had a problem going through the gears. To drive under these conditions is impressive and he was able to stay in the fight for points right to the end. Felipe also drove a really great race, especially in the second part and heading the Drivers’ classification is a just reward for all he has done in this early part of the season. An initial assessment after three races Positive, because we lead both championships and have shown we are competitive at the highest level. We know where we have to improve – performance and reliability – but we can count on an excellent package – car, drivers, team – all capable of being in the fight for both titles.”
Felipe Massa: “All things considered, we did a good job in these first three races, as proved by the fact we lead both championships. However, there are still sixteen races to go and we know there is much room for improvement in terms of car performance and in making it totally reliable. Given where we started from, seventh place is probably the best we could hope for. We tried to delay the tyre change as much as possible, also because over the past days it has always rained in the afternoon and if that had happened today, we would have been able to exploit any opportunity. Unfortunately, for once, the rain did not come. The soft tyres were quicker but probably at the start, the track was not rubbered in enough to get them working at their best, so our strategy was the right one. The duel with Button was very complicated: down the straights, he could always pull away, but when he made a mistake at the final corner, I was able to get close enough to overtake under braking for the first one. Today’s race proves the need to fight on every lap of the championship: we have a lot of work to do, so we must keep focussed and not lessen our efforts.”
Fernando Alonso: “This was a very difficult weekend. We made a big mistake in yesterday’s qualifying and today in the race, I had to retire with an engine problem. My race was an uphill climb from the start: I found I had a problem with the gearbox right from the start and I had to drive without a clutch for practically the whole race. Trying to look on the positive side, at least the engine failure only cost me two points: it would have been much worse if I had been in the lead! Seeing what happened in the previous days, it made sense to expect rain and so we made the first stint as long as possible, but unfortunately, it did not happen. Today, we gave Red Bull a little gift: if we had qualified in a normal fashion then we would certainly have given them a hard time. I am not worried about the engine failure, as our engineers have enough experience and ability to resolve this situation. Given everything that happened, we can be proud of what we managed to do in the race and we can look forward with confidence to the next Grand Prix, which we will be trying to win.”
Chris Dyer: “A very disappointing race and there’s not much else to say. We had seen the potential of the car and both drivers, especially in the final stages of the race and it is a very great shame we were unable to exploit that fully, because of the mistake we made in yesterday’s qualifying. We had two serious technical problems on Fernando’s car – first a malfunction in the gearbox right from the start of the race which handicapped him throughout and then, at the end, the engine failure, which caused his retirement. Felipe drove a good race and leaves Malaysia at the head of the classification: there you are, that’s the only positive note at the end of a weekend where we had definitely expected a lot more.”
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Massa 7th 1:34.15.480 + 27.068 56 281
F. Alonso 13th 1:31.05.241 DNF 54 283
Weather: air temperature 34/32 °C, track temperature 44/38 °C, cloudy.
Only seven points in the bag for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix, courtesy of a seventh place for Felipe Massa. Fernando Alonso had to retire at the start of lap 55, when the engine broke. After the first three races of the season, Felipe heads the Drivers’ classification on 39 points, two more than his team-mate and Vettel, while the Scuderia stays at the top of the Constructors’ classification with 76 points, ten more than McLaren.
Stefano Domenicali: “There’s no way we can be happy with the outcome of this third race weekend of the season. We came to Malaysia with very different objectives and taking home a mere seven points is a disappointment. Today’s result is down to yesterday’s qualifying: when you start that far back on the grid, it’s difficult to do better. On top of that, we had a few reliability problems which should put us on our guard: if we want to aspire to the title we absolutely have to sort this out. Fernando drove an amazing race, given that right from the formation lap, he had a problem going through the gears. To drive under these conditions is impressive and he was able to stay in the fight for points right to the end. Felipe also drove a really great race, especially in the second part and heading the Drivers’ classification is a just reward for all he has done in this early part of the season. An initial assessment after three races Positive, because we lead both championships and have shown we are competitive at the highest level. We know where we have to improve – performance and reliability – but we can count on an excellent package – car, drivers, team – all capable of being in the fight for both titles.”
Felipe Massa: “All things considered, we did a good job in these first three races, as proved by the fact we lead both championships. However, there are still sixteen races to go and we know there is much room for improvement in terms of car performance and in making it totally reliable. Given where we started from, seventh place is probably the best we could hope for. We tried to delay the tyre change as much as possible, also because over the past days it has always rained in the afternoon and if that had happened today, we would have been able to exploit any opportunity. Unfortunately, for once, the rain did not come. The soft tyres were quicker but probably at the start, the track was not rubbered in enough to get them working at their best, so our strategy was the right one. The duel with Button was very complicated: down the straights, he could always pull away, but when he made a mistake at the final corner, I was able to get close enough to overtake under braking for the first one. Today’s race proves the need to fight on every lap of the championship: we have a lot of work to do, so we must keep focussed and not lessen our efforts.”
Fernando Alonso: “This was a very difficult weekend. We made a big mistake in yesterday’s qualifying and today in the race, I had to retire with an engine problem. My race was an uphill climb from the start: I found I had a problem with the gearbox right from the start and I had to drive without a clutch for practically the whole race. Trying to look on the positive side, at least the engine failure only cost me two points: it would have been much worse if I had been in the lead! Seeing what happened in the previous days, it made sense to expect rain and so we made the first stint as long as possible, but unfortunately, it did not happen. Today, we gave Red Bull a little gift: if we had qualified in a normal fashion then we would certainly have given them a hard time. I am not worried about the engine failure, as our engineers have enough experience and ability to resolve this situation. Given everything that happened, we can be proud of what we managed to do in the race and we can look forward with confidence to the next Grand Prix, which we will be trying to win.”
Chris Dyer: “A very disappointing race and there’s not much else to say. We had seen the potential of the car and both drivers, especially in the final stages of the race and it is a very great shame we were unable to exploit that fully, because of the mistake we made in yesterday’s qualifying. We had two serious technical problems on Fernando’s car – first a malfunction in the gearbox right from the start of the race which handicapped him throughout and then, at the end, the engine failure, which caused his retirement. Felipe drove a good race and leaves Malaysia at the head of the classification: there you are, that’s the only positive note at the end of a weekend where we had definitely expected a lot more.”
Grand Prix of China – 16th April 2010
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 24th - 6 10th 1.36.604 33 283
F. Massa 10th 1.38.098 19 11th 1.36.944 36 281
Weather
First session: air 28/32 °C, track 33/38 °C; overcast.
Second session: air 33 °C, track 45/41 °C; cloudy.
A somewhat different Friday to usual for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, both in terms of the planned work programme and because of what happened on the track. “Today, we had various new components on the car, including a new type of rear wing and other aerodynamic parts, which required a specific work schedule,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Clearly we could have done without the problem we had with Fernando’s engine but, overall, this did not lead to any specific consequences, apart from time lost in this morning’s first session, as our management programme relating to available engine use remains substantially unchanged. We are reasonably happy with the work we did and now we will concentrate on analysing the date and on preparing the cars for qualifying and the race. While it is always difficult to evaluate the pecking order based on what happens in free practice, we are not expecting a very different picture to the one we have seen in the first three races of the season: in other words, everyone is very closely matched, meaning the grid positions could be decided by the smallest detail.”
Felipe Massa: “I am satisfied with the way this free practice day went. We did a lot of kilometres, concentrating mainly on preparing the car for Sunday’s race. We also evaluated new aerodynamic components, not just for this race, but also for mid-term development, gathering significant data which will now be analysed by the engineers. On top of that, we managed to do a comparison between the two types of tyre that Bridgestone has brought here. I think several teams are going to be very competitive: not just McLaren and Red Bull, but also Mercedes who have made a step forward. Let’s hope we will be in the fight with them.”
Fernando Alonso: “Clearly I’m not happy to have had an engine failure, but I’m not the slightest bit worried by it. The engine I had this morning was the one we had changed after qualifying in Bahrain and we knew that, sooner or later, it could break. It happened today, but it won’t have much effect on our original engine management plan. We also did various tests of new aerodynamic components, such as the rear wing. It is pointless looking at today’s time sheet, because each team follows its own work programme and that makes it impossible to compare the times. We stuck to our plan and we are pretty happy with what we achieved. I think we will be competitive at this track.”
Chris Dyer: “We had a very busy programme for today and we can say we got through it in a positive way. We have a new aero package for this race, which needed validating on track and then we had some parts relating to a new concept for the rear wing, which we wanted to check out before moving on to develop it for forthcoming races. We are pleased with the data we gathered and with the way the new aerodynamic package is working. In the afternoon, we looked mainly at the comparison between the two types of tyre Bridgestone has brought for this Grand Prix. In the morning, we had a problem with Fernando’s engine, which had little consequence, apart from bringing forward by one session the previously planned engine change.”
Free practices First Session Second Session
Driver Pos. Time Laps Pos. Time Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 24th - 6 10th 1.36.604 33 283
F. Massa 10th 1.38.098 19 11th 1.36.944 36 281
Weather
First session: air 28/32 °C, track 33/38 °C; overcast.
Second session: air 33 °C, track 45/41 °C; cloudy.
A somewhat different Friday to usual for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, both in terms of the planned work programme and because of what happened on the track. “Today, we had various new components on the car, including a new type of rear wing and other aerodynamic parts, which required a specific work schedule,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Clearly we could have done without the problem we had with Fernando’s engine but, overall, this did not lead to any specific consequences, apart from time lost in this morning’s first session, as our management programme relating to available engine use remains substantially unchanged. We are reasonably happy with the work we did and now we will concentrate on analysing the date and on preparing the cars for qualifying and the race. While it is always difficult to evaluate the pecking order based on what happens in free practice, we are not expecting a very different picture to the one we have seen in the first three races of the season: in other words, everyone is very closely matched, meaning the grid positions could be decided by the smallest detail.”
Felipe Massa: “I am satisfied with the way this free practice day went. We did a lot of kilometres, concentrating mainly on preparing the car for Sunday’s race. We also evaluated new aerodynamic components, not just for this race, but also for mid-term development, gathering significant data which will now be analysed by the engineers. On top of that, we managed to do a comparison between the two types of tyre that Bridgestone has brought here. I think several teams are going to be very competitive: not just McLaren and Red Bull, but also Mercedes who have made a step forward. Let’s hope we will be in the fight with them.”
Fernando Alonso: “Clearly I’m not happy to have had an engine failure, but I’m not the slightest bit worried by it. The engine I had this morning was the one we had changed after qualifying in Bahrain and we knew that, sooner or later, it could break. It happened today, but it won’t have much effect on our original engine management plan. We also did various tests of new aerodynamic components, such as the rear wing. It is pointless looking at today’s time sheet, because each team follows its own work programme and that makes it impossible to compare the times. We stuck to our plan and we are pretty happy with what we achieved. I think we will be competitive at this track.”
Chris Dyer: “We had a very busy programme for today and we can say we got through it in a positive way. We have a new aero package for this race, which needed validating on track and then we had some parts relating to a new concept for the rear wing, which we wanted to check out before moving on to develop it for forthcoming races. We are pleased with the data we gathered and with the way the new aerodynamic package is working. In the afternoon, we looked mainly at the comparison between the two types of tyre Bridgestone has brought for this Grand Prix. In the morning, we had a problem with Fernando’s engine, which had little consequence, apart from bringing forward by one session the previously planned engine change.”
Grand Prix of China – 17th April 2010
Qualifying session
Session Driver Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 4th 1.35.987 6 MAS 5th 1.36.076 9
Q2 ALO 4th 1.35.235 3 MAS 6th 1.35.290 4
Q3 ALO 3rd 1.34.913 6 MAS 7th 1.35.180 6
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 21 °C, track temperature 32/31 °C. Partially cloudy.
The two Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro cars will start the Chinese Grand Prix from the second and fourth rows on the grid, after Fernando Alonso secured third place and Felipe Massa was seventh. “Overall, we can be pleased with the way things went today,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We knew the Red Bulls would be hard to beat in qualifying and that was the case, but Fernando, who did a great lap, managed to take third, which means he is in with a fighting chance tomorrow. A shame for Felipe, who did not manage to put together a perfect lap, which sees him relegated to the fourth row: in a championship in which at least four cars are all within a few tenths, it only takes a small error to find yourself in a position that does not match up to your potential. Tomorrow’s race looks like being very hard to predict. In this early part of the season, we have seen that over a long run, the pace of the F10 is very competitive and we will try and make the most of this characteristic. Furthermore, the weather is forecast to take a turn for the worse and we will probably need to be ready to tackle what could be a wet race.”
Fernando Alonso: “At the moment, I’d say this result is an accurate reflection of our qualifying potential. The Red Bulls seem unbeatable, but it’s definitely not a surprise, because they are always strong on Saturday. I am happy with the way things went: third is a good place to start such a long race. We can do well and aim for a podium finish. Today, I was more comfortable on the hard tyres, as the soft ones were trickier to use. I am pleased with the benefits of the new aerodynamic package in terms of performance and it is thanks to these parts that I was able to take part in the press conference for the top three drivers. The team is working well, with a clear philosophy that it’s in the race that the points are given out, not in qualifying. If it rains, a lot will depend on when the tyres will need to be changed: getting it right, along with making the best tyre choice, can bring you the win, but if you get it wrong, you could lose everything. It’s hard to say where we are in terms of being competitive in the wet, because during winter testing, we were never all out on track under the same conditions and on the same fuel loads. However, in Australia, it went pretty well…”
Felipe Massa: “I’m a bit disappointed because I wasn’t able to do a clean lap on my last run in Q3. Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the final corner which lost me at least a few tenths. Up to that point, I was in line for a lap that would have seen me into the top five, but when everyone is so close, it takes very little to find yourself dropping down the grid. It might rain tomorrow, so there’s a chance it could shake up the order, but it is clear that starting seventh, it will be hard to fight for the top positions. In terms of race pace, we can hold our own, as was the case in yesterday’s free practice: the soft tyres seem to degrade more than the hard but maybe with a bit more rubber on the track, the situation could improve. It will be very important to get a good start and make up some places immediately.”
Chris Dyer: “A really great performance today from Fernando, who was able to get the most out of the car, putting himself in a strong position for tomorrow’s race. Some disappointment for Felipe, who was not able to put together his best lap in Q3, but there is still every chance he can have a good race. There is a high possibility of rain playing its part tomorrow: even if we don’t encounter the same extreme conditions as last year, it could definitely create some surprises and we must be ready to tackle every eventuality.”
Qualifying session
Session Driver Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Q1 ALO 4th 1.35.987 6 MAS 5th 1.36.076 9
Q2 ALO 4th 1.35.235 3 MAS 6th 1.35.290 4
Q3 ALO 3rd 1.34.913 6 MAS 7th 1.35.180 6
Chassis: F. Massa 281, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 21 °C, track temperature 32/31 °C. Partially cloudy.
The two Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro cars will start the Chinese Grand Prix from the second and fourth rows on the grid, after Fernando Alonso secured third place and Felipe Massa was seventh. “Overall, we can be pleased with the way things went today,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We knew the Red Bulls would be hard to beat in qualifying and that was the case, but Fernando, who did a great lap, managed to take third, which means he is in with a fighting chance tomorrow. A shame for Felipe, who did not manage to put together a perfect lap, which sees him relegated to the fourth row: in a championship in which at least four cars are all within a few tenths, it only takes a small error to find yourself in a position that does not match up to your potential. Tomorrow’s race looks like being very hard to predict. In this early part of the season, we have seen that over a long run, the pace of the F10 is very competitive and we will try and make the most of this characteristic. Furthermore, the weather is forecast to take a turn for the worse and we will probably need to be ready to tackle what could be a wet race.”
Fernando Alonso: “At the moment, I’d say this result is an accurate reflection of our qualifying potential. The Red Bulls seem unbeatable, but it’s definitely not a surprise, because they are always strong on Saturday. I am happy with the way things went: third is a good place to start such a long race. We can do well and aim for a podium finish. Today, I was more comfortable on the hard tyres, as the soft ones were trickier to use. I am pleased with the benefits of the new aerodynamic package in terms of performance and it is thanks to these parts that I was able to take part in the press conference for the top three drivers. The team is working well, with a clear philosophy that it’s in the race that the points are given out, not in qualifying. If it rains, a lot will depend on when the tyres will need to be changed: getting it right, along with making the best tyre choice, can bring you the win, but if you get it wrong, you could lose everything. It’s hard to say where we are in terms of being competitive in the wet, because during winter testing, we were never all out on track under the same conditions and on the same fuel loads. However, in Australia, it went pretty well…”
Felipe Massa: “I’m a bit disappointed because I wasn’t able to do a clean lap on my last run in Q3. Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the final corner which lost me at least a few tenths. Up to that point, I was in line for a lap that would have seen me into the top five, but when everyone is so close, it takes very little to find yourself dropping down the grid. It might rain tomorrow, so there’s a chance it could shake up the order, but it is clear that starting seventh, it will be hard to fight for the top positions. In terms of race pace, we can hold our own, as was the case in yesterday’s free practice: the soft tyres seem to degrade more than the hard but maybe with a bit more rubber on the track, the situation could improve. It will be very important to get a good start and make up some places immediately.”
Chris Dyer: “A really great performance today from Fernando, who was able to get the most out of the car, putting himself in a strong position for tomorrow’s race. Some disappointment for Felipe, who was not able to put together his best lap in Q3, but there is still every chance he can have a good race. There is a high possibility of rain playing its part tomorrow: even if we don’t encounter the same extreme conditions as last year, it could definitely create some surprises and we must be ready to tackle every eventuality.”
Grand Prix of China – 18th April 2010
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 4th 1:46.54.032 + 11.869 56 283
F. Massa 9th 1:47.39.959 + 57.796 56 281
Weather: air temperature 21/19 °C, track temperature 25/22 °C, intermittent rain.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro takes 14 points away from the Chinese Grand Prix, thanks to a fourth place for Fernando Alonso and a ninth for Felipe Massa. At the end of this first group of races outside Europe, the Scuderia lies second in the Constructors’ classification, with its drivers third and sixth in their championship; Fernando ahead of Felipe.
Stefano Domenicali: “First of all, I want to compliment the pit stop crew, who did an amazing job today, handling three double stops without making the slightest mistake and also helping the drivers to make up places. As for the strategy choices, especially for the first stop, it’s clear from the top four finishers that two drivers made one choice and the other two a different one, which means it is difficult to give an instant assessment of which was the right one. With hindsight, Button’s paid off better, but it can also be said that, but for his penalty for a jumped start, Fernando could definitely have fought for the victory. As for the passing move involving Felipe and Fernando, we only saw it afterwards on the television replay and I think it was just a racing incident and there is absolutely no problem between the two drivers: when you are always racing to win, you can have moments like this. There’s a slight feeling of regret after these first four rounds of the championship. We have definitely ended up with less than we were capable of, sometimes because of incidents beyond our control and sometimes because of things that were down to us. Having said that, we are still fully in the fight for both titles and that is already very important. Now we must continue to push on the development of the car and its performance, especially in qualifying. Starting in Barcelona, we must get back on the podium and that is completely possible.”
Fernando Alonso: “In a race like this, anything can happen. We did five pit stops to change tyres, which is definitely unusual: all in all, I think we took the right decisions at the right time. In a race like this you only understand at the end what would have been the best thing to do, as neither on the pit wall nor in the car do we have a crystal ball! I made a serious mistake at the start as my reflexes let me down and I left early. It’s never happened to me before and I am very disappointed with myself. Luckily, despite the penalty, I managed to finish fourth. The passing move on Felipe? If he was not my team-mate, there wouldn’t be so much talk about it and for me it was a normal move and it definitely won’t compromise our relationship. We have a great potential and we must hope we get some normal races like the one in Bahrain. The start of the championship has gone well: we have shown we are competitive on all the tracks and we have what it takes to win the title. Clearly, we have to up our points tally and improve our qualifying performance. McLaren deserve the top spot, because even though they might not have the best car they have got the most out of it every time.”
Felipe Massa: “This was a very complicated race and clearly I can’t be happy with the result. Of course, two points are better than nothing, but in the upcoming races we have to do better and that means working on the development of the car. Right from the start, it was difficult to make the right choice in terms of what tyres to use because of the changeable weather. As for the passing move Fernando made, I ended up on a puddle of water coming out of the hairpin and slightly lost control of the car: he managed to get inside me, passing me going into the pit lane. I lost some places because of it, as I had to wait for his stop to be finished. In the closing laps, I was struggling a lot with the tyres, but Michael was suffering worse than me and I managed to pass him. We have seen how the situation can change radically from one race to the next: we need to work as hard as possible to try and get the most out of the potential at our disposal.”
Chris Dyer: “An extremely difficult race, affected by the changing weather and, in Fernando’s case, by the incident at the start. After the start of the race, we opted to go for the intermediates, but the track did not stay wet enough for long and so we had to go back to slicks. Then, when the rain came, we went back to wets and both cars proved to be very competitive and the drivers did the best job possible of managing the tyres, better than many of the others, thus managing to gain some places. After the penalty, Fernando drove a great race, just as the pit stop guys did an exceptional job and very well done to them for that.”
Driver Position Time Gap Laps Chassis
F. Alonso 4th 1:46.54.032 + 11.869 56 283
F. Massa 9th 1:47.39.959 + 57.796 56 281
Weather: air temperature 21/19 °C, track temperature 25/22 °C, intermittent rain.
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro takes 14 points away from the Chinese Grand Prix, thanks to a fourth place for Fernando Alonso and a ninth for Felipe Massa. At the end of this first group of races outside Europe, the Scuderia lies second in the Constructors’ classification, with its drivers third and sixth in their championship; Fernando ahead of Felipe.
Stefano Domenicali: “First of all, I want to compliment the pit stop crew, who did an amazing job today, handling three double stops without making the slightest mistake and also helping the drivers to make up places. As for the strategy choices, especially for the first stop, it’s clear from the top four finishers that two drivers made one choice and the other two a different one, which means it is difficult to give an instant assessment of which was the right one. With hindsight, Button’s paid off better, but it can also be said that, but for his penalty for a jumped start, Fernando could definitely have fought for the victory. As for the passing move involving Felipe and Fernando, we only saw it afterwards on the television replay and I think it was just a racing incident and there is absolutely no problem between the two drivers: when you are always racing to win, you can have moments like this. There’s a slight feeling of regret after these first four rounds of the championship. We have definitely ended up with less than we were capable of, sometimes because of incidents beyond our control and sometimes because of things that were down to us. Having said that, we are still fully in the fight for both titles and that is already very important. Now we must continue to push on the development of the car and its performance, especially in qualifying. Starting in Barcelona, we must get back on the podium and that is completely possible.”
Fernando Alonso: “In a race like this, anything can happen. We did five pit stops to change tyres, which is definitely unusual: all in all, I think we took the right decisions at the right time. In a race like this you only understand at the end what would have been the best thing to do, as neither on the pit wall nor in the car do we have a crystal ball! I made a serious mistake at the start as my reflexes let me down and I left early. It’s never happened to me before and I am very disappointed with myself. Luckily, despite the penalty, I managed to finish fourth. The passing move on Felipe? If he was not my team-mate, there wouldn’t be so much talk about it and for me it was a normal move and it definitely won’t compromise our relationship. We have a great potential and we must hope we get some normal races like the one in Bahrain. The start of the championship has gone well: we have shown we are competitive on all the tracks and we have what it takes to win the title. Clearly, we have to up our points tally and improve our qualifying performance. McLaren deserve the top spot, because even though they might not have the best car they have got the most out of it every time.”
Felipe Massa: “This was a very complicated race and clearly I can’t be happy with the result. Of course, two points are better than nothing, but in the upcoming races we have to do better and that means working on the development of the car. Right from the start, it was difficult to make the right choice in terms of what tyres to use because of the changeable weather. As for the passing move Fernando made, I ended up on a puddle of water coming out of the hairpin and slightly lost control of the car: he managed to get inside me, passing me going into the pit lane. I lost some places because of it, as I had to wait for his stop to be finished. In the closing laps, I was struggling a lot with the tyres, but Michael was suffering worse than me and I managed to pass him. We have seen how the situation can change radically from one race to the next: we need to work as hard as possible to try and get the most out of the potential at our disposal.”
Chris Dyer: “An extremely difficult race, affected by the changing weather and, in Fernando’s case, by the incident at the start. After the start of the race, we opted to go for the intermediates, but the track did not stay wet enough for long and so we had to go back to slicks. Then, when the rain came, we went back to wets and both cars proved to be very competitive and the drivers did the best job possible of managing the tyres, better than many of the others, thus managing to gain some places. After the penalty, Fernando drove a great race, just as the pit stop guys did an exceptional job and very well done to them for that.”