Assessment – Ferrari starts with a double

Fernando Alonso – 1st:

I want to dedicate this victory to President Montezemolo, who believed in me, and to our mechanics who did an excellent job, especially this morning, when they changed the engine of my car in a very short time. Climbing to the top step of the podium was a very special feeling, and I hope I have lived up to the expectations of the whole team. We’ve worked so hard this winter, and now we are starting to see the results of that. The first races of the season are very important. We must arrive in Europe with a lot of points in the bag and a high level of understanding of tire performance on different types of tracks. The key to winning will be to continue developing the car race after race. Today, on the harder tires, we performed very well, but with the softer ones, I struggled a bit to stay close to Vettel. I intended to attack in the last ten laps, but luck gave me a hand: you always need a bit in each race. At the start, I got off well, making the most of the clean side of the track and managed to pass Felipe. Then, I was fortunate not to have problems with the car, while my teammate had a more difficult time and had to reduce his pace. Now it’s time to think about Australia. We will see who has the best car, but I think the top four teams will all be in the fight.

Felipe Massa – 2nd:

I am very happy with this result and I want to thank the whole team and our fans. This is my best season-opening race 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 for about thirty laps, I wasn’t able to attack as I could. At the beginning, I lost a place, but the car worked well with both types of tires. With the soft tires, the Red Bull was faster than us, but with the hard ones, we were much better. I want to thank once again all those who have been close to me over the past few months, writing and sending messages. Now we need to look towards Australia to be as prepared as possible.

Stefano Domenicali:

« A fantastic start to the championship! This double win is a well-deserved reward for all the team’s work, both on the track and at the Maranello factory, over the past few months, and I dedicate this result to them. Today, we had to manage a very complicated situation with Felipe’s car, due to high temperatures, but we succeeded, 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 not have been a 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 toughest times, and I think there’s no better way to also welcome aboard a new important sponsor, Banco Santander. Now, we can enjoy this wonderful day for a few hours, but starting tomorrow, we must begin preparing for the next race in Australia, adopting our usual approach of staying calm, keeping our feet on the ground, and working hard. We have a very long season ahead of us, where reliability will be crucial, as we have seen once again today, and where we will face very strong and determined opponents. »