Sunday Report: Ferrari – The Scuderia Needs to Qualify Better

The Scuderia may have regrets leaving Malaysia. While the performances were not up to par in qualifying, the 150° Italia showed a different side in the race that could have allowed the Italian team’s drivers to aim for the podium, if not for some issues that occurred both in the pits and on the track.

Felipe Massa – 5th

« We definitely need to improve the car, but it’s also true that our race pace is very different from our performance in qualifying. That’s a positive point, but we know that grid position is still very important, so we need to find ourselves at the front.

As for my race, it’s a shame to have lost precious seconds during my first stop; without that issue, I could have fought for a place on the podium. With the soft tires, my pace was very good, but a bit less so with the hard ones, to the point where Webber, who made one more stop, was able to overtake me.

Fernando Alonso – 6th

« I am happy with this race, not with the result but because we were finally competitive, able to fight wheel-to-wheel for a spot on the podium. It’s an extra motivation for the next race in China. We were unlucky: if the adjustable rear wing had worked all the time, I could have easily passed Hamilton at the end of the straight, but instead, we had to struggle. He defended well and, unfortunately, we made contact: it damaged my wing, and I had to go to the pits to change it, losing any chance of a podium. These things happen: today it didn’t work out for me, but next time we might be luckier.

Here, the car was quite good with the tires, which means I could have fought with the others. With the setup we had today, we couldn’t fight for the victory, but I hope for changes soon. In Shanghai, we expect another tough weekend. We will have some new features, but we don’t know what progress they will bring us. […] for now, we have to grit our teeth, and that’s what we’re doing. The championship is still long, and we must not leave anything to chance.

Stefano Domenicali

« Once again, today, a driver, Vettel, was uncatchable but we were able to fight with the others. Felipe and Fernando both had a great race, which encourages us to give them a better car. We find ourselves in a situation where we must be flawless to maximize our potential, given that we are lagging behind in terms of performance. We did not expect this and we must do everything in our power to prevent this situation from repeating itself. At the same time, we must seriously accelerate the development of our car to regain the ground we have lost to the best. We will conduct tests and a complete analysis of the car’s aerodynamics as soon as possible and introduce some upgrades as soon as possible, maybe as early as the next race in China. »

Note that Fernando Alonso was penalized for his collision with Lewis Hamilton. To learn more, click here!