Saturday: Ferrari back on the front row

Fernando Alonso – 2nd & 2nd

It’s been a long time, since Singapore actually, that I hadn’t been on the front line and I’m glad Felipe is so close to me on the grid. It means the whole team has worked well, on the track and at the factory, trying to improve the car’s performance. It was important to show that we could be competitive and we did it.

In Q3, we had some doubts about the strategy, wondering whether it was better to do just one lap at the beginning and then three afterwards, or to spread our stints evenly, but it’s difficult to say what would have been the best choice. Clearly, on this kind of track, where aerodynamic downforce is not as important as elsewhere, our flaws are somewhat masked, but it’s also true that the new features we brought here are working as we hoped, and that’s important for the rest of the championship because we want to compete at the forefront.

It might rain tomorrow, which should make the race even more chaotic than usual: we need to be ready to take advantage of every opportunity. We will try to put the Red Bulls under pressure right from the start, but we know the McLarens will also be very strong, especially because their rear wing may be better suited to rainy conditions.

Felipe Massa – 4th & 3rd

« It has been a great weekend so far: we have always been competitive and, ultimately, we will be starting in a good position on the grid. Tomorrow, the weather could be different, so we must be ready to seize all opportunities.

I was happy with the way the car behaved from yesterday and I am very confident for the race. The team is working well and we really hope to put an end to this series of poor results. The fact that the gap with the Red Bulls is smaller here is encouraging, also for the future.

We know that on this track, the race is very challenging, but also, from what we’ve seen so far, our car is more competitive in the race than in qualifying. I expect McLaren to be very strong tomorrow, as well as the Red Bulls, of course. A podium would be a great result, and fighting for the win would be even better.

What will happen if it rains? That’s a good question, because this year we haven’t yet had a real opportunity to use the rain tires. Additionally, on this track, the slightest mistake can be very costly, so it’s important to be very cautious.

Pat Fry

« We are happy with this result, the best since the start of the championship. Credit must go to everyone: the drivers who made no driving errors on an unforgiving track; the team that prepared the cars with the utmost care, and everyone in Maranello who worked diligently to close the gap between us and the best.

However, we still need to bring points from this Grand Prix, so we must stay fully focused on preparing for tomorrow’s race, which promises to be long and unpredictable. Rain could play a role, and we must be ready to react in the right direction at every opportunity.

On behalf of the whole team, my thoughts go out to Marco Oliva, one of our mechanics who was injured during a stop today: this kind of thing happens in our sport and we hope Marco will recover quickly.