Saturday: Ferrari and Alonso finally reconnect with pole position
A Ferrari had not been seen in pole position at a Grand Prix since the Singapore round in 2010. This series has now ended, with Fernando Alonso putting an end to it 31 races later, acknowledging that luck played a role in this result. Felipe Massa, for his part, climbed to 5th place.
Fernando Alonso – 1st and Pole position:
« First of all, I want to dedicate this pole to Maria de Villota, who is going through particularly difficult times. We have all been sad these past few days, and our thoughts are with her and her family. The pole was a surprise because in these conditions, you never know what can happen. This morning, on dry conditions, the car was very good, but in the rain, it could have been very different, even though the F2012 has shown it’s not bad in the wet, considering Malaysia and the Mugello tests. This afternoon, you had to be in the right place at the right time and on the right tires, and to succeed, you also need a bit of luck. For once, things went our way, like the spin at the start of Q2, and when I was able to pass, I managed to get into Q3 by a hair after the interruption: in the end, I had a car in front of me, and visibility was really poor, and there were yellow flags in the last turn, but in the end, I managed to move to the next stage. Today’s pole is important, even if we know it came to us under unusual conditions. We still need one on a dry track to be in a position to say we’ve closed the gap with the best. I hope for a boring race tomorrow, given that for once, I’m starting in front of everyone. »
Felipe Massa – 16th and 5th:
« It’s a good result for the team, mainly because when the red flag came out, Fernando and I were both out of Q3. We did a good job on the restart in the last laps of Q2 and then in Q3, we were always in the battle for pole position, but I was losing time in the last corner as I was locking my rear wheels. Despite everything, I am satisfied with this 5th place. I think I will be competitive tomorrow, especially since the car performs well on this type of circuit. Since Canada, the F2012 has improved a lot, and the results are clearly visible. I think the interruption in Q2 was the right decision, even though it could have come a bit earlier: it was incredible to have so much aquaplaning on the straight at that moment. And then the Race Direction did a good job ensuring the track was drivable, which meant that the spectators would see a show that matched their enthusiasm. For us drivers, the interruption was annoying, but for everyone in the stands, it was even worse, given the intensity of the rain! »
