Saturday: Ferrari Hesitates Between Satisfaction and Bitterness

Felipe Massa – 4th and 3rd:

I’m very happy with these qualifications, the best I’ve had in a long time. It’s a very important race for Ferrari, and I will do my best to achieve a good result. I’m sorry for Fernando, he was strong all weekend: we both have a good car and I’m sure that tomorrow, we can bring back a good bunch of points for the championship. We have a chance to beat McLaren, even if they are very strong. For me, getting back on the podium here, in front of our fans, would be extraordinary! It’s my second home race, and racing here is always a fantastic feeling. We tried to use slipstreaming as much as possible, which requires a lot of concentration, but it’s true that in the end, I set my best time without any help in front of me.

Fernando Alonso – 2nd and 10th:

I think I could have taken pole position today, but instead, I find myself in 10th place. Really unfortunate, because the car was very good, but these things happen. It might have been 15 years since something like this happened, but it did, and there’s no point in crying over it. The problem will be fixed for tomorrow, but of course, it changes everything for the race: we had a chance to increase our lead over our closest rivals, but now, it’s likely that some of them will close the gap. I don’t think the breakdowns we’ve had in recent days can be linked to the accelerated development of the car because they didn’t involve components that we are pushing to the extreme. Tomorrow, we’ll try to score as many points as possible, maybe slipping ahead of some of my direct competitors. We must accept that problems like these can happen, even if the first reaction is disappointment. That said, it’s better if it happens on Saturday than on Sunday because then you have no chance to fix it! The risks of starting in the middle of the pack? Given the situation in the championship, it’s more a case where others have to worry about starting the weekend with another blank…