Friday: The Ferrari F138 confirms its potential
For many, Ferrari was the team with the best car last Sunday in Melbourne. But the Albert Park track is atypical, and there was no reason to get carried away within the Scuderia. However, after this first day of testing in Sepang, Fernando Alonso shows great confidence. Just like Felipe Massa, for that matter. The good winter impressions are being confirmed for the Reds.
Fernando Alonso – 4th and 4th:
« The car performed well in all conditions today and that’s very good news for us. This circuit is more representative than Melbourne’s for evaluating a car’s performance, so it was important to understand here if the positive feeling from winter testing wasn’t just an illusion. On my lap with the medium tires, I didn’t have the right balance, otherwise, I could have improved like I did with the hard tires and could probably have placed in the top two. Now we have to see how tomorrow goes, during which it could rain at any moment on a track where tire degradation is much more significant than in Australia. With numerous pit stops, a car that performs better in the race than in qualifying could be an advantage. However, tomorrow we will try to do our best to secure a spot on the front row because, as often, the start, strategy, and tires will be key to a good result. »
Felipe Massa – 7th and 3rd:
« Overall it was a good day even though the rain came at the end of the second session and cost us valuable time. The car behaved well in both sessions and regarding the tires brought by Pirelli, I feel more comfortable with the mediums that we already used in Australia. We now have a long evening to work and understand the actual behavior of the tires because it is clearly what can make the difference and make us more competitive for the qualifying and the race. »
