Maranello, 5 March


The men and women from the Scuderia Ferrari can’t even pause for a second. The pre-Championship tests ended last night and the team met this morning in Maranello to quietly analyse the data collected in this last session held at Montmelò. The technicians were joined by the two drivers: Alonso travelled by plane with the team back to Italy, while Massa came by car from Monaco and immediately worked with the simulator until 6pm.

In the afternoon everyone from the Scuderia met to take stock of the situation and listen to Team Principal Stefano Domenicali. “It’s obvious that we can’t be happy with how the test went considering or goals, but let’s not forget that the Championship still has to start,” he said.

“This is just the starting point and we have a very long season ahead of us. We know that there are some areas where we have to work a lot, regarding reliability and performance, but I’m expecting some great responses from you all and the wish to show who we are.”


Fernando approved Domenicali’s words: “Above all I want to thank you all for the work you’ve done. These were some very intense months and weeks and I know that you’re giving it your all, that you’re working 24/7 on the track and here at the Works to provide me and Felipe with a strong car. The new single-seater has some characteristics, which are difficult to understand and maybe we’re not where we want to be yet. But we’ve all live through many Formula 1 seasons and we all know very well that until we’re not in Australia we don’t really know where we stand regarding to the others. There’s lots of talk and many ideas, but nobody knows the truth. For example yesterday Red Bull, considered by many to be the front-runner, had only a few laps and the last time on the sheet: if something similar had happened to us, hell would have broken loose, but here nobody really noticed it. More than ever we have to give it our all to improve, from the one who’s responsible for the rear-view mirror to the one who’s responsible for the piston. We’re united and we’re giving it our all, because we all want the same. I just want to remind you of an episode two years ago: at the last test in Barcelona we were fifth behind Red Bull, McLaren, Sauber and Force India and two weeks later we gained a one-two win in Bahrain. What counts is not to be first in the first race, but in November, at the end of the Championship….”

Felipe and Fernando will be in Maranello tomorrow for a series of commercial obligations, while Chairman Luca di Montezemolo will present the new F12 Berlinetta, the fastest road-going Ferrari ever built, to the press in Geneva.