Ferrari F1 News

In the high-tech, highly scientific world of Formula 1 there is no room for superstition, but people like playing with numbers and so it was noteworthy that, come the end of tonight’s qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso had qualified in fifth place for the thirteenth time since he joined Scuderia Ferrari. With all the uncertainties that lurk behind the safety barriers at any street circuit, that fifth place could be translated by a man of Fernando’s talent into something better tomorrow, at the end of 61 inevitably exciting laps of Marina Bay.

The number 13 also figured in Felipe Massa’s Saturday evening in Singapore, but less auspiciously than for his Scuderia team-mate: all weekend long, the Brazilian has struggled to get his F2012 working to his liking, and mainly down to tyre problems, he found himself marooned in Q2, in thirteenth place on the grid. But, nevertheless, points could well be on the agenda for Felipe tomorrow in a race where anything can happen. Strategy is the first factor to look at and, in Massa’s case, failing to make the top ten means he is free to choose what tyre to start the race with: Fernando will have to start on the Supersoft, as that’s what he used in Q3, but maybe the slightly longer lasting Softs will prove handy for Massa.
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There is barely time to draw breath in this very busy season of Formula 1, the longest in the history of the sport. Having returned to Maranello late last night, the team is already at work preparing to the minutest detail for the next round, scheduled for Sunday 23 September on the Singapore street circuit. This morning Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo had a long meeting with Team Principal Stefano Domenicali both to take stock of the immediate future – the final rush in the championship – and to discuss about the mid-term, examining the Scuderia’s plans for development and moving forward on all fronts.

For Scuderia Ferrari the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix was like a rollercoaster ride. It was a relentless flow of emotions, difficulties, disappointments, hopes and, in the end, satisfaction about a team result that was the best of the day. ...

Fernando Alonso was able to wave to the Ferrari faithful from the Monza podium, after the Scuderia Ferrari man finished third in today’s Italian Grand Prix, with another bravura performance from tenth on the grid. Having started third, his team-mate Felipe Massa also produced a strong drive to pick up the points that go with fourth spot. Lewis Hamilton made the most of pole, the McLaren man never really troubled by the drama going on behind him, on his way to a third win of the season. Second, for the second time this year was Sauber’s Sergio Perez, who charged through the field from thirteenth spot on the grid. With Button, Vettel and Webber all failing to score any points today, third and fourth was actually a better result than it might seem in terms of the championship. Fernando now leads second placed Hamilton by 179 to 142, while Felipe is tenth. In the Constructors’, the Prancing Horse is back to third and closing on the two top teams, taking its tally to 226 compared to McLaren on 243 and Red Bull stuck on 272.
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Felipe Massa secured his best grid position since last year’s race in Canada, when he set the third fastest time in today’s qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari’s home race, the Italian Grand Prix, which takes place at Monza tomorrow afternoon. It’s only right to start with the best part of the Prancing Horse’s Saturday performance, even if what happened to his team-mate is what will make the newspaper headlines tomorrow. Fernando Alonso has been in fine form all weekend, showing that he and his F2012 had shaken off any lingering effects of their first corner retirement in Spa seven days ago.

That dominance continued for the first two parts of qualifying, when the Spaniard again topped the time sheets. As silence fell over the Monza Park, you could sense the tension and excitement in the home crowd as they began to dare to hope to see a red car on pole position. It was not to be, as a mechanical failure – a problem with the rear anti-roll bar that plays an important part in the balance of the back end of a race car – meant that Fernando had no chance of competing with the other nine drivers on level terms and was in fact classified last of the top ten.
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It's time for Formula 1 to say farewell to Europe until some time around May next year and what better place to do it than here in the royal park of Monza. Even if you are not a Prancing Horse fan – and we accept that this can happen! – the Italian Grand Prix weekend is always one of the most atmospheric on the calendar.

Just a few days ago in Spa, Fernando Alonso had a traumatic and frightening time with that first corner crash in the Belgian Grand Prix and today, he had a slightly complicated return to the cockpit, with technical issues relating to engine, gearbox and brakes on his F2012 curtailing both the morning and afternoon sessions for the Spaniard. This explains why he only completed 39 laps over the two sessions, compared to his team-mate Felipe Massa’s 70, although it’s worth pointing out that the Brazilian Ferrari driver did more laps than any of the 24 drivers on track.
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