Massa surprised by gap to Red Bull

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

from autosport

Felipe Massa admits that he was surprised by the margin of Red Bull's superiority over Ferrari after Friday practice ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Massa ended the session fifth overall, just over one second slower than pace-setter Sebastian Vettel.

Team-mate Fernando Alonso was fourth, but still almost nine tenths off the pace at a track where Red Bull was widely expected to be the team to beat.

"Maybe it was a little more than expected," said Massa when asked by AUTOSPORT whether Red Bull's margin at the top of the timesheets was as he anticipated.

"Red Bull was very quick, but many things can happen, especially with the weather forecast for rain on Saturday.

"Then, maybe the race will be dry, so we need to be ready for anything even if Red Bull were quicker than expected. Things can change."

Massa believes that, in dry conditions, it might be more realistic for Ferrari to set beating McLaren pairing Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton as its target for the weekend.

"Maybe," he said of the prospect of racing for best of the rest rather than victory. "Looking at the difference in the laptimes now, it's easier to say that.

"There is a little bit more to come from the car, but not a huge amount."

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

Alonso calm about Ferrari's pace

Fernando Alonso sees no reason to be worried about Ferrari's form in the dry or wet at Suzuka, even though title rivals Red Bull Racing dominated the opening practice sessions in Japan.

Alonso could manage no better that fourth quickest on the opening day of action - but more worrying than that he was more than eight tenths adrift of pace-setter Sebastian Vettel.

But the Spaniard was far from disheartened by the situation – and reckoned it important to keep calm about his form especially with wet weather forecast to hit qualifying on Saturday.

"I am sure there is speed to come for tomorrow," said Alonso. "Always on Saturday you put everything on the car – the best pieces and the best set-up etc. but I guess for them there is more to come as well.

"On Saturday you put the race package, so no surprises today – we knew Red Bull were quick here, maybe this is the best circuit of the four for them, so we need to push them as I said yesterday. We need to try to make them push as well and not to have an easy weekend."

Alonso was well aware that the expected mixed weather for the rest of the weekend could make the event more of a lottery than a wholly dry event, but still said there was everything to play for on Sunday.

"Always when it is wet it is mixed so I expect a difficult day for everybody," he said. "We need to be at the best position possible but knowing the race is on Sunday and with the dry conditions we expect for Sunday anything can happen.

"This is the circuit where normally you have the possibility to overtake so we don't need to be too worried tomorrow – in whatever position we are.

"I expect tomorrow some teams will be quick in wet conditions, like maybe Mercedes or Renault or Williams, and maybe they can have a very good qualifying."

Speaking about the form of Ferrari in wet conditions, Alonso said: "We did a couple of laps in Australia then we went to dry tyres, in China we were okay and in Spa it rained Friday morning and we were P1 so overall I feel not too worried about the wet performance, but we know in wet cases the luck factor is a big thing.

"You can have a lap with a little bit less water and you gain two seconds so we need to be in the right place in the right time with the right tyre – so in these kinds of conditions they mix everything.

autosport

[vcs316]

http://www.thescuderia.net/forums/showthread.php/27572-Japanese-GP-2010-Team-News-amp-Quotes

All weekend team news and quotes in the mentioned thread please :-)

[Hornet]

Looking back at Singapore GP, there was an almost similar gap in Free Practice 2. Everyone thought the Bulls were going to dominate.

Maybe the same thing will happen again this weekend. Maybe Ferrari had to tune the engine way down as we have used up all of them, and we won't show our true pace until tomorrow's qualifying. :pray

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

Looking back at Singapore GP, there was an almost similar gap in Free Practice 2. Everyone thought the Bulls were going to dominate.

Maybe the same thing will happen again this weekend. Maybe Ferrari had to tune the engine way down as we have used up all of them, and we won't show our true pace until tomorrow's qualifying. :pray

yeah good point!

[Ferrari Man]

Looking back at Singapore GP, there was an almost similar gap in Free Practice 2. Everyone thought the Bulls were going to dominate.

Maybe the same thing will happen again this weekend. Maybe Ferrari had to tune the engine way down as we have used up all of them, and we won't show our true pace until tomorrow's qualifying. :pray

I sure do hope you re right...

[Tifoso]

Looking back at Singapore GP, there was an almost similar gap in Free Practice 2. Everyone thought the Bulls were going to dominate.

Maybe the same thing will happen again this weekend. Maybe Ferrari had to tune the engine way down as we have used up all of them, and we won't show our true pace until tomorrow's qualifying. :pray


I hope so...

[Tony]

Isn't the engine used in the Friday FP different from the Saturday and Sunday engine?

[WS6TransAm01]

Isn't the engine used in the Friday FP different from the Saturday and Sunday engine?

Yes but maybe its a very old engine and rather than having it blow up and loose time on track, Ferrarid ecided to tune it WAY down to get the tirewear info they need.


Looking back at Singapore GP, there was an almost similar gap in Free Practice 2. Everyone thought the Bulls were going to dominate.

Maybe the same thing will happen again this weekend. Maybe Ferrari had to tune the engine way down as we have used up all of them, and we won't show our true pace until tomorrow's qualifying. :pray

Thats true. VET was 1:46.660 to ALO 1:47.718... so Maybe it will be a similar situation this weekend.

[TIFOSI_FERRARI]

THE ENGINE OF FRIDAY ARE THE SAME ENGINE WITCH ALONSO USED IN Hockenheim, Budapest AND Singapore.
Tomorrow Alonso will using 1 of 2 Engine (Monza or Spa-Francorchamps),
&
Tomorrow Massa will using 1 of 3 Engine (Monza or Spa-Francorchamps or Singapore),
good luck for Ferrari Engine 056, because of Tomorrow, Alonso Will Extracting the last Horsepower Possible to Gets Suzuka pole position.
Forza Nanad

[Lithium]

Oh well. Alonso's calmness is rather reassuring, but we'll see tomorrow. If we don't manage to be the Bulls in quali (although you never know in the wet!), starting from the second row would be a great achievement. Besides, good points about Singapore... RBR were even more dominating in Friday practice there. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a good feeling for the rest of the weekend :-)

[NJB13]

Oh well. Alonso's calmness is rather reassuring, but we'll see tomorrow. If we don't manage to be the Bulls in quali (although you never know in the wet!), starting from the second row would be a great achievement. Besides, good points about Singapore... RBR were even more dominating in Friday practice there. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a good feeling for the rest of the weekend :-)

It's definitely not just you, I suggest you warm up that Signature change pen :pray

[Ferrari2183]

I am having that same feeling but the bulls do look mighty.

[siberianlady]

I am having that same feeling but the bulls do look mighty.

But don't forget we have a matador in the team.............

[Ferrari2183]

But don't forget we have a matador in the team.............

True. Sure Nando will be up there fighting those bulls.

[Poltergeistes]

I think Nando has the poker face on!

He is always very calculated, this was a proven method, remember his 2 wdc.

I take the interview he gave after the big season break they had, and by then the fight was still pretty open between 5 drivers, both mclarens and both redbulls, and he said his chances of winning the championship were 50%.

In my opnion he has his cards right, and he doesn't show them unless and when he has to, he has no internal competition in the season anymore, and redbull is still at it, hamilton is still doing what he always does, screw up in the end, which is exactly what fernando doesn't do, if there's one part he alwats makes sure he gets right is the ending.

To me the biggest enemy isn't the redbulls or even hamilton on his rampages but just our own engine's reliability, i wouldn't be surprised at all if ferrari is only really using the full power on the q3 and in certain momments of the race, if the situation calls for it. if not, it's best not to push our luck on that area, cause this is the one thing that could screw up the championship for fernando.

PS when he said his chances were 50% by then i thought it was more likely to be about 95%. he always plays his hand pretty tight to his chest!!

[Brakefade]

In a lot of laps, not just the out or warm up laps, I saw Alonso and Massa taking it really easy. So don't take too much from these practice results. Vettel is a lot like Hamilton. Being on top of the time sheets, even if it doesn't mean anything, is important to their confidence.