Domenicali cautiously confident.

[Rob]

http://i58.tinypic.com/30rqtld.jpg
Maranello, 12 February – “Go quickly but be careful,” was the imprecation from the chancellor Antonio Ferrer to the coachman Pedro as he urged him through a crowd in the famous Italian novel by Alessandro Manzoni, “Promessi Sposi.” The same caution laced with realism and confidence in his team has characterised Stefano Domenicali’s approach to the coming Formula 1 season.
“I am always cautious, not through a fear of saying what I think, but because I am well aware how quickly things change in this sport,” said Scuderia Ferrari’s Team Principal. “In Jerez, we saw the F14 T get off on the right foot, responding well to changes, while the basic data corresponds to the parameters established in the wind tunnel and there were no bad surprises. Clearly there is still much to do because it’s impossible to start with a perfect car in a season featuring so many changes. The start of the championship will be full of unknown quantities and it is far too early to make any sort of prediction. I think we will start to understand a bit more only at the last Bahrain test. My optimism is based on the fact we know which areas need working on: caution is always a good approach, but that doesn’t mean the people working on this project lack the commitment or the will to show our competitors how well we can do things at Ferrari.

“I have to say that what pleased me the most was the attitude of the team,” continued Domenicali. “Everyone is united in tackling the problems and in trying to resolve them, aware that the challenge ahead is both demanding and exciting.”

Since last September, a lot has been said about the Ferrari driver pairing for 2014, which for the first time since 1953, sees two world champions sharing the same red garage. “It was a rational choice, based on the need to have an expert driver pairing, with the one aim of it doing well for Ferrari. I hope the track will show that it was the right choice,” explained Domenicali. “How will we manage them? Decisions are always carefully considered, but they always have the same aim, which is that the sporting decisions are taken to reach the team’s goals, as the interest of the team always comes before all else. Decisions we have taken in the past have always been reached in this spirit.

“I have found a more mature Kimi, more closely knit to the team. He comes to Maranello almost every week to work with the engineers,” added Domenicali. “He knows his worth and he knows what team he has returned to and what challenges he will face, having a world champion like Alonso alongside him for whom he has respect and he will have to adapt to working with him. Fernando is extremely intelligent and has managed to stay ahead in whatever car he has driven. He has an ability to interpret the race and to read it in an amazing way and I think he will make the most of the new regulations, which will require some stages of the race to be managed in a different way. We feel close to him partly because it was such a long time ago that we decided to invest in him.”

2014 is a year of major change for Formula 1 from the technical point of view with the introduction of a brand new type of power train. After the first test in Jerez de la Frontera, influential voices expressed concern for the immediate future of the sport and Domenicali answers them with his usual realism: “In this situation, it’s best not to rush to draw any conclusions, and play into the hands of those scaremongers, as a propensity for self-destruction serves no purpose. Every time there are changes, there are discussions, which is natural. We have only had one test so far when there were never more than four or five cars on track at the same time. Let’s wait until we see all 22 together before saying that everything’s gone wrong. Once a path has been chosen, one has to move forward in a constructive manner. If after a certain period of time we see that an element of excitement is really missing, such as engine noise, then we can see how best to react. Personally, I don’t think this aspect will keep people away from the racetracks. We should be more concerned with the Grand Prix event as a whole and we need to find a strategy to attract youngsters to our sport, which today has a hardcore of fans aged between 35 and 50. We need to get back to having the car seen as an inspirational theme and not just as a means of transport, which adds nothing to our existence. At Ferrari we want to put a lot of effort into this aspect, as shown with initiatives such as getting the public to name the Formula 1 car, or the on-line photo competition, “snap your passion,” which will see four winners come with us to the final test in Bahrain, an initiative that has attracted a lot of attention, especially with youngsters.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/domenicali-cautiously-confident#sthash.qLfg7jO0.dpuf

[steelstallions]

we need to find a strategy to attract youngsters to our sport, which today has a hardcore of fans aged between 35 and 50

And there in a nutshell is F1's problem. My children and their friends have no excitement for F1 AT ALL. Even the video games don't interest them. The top F1 games are from years ago http://www.cricmatez.com/2013/10/29/top-three-f1-games-times/
I don't know the ages of people on here but i bet 35 to 50 is also the majority. How does F1 get the youth of today to be as excited as when we were that age?

[NickEice]

And there in a nutshell is F1's problem. My children and their friends have no excitement for F1 AT ALL. Even the video games don't interest them. The top F1 games are from years ago http://www.cricmatez.com/2013/10/29/top-three-f1-games-times/
I don't know the ages of people on here but i bet 35 to 50 is also the majority. How does F1 get the youth of today to be as excited as when we were that age?

26 year old American here. So I'm doubly rare! But being the grandson of an Italian immigrant I have F1 roots in my blood. Some of my fondest memories were Sunday mornings at Nonno and Nonna's house rooting for the red cars.

But yea the only guys I can have intelligent F1 conversations with (and I can count them on 1 hand) are all 40+ years old.

[roddick_andy]

26 year old American here. So I'm doubly rare! But being the grandson of an Italian immigrant I have F1 roots in my blood. Some of my fondest memories were Sunday mornings at Nonno and Nonna's house rooting for the red cars.

But yea the only guys I can have intelligent F1 conversations with (and I can count them on 1 hand) are all 40+ years old.

I agree, im 29 and the meaningful conversation that i have about F1 is with my Boss who is around 36, Everyone just yells at me when i shout and jump at home because of the excitement on the race day, when i try to explain them they just leave...its tough being a hardcore F1 fan and no one around you who understands why i am doing things i do.

[PURE PASSION]

And there in a nutshell is F1's problem. My children and their friends have no excitement for F1 AT ALL. Even the video games don't interest them. The top F1 games are from years ago http://www.cricmatez.com/2013/10/29/top-three-f1-games-times/
I don't know the ages of people on here but i bet 35 to 50 is also the majority. How does F1 get the youth of today to be as excited as when we were that age?

I'm 36 and i also have the same "problem" with my 6,5 year old son!!!! I dont know if he's too young or something, but he's bored to death when we sit down to watch a race and he leaves in the first 10-15 min!!!!
He recognize the Ferrari logo and he knows Ferraris driver is Alo and when someone ask him "what is your favourite team?" (in Greece in this question everybody expects to answer about football) he's answer is FERRARI!!!! But that is probably down to my "propaganda" from when he was born!!!!!

[Senna4Ever]

I'm 36 and i also have the same "problem" with my 6,5 year old son!!!! I dont know if he's too young or something, but he's bored to death when we sit down to watch a race and he leaves in the first 10-15 min!!!!


I think it isn't F1 alone,
My woman is teacher and what I get told in the evening: the kids need to be entertained all the time ... not able to do some work on their own ... and if so ... it lasts only a view minutes ... and then concentration is over ... just try to read a book to a kid and how long it is able to follow the story ... Bob Dylan was right: The times they are changing ... what we were used to wait now it is always too late ...

Same - as I'm strictly related to music - the music album lost his meaning as the young majority just listens to one song and many different musicians ... which Pop band produces nowadays album like The Wall or Sgt. Peppers ... that's why streaming is so popular ...

[abbottcostello]

Until you are 34, you think if you could get a chance, you would do better than those guys, so you'd rather go out & thrash your car than sit watching on TV. When you turn 35 you realize you are too old & your car really isn't all that fast & by gosh, they ARE pretty darn good!

Actually, I'm outside of that 35-50 age range too, just that I'm out at the opposite end (hmmmm there is no :oldguysmilie :-??)

[steelstallions]

Sound like we are very much like minded. Even in Italy i was at friends house and his two sons 12 and 14 would watch the start of the race, then go to their bedrooms to play xbox games then come back near the end ask who is leading and go somewhere else. Yet if there is motoGP or a football match on, they are glued to the box. What have F1 got to do to get the interest of these age group again?

[Rishu]

Sound like we are very much like minded. Even in Italy i was at friends house and his two sons 12 and 14 would watch the start of the race, then go to their bedrooms to play xbox games then come back near the end ask who is leading and go somewhere else. Yet if there is motoGP or a football match on, they are glued to the box. What have F1 got to do to get the interest of these age group again?

Spicier races. I firmly believe refuelling should be brought back, it not only helps with different strategies, but also spices up the Q3 session. A race with refuelling & 3 pit stop for each car will be so mouth watering. Driver starting from Pole can still win the race, but he would need to look out for cars on different strategies, might also need to pull out few overtaking moves. 2009-2013 era has been bit boring in this regard. Virtually race is settled after the starting grid is decided, & I am not saying this thanks to my bitterness from Red Bull domination :D

[Nero Horse]

I'm 36 and i also have the same "problem" with my 6,5 year old son!!!! I dont know if he's too young or something, but he's bored to death when we sit down to watch a race and he leaves in the first 10-15 min!!!!
He recognize the Ferrari logo and he knows Ferraris driver is Alo and when someone ask him "what is your favourite team?" (in Greece in this question everybody expects to answer about football) he's answer is FERRARI!!!! But that is probably down to my "propaganda" from when he was born!!!!!

That's not "propaganda" at all, that's just sensible and good parenting. :thumb

[Nero Horse]

Sound like we are very much like minded. Even in Italy i was at friends house and his two sons 12 and 14 would watch the start of the race, then go to their bedrooms to play xbox games then come back near the end ask who is leading and go somewhere else. Yet if there is motoGP or a football match on, they are glued to the box. What have F1 got to do to get the interest of these age group again?

Well, I imagine that for Italian kid it's of course difficult to have interest in F1 when a German in an Austrian team's car is dominating all the time. If it were Ferrari winning then I'm sure it would be a completely different story. It's the RB's (a fizzy drink company team with no racing history whatsoever) domination that is deterring all the kids from watching F1, and not just Italian kids.

[wisepie]

I remember way back when (late 60s/early 70s) I could go to Brands Hatch for the F1 GP and pay a small sum per CAR (so up to 5 people!) to park on the South Bank and watch the race from there, so F1 has really become too expensive for the average spectator, especially when they can watch it on Sky and not miss anything except the noise and atmosphere. It also never helps when one driver or team dominates. I'm in the 50+ age group but I do know some younger fans but they don't have the passion or ability to concentrate for an entire race. They also know that if anyone supports another team in my presence, I will not be impressed!:Hmm As for Domenicali being cautiously confident, we've been that way at the start of every season, so let's hope for once that his optimism is justified!

[F1NAC]

And there in a nutshell is F1's problem. My children and their friends have no excitement for F1 AT ALL. Even the video games don't interest them. The top F1 games are from years ago http://www.cricmatez.com/2013/10/29/top-three-f1-games-times/
I don't know the ages of people on here but i bet 35 to 50 is also the majority. How does F1 get the youth of today to be as excited as when we were that age?

i am hereeeeeeeee pick meeee :D (i am only 19)

[brembo man]

Most young fans of any sport have a favorite team, but are most interested in how there favorite player, driver does against the competition that day. If they know before the race there guy can't pass his teamate because of team orders, well there goes any interest in watching, or for sure not paying and traveling to see a race.

[fratelliferrari]

As I read all these comments here Iam rather unique with my 22 years of age :-D Iam a Ferrari fan since 1998 and from 2006 on I try to attend a Grand Prix every year but as wisepie said already the prices are so high that I have decided not to go this season and go to Maranello and the new Ferrari museum in Modena this year! A visit to Maranello is also very nice so I will wait for 2015 to go to F1 race again.

[Rohan]

I'm 17 and I live in India, and other than me there isn't a single person in my school that gets excited about F1.
In my opinion to fully enjoy F1, you need to have some level of understanding that driving on the limit in F1 cars is no easy task, leave alone racing on the edge and I also believe that you need to understand that what the F1 cars and the drivers are doing, at the speeds what they're doing, is something impossible for any other type of motorsport to achieve!
Everyone loves watching the football matches because they have hands (legs?) on experience with how hard it is to perform that well! I'd also say FIFA is a good reason why young people love to watch the football games.
A similar kind of appeal is hard to create for F1, and although Codemasters are doing a pretty good job with their F1 series of games (I love them), they don't have the pick up and play appeal of FIFA.

[ntukza]

27, South African, the only F1 fan in my circle of friends, colleagues and family.

[Module]

39, trying to get my kids excited but runescape wins every time....

[Rob]

Most young fans of any sport have a favorite team, but are most interested in how there favorite player, driver does against the competition that day. If they know before the race there guy can't pass his teamate because of team orders, well there goes any interest in watching, or for sure not paying and traveling to see a race.

:roll

But, get this of my chest after reading your post. I dont want derail the thread, but ANY true F1/racing fans will understand team orders are all part of the sport. Was in F1 WAY before Rubens and Felipe. As long as there 2 cars in 1 team, there will ALWAYS be team orders. Sorry.

[Rob]

Anyway, my little girl cheers at Ferrari and shouts Fernando!!!! she has now learnt Kimi. By time season starts, by week old boy will be able to sit with me watching it. :clap

[Nero Horse]

:roll

But, get this of my chest after reading your post. I dont want derail the thread, but ANY true F1/racing fans will understand team orders are all part of the sport. Was in F1 WAY before Rubens and Felipe. As long as there 2 cars in 1 team, there will ALWAYS be team orders. Sorry.

Don't give him the satisfaction of replying to his crazy rants, that's exactly what he wants and expects. He just wants to get a reaction out of people, best is to just ignore him.

[Rob]

Don't give him the satisfaction of replying to his crazy rants, that's exactly what he wants and expects. He just wants to get a reaction out of people, best is to just ignore him.

I know, have learnt my lesson long ago, but just gets to point where got say something.

Something else, dont insult members like that, he know post can be :ouch but he isnt a troll. :thumb

(just got a very big chip on his shoulder about team orders:-G)

[brembo man]

:roll

But, get this of my chest after reading your post. I dont want derail the thread, but ANY true F1/racing fans will understand team orders are all part of the sport. Was in F1 WAY before Rubens and Felipe. As long as there 2 cars in 1 team, there will ALWAYS be team orders. Sorry.
I certainly agree with you that true F1 fans understand team orders, like them or not. I was reffering to the comments, why young folks aren't drawn to the sport,, especially say if your favorite driver represents your country and you know he has no shot because he has to "Let him pass." Handing over a trophy to him in shame just won't draw new young fans, and who knows may just lose a few true F1 fans. Imagine how bad Germany feels that both Rubens and Massa are Piasanos :rotfl

[qb_marukochan]

yeah we need some crash like spa 1998 lol , i was 10 years at that year, and i was watching it with my father. i was very excited watching f1 at that moment because that chaos mega crash. its my first memories about f1 lol .

[brembo man]

Don't give him the satisfaction of replying to his crazy rants, that's exactly what he wants and expects. He just wants to get a reaction out of people, best is to just ignore him.

Great hearing from you. It's been a while. AS always. thanks for the reaction! Your a regular riot! Telling Rob to ignore this sad troll when you can't get enough of my "Crazy rants" and respond in such a polite way! :rotfl I get great satisfaction in kmowing your interested in my views on F1. and treat them as a learning experience as well. The best to you. Oh! and a belated Happy Valentines Day to you.

[Nero Horse]

I know, have learnt my lesson long ago, but just gets to point where got say something.

Something else, dont insult members like that, he know post can be :ouch but he isnt a troll. :thumb

(just got a very big chip on his shoulder about team orders:-G)

Oh but it's okay for him to insult Ferrari team members and write these incoherent crazy rants every day? I honestly haven't seen any normal posts from that guy yet, it's always some crazy rant about Schumacher, Ferrari torturing poor Barrichello, Ferrari torturing poor Massa, team orders and calling Ferrari team members with insulting derogatory names. Is that normal? I really don't think so. There wouldn't be a problem at all if he would just change the record once in a while, but obviously that's way too much to ask.

I'm getting a deja vu feeling here btw. :roll

[brembo man]

I never said Massa was tortured, just kicked out after giving his best, esp in a poor car 2013. Ferrari's way of thanking him ? Rubens ain't poor, he got paid millions in F1. Let's see how well Kimi responds on his first "Let him pass order." If it goes that way or say the opposite where Alonso gets told to hold back foe Kimi. By the way I never made up or used the insults, Twobens, the Moaner etc. towards a Ferrari team member. You just can't get enough of my posts can you? I'll do what I can to keep you informed about F1. Compliments will get you everywhere! Thanks again. By the way incoherent as big a word as it is, I think means not understandable, yet you seem to understand and analize every word I say .

[wisepie]

Hey guys, what has brembo man done to wind everyone up? His original post was quite true IMO, so I don't get the reaction he's now getting. Let's all pull together, at least until the season gets going! What Domenicali said about attracting younger fans is also quite true but there are so many more temptations out there nowadays, so any devotion to one cause (F1) is likely to be pretty fickle. Except for fratelli ferrari, that is. And compliments to the Indian brigade who seem to be multiplying as tifosi....but F1 has always been a bit elitist and you can't just hop into the back garden or street and drve an F1 car, so I guess it always will be.

[Hornet]

Hmm, I think open wheel racing in general isn't something that's popular to young people (unless we are talking specifically among racing fans?). I think only racing fans would appreciate F1 and what it is all about. In popular media such as movies and video games, most racing we see are street racing with road cars and that's probably what most youth are exposed to. You show them a F1 car and a modified Honda road car, they would probably be more interested in the modified road car just because that's the kind of stuff they are familiar with in movies and video games.

And of course it doesn't help that racing in these popular media are often shown as wheel banging, sliding around corners and smoking wheels actions.

[abbottcostello]

Ahhhh, DRIFTING!!
Something they can relate to, until they have to buy a new set of tires once a week :rotfl

[Gerard]

The "motor sport" of drifting is like calling rap music "music".

Domenicali should remain cautiously confidant, as should the rest of the team and our drivers AND THEN NAIL THE OTHER TEAMS TO THE WALL, while everyone remains cautiously confident.

[abbottcostello]

The "motor sport" of drifting is like calling rap music "music".

Domenicali should remain cautiously confidant, as should the rest of the team and our drivers AND THEN NAIL THE OTHER TEAMS TO THE WALL, while everyone remains cautiously confident.

Well, drifting is not my idea of racing or motor sport, but as long as they're doing something in cars for enjoyment, I look at that as a positive step in the right direction. I may poke fun at their tire milage, but would never seriously discourage them from doing it.

On topic, I sure hope SD's confidence remains thru this round of testing at Bahrain!