Australian GP 2011 - Ferrari Quotes

[vcs316]

Domenicali: “Everyone is keen to get to work in Melbourne”

In a few days time, the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship will finally get underway in Melbourne. “Finally,” because by now we should have already contested the opening round at the Sakhir circuit, except that events in Bahrain made that impossible. Whether or not we return to Bahrain later in the calendar, this year will seem by far the longest in the sport’s history as the curtain does not come down until 27 November in Brazil. For those in the sport who like discovering new places, India provides the one new venue on the calendar this year, while fans of close and exciting racing will be pleased if 2011 matches 2010, even if the Scuderia’s tifosi would have preferred a different script to the one used for the finale in Abu Dhabi last November. Even if 2010 was a vintage one in terms of on-track action, the sports governing body, the FIA, in conjunction with the technical brains from the teams have come up with technical regulations aimed at promoting overtaking. The first of these is not new, as it was already used – to great effect by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro – back in 2009 and that is the use of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System or KERS. The second major element is the use of a Drag Reduction System, or DRS, which effectively means a driver can alter the angle of the flap on the rear wing of the car to reduce drag and thus increase its own speed, facilitating an overtaking move. Both KERS and DRS are subject to specific rules as to how and when they may be used in a race.

Whatever the technological changes, fans the world over are eagerly anticipating the extinguishing of the lights to signal the start of the season on the Albert Park grid at 17h00 local time this Sunday. But don’t think this excitement is restricted to the fans, because the people who work in the sport are all enthusiasts at heart: just listen to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team principal, Stefano Domenicali. “As usual when you start a new challenge, a new season there is always the feeling that it is all about the enthusiasm that everyone at Maranello feels about going racing again, because after all, that is what Ferrari is all about, that is what we are all here for,” he says.

Excitement is not the only emotion the professionals share with the fans at this time of year, as making an accurate prediction about the relative merits of the teams is something Domenicali feels unsure of at the moment. “The atmosphere in the team is good and everyone is keen to get to work in Melbourne, to see where we are compared to the other teams,” he reveals. “So far, we have done a lot of testing through four test sessions in Spain in February and early March but this will be the chance to see where our base line puts us. There were fifteen days of winter testing in total. I am by nature very cautious so in assessing how we went during these days, I have to take into account how we worked through our programme, as well as looking at what the other teams did and because we do not know exactly what the others were doing in testing, I have to remain cautious in rating our own work.”

However, there is no doubt in Domenicali’s mind when asked to spell out the Scuderia’s objectives for 2011. “The goal is so clear I don’t need to repeat it,” he says. See if you can guess…

Having discussed two new aspects of the regulations, Domenicali raises the matter of another change that will have a decisive influence on this year’s Grands Prix, namely the change of tyre supplier. “On the technical side, the arrival of Pirelli as sole tyre supplier is very important and it will be fundamental to continue getting a good understanding of how the tyres work, in order to use them in the best possible way,” reckons Domenicali. “From what we have seen in winter testing, these tyres are very different to those we used in the past. Therefore, we have to adopt a fresh approach and clearly, from what we have seen so far, the number of pit stops required to complete a race distance competitively will be higher than before. This is significant in terms of teamwork at the races, because more pit stops means the role of team members becomes even more important in terms of deciding the final outcome of the races. A further impact of having more pit stops is that possibly qualifying and therefore grid position will be less important than in 2010. In simple terms it is more likely that a car that has not set the fastest time and taken pole position can still go on to win the race. It will be absolutely vital to have the right strategy in order to win the race.”

Different tyres, adjustable wings, new circuits – all very important but the real stars of Formula 1 as always are the drivers and Domenicali believes Alonso and Massa are raring to go. “I see both our drivers very very motivated for different reasons,” maintains the team principal. “Fernando has done a fantastic winter in terms of preparation and testing and is looking forward to getting to Melbourne, because after an incredible second half to last year, he wants to cancel out what happened at the last race in Abu Dhabi. Felipe is now very strong mentally and he is looking forward to what will be a very important season for him.”

Both Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers enjoy the atmosphere in Albert Park, with Fernando having won here in 2006 and Felipe making it to the podium in third spot last year. Domenicali is also a fan of Melbourne. “With Bahrain being cancelled, Melbourne now becomes the first race of the season, something it has been well used to in its past history. Melbourne’s welcome to Formula 1 means you experience the sport in a special way here, with the focus of the entire city shifting to Albert Park for the whole event. For us at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, it is actually a great experience to start the season here, because there is a large Italian community in the city and the fans are very supportive and knowledgeable, making us feel very welcome in Melbourne.”

And speaking of fans, Domenicali has a special word for those who cheer on the Prancing Horse around the world. “The support we receive from them is unique which is why our responsibility to them is also unique. It will be a very long season and together we will have good moments and I am sure, also some difficult ones. But Ferrari is Ferrari and we are used to that. As we prepare for the first race, I would like to single out one group of our fans and hold them close to our hearts right now and that is our fans in Japan and indeed all the people in Japan. What has happened there is more important than anything to do with our sport and serves to remind us what are the priorities in our lives.”

http://www.ferrari.com/English/Formu...Melbourne.aspx

[Anni]

Domenicali and Costa said about Felipe

- I see him very very motivated. Felipe is now very strong mentally and he is looking forward to what will be a very important season for him.

Ferrari technical director, Aldo Costa hopes that Felipe Massa nevertheless manage to keep up with the rhythm of Alonso during the year.
- I hope so, because we need two strong drivers but we will just find out it (who will be the first driver) during the races because the tests are not a period that can take into account it.

[vcs316]

We’re off again in Melbourne



Melbourne, 23 March – Preparations are underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit for the curtain raising event of the Formula 1 World Championship, after a four month break. As the new season gets underway, the two Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro race drivers were in the paddock of this semi-permanent track which has been home to the Australian Grand Prix since 1996, for their first official tasks of the weekend. After some press meetings, Fernando and Felipe posed for a special photo with Ashley Hart, the stunning ambassador for the Australian Grand Prix, who visited the Ferrari pit to say hello to the team.

Tomorrow, the Scuderia crew will be at the circuit again for the final preparations, while the action gets underway on Friday with the first two free practice sessions.

[vcs316]

Alonso's Blog - Ten years in Formula 1, the best of my life

Finally, the moment has arrived! I was so impatient to get to the first race and the postponement of the Bahrain Grand Prix made the wait even longer. Yes, it did give the engineers more time to prepare and it meant the work could be done with less haste, but for us drivers, and I think the same applies to all my colleagues, the desire to go racing again is very strong.

It was a very busy winter. After Abu Dhabi, there was not much time to get upset about how the 2010 championship ended. Immediately it was time to role up our sleeves and work on the development of the tyres and on the new car, without thinking too much about what happened. That mishap actually motivated us even more and I am sure that actually, it has made us stronger now. Ferrari is synonymous with passion for racing and all of us are determined to fight back and go for victory.

We have covered so many kilometres in testing and have shown that we have reached a good level of reliability, which is always important. There are reasons to be optimistic, even if we cannot really be sure where we are compared to the others. At the last test, in Barcelona, we introduced a significant number of updates and here in Melbourne we have also brought a newer version of the front wing. We will see if it delivers the expected results, even if I think we will need three or four races to get a clear picture of the situation.

There are so many new things this year, from the moveable rear wing to the return of KERS and especially, the new tyres in the shape of the Pirellis. From what we saw in testing, their degradation is much higher than compared to the Bridgestones: therefore we will see more pit stops and the strategy will be the key to the final result. Qualifying will now be less important, given that an increase in pit stops will add uncertainty to the way the races turn out: our pit stop guys will definitely have more work to do!

These past weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the possible difficulty of managing all the controls we have in the car, especially on the steering wheel. Quite frankly, I don’t think there will be any problems, at least on the safety front. When all is said and done, we are professional drivers and we have to be capable of adapting to any situation. Even when it comes to running the moveable rear wing, I don’t think there will be problems. It seems like a good idea to me, but obviously it is too early to say if it will really make overtaking easier and lead to more excitement. We will start to get an idea this Sunday afternoon.

I arrived in Melbourne on Monday evening, after a very long journey, the longest of the year. I am happy to be starting the season here, because without wishing to take anything away from Bahrain, for many years this was the first race and the atmosphere here is particularly nice and everything feels very familiar, while the racing is usually full of incident and uncertainty, with the safety car usually playing its part. I won here in 2006 and made it to the podium a further three teams, so let’s hope we can repeat that.

It was here ten years ago, that I first set out on the Formula 1 path. I have spent twenty six of my twenty nine years behind a steering wheel, controlling four wheels and ten of those, the best of them, have been spent in the blue riband category. I never would have thought that things would have turned out this way and I have achieved so much more than I had hoped for when I was little. Now I want to continue and for a long time too, trying to have even better years in the future!

[vcs316]

Massa's Blog - I’m ready to race

It’s time to go! When you will read my words, I will be flying from Sao Paolo to Melbourne. It is the longest flight of the year for me, but I can’t wait to get going: I’m ready to race and I think the whole team is well prepared after doing so many laps over all the days of winter testing, even more than we had planned in the end. The car appears to be reliable, but on its own this is not enough as the car needs to be quick too. For the moment, reliability has been good and I don’t think we can complain about performance, but we won’t have a clear picture until all the teams are together on track in Melbourne.

The start of a new season is always a thrilling time and this year we have plenty of novelties to get used to, even if KERS is something we understand well having already used it in 2009. Actually in terms of running the adjustable rear wing, we did thousands of laps using it, so we are fully aware of how to run it – you press a button, the wing moves and drag is reduced and I would estimate the car goes between 12 and 15 km/h quicker than before on the straight. In practice and in qualifying, you can use the wing as much as you want, even on the shortest straights. This is something we concentrated on a lot during the winter, so that it becomes an automatic reflex for the driver as you drive the car. That means we have a good understanding of how to use it to improve performance and lap times, but when it comes to using it in the race, when you cannot use it all the time and it is simply an aid to overtaking, then in this situation, we do not have a clear picture of how effective it will be. I am sure it can help, but we must wait and see what is the true situation in a race.

Before I drove the car for the first time in testing, I was really concerned about what it would be like having all these systems to control and buttons to press, with the wing, with KERS and so on. Then, after the first few days of testing it started to become automatic and, together with the engineers, we came up with some good methods to be able to operate these systems without affecting your concentration and your visibility of the track without taking your eyes off the road.

While KERS and the rear wing will have an impact on the races, the biggest change of all in terms of its influence on the character of the race weekend is perhaps also the simplest, which means the arrival of Pirelli as the tyre supplier. Getting to understand the new tyres has been one of the most interesting aspects of the winter tests and for my part, it’s true I don’t have any difficulty warming up the tyres which was a big problem for me last year. With the high degradation we are seeing, the races will be very different and we will need to pit several times, whereas last year many races needed just one stop. It will also be interesting to see how the tyres operate when we reach the warmer countries, although maybe not Australia, as it is not expected to be so hot in Melbourne next week. Also, the difference between the soft and hard compounds is far greater which might even change the way you approach with a view to what tyre you will then use to start the race the next day. Certainly the drivers will have more influence over when we make the pit stops in the race: of course there will be a plan regarding our strategy made before the event, but I expect the situations to change far more quickly during the races with a driver feeling when tyre degradation is starting and choosing to pit early to get ahead of the car in front, or in the case of a safety car period. It will be very different and maybe more exciting for the spectators.

I’m happy to be starting the season in Australia, although I am also disappointed not to be going to Bahrain from a racing point of view. I really liked going there, as the track seemed to suit me very well and also the team, because Ferrari has won so many races there. But, when you build an F1 car, you build it to be good at every track, so wherever the championship starts you have to go there thinking of the victory and I will be concentrating on doing my best in Melbourne, even if the Albert Park circuit has not been a very successful venue for me, or a lucky one, as I’ve had a few accidents there. Last year was better as I got my best ever result here finishing third on the podium. I hope this time we can have a great start to the season in Australia and I am optimistic about our chances, based on the reliability we have shown so far and I can’t wait for us to measure up against the other teams and see where we stand.

[gvsnraju85]

Here is some video of interviews from Stephano, Mark Gene etc.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWz-F...el_video_title

[Hornet]

It pays to be an F1 driver

[Alessandra]

[QUOTE=vcs316;650536]Domenicali: “Everyone is keen to get to work in Melbourne”

Domenicali has a special word for those who cheer on the Prancing Horse around the world. “The support we receive from them is unique which is why our responsibility to them is also unique. It will be a very long season and together we will have good moments and I am sure, also some difficult ones. But Ferrari is Ferrari and we are used to that. As we prepare for the first race, I would like to single out one group of our fans and hold them close to our hearts right now and that is our fans in Japan and indeed all the people in Japan. What has happened there is more important than anything to do with our sport and serves to remind us what are the priorities in our lives.”

+1

[Ant Raikkonen]

Alonso's Blog - Ten years in Formula 1, the best of my life

Finally, the moment has arrived! I was so impatient to get to the first race and the postponement of the Bahrain Grand Prix made the wait even longer. Yes, it did give the engineers more time to prepare and it meant the work could be done with less haste, but for us drivers, and I think the same applies to all my colleagues, the desire to go racing again is very strong.

It was a very busy winter. After Abu Dhabi, there was not much time to get upset about how the 2010 championship ended. Immediately it was time to role up our sleeves and work on the development of the tyres and on the new car, without thinking too much about what happened. That mishap actually motivated us even more and I am sure that actually, it has made us stronger now. Ferrari is synonymous with passion for racing and all of us are determined to fight back and go for victory.

We have covered so many kilometres in testing and have shown that we have reached a good level of reliability, which is always important. There are reasons to be optimistic, even if we cannot really be sure where we are compared to the others. At the last test, in Barcelona, we introduced a significant number of updates and here in Melbourne we have also brought a newer version of the front wing. We will see if it delivers the expected results, even if I think we will need three or four races to get a clear picture of the situation.

There are so many new things this year, from the moveable rear wing to the return of KERS and especially, the new tyres in the shape of the Pirellis. From what we saw in testing, their degradation is much higher than compared to the Bridgestones: therefore we will see more pit stops and the strategy will be the key to the final result. Qualifying will now be less important, given that an increase in pit stops will add uncertainty to the way the races turn out: our pit stop guys will definitely have more work to do!

These past weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the possible difficulty of managing all the controls we have in the car, especially on the steering wheel. Quite frankly, I don’t think there will be any problems, at least on the safety front. When all is said and done, we are professional drivers and we have to be capable of adapting to any situation. Even when it comes to running the moveable rear wing, I don’t think there will be problems. It seems like a good idea to me, but obviously it is too early to say if it will really make overtaking easier and lead to more excitement. We will start to get an idea this Sunday afternoon.

I arrived in Melbourne on Monday evening, after a very long journey, the longest of the year. I am happy to be starting the season here, because without wishing to take anything away from Bahrain, for many years this was the first race and the atmosphere here is particularly nice and everything feels very familiar, while the racing is usually full of incident and uncertainty, with the safety car usually playing its part. I won here in 2006 and made it to the podium a further three teams, so let’s hope we can repeat that.

It was here ten years ago, that I first set out on the Formula 1 path. I have spent twenty six of my twenty nine years behind a steering wheel, controlling four wheels and ten of those, the best of them, have been spent in the blue riband category. I never would have thought that things would have turned out this way and I have achieved so much more than I had hoped for when I was little. Now I want to continue and for a long time too, trying to have even better years in the future!

[Rob]

ALONSO SAYS 'NOT MANY' FASTER THAN MASSA
Wednesday 23 March at 10:01 : Mar.23 (GMM)

Fernando Alonso neatly sidestepped the issue when asked if he would welcome Sebastian Vettel as a new Ferrari teammate.

Even though Vettel has now signed to stay at Red Bull for the next four seasons, the reigning world champion has admitted he would like to switch to Ferrari one day.

At famous Italian marque Ferrari, Felipe Massa had a difficult 2010 season and is expected to drive for his career this year.

Asked if he would object to having Vettel alongside him at Ferrari, Spaniard Alonso told Welt newspaper: "I have never thought about it.

"In principle I drive the same against any teammate and right now it's Felipe."

Asked if he respects his current Brazilian teammate, Alonso told the German newspaper: "Felipe is a great challenger for me. I don't think there are many drivers who are faster than him.

"After all, when he crossed the line in Brazil in 2008, he was the world champion for a few seconds, so he has to prove to no one how fast and talented he is."

However, Massa had a poor season in 2010, but Ferrari's technical director Aldo Costa told Corriere dello Sport that doesn't mean he is now the number two.

Asked if the 29-year-old can keep up with Alonso in 2011, Costa answered: "I hope so, because we need two strong drivers.

"But we are only going to find out now that the races are starting," he added.

http://www.onestopstrategy.com/daily...han+Massa.html

[scuderiafan]

ALONSO SAYS 'NOT MANY' FASTER THAN MASSA
Wednesday 23 March at 10:01 : Mar.23 (GMM)

Fernando Alonso neatly sidestepped the issue when asked if he would welcome Sebastian Vettel as a new Ferrari teammate.

Even though Vettel has now signed to stay at Red Bull for the next four seasons, the reigning world champion has admitted he would like to switch to Ferrari one day.

At famous Italian marque Ferrari, Felipe Massa had a difficult 2010 season and is expected to drive for his career this year.

Asked if he would object to having Vettel alongside him at Ferrari, Spaniard Alonso told Welt newspaper: "I have never thought about it.

"In principle I drive the same against any teammate and right now it's Felipe."

Asked if he respects his current Brazilian teammate, Alonso told the German newspaper: "Felipe is a great challenger for me. I don't think there are many drivers who are faster than him.

"After all, when he crossed the line in Brazil in 2008, he was the world champion for a few seconds, so he has to prove to no one how fast and talented he is."

However, Massa had a poor season in 2010, but Ferrari's technical director Aldo Costa told Corriere dello Sport that doesn't mean he is now the number two.

Asked if the 29-year-old can keep up with Alonso in 2011, Costa answered: "I hope so, because we need two strong drivers.

"But we are only going to find out now that the races are starting," he added.

http://www.onestopstrategy.com/daily...han+Massa.html

nice, but doesnt matter. whatever is said between the 2, Felipe will always be the unwilling lapdog to spoilt kid Fernando (who worked his way up to Ferrari and competitive cars, far from spoilt, unlike 'others')

EDIT not a quote, as I can't find the link but mas is reported
to have told the Brazilian press that the f150 is a lot slower than the rb7, and it will need a lonif work to get better.

Massa

[REDARMYSOJA]

nice, but doesnt matter. whatever is said between the 2, Felipe will always be the unwilling lapdog to spoilt kid Fernando (who worked his way up to Ferrari and competitive cars, far from spoilt, unlike 'others')

I don't understand, are you saying Fernando is "spoilt" and didn't have to work his way up? Or what?

[sagi58]

I have to ask: Considering...
- F1 is such an unforgiving sport, demanding peak performance at all times;
- F1 fans can be unforgiving, constantly asking "what have you done, lately?";
- F1 teams/sponsors etc are unforgiving in expecting a return for their money;
how can driver stay on the grid, unless they "deserve" being there?

[REDARMYSOJA]

how can driver stay on the grid, unless they "deserve" being there?

By having a ton of sponsorship money

[vcs316]

Technical innovations will liven up season, says Alonso

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso expects technical changes this season to make for an unpredictable Formula 1 season.

The two-time world champion, who finished runner-up last season, was speaking ahead of the start of the 2011 opening race in Melbourne this weekend.

"There are so many new things this year from the moveable rear wing to the return of Kers and especially, the new Pirelli tyres," he said.

"We'll see more pit-stops, and strategy will be the key to the final result."

Pit-stops are a particularly sensitive subject at Ferrari after a tactical blunder in the final race of last season contributed to Alonso being beaten to the title by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

A top-two finish in the Abu Dhabi race, or top-five if Vettel had won, would have been enough to secure Alonso's third world title.

But an early pit-stop strategy backfired and Alonso ended up coming home in seventh, a result which led to Chris Dyer being replaced as head of race track engineering in a close-season team reshuffle.

And pit-stops are likely to prove key again this season after Pirelli replaced Bridgestone as tyre suppliers, with the tyres specifically designed to be less durable in an effort to increase the number of pit-stops.

"Qualifying will now be less important, given that an increase in pit- stops will add uncertainty to the way the races turn out: our pit stop guys will definitely have more work to do," said Alonso on his blog on the Ferrari website.

But he waved away suggestions from drivers such as Red Bull's Mark Webber that technology such as adjustable rear wings were an unnecessary distraction and could even be potentially dangerous to drivers.

"These past weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the possible difficulty of managing all the controls we have in the car, especially on the steering wheel," Alonso said.

"Quite frankly, I don't think there will be any problems, at least on the safety front. When all is said and done, we are professional drivers and we have to be capable of adapting to any situation.

"Even when it comes to running the moveable rear wing, I don't think there will be problems."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/moto...ne/9434143.stm

[vcs316]

Alonso expects 'new' style of racing

Fernando Alonso says that fans can expect to watch a 'new Formula 1' as teams prepare for a more strategic style of racing thanks to the introduction of Pirelli tyres in 2011.

The Italian tyre manufacturer - the sole supplier to the sport this year – returns to grand prix racing for the first time in 20 years this weekend with compounds that have been deliberately designed to degrade faster than Bridgestone's predecessors to help spice up the racing.

And after testing proved that teams expect three to stop three or four times during races this season, the Ferrari driver believes that getting strategy right will be even more crucial to his Sunday afternoons now.

"There are many things to learn to test with these tyres, for sure there is a new way of doing the races in terms of strategy, so a new Formula 1 starts here in Melbourne in terms of strategy that we need to learn from here to keep for the coming races," he said in the Thursday press conference.

"We need to be focused and concentrated on the strategy because it can play a big part of the race result. And maybe on the other hand qualifying on Saturday has less value as son Sunday there will be more factors on track.

"The number of laps [completed on hard or soft tyres] is impossible to predict right now, but I think there is not a big problem as it is the same tyres for everyone," he added. "After tomorrow's practice we will understand a bit better how the strategy will work on Sunday, I don’t have a particular worry for that.

"It is a new tyre compared to last year, a new way of approaching the weekend and the strategy. It is something we have been practising all winter, hopefully okay and hopefully more fun for the spectators."

Alonso said his sole objective in 2011 was to win the world championship for Ferrari after watching the title slip from his grasp in the final round of last year's campaign at Abu Dhabi.

"I think if you race for Ferrari then there is no other goal than fighting for the world championship, that is the history of Ferrari, the power of Ferrari," he said. "This team is about passion, motor racing and winning, obviously that is our aim, that is our goal for 2011 campaign – to try and fight for the world championship.

"In the end you can win or you can lose, depends on how competitive you are and depends on many other factors as well, I am sure we will be there."

The 29-year-old Spaniard, who last won a world championship title five years ago, also said that he expected a stronger challenge from his team-mate Felipe Massa – insisting that there was no number one driver at Ferrari.

"I think that I was not number one last year and I'm not number one this year," he said. "We try to do our best, Felipe has been strong all his career and strong last year. In the end he was maybe losing too many points, he had some bad moments like Singapore – it is not only the pure pace of performance, it is other factors that help fight for the championship.

"I expect Felipe to be very strong and a title contender, I think both fighting for the constructors' championship for Ferrari is a big thing."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90115

[vcs316]

Australian GP - Alonso: “A new Formula 1 starts in Melbourne”

Albert Park, 24 March – Fernando Alonso was called to appear in today’s FIA press conference at the Albert Park circuit, on the outskirts of Melbourne. Looking back at the winter months, the Spaniard felt that for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, testing had gone smoothly with no particular problems. “It is always a challenge when you have regulation changes,” he began. “You have many new things to test and learn about and me and Felipe did enough mileage to understand everything we needed to. So now it’s great to finally be racing, especially as we had to wait these extra fifteen days because the Bahrain event was cancelled, but anyway, I am very happy to be here.”

Asked about his target for the season, Alonso did not have to give the question much thought, so obvious was the answer. “If you race for Ferrari, you always have the goal of fighting for the World Championship, because that is the history of Ferrari: this team is all about passion, motor racing and winning again is our goal for the 2011 campaign. Whether we win or lose will depend on so many factors.”

The Ferrari man has won here in Albert Park once, in 2006 and in a total of nine appearances here in Melbourne, he has always finished the race, which is already quite an achievement at this difficult track that produces so many incidents. “I love Melbourne and everything that goes on, as there are so many attractions around the Grand Prix so that the people get to enjoy the whole weekend from Friday onwards. As the first race of the season, I can expect it to be very exciting, as we have seen strange races here in the past, many involving the Safety Car. Honestly, sometimes it can be a race just to survive. We will try our best and hope to score some points to start the season in a very good way and in a good atmosphere.”

Apart from the fact it is the first race, the Australian GP is also going to be unpredictable because of all the rule changes and particularly because of the higher wear rate of the Pirelli tyres compared to those used in the past. “A new Formula 1 starts here in Melbourne,” stated Fernando. “We will have to remain very focussed and very concentrated on the strategy, because that will play a big part in the final result, while Qualifying will have a bit less value than last year.”

http://www.ferrari.com/English/Formu...Melbourne.aspx

[scuderiafan]

I don't understand, are you saying Fernando is "spoilt" and didn't have to work his way up? Or what?

no no. i meant that other people mainly fanboys think that. I am now a big fan of fernando and he started in a minardi, so I am well aware of what he had to do to get to ferrari.

sorry for the misunderstanding

[vcs316]

Australian GP - Massa: “This weekend, a clear picture of where we are”

Albert Park, 24 March – After attending a promotional event in Melbourne for Shell this morning, Felipe Massa had his usual Thursday meeting with the media this afternoon in an unusually cold and occasionally wet Albert Park. The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver felt the team was as well prepared as possible for the opening round of the season. “Over the winter, the challenge has been to learn everything based on all the changes to the rules and to put everything together in such a way that we can start our season moving in the right direction,” he said. “That’s really what the winter was all about. I think we did a good job with a lot of mileage in the car which was very important to have a clear picture of our package going into the season. It was good that we did the most laps of any team, usually at least one hundred a day. Now, the difference is that this weekend we will also get a clear picture of where we are compared to the other teams, because in testing there were too many variables to make a comparison, even if clearly we were not slow. At least we will really understand how good is our car and how good are the other teams.”

Apart from the encouraging car performance, Felipe also had a good feeling in terms of how his driving style suited the new Pirelli tyres. “I am more comfortable in getting the car to work properly, especially in qualifying trim which is where I had difficulties last year,” he admitted. “This has made me feel more confident. On the other hand, the races will be very different to what we were used to: higher tyre degradation will mean more pit stops and so the way you approach the race and how you plan the strategy will be a change. Last year, we could do a race with just one stop for tyres and remember that sometimes, we only made that one pit stop because it was in the rules that you had to change tyres. This year, it will be very unlikely to happen that we only stop once and it is more likely we have races with three or even four tyre changes. Getting to understand this aspect will be the key to having a good race.” The Ferrari man’s ambitions for the season are the obvious ones: “The goal is to have a completely different championship to my 2010, in every way, so that I return to fighting for the top places in every qualifying session and every race. I am really confident we can do that.”

The Japanese have played an important role in Formula 1 for many decades and the final question for Felipe concerned the terrible events which took place in Japan. “I am praying every night for them,” said Massa. “To see what happened there, it was unbelievable. You don’t even see anything like that in the movies. We need to do everything we can for them and I believe that FOTA is working on a project and I will be pleased to do anything I can to help.”

http://www.ferrari.com/English/Formu...re_we_are.aspx

[scuderiafan]

Fernando Alonso
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/9434638.stm

Love how he talks of teams lying about fuel mixes at the end. what a guy.

[REDARMYSOJA]

no no. i meant that other people mainly fanboys think that. I am now a big fan of fernando and he started in a minardi, so I am well aware of what he had to do to get to ferrari.

sorry for the misunderstanding

Oh, OK. Sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. I thought that was what you meant, but wasn't sure. I knew one thing you couldn't say about Fernando was that he hasn't "paid his dues".

[Ste]

Fernando Alonso
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/9434638.stm

Love how he talks of teams lying about fuel mixes at the end. what a guy.

That is epic!

[Rob]

Fernando Alonso
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/9434638.stm

Love how he talks of teams lying about fuel mixes at the end. what a guy.

nice.

[sagi58]

Fernando Alonso
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/9434638.stm

Love how he talks of teams lying about fuel mixes at the end. what a guy.

Dagnabit!! The video is not available in Canada...
Any chance of a text version??

[Greig]

Rob those stories have already been posted in this thread

[Rob]

Rob those stories have already been posted in this thread

sorry mate. I have edited them. Sorry.

[scuderiafan]

Dagnabit!! The video is not available in Canada...
Any chance of a text version??

At the end, he was asked about team orders, and if it would be useful for him.

He said ' it would be useful for all teams, as they don't need to make things like 'fuel etc.' up'.

That is the gist of it. all the other stuff is just how well testing had gone, and is in all the quotes above.

[Hermann]

Dagnabit!! The video is not available in Canada...
Any chance of a text version??

I think its this one on youtube?

[vcs316]

Australian GP - An inconclusive debut

Melbourne, 25 March – The two Ferrari 150° Italia of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa ended the first free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix in third and eleventh places respectively with time of 1.27.749 and 1.28.842. Heading the time sheet at the opening round of the Formula 1 World Championship at the Albert Park circuit were the two Red Bulls of Mark Webber (1.26.831) and Sebastian Vettel (1.27.158.)

Both Ferrari men did twenty laps in a session that was inconclusive in terms of the results, but useful when it came to checking aero systems, especially on the single run completed by the Spaniard, apart from some practice starts and pit stops. The second free practice session gets underway at 4.30 this afternoon, local time.

[vcs316]

Ferrari hires aerobatics commander

Ferrari has hired a former commander of the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian national aircraft aerobatic team, to help improve its teamwork and communication in 2011.

With the outfit having paid a heavy price in Abu Dhabi for a strategy mistake with Fernando Alonso that cost it the world title, it has undertaken a refocusing of its efforts over the winter.

And as well as a reshuffling of its engineering staff, which included Chris Dyer moving away from the F1 team, Ferrari has appointed former Frecce Tricolori commander Massimo Tammaro.

The move comes ahead of a likely increased reliance on quick decisions from the pit wall in 2011 to decide tyre strategies in a race.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I'm passionate about planes and I knew Tammaro. Since he left Frecce Tricolori and wanted to pursue a different career, I thought interesting to have at our disposal his organisational knowledge and his military experience on communication codes."

Reflecting on Abu Dhabi, Domenicali said: "Yes, we threw away the championship. I even thought about resigning, but then rationality prevailed. That race ruined my winter and my health. At Abu Dhabi we lost through our faults, but in 2010 the best car was Red Bull's."

Domenicali also said that the possible return of Dyer to a role on the F1 team would rest firmly with the Australian.

"The fact that he is not in Gestione Sportiva anymore but is in the industrial department is not tied to that [the Abu Dhabi events], but is down to internal balances that had to be evaluated. Now Dyer works with the GTs; in the future he'll have to decide whether to stay there or to come back to racing."

Domenicali also played down talk about a bid to poach Adrian Newey away from Red Bull Racing.

"No. I see him very attached to his world in England and at Red Bull, but there's always talking and joking in the paddock," he said.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90162