Special appointment at the Scuderia

Special appointment at the Scuderia

Maranello, 4 March – An important day for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. The men and women from the Scuderia met at the Logistics department to reflect together a few days before the start of the F1 Championship with the first GP in Bahrain. They were greeted by Chairman Luca di Montezemolo, who wanted to be present with Fernando Alonso, who is working with the simulator in Maranello today and tomorrow

"We have a difficult season behind us and we have a season with strong competitors ahead of us, with many unknown factors,” Domenicali said. "We’ve worked a lot during the winter and I want to thank you for what you have done: at the end of the last Championship we were really behind, now, after the tests in February, we can say that we picked up a lot. We’re in the top group, but not yet amongst the best. This has to be a stimulus, because we need to develop race after race, this will be the 2010 Championship, but also the reliability will be important. The fact that we were the team with the most kilometres confirms how well we worked, but we can’t stop paying attention. We have to know out potential and our strength, because we have people, resources and structures, which can keep up with everybody else. During the tests we’ve shown what we can do and now we have to continue to train."

Fernando Alonso, who was received with a standing ovation, was moved by the atmosphere and said: "I want to thank you all for what you have done for this new Formula 1 Ferrari. I already told it to the newspapers but I want to tell you personally: this is the best car I’ve ever driven. This doesn’t mean that it will be enough to win every single race, but I’m happy about how the tests went and I think that we’re at 100% for the first race in Bahrain. We are Ferrari and we know from our history that we have only one goal: winning the Championship. And I know that thanks to your work we can do it. We know that the first race is like the first stage at the Tour de France: what counts is winning. Felipe and I are extremely motivated and we’ll give it our all to show that we merit the opportunity to drive a car like Ferrari.”

To conclude the event Montezemolo said: "It has been for the last 19 years that we met here before the start of the Championship. We had difficult moments, but also wonderful ones, great successes, thanks to you. I want to thank you for what you’ve done during the winter. I haven’t forgotten the humiliation of the Abu Dhabi weekend, but now we know that our efforts paid off, because we can look at the start of the season, knowing that we have a reliable car and we’re ready to tackle our competitors. We want to win and we’re sacrificing a lot for that, but this is our passion’s engine, our pride, our desire to demonstrate that we are the best team in the world. To reach this goal we need to be aware of the fact that a tenth of a second can make the difference: this is why I ask you all, nobody excluded, to give it your all, at every moment. We have a driver, Fernando, who is on top of his career and has all the attributes to win; we have Felipe, completely renewed after what happened last year. We’re close to the best, but we want to be the best. We have a great team and we have to give out best to improve the car: Grand Prix after Grand Prix. We can’t leave any stone unturned: on the track, at home, at the works, everything has to be done the best possible way. This is what I’m asking of you. You’ve done some great work and I want you to continue like this. I’m convinced that you can do it and I hope I will see you again soon to thank you for the results, to enjoy the victories we merit together. Good luck from my heart: Forza Ferrari!"