A surprised Fernando Alonso said Ferrari had reason to be happy about its performance despite missing out on pole position for the German Grand Prix.
The Spaniard was beaten by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel by just 0.002 seconds, the German denying the Maranello squad its first pole since the 2008 season.
Alonso was nonetheless delighted with the result, which he admits was a step forward for the Italian outfit.
"I think we have to be happy," said Alonso, who hadn't started from the front row since last year's Hungarian Grand Prix. "We are in the first row for the first time this season so that is definitely a step forward for us.
"We have been competitive all weekend, I'm very confident with the car. I was very happy with the car in Q1, Q2 and Q3.
"Finally we made a perfect Saturday. Obviously we lost pole position by a small margin, but the points are tomorrow not Saturday so we need to stay focused for tomorrow.
"The target is a good day tomorrow after a good day today. We'll try to score good points tomorrow."
The two-time champion said he was not expecting to be so close to Red Bull in Q3, the Milton Keynes team having dominated qualifying this season.
"No, not really," said Alonso. "We always expect the Red Bulls in Q3 to give something more. We saw this is very close in free practice but then in Q3 they are far away.
"We were surprised to be that close and finally fighting for a pole position after 10 races. It took a bit longer but now we are very close."
Team-mate Felipe Massa completed Ferrari's strongest qualifying of the year with third position.
"I think it was a good performance from us," said Massa. "It was a very tough qualifying. In Q3 I could not put all the sectors together.
"I am happy to be back in Q3 and more focused for the race tomorrow. I hope we can do a good job and score many points for the team and myself."
News from Formula One in the Formation Lap.
Showing posts with label Fernando Alonso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fernando Alonso. Show all posts
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Alonso: Ferrari fired up by tough races
Fernando Alonso says Ferrari has become even more focused and determined to get back on top following its recent run of poor results.
Despite producing improved pace in the last three grands prix, Ferrari only has Alonso's third place in Canada to show for its gains, having been compromised by the safety car timing in Valencia and a penalty for Alonso in Britain.
That lack of points has seen Alonso slip to fifth in the standings, 47 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton at the season's halfway point. But he said far from being downcast, Ferrari had been fired up by its misfortunes and would come back even stronger as a result.
"I've been in Maranello four days last week working with the team," Alonso said in a video interview for Ferrari's website.
"Overall I felt a very good atmosphere in the team. All the guys in Maranello are very, very focused on fighting for this championship.
"After these two bad races people are even more motivated than before because they feel we deserve a good race finally."
The Spaniard declared after Silverstone that he was still confident he could win the title, and he thinks that three good races could change everything.
"We saw this year if you have two or three bad races or two or three good races, it can change the picture of the championship completely," Alonso said.
"We arrive [in Germany] after two bad races with not many points. I think before long we will arrive at a good moment. We need to take the maximum from our car, do two or three podiums in a row, and I'm sure with the new points system we can be in the fight for the championship very soon."
Alonso was buoyed by the fact that Ferrari's upgrades worked well on both the Valencia street track and Silverstone's fast sweeps - suggesting its improved car can be a factor everywhere.
"I think the performance of the car at Silverstone was very, very good - a good surprise for us," he said. "The performance of the car in Valencia was very good, so two different circuits and the performance of the car was good enough to be fighting for a good position on the podium.
"So I think for the remaining races we are very optimistic. We are bringing some new developments on the car in the coming races as well, so we will not stop. We will fight until it isn't possible."
Despite producing improved pace in the last three grands prix, Ferrari only has Alonso's third place in Canada to show for its gains, having been compromised by the safety car timing in Valencia and a penalty for Alonso in Britain.
That lack of points has seen Alonso slip to fifth in the standings, 47 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton at the season's halfway point. But he said far from being downcast, Ferrari had been fired up by its misfortunes and would come back even stronger as a result.
"I've been in Maranello four days last week working with the team," Alonso said in a video interview for Ferrari's website.
"Overall I felt a very good atmosphere in the team. All the guys in Maranello are very, very focused on fighting for this championship.
"After these two bad races people are even more motivated than before because they feel we deserve a good race finally."
The Spaniard declared after Silverstone that he was still confident he could win the title, and he thinks that three good races could change everything.
"We saw this year if you have two or three bad races or two or three good races, it can change the picture of the championship completely," Alonso said.
"We arrive [in Germany] after two bad races with not many points. I think before long we will arrive at a good moment. We need to take the maximum from our car, do two or three podiums in a row, and I'm sure with the new points system we can be in the fight for the championship very soon."
Alonso was buoyed by the fact that Ferrari's upgrades worked well on both the Valencia street track and Silverstone's fast sweeps - suggesting its improved car can be a factor everywhere.
"I think the performance of the car at Silverstone was very, very good - a good surprise for us," he said. "The performance of the car in Valencia was very good, so two different circuits and the performance of the car was good enough to be fighting for a good position on the podium.
"So I think for the remaining races we are very optimistic. We are bringing some new developments on the car in the coming races as well, so we will not stop. We will fight until it isn't possible."
Thursday, 15 July 2010
F1 teams agree to tweak testing rules
Formula 1 teams have agreed a tweak to the sport's testing regulations to prevent anyone gaining a benefit from using 'filming days' to try out new parts, AUTOSPORT has learned.
The strict in-season testing ban means outfits are not meant to try out new parts away from a grand prix weekend.
However, some teams - including Mercedes GP with its new engine cover design and Ferrari with its blown diffuser - have this year managed to complete some limiting testing under the guise of a 'filming' day.
Those runs caused some concern among rival outfits, and teams have spent the last few weeks trying to tidy up the regulations.
Sources have revealed that at last week's British Grand Prix teams got together to sign off a new testing agreement that will prevent teams from exploiting filming days.
AUTOSPORT understands that with immediate effect, teams will be banned during filming days from running any parts that have not been raced before.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh confirmed the changes had taken place, and was pleased that everyone was now in agreement about what was and was not allowed.
"I personally did not feel there was any ambiguity, but others argued that there was," he said. "But that is pressure, and when people are under pressure they try and take a different view.
"It is now clear that, if you are doing a demo run, then you must use components that have been raced before - and it has to be a legitimate demo run."
Although the filming loophole was still open ahead of Silverstone, Whitmarsh revealed that he ruled out his team making use of it for its new blown diffuser, despite some pressure from team members.
"The engineers here said others have done it, why can't we?" he said. "My view, as someone trying to hold FOTA together, was that I felt we could not take that advantage."
The strict in-season testing ban means outfits are not meant to try out new parts away from a grand prix weekend.
However, some teams - including Mercedes GP with its new engine cover design and Ferrari with its blown diffuser - have this year managed to complete some limiting testing under the guise of a 'filming' day.
Those runs caused some concern among rival outfits, and teams have spent the last few weeks trying to tidy up the regulations.
Sources have revealed that at last week's British Grand Prix teams got together to sign off a new testing agreement that will prevent teams from exploiting filming days.
AUTOSPORT understands that with immediate effect, teams will be banned during filming days from running any parts that have not been raced before.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh confirmed the changes had taken place, and was pleased that everyone was now in agreement about what was and was not allowed.
"I personally did not feel there was any ambiguity, but others argued that there was," he said. "But that is pressure, and when people are under pressure they try and take a different view.
"It is now clear that, if you are doing a demo run, then you must use components that have been raced before - and it has to be a legitimate demo run."
Although the filming loophole was still open ahead of Silverstone, Whitmarsh revealed that he ruled out his team making use of it for its new blown diffuser, despite some pressure from team members.
"The engineers here said others have done it, why can't we?" he said. "My view, as someone trying to hold FOTA together, was that I felt we could not take that advantage."
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Ferrari was advised to let Kubica through
Ferrari was told three times that Fernando Alonso should have let Robert Kubica through during the British Grand Prix, according to the FIA race director Charlie Whiting.
Alonso was given a drive-through at Silverstone after overtaking Renault's Kubica by going off track.
The penalty, which Ferrari felt was too harsh, ruined Alonso's chances of a good result, the Spaniard finishing down in 14th position.
Although the penalty was given nine laps after Alonso passed Kubica, Whiting said Ferrari was advised to let Kubica through immediately, but that the team decided against it.
"We told Ferrari three times that in my opinion they should give the position back to Kubica," Whiting was quoted as saying by Autosprint magazine.
"And we told them that immediately, right after the overtaking manoeuvre. On the radio, I suggested to them that if they exchange position again, there would be no need for the stewards to intervene.
"But they didn't do that and on the third communication they said that Kubica was by then too far back to let him regain the position.
"It's not true at all that the stewards took too long to decide. For us the facts were clear immediately: Alonso had gained an advantage by cutting the track."
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said the team did not ask Alonso to let Kubica through because it did not feel the Spaniard has gained an advantage.
"He tried to be aggressive to overtake, and we complained the drivers not to be aggressive and we complain about the lack of overtaking, and so at that stage, we felt as we normally do at that moment that we need to go on the radio with race control to check what is the position," Domenicali said.
"And normally, we take the right time to discuss with race control to make the judgement, and the moment when race control give us the instruction to give back the position to Robert, it was clear that Robert had already lost a lot of time - effectively he had a problem and he came back. That is the situation we analysed.
"You can have a situation where immediately there is a possibility to give back the position to a driver if you feel that there is really an advantage that you gain. On our side we felt that was not the case otherwise we would have done it."
Domenicali said that by the time the stewards told them Alonso should let Kubica by, the Pole was already too far behind.
Kubica retired from the race moments later with mechanical problems.
"As soon as we received the information that in the opinion of the stewards, Fernando should have given back the position to Robert, Robert was already very far behind and Robert was really slowing down because he had a problem."
Alonso was given a drive-through at Silverstone after overtaking Renault's Kubica by going off track.
The penalty, which Ferrari felt was too harsh, ruined Alonso's chances of a good result, the Spaniard finishing down in 14th position.
Although the penalty was given nine laps after Alonso passed Kubica, Whiting said Ferrari was advised to let Kubica through immediately, but that the team decided against it.
"We told Ferrari three times that in my opinion they should give the position back to Kubica," Whiting was quoted as saying by Autosprint magazine.
"And we told them that immediately, right after the overtaking manoeuvre. On the radio, I suggested to them that if they exchange position again, there would be no need for the stewards to intervene.
"But they didn't do that and on the third communication they said that Kubica was by then too far back to let him regain the position.
"It's not true at all that the stewards took too long to decide. For us the facts were clear immediately: Alonso had gained an advantage by cutting the track."
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said the team did not ask Alonso to let Kubica through because it did not feel the Spaniard has gained an advantage.
"He tried to be aggressive to overtake, and we complained the drivers not to be aggressive and we complain about the lack of overtaking, and so at that stage, we felt as we normally do at that moment that we need to go on the radio with race control to check what is the position," Domenicali said.
"And normally, we take the right time to discuss with race control to make the judgement, and the moment when race control give us the instruction to give back the position to Robert, it was clear that Robert had already lost a lot of time - effectively he had a problem and he came back. That is the situation we analysed.
"You can have a situation where immediately there is a possibility to give back the position to a driver if you feel that there is really an advantage that you gain. On our side we felt that was not the case otherwise we would have done it."
Domenicali said that by the time the stewards told them Alonso should let Kubica by, the Pole was already too far behind.
Kubica retired from the race moments later with mechanical problems.
"As soon as we received the information that in the opinion of the stewards, Fernando should have given back the position to Robert, Robert was already very far behind and Robert was really slowing down because he had a problem."
Monday, 12 July 2010
Alonso accepts British GP penalty
Fernando Alonso said he accepted the costly penalty he was given during the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Ferrari driver received a drive-through after overtaking Renault's Robert Kubica by going off the track.
The penalty ruined all his chances of a good result as he was forced to serve it after the safety car period, which meant he returned at the back of the field.
A calm Alonso, who had been angry in the previous race because of the safety car controversy, said that he accepted the penalty.
"I accept everything they do. They are the judges," Alonso told Spanish television after the race.
Ferrari made a reference to the European Grand Prix controversy in its official Twitter account, suggesting Lewis Hamilton should have been punished then like Alonso was today.
"You can just say one thing: if a penalty must be punishing it must be always like this," said the Italian team.
The result left Alonso 47 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, but the Spaniard insisted the title is still within reach.
"This is just the halfway point of the season, so all the points that we have lost in this first half is because we haven't done things as well as the others," he said.
"So in the second half of the championship we are going to try to do better than the others and recover one point more than what they have now.
"The season is very long and we are not going to give up."
Alonso finished the race in 14th position on a dismal day for Ferrari, with team-mate Felipe Massa down in 15th.
The Ferrari driver received a drive-through after overtaking Renault's Robert Kubica by going off the track.
The penalty ruined all his chances of a good result as he was forced to serve it after the safety car period, which meant he returned at the back of the field.
A calm Alonso, who had been angry in the previous race because of the safety car controversy, said that he accepted the penalty.
"I accept everything they do. They are the judges," Alonso told Spanish television after the race.
Ferrari made a reference to the European Grand Prix controversy in its official Twitter account, suggesting Lewis Hamilton should have been punished then like Alonso was today.
"You can just say one thing: if a penalty must be punishing it must be always like this," said the Italian team.
The result left Alonso 47 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, but the Spaniard insisted the title is still within reach.
"This is just the halfway point of the season, so all the points that we have lost in this first half is because we haven't done things as well as the others," he said.
"So in the second half of the championship we are going to try to do better than the others and recover one point more than what they have now.
"The season is very long and we are not going to give up."
Alonso finished the race in 14th position on a dismal day for Ferrari, with team-mate Felipe Massa down in 15th.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Alonso hoping for change of luck
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is hoping for a change of luck to revive his tile hopes following two disappointing races.
The Spaniard is 29 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton after finishing down in ninth position in his home race in Valencia two weeks ago.
And while he admits the nature of the Silverstone circuit will make things harder for Ferrari this weekend, he is confident he can still enjoy a good grand prix.
"I think it will be more difficult here, the characteristics of the track we know are not the same as Canada and Valencia with different circuit characteristics, we will see," said Alonso on Thursday.
"I am quite optimistic for this weekend. We had two unlucky weekends so very soon will arrive one lucky weekend."
Alonso believes Ferrari can do a better job in the second half of the season in order to stay in the title fight, despite not having the quickest car.
"As I said before, we arrive now after two unlucky races for us. We know what we have to do: 30 points more than main competitors in the second part of season.
"I think we can do it after all that happened to us in the first part - the problems we faced. We can do a better job in the second half. I think it is enough to be in fight for championship hopefully, that is all."
The two-time champion, who was angry following the safety car controversy in Valencia, said that race was already in the past.
"I said everything on the website and in the days after the race in much calmer conditions, so I think now also Valencia is in the past. We know what we have to do, we have been unlucky in the last two races, so we try to change the situation in the next half of the season."
The Spaniard is 29 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton after finishing down in ninth position in his home race in Valencia two weeks ago.
And while he admits the nature of the Silverstone circuit will make things harder for Ferrari this weekend, he is confident he can still enjoy a good grand prix.
"I think it will be more difficult here, the characteristics of the track we know are not the same as Canada and Valencia with different circuit characteristics, we will see," said Alonso on Thursday.
"I am quite optimistic for this weekend. We had two unlucky weekends so very soon will arrive one lucky weekend."
Alonso believes Ferrari can do a better job in the second half of the season in order to stay in the title fight, despite not having the quickest car.
"As I said before, we arrive now after two unlucky races for us. We know what we have to do: 30 points more than main competitors in the second part of season.
"I think we can do it after all that happened to us in the first part - the problems we faced. We can do a better job in the second half. I think it is enough to be in fight for championship hopefully, that is all."
The two-time champion, who was angry following the safety car controversy in Valencia, said that race was already in the past.
"I said everything on the website and in the days after the race in much calmer conditions, so I think now also Valencia is in the past. We know what we have to do, we have been unlucky in the last two races, so we try to change the situation in the next half of the season."
Alonso trusts he can stay in title fight
Fernando Alonso is heading into this weekend's British Grand Prix optimistic that Ferrari can remain a force in the world championship battle, even though the upgrades it took to Valencia did not deliver the step forward it had hoped for.
The Spaniard had been expected to challenge for victory in Valencia with the new exhaust-blown diffuser on his Ferrari, but instead he was outpaced by Red Bull Racing and McLaren in qualifying - and then lost out badly in the early safety car phase of the race.
Despite that disappointment, Alonso thinks the true pace of the F10 will be better highlighted at the high-speed Silverstone circuit – and he is staying bullish about his team's overall chances in what he thinks is a key part of the title battle.
"It is a crucial moment in the season, with three races coming up in the space of four weeks," Alonso wrote on the official Ferrari website. "We are ready, both on the technical front and physically.
"In Valencia, we introduced significant updates on the F10 and there will be more in Silverstone and the races after that.
"The development programme is intensive and I think we will see it produce results. We have also prepared very carefully from the physical point of view, given that the next events are all very close and one needs to be at a hundred percent all the time."
Alonso concedes that the quick nature of Silverstone will not play to the strengths of his F10, but he sees no reason to be downbeat about his form – especially with rain an ever-present threat in Britain.
"The track seems reasonably similar to the way it was, with a lot of very fast corners, which will not suit us that much," he said. "However, it's a fact that the configuration of the F10 seen in Valencia should give us a boost in these quick corners, so it is best to wait and see where we will be: I remain optimistic.
"Then, there is always a chance of rain playing its part at Silverstone. I would be very surprised to have a completely dry weekend and we will be ready to tackle any situation that comes our way."
The Spaniard had been expected to challenge for victory in Valencia with the new exhaust-blown diffuser on his Ferrari, but instead he was outpaced by Red Bull Racing and McLaren in qualifying - and then lost out badly in the early safety car phase of the race.
Despite that disappointment, Alonso thinks the true pace of the F10 will be better highlighted at the high-speed Silverstone circuit – and he is staying bullish about his team's overall chances in what he thinks is a key part of the title battle.
"It is a crucial moment in the season, with three races coming up in the space of four weeks," Alonso wrote on the official Ferrari website. "We are ready, both on the technical front and physically.
"In Valencia, we introduced significant updates on the F10 and there will be more in Silverstone and the races after that.
"The development programme is intensive and I think we will see it produce results. We have also prepared very carefully from the physical point of view, given that the next events are all very close and one needs to be at a hundred percent all the time."
Alonso concedes that the quick nature of Silverstone will not play to the strengths of his F10, but he sees no reason to be downbeat about his form – especially with rain an ever-present threat in Britain.
"The track seems reasonably similar to the way it was, with a lot of very fast corners, which will not suit us that much," he said. "However, it's a fact that the configuration of the F10 seen in Valencia should give us a boost in these quick corners, so it is best to wait and see where we will be: I remain optimistic.
"Then, there is always a chance of rain playing its part at Silverstone. I would be very surprised to have a completely dry weekend and we will be ready to tackle any situation that comes our way."
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Ferrari in push to bring spare car back
Ferrari is to make a push to try and get rid of the ban on spare cars in Formula 1, in the wake of Fernando Alonso being forced to skip qualifying in Monaco because of his Saturday practice accident.
Alonso crashed at the Massenet corner during the final free practice session, and major damage to his chassis meant the car could not be repaired.
With F1 rules currently banning spare cars, it meant Alonso could not take part in qualifying and had to start from the pitlane for Sunday's race once a replacement chassis had been built up.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali thinks that what happened over the weekend should force a rethink of the regulations - especially because fans were robbed of seeing Alonso battle for pole position.
"Let's start from the reasons why the rule book was modified a couple years ago: costs had to be reduced by getting rid of the T-car and reducing car crews," said Domenicali. "This was the reason why the regulations were changed.
"After that, as usually happens in F1, we lost sight a bit of the events that may happen, like on Saturday. So I think this is an issue that will be re-discussed again as soon as possible, because preventing spectators from seeing the car for this sort of reason is in my opinion worth looking at."
Alonso crashed at the Massenet corner during the final free practice session, and major damage to his chassis meant the car could not be repaired.
With F1 rules currently banning spare cars, it meant Alonso could not take part in qualifying and had to start from the pitlane for Sunday's race once a replacement chassis had been built up.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali thinks that what happened over the weekend should force a rethink of the regulations - especially because fans were robbed of seeing Alonso battle for pole position.
"Let's start from the reasons why the rule book was modified a couple years ago: costs had to be reduced by getting rid of the T-car and reducing car crews," said Domenicali. "This was the reason why the regulations were changed.
"After that, as usually happens in F1, we lost sight a bit of the events that may happen, like on Saturday. So I think this is an issue that will be re-discussed again as soon as possible, because preventing spectators from seeing the car for this sort of reason is in my opinion worth looking at."
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
FIA approves Ferrari engine changes
Ferrari has been given the green light by the FIA to make modifications to its engine on reliability grounds following the problems it has had in the early stages of the season.
Both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have suffered engine issues in the opening flyaway events - with Alonso suffering two blow-ups that has left him in particular on the back foot in terms of his supply for the season.
With customer team Sauber having also encountered its share of engine issues, Ferrari conducted a detailed investigation into the matter after the Chinese Grand Prix.
And after finding out that there was an intrinsic problem with the design of the engine, Ferrari applied to the governing body to be able to make some improvements to the power units on reliability grounds.
The Maranello outfit was duly given approval and the modifications will be ready in time to be fitted to the F10 cars at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
Although Ferrari has not outlined exactly what the issues were with the engine, they are believed to relate to air consumption, which could have been caused by leaking pneumatic valves.
A statement by Ferrari said: "A lot of work was carried out on the test bench, completing several long runs and this work produced some solutions which it is felt will solve the reliability problems experienced in Bahrain and Malaysia. The team therefore requested and received authorisation from the FIA to make some changes within the framework of the current engine regulations and these modifications will be fitted to the engines to be used in Spain.
"While since China, everyone in the Gestione Sportiva has been working hard as always on their various areas of activity, it is fair to say that over the past weeks, the staff in the engine department really produced a major effort, working night and day to analyse, evaluate and solve issues that have affected engine performance in past races."
The Spanish GP will also see Ferrari fit the full version of the F-Duct to both drivers' cars for the first time in practice, although a decision about whether the concept will be used for qualifying and the race will only be made after the results of the Friday sessions are in.
Both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa have suffered engine issues in the opening flyaway events - with Alonso suffering two blow-ups that has left him in particular on the back foot in terms of his supply for the season.
With customer team Sauber having also encountered its share of engine issues, Ferrari conducted a detailed investigation into the matter after the Chinese Grand Prix.
And after finding out that there was an intrinsic problem with the design of the engine, Ferrari applied to the governing body to be able to make some improvements to the power units on reliability grounds.
The Maranello outfit was duly given approval and the modifications will be ready in time to be fitted to the F10 cars at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.
Although Ferrari has not outlined exactly what the issues were with the engine, they are believed to relate to air consumption, which could have been caused by leaking pneumatic valves.
A statement by Ferrari said: "A lot of work was carried out on the test bench, completing several long runs and this work produced some solutions which it is felt will solve the reliability problems experienced in Bahrain and Malaysia. The team therefore requested and received authorisation from the FIA to make some changes within the framework of the current engine regulations and these modifications will be fitted to the engines to be used in Spain.
"While since China, everyone in the Gestione Sportiva has been working hard as always on their various areas of activity, it is fair to say that over the past weeks, the staff in the engine department really produced a major effort, working night and day to analyse, evaluate and solve issues that have affected engine performance in past races."
The Spanish GP will also see Ferrari fit the full version of the F-Duct to both drivers' cars for the first time in practice, although a decision about whether the concept will be used for qualifying and the race will only be made after the results of the Friday sessions are in.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Alonso: Ferrari 'freer' post-Schumacher
Michael Schumacher and Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso thinks Michael Schumacher's decision to turn his back on Ferrari and return to Formula 1 with Mercedes GP has been a boost in helping him settle in more quickly at Maranello.
On the back of a promising start to this year, having won the season opener in Bahrain, Alonso thinks the fact he does not have to operate under Schumacher's shadow has been a positive for him and the team.
"Now, maybe, we're a little freer," Alonso said about life at Ferrari after Schumacher, in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Despite seeing the benefit of Schumacher's return, Alonso has expressed shock at the seven-time champion's decision to throw himself back into competitive action.
"Yes, a lot," he said when asked if he was surprised by Schumacher's move. "I was even more surprised that he came back... with the calm life he could have lived and with such a past."
Alonso says he is relishing his life at Ferrari, and thinks that although Red Bull Racing has been the pace-setter so far this year, his own team is favourite for the title.
"Red Bull is stronger in the qualifying and they are very fast; but we can catch up in the race," he said. "McLaren knows how to develop its cars very fast, but we're not joking either. Total: Ferrari favourite for the championship."
Speaking about whether driving for Ferrari was as he imagined, Alonso said: "No, it's different. It's even better. I expected to come to the strongest team, being able to benefit from the potential. But Ferrari is much more: it's a passion, a philosophy, a way of life. I'm contaminated by this emotion."
And although his relationship with team-mate Felipe Massa has been under the spotlight, especially following a pitlane overtaking move in China, Alonso says he is enjoying working with the Brazilian.
"Felipe and I are complementary," he said. "While I'm missing something in the corners he has, while I am faster in some sections. Learning from each other is a secret. Who could create problems? [Jenson] Button and [Lewis] Hamilton."
When asked if he would repeat the pitlane move on Massa if the opportunity came up again, Alonso said: "Absolutely yes."
On the back of a promising start to this year, having won the season opener in Bahrain, Alonso thinks the fact he does not have to operate under Schumacher's shadow has been a positive for him and the team.
"Now, maybe, we're a little freer," Alonso said about life at Ferrari after Schumacher, in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Despite seeing the benefit of Schumacher's return, Alonso has expressed shock at the seven-time champion's decision to throw himself back into competitive action.
"Yes, a lot," he said when asked if he was surprised by Schumacher's move. "I was even more surprised that he came back... with the calm life he could have lived and with such a past."
Alonso says he is relishing his life at Ferrari, and thinks that although Red Bull Racing has been the pace-setter so far this year, his own team is favourite for the title.
"Red Bull is stronger in the qualifying and they are very fast; but we can catch up in the race," he said. "McLaren knows how to develop its cars very fast, but we're not joking either. Total: Ferrari favourite for the championship."
Speaking about whether driving for Ferrari was as he imagined, Alonso said: "No, it's different. It's even better. I expected to come to the strongest team, being able to benefit from the potential. But Ferrari is much more: it's a passion, a philosophy, a way of life. I'm contaminated by this emotion."
And although his relationship with team-mate Felipe Massa has been under the spotlight, especially following a pitlane overtaking move in China, Alonso says he is enjoying working with the Brazilian.
"Felipe and I are complementary," he said. "While I'm missing something in the corners he has, while I am faster in some sections. Learning from each other is a secret. Who could create problems? [Jenson] Button and [Lewis] Hamilton."
When asked if he would repeat the pitlane move on Massa if the opportunity came up again, Alonso said: "Absolutely yes."
Monday, 26 April 2010
Q and A with Fernando Alonso
After three difficult races in Australia, Malaysia and China, Fernando Alonso arrives in Spain next week for what he reckons is the real start of the championship.
And the Spanish driver is bullish his Ferrari team will be up there fighting.
AUTOSPORT heard from Alonso during a media event for sponsor Santander.
Q. How do you judge the car so far and what is the situation with the engine problems?
Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso: The car is fine. For one reason or another we haven't managed to score as many points as we wanted, but I think we are going to have a good car again in Barcelona. I'm not worried.
As for the engines, we have found the problems that we had. I know there have been things written about the valves and the air consumption system of the engine, which are completely untrue, as it usually happens. So we are quiet because we have found the problems and we'll try to do the rest of the season with an engine that's 100 per cent reliable.
Q. Felipe Massa told Brazilian media that he thought there could have been an accident in China. What's your point of view?
FA: I don't know what Felipe said. What's clear is that 15 days after a race you can't keep talking about such minuscule things, so I'm not going to answer because otherwise tomorrow we'll have another front page and I think that's unnecessary.
Q. Is it true that Ferrari has asked the FIA to be allowed to modify its engine?
FA: I don't know what the team has asked exactly. What I know from what I've talked about with the engineers is that they are very confident they have solved the problems. The issues we and Sauber had were different, it wasn't only one thing in particular, but I believe it's solved.
Q. You said in Australia that you were not worried about the result because the drivers ahead of you were not your main championship rivals. Now that Button has won two races, do you believe he's a real contender?
FA: I always respect all my rivals. Even so, I believe there are rivals you have to have more under control and others you can give a certain margin to. I've always said that Hamilton, Vettel or Michael, Felipe are very good drivers who can fight for the title.
Button didn't win the title by chance last year, it was because he deserved it. And now he's leading the championship on his own merit because he has done better than us, so we have to improve. All rivals are respectable, but to me there are two or three I'll keep a closer look on.
Q. After four races, what's your feeling? Relief for having rescued points in complicated races or frustration because you could have won more races?
FA: There's always frustration on Sunday afternoon when you don't achieve all the points you should have scored, but from a more general perspective, after a week home, these four races have been very positive. Being third in the championship, very few points away from the leader, I believe is a very good situation.
With the potential that we have, with the super team that I have, this is just the beginning and I have a real chance to fight for the world championship, something I couldn't even think about last year after four races.
I'm enjoying it again, and I've felt that bug from winning a race or winning the championship again, and that's the most positive thing about the start to this year. We can't forget that last year during the final part of the season Ferrari was very far from the leaders, so there were a lot of things to confirm and many wishes to grant and they have been granted.
Q. Is the real championship starting in Europe?
FA: The championship always starts in the first race, but it's true that it's just a race to confirm the good sensations you've had during testing. But it's true that in Europe it is time to show who is going to fight for the title and who isn't.
The first races can be atypical races with changing weather all the time, so now in Europe it's the moment of truth to show who is going to be in the title fight, and also for the teams to prove they can develop faster than their rivals. It's the start of a nice fight.
Q. You said the F10 was the best car you had ever driven. Do you still stand by that?
FA: Yes, I said it during the pre-season and I still believe it's the best car I've very driven. It's very good in every sense, but obviously in Formula 1 everything can be improved because engineers are inventing new parts every day. So the best car I've driven in my life is yet to come, and that will be the one I use in Barcelona, then in Monaco, then in Turkey. Every day it will be better.
Q. Will Ferrari use the F-Duct in Barcelona?
FA: We are on it. There's nothing confirmed yet. I wish there are lots of updates for Barcelona, but it's not an easy system to make work. I know the team is working hard so it's available as soon as possible.
Q. Will those improvements be enough to catch Red Bull in qualifying trim?
FA: I think so. I believe we'll catch them.
Q. Germans seem to be disappointed with Schumacher. Is there such a feeling on the grid too?
FA: No, there's no such feeling. It's not like we spend too much time thinking about what the others are doing, but we have a huge respect towards Schumacher and every driver on the grid knows it's been a bad start for him, with very few points in the first races, but I believe there's nobody ready to say the championship is over for him. We knew what he's capable of doing so we have to respect him and we know the best is yet to come from him.
Q. In the last two races there were two controversial actions from Hamilton: the weaving in Malaysia and the pitlane exit side-by-side with Vettel. He wasn't punished for those. Do you believe Hamilton has a privileged position when judged by the FIA stewards?
FA: No, I don't think so. The decisions are perhaps not very consistent, because there will be other times when the same happens and someone gets a penalty for it. So it varies a bit, but I don't think that's very important.
He got two warnings and maybe he will be penalised in the next race if he does something wrong. It's like referees in football: their intention is not bad, but sometimes they make a decision and other times a different one.
And the Spanish driver is bullish his Ferrari team will be up there fighting.
AUTOSPORT heard from Alonso during a media event for sponsor Santander.
Q. How do you judge the car so far and what is the situation with the engine problems?
Fernando AlonsoFernando Alonso: The car is fine. For one reason or another we haven't managed to score as many points as we wanted, but I think we are going to have a good car again in Barcelona. I'm not worried.
As for the engines, we have found the problems that we had. I know there have been things written about the valves and the air consumption system of the engine, which are completely untrue, as it usually happens. So we are quiet because we have found the problems and we'll try to do the rest of the season with an engine that's 100 per cent reliable.
Q. Felipe Massa told Brazilian media that he thought there could have been an accident in China. What's your point of view?
FA: I don't know what Felipe said. What's clear is that 15 days after a race you can't keep talking about such minuscule things, so I'm not going to answer because otherwise tomorrow we'll have another front page and I think that's unnecessary.
Q. Is it true that Ferrari has asked the FIA to be allowed to modify its engine?
FA: I don't know what the team has asked exactly. What I know from what I've talked about with the engineers is that they are very confident they have solved the problems. The issues we and Sauber had were different, it wasn't only one thing in particular, but I believe it's solved.
Q. You said in Australia that you were not worried about the result because the drivers ahead of you were not your main championship rivals. Now that Button has won two races, do you believe he's a real contender?
FA: I always respect all my rivals. Even so, I believe there are rivals you have to have more under control and others you can give a certain margin to. I've always said that Hamilton, Vettel or Michael, Felipe are very good drivers who can fight for the title.
Button didn't win the title by chance last year, it was because he deserved it. And now he's leading the championship on his own merit because he has done better than us, so we have to improve. All rivals are respectable, but to me there are two or three I'll keep a closer look on.
Q. After four races, what's your feeling? Relief for having rescued points in complicated races or frustration because you could have won more races?
FA: There's always frustration on Sunday afternoon when you don't achieve all the points you should have scored, but from a more general perspective, after a week home, these four races have been very positive. Being third in the championship, very few points away from the leader, I believe is a very good situation.
With the potential that we have, with the super team that I have, this is just the beginning and I have a real chance to fight for the world championship, something I couldn't even think about last year after four races.
I'm enjoying it again, and I've felt that bug from winning a race or winning the championship again, and that's the most positive thing about the start to this year. We can't forget that last year during the final part of the season Ferrari was very far from the leaders, so there were a lot of things to confirm and many wishes to grant and they have been granted.
Q. Is the real championship starting in Europe?
FA: The championship always starts in the first race, but it's true that it's just a race to confirm the good sensations you've had during testing. But it's true that in Europe it is time to show who is going to fight for the title and who isn't.
The first races can be atypical races with changing weather all the time, so now in Europe it's the moment of truth to show who is going to be in the title fight, and also for the teams to prove they can develop faster than their rivals. It's the start of a nice fight.
Q. You said the F10 was the best car you had ever driven. Do you still stand by that?
FA: Yes, I said it during the pre-season and I still believe it's the best car I've very driven. It's very good in every sense, but obviously in Formula 1 everything can be improved because engineers are inventing new parts every day. So the best car I've driven in my life is yet to come, and that will be the one I use in Barcelona, then in Monaco, then in Turkey. Every day it will be better.
Q. Will Ferrari use the F-Duct in Barcelona?
FA: We are on it. There's nothing confirmed yet. I wish there are lots of updates for Barcelona, but it's not an easy system to make work. I know the team is working hard so it's available as soon as possible.
Q. Will those improvements be enough to catch Red Bull in qualifying trim?
FA: I think so. I believe we'll catch them.
Q. Germans seem to be disappointed with Schumacher. Is there such a feeling on the grid too?
FA: No, there's no such feeling. It's not like we spend too much time thinking about what the others are doing, but we have a huge respect towards Schumacher and every driver on the grid knows it's been a bad start for him, with very few points in the first races, but I believe there's nobody ready to say the championship is over for him. We knew what he's capable of doing so we have to respect him and we know the best is yet to come from him.
Q. In the last two races there were two controversial actions from Hamilton: the weaving in Malaysia and the pitlane exit side-by-side with Vettel. He wasn't punished for those. Do you believe Hamilton has a privileged position when judged by the FIA stewards?
FA: No, I don't think so. The decisions are perhaps not very consistent, because there will be other times when the same happens and someone gets a penalty for it. So it varies a bit, but I don't think that's very important.
He got two warnings and maybe he will be penalised in the next race if he does something wrong. It's like referees in football: their intention is not bad, but sometimes they make a decision and other times a different one.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Ferrari targets qualifying improvement
Ferrari must focus more of its effort onto improving its qualifying form if it is to stand a good chance of winning the world championship this year.
That is the view of team principal Stefano Domenicali, who believes that the edge that Red Bull Racing has enjoyed in qualifying this season must be closed down.
"One thing that we need to work towards perhaps in a little bit of a different way is to prepare qualifying," said Domenicali.
"We know that qualifying is really important and we saw that our major competitor seems to be, at least from what we have seen in the times, a little bit better than us on that moment of the weekend."
Like many teams, Ferrari is planning to bring an upgrade package for the Spanish Grand Prix - with Domenicali under no illusions about the effort his team needs to make to beat Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
"We are working very hard in order to bring new performance developments already for Spain because we have seen this weekend that the others have done the same," he said. "The difference between the cars is so small.
"It is unbelievably small and if you do a little mistake while you are driving, you move from first or second to seventh or eighth position. That is the way it is with this championship. We knew it, and that is the way that we will approach it."
He added: "But, on the other side, and as we have always said since the beginning, the competition is very tight. It is very tough.
"And we don't have to give up and push like hell in order to make sure that the new step that we will bring at every race will be enough, because we did a step in this race but we have seen that the others have done the same. That is the racing of this year, and that is basically the situation."
That is the view of team principal Stefano Domenicali, who believes that the edge that Red Bull Racing has enjoyed in qualifying this season must be closed down.
"One thing that we need to work towards perhaps in a little bit of a different way is to prepare qualifying," said Domenicali.
"We know that qualifying is really important and we saw that our major competitor seems to be, at least from what we have seen in the times, a little bit better than us on that moment of the weekend."
Like many teams, Ferrari is planning to bring an upgrade package for the Spanish Grand Prix - with Domenicali under no illusions about the effort his team needs to make to beat Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
"We are working very hard in order to bring new performance developments already for Spain because we have seen this weekend that the others have done the same," he said. "The difference between the cars is so small.
"It is unbelievably small and if you do a little mistake while you are driving, you move from first or second to seventh or eighth position. That is the way it is with this championship. We knew it, and that is the way that we will approach it."
He added: "But, on the other side, and as we have always said since the beginning, the competition is very tight. It is very tough.
"And we don't have to give up and push like hell in order to make sure that the new step that we will bring at every race will be enough, because we did a step in this race but we have seen that the others have done the same. That is the racing of this year, and that is basically the situation."
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Alonso bemoans 'hardest race ever'
Fernando Alonso labelled the Malaysian Grand Prix as the hardest race of his life after having to cope with gearbox issues before retiring.
The Ferrari driver lost his clutch before the start of the race and was forced to step on the throttle on corners in order for the gears to engage.
Despite that, Alonso battled with team-mate Felipe Massa and McLaren's Jenson Button, before an engine failure forced him out with two laps to go.
The Spaniard looked set for ninth position, which would have helped him keep the championship lead. As it was, however, Alonso is now tied in second place, two points behind Massa.
"From the start things went wrong," Alonso told Spanish television. "On the formation lap my gearbox broke and I had no clutch during the race, so I had to brake in a weird way.
"I had to first gear down and then push the throttle hard so it would engage the gear for that corner.
"So it was probably the hardest race of my whole life in terms of driving, because I had to improvise for every corner. But even so we were going to get a few points, which in the end was not possible because of the engine.
"But if the gearbox and then the engine are going to break, it's better than in happens when you are ninth than when you are leading and you lose 25 points."
He added: "A tough weekend. Sometimes it's us, sometimes it's other. You have to take the opportunities."
The Ferrari driver lost his clutch before the start of the race and was forced to step on the throttle on corners in order for the gears to engage.
Despite that, Alonso battled with team-mate Felipe Massa and McLaren's Jenson Button, before an engine failure forced him out with two laps to go.
The Spaniard looked set for ninth position, which would have helped him keep the championship lead. As it was, however, Alonso is now tied in second place, two points behind Massa.
"From the start things went wrong," Alonso told Spanish television. "On the formation lap my gearbox broke and I had no clutch during the race, so I had to brake in a weird way.
"I had to first gear down and then push the throttle hard so it would engage the gear for that corner.
"So it was probably the hardest race of my whole life in terms of driving, because I had to improvise for every corner. But even so we were going to get a few points, which in the end was not possible because of the engine.
"But if the gearbox and then the engine are going to break, it's better than in happens when you are ninth than when you are leading and you lose 25 points."
He added: "A tough weekend. Sometimes it's us, sometimes it's other. You have to take the opportunities."
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Outboard mirrors to be banned
Outboard mirrors are to be banned from Formula 1 with effect from the Chinese Grand Prix in two weeks' time, AUTOSPORT has learned, following concerns over poor visibility from sidepod-mounted mirrors creating a safety issue.
Several teams have mounted their mirrors on the sidepods of their cars for aerodynamic reasons, with Ferrari and Red Bull Racing's mirror positioning the most dramatic. But from Shanghai onwards, the mirrors will have to be fitted on the cockpit sides on safety grounds.
Drivers had said in Melbourne last weekend that they would be speaking to the FIA about the mirror problem. Several issues of accidental blocking in practice were put down to poor rear visibility.
"Everyone has got a problem with mirrors," said Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa in Australia. "The reality is that the mirrors on the sidepods, they give you very small vision of what is happening behind and they vibrate a lot so you see very little.
"So if you don't have a lot of information coming from the radio, then you have a problem. You can see when you have a car straight behind okay, but when it is two seconds behind you have no idea where it is.
"Everyone has the same problem, but since the mirrors have gone outboard this is a problem - as they are aerodynamic devices now."
But Ferrari's Felipe Massa said he was quite happy with his team's mirror design.
"I have no problem with my visibility," he insisted. "So, if it is the same I prefer to keep what I have, but we will see how it is going to be. I hope we don't lose anything moving the mirrors from one side to the other."
Several teams have mounted their mirrors on the sidepods of their cars for aerodynamic reasons, with Ferrari and Red Bull Racing's mirror positioning the most dramatic. But from Shanghai onwards, the mirrors will have to be fitted on the cockpit sides on safety grounds.
Drivers had said in Melbourne last weekend that they would be speaking to the FIA about the mirror problem. Several issues of accidental blocking in practice were put down to poor rear visibility.
"Everyone has got a problem with mirrors," said Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa in Australia. "The reality is that the mirrors on the sidepods, they give you very small vision of what is happening behind and they vibrate a lot so you see very little.
"So if you don't have a lot of information coming from the radio, then you have a problem. You can see when you have a car straight behind okay, but when it is two seconds behind you have no idea where it is.
"Everyone has the same problem, but since the mirrors have gone outboard this is a problem - as they are aerodynamic devices now."
But Ferrari's Felipe Massa said he was quite happy with his team's mirror design.
"I have no problem with my visibility," he insisted. "So, if it is the same I prefer to keep what I have, but we will see how it is going to be. I hope we don't lose anything moving the mirrors from one side to the other."
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