Ferrari sure technical issues will not hamper progress
The first day of the Brazilian Grand Prix followed the now traditional script, with the Red Bulls apparently extremely fast, the McLarens very competitive and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro on the pace, especially over a long run. Two problems, one for each driver, delayed the programme for both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
This morning the engine on car number 8 broke a few minutes before the end of the session, just ahead of its planned life, given that it was due to be “pensioned off” during the lunch break. In the afternoon, an electrical problem with the neutral finder, disengaged the clutch which meant Felipe had to park the car when he had just begun his first run on the soft tyres.
“I would say there is nothing new under the sun, even here in Brazil,” said Stefano Domenicali. “The pecking order seems to be the one we have seen throughout this part of the season, with Red Bull definitely having a slight edge, especially on the first lap. However, tomorrow the forecast is for rain, therefore qualifying will be even more difficult and factors other than the pure pace of the vehicle and the driver’s performance will also come into consideration. More than ever, it will be important to keep a cool head and concentrate, in order to manage the various situations that could arise as well as possible.”
Fernando Alonso:
“As usual, it is very difficult to draw any conclusions after Friday’s two free practice sessions. In fact, the Red Bulls have always been dominant in the last six or seven Fridays, therefore there were no surprises today. Even when we have managed to take pole, they have been very competitive the previous day. For us, it will be important to stay ahead of the McLarens and the other teams, who on this track could be in the mix: by that I mean Renault, Williams and Mercedes. Then, the forecast is for rain tomorrow and anything could happen. It will be vital to understand when and on what tyres to go out on track to set a time. We have introduced a few updates on the car which seems to be a positive step, even if we still need to analyse the data in depth. The engine change between the two sessions was already on the day’s programme therefore, in reality I only lost a couple of laps, nothing more.”
Felipe Massa:
“I ran wide at Turn 2 and went over the kerb quite heavily: I immediately noticed that the clutch had disengaged and I was unable to select any gear to try and get back to the pits. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before: it was only when the car was brought back to the garage that we discovered it was an electrical problem. It was a shame, because I was on my first run with the soft tyres and I had yet to fully understand how they were working. Overall, I feel we can be competitive this weekend. Sure, the Red Bulls are very strong, as are the McLarens. It is meant to rain tomorrow and, on a wet track, anything could happen. I don’t expect any special problems with the tyres as their behaviour seems to match our expectations. It’s true I did not do a long run on the softs, but the initial impression is that they are also consistent. The Brazilian crowd is incredible, singing and dancing all day long! They are very passionate about Formula 1 and for a driver who is from here, it is a great pleasure to race in front of these fans: it gives you an extra motivation to give your all to make them happy.”
Chris Dyer:
“It was a reasonably average sort of day, apart from the two little problems we had, first on Fernando’s car and then on Felipe’s. The engine on car 8 had reached the end of its life, so we lost practically nothing, while Felipe’s had a problem linked to the electrics in the switch which controls the neutral finder that disengaged the clutch . In terms of performance, today we tried some aerodynamic updates: the first indications are positive and we are thinking of also using them on Saturday and Sunday. On the first flying lap, the situation is not bad, but we definitely have to improve if we want to be in the fight for pole position. Having said that, we are expecting a wet qualifying tomorrow: an opportunity to make up some places on the grid, but at the same time, a risk of losing an equal number. We have seen that on a long run, the car handles very well., but we know how important is the grid position in terms of the outcome of the race.”
