Ferrari, a return veiled by sadness

It was a homecoming tinged with sadness for Scuderia Ferrari. The long journey that brought part of the team home – one group remained in the Far East before moving to India – in the aftermath of the Korean Grand Prix was marked by the news of the tragic accident at the Indy Car race in Las Vegas, occurred during the Korean night.

All the Ferrari fans who gathered at Incheon airport looked shocked at the images of the incredible carambola that caused the death of Dan Wheldon. “Certain images make us remember how dangerous motor racing always is: death is always lurking” – said Stefano Domenicali – “At the same time, we must recognize and appreciate even more the efforts that have been made in recent years to increase the level of safety of cars and circuits in Formula 1: the risk cannot be eliminated but it can be reduced and we must be grateful to the International Automobile Federation for its continuous commitment on this front and, perhaps even more importantly, on that of road safety.”

Wheldon's death was a shock for Felipe Massa, who learned the news as soon as he landed in Paris where he made a stopover before leaving for Sao Paulo, Brazil. “It's terrible news” – said Felipe. “I had met Dan in 2004, when he took part in the Granja Viana 500 Miglia: he had been invited by Tony Kanaan, who also races in the Indy Car: together with Rubens Barrichello they won both that year and the following one. He made an excellent impression on me as a person and I am very sorry for his passing: all my condolences go to his wife and two little children."

Yesterday there were many men and women of Ferrari of yesterday and today, including Domenicali himself, who had gathered at the Parish of the Holy Family in Modena to say their final goodbyes to Pasquale Danza, one of the logistics workers of the Scuderia, who passed away last Saturday. Few words but many hugs that made everyone share the pain of the death of a good, passionate person who loved his work and Ferrari.