Ferrari: disappointment on Saturday in Montreal

Photos from the Canadian GP qualifying
K.Raikkonen: 3rd 1.18.735 8 laps chassis 270
F.Massa: 6th 1.19.048 7 laps chassis 267
Weather: air temperature 29/31 °C, asphalt temperature 42/41 °C, sunny, overcast in the last few minutes.

A third and a sixth place, with Kimi and Felipe respectively: this is the result of qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. There were two main problems encountered this afternoon: a certain difficulty in bringing the tires to the right temperature - which led to a different program from the usual - and the deterioration of the asphalt at turn 10, which constantly caused the drivers to lose a lot of time pilots. “We certainly cannot say we are happy with the result of these qualifications, above all because it does not correctly reflect the potential available” – declared the Director of Sports Management Stefano Domenicali – “Having said this, we must not beat ourselves up: the race is tomorrow and ' then the points will be awarded. We know well that, especially on this circuit, seventy laps can be a very long time and anything can happen. We have a car at least as good as our main rivals and, if we do everything perfectly, then we can play our cards."

Felipe Massa: “This is definitely not the result we expected and it's a real shame, because we had everything to do well. The car was very fast, both yesterday and this morning and, without the problem that occurred at turn 10, I would certainly have been able to fight for the top positions. After all, just look at the times: the first and second sectors were very good while we lost all the time in the last. It is clear that, if these are the track conditions in that corner in the race, there will be a further element of uncertainty in a race which is already traditionally influenced by random factors. If in normal conditions I would have said that sixth place in qualifying means having abandoned any chance of fighting for the top positions, today I don't feel like making the same statement, especially in light of the fact that we always went strong throughout the weekend."

Kimi Raikkonen: “It's incredible how much time I lost at Turn 10, lap after lap. The asphalt started to crumble already in Q1 and I couldn't turn: it was like driving on ice and I was never able to find the right line at that point. It's a real shame because the car was working very well and I could have fought for pole position. I can't understand how things like this could happen: perhaps it was the higher temperature, perhaps a patching job at that point of the track wasn't done in the best way, what's certain is that tomorrow's race there will be very difficult pass. However, the situation is certainly not compromised. We are fast, as we saw throughout the weekend up until qualifying, and starting from the clean side of the track is certainly positive. Let's see what happens tomorrow.”

Luca Baldisserri: “We had to manage the three parts of qualifying differently than usual because we had understood since yesterday that it would be very difficult to get the tires to the right temperature immediately on the first timed lap. Then there was the problem at turn 10, where the asphalt began to flake off in Q1. None of our drivers have ever managed to get through that point of the track unscathed, leaving us with very heavy tenths for the final result: it is certainly no coincidence that up until the second intermediate stage both Kimi and Felipe were in line with the best and then they found themselves with anomalous gaps at the finish line. We are very sorry because we think we still have a package that is up to the task. Now we have to concentrate on the race, which will be very difficult. In Montreal, chance, in the form of the safety car, often plays the starring role, which will make the course of the scheduled seventy laps even more unpredictable.”

Ferrari