Ferrari: Mixed feelings in qualifying for the Brazilian GP

Qualifications

G. Fisichella: 20th 1.40.703 3 laps
K. Raikkonen: 5th 1.20.168 9 laps

Frames: G. Fisichella 280, K. Raikkonen 279
Weather: air temperature 17 °C, asphalt temperature 18 °C. Rain.

Mixed feelings for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the end of the longest qualifying session in the history of Formula 1. On the one hand there is satisfaction for the fifth place of Kimi Raikkonen, author of a wonderful performance, on the other there is regret for the last of Giancarlo Fisichella, who remained stationary on the track at the start of Q1, when the asphalt conditions were truly at the limit of impassability.

Stefano Domenicali: “Tomorrow we have a very important race ahead of us in the fight for third place and it's a shame not to be able to tackle it with both cars in the first half of the grid, given that our main rivals are quite far behind; Furthermore, we also have to keep an eye on Toyota, which is not too far away in the rankings.”

Giancarlo Fisichella: “When qualifying began the conditions were practically impossible. I ended up spinning even though I wasn't going particularly fast but I was at a point where the track was flooded: turning the steering wheel I hit the button that turns off the engine and that's where my qualifying ended. It's a shame, because the car was good in the wet, as Kimi's performance also demonstrated: let's hope that he can bring home some important points tomorrow while it will be tough for me, given that I'll be starting from the last row. It's a moment in which everything seems to be going wrong: I'm very sorry, because I really want to demonstrate my value in an important team like Ferrari. Let's hope to have better luck from tomorrow, which I certainly haven't had so far."

Kimi Raikkonen: “All in all, I'm happy with this result. With the extreme wet tires we were very competitive and I really think that, if the conditions had remained suitable for those tyres, I could have obtained a better position than fifth. However, with the intermediate tyres, the car was no longer so easy to drive because it is more difficult to make them work in the best way. If it rains tomorrow it will be very hard because in the wet here you can hardly see anything when you are behind another car and the conditions become really difficult. I think the right decision was made today when qualifying was suspended: at least we were able to run in acceptable conditions and not just try to stay on the track. The F60 performed well: we know that we lack grip but this is a problem that we have had with us since the start of the season.”

Chris Dyer: “A bittersweet qualifying for us. Kimi put in another fantastic performance, taking a good fifth place while Giancarlo, who was at ease in the wet this morning, was unlucky when he spun, which occurred when the track was in the worst conditions. We made a strategy choice that should allow us to have a good race tomorrow, whatever the weather conditions. Congratulations to the team, which always remained focused throughout the official tests.”