Stefano Domenicali: Ferrari must react immediately

The first tranche of races of the season will end next Sunday in Shanghai, where the eighth edition of the Chinese Grand Prix will take place. After this stage, the teams will return to Europe and there will be a two-week break before the motorhomes debut in the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul. In the meantime, the development work on the 150 ° Italia continues practically 24 hours a day after two decidedly unsatisfactory races for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro such as those in Melbourne and Sepang. It is no coincidence that Team Principal Stefano Domenicali, Technical Director Aldo Costa and his deputy Pat Fry left for Maranello on Sunday evening to follow all the ongoing activities step by step.

The difficulties encountered so far may partly recall those of last year, i.e. a different level of performance between qualifying and the race where, with the exception of Vettel, the Scuderia seems to be able to compete with everyone else. Although we get nowhere with "ifs" and "buts", it is also true that if Massa had not had a problem at the first pit stop and if Alonso's DRS had always worked, both drivers could have aspired to a place on the podium.

“We need to understand why our performance in qualifying isn't up to par with the best” – said Domenicali – “It's vital to react immediately because we know how quickly things can change in Formula 1. From a strategic point of view, our race in Sepang was positive: the choices made proved to be correct and the lower than potential points haul was caused by other problems. Strategy and race pace are two active items at the moment.” The opinion on the drivers is also positive: “Felipe drove at a high level, demonstrating that he is back in form, and Fernando was always on the attack, which is always good for a driver” – explained the Scuderia's Team Principal – “In the factory we need to accelerate to understand the reasons for our lack of performance. We have to work hard to anticipate developments, in particular on aerodynamics, which remains the key factor. We will try to have something already in China but we are aware that we need to understand why the data from the wind tunnel does not correspond to what we saw on the track. If we don't have a clear idea, then we will have to take a turn in the development of the machine. The other important factor is to continue to understand how the tires behave to try to use them in the best way because in Malaysia we saw that using the tires in the right way makes the difference. As far as KERS is concerned, for us it is a useful tool for performance. In competition, it can be used both as a defensive and offensive weapon: it is certainly an element that makes our sport even more interesting.”

In Melbourne, especially due to colder than expected temperatures, the expected increase in pit stops did not materialise, as instead happened in Malaysia, where there were 59 pit stops, including those due to mechanical problems or penalties . It is thus clear how the team's work is a very important factor for the final result of a race, as Domenicali underlines: “The tendency to have more pit stops means that the guys who have to carry out all the operations are always under pressure and, consequently, the possibility of making errors is higher. Never like this year is it more important that the whole package - driver, team, car - works at its best, even in a situation like the pit stop."

The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers often visited the podium in Shanghai. Three times a Ferrari has won the race: in 2004 with Rubens Barrichello, in 2006 with Michael Schumacher and in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen. Of the current drivers, Fernando won in 2005 while Felipe has a second and third place to his credit. China is a very important country for the Prancing Horse: “Our presence on this market continues to grow, as does customer appreciation for our machines” – added Domenicali – “one more reason to do well in this weekend."