Results (2/12): Ferrari in ambush

Ferrari, with a double in Bahrain, a victory of Fernando Alonso for his first Grand Prix in red, had an ideal start to the season. Certainly, the Spaniard had benefited from a drop in engine speed Sebastian Vettel to steal the victory from him. Subsequently, the Team alternated between the good and the less good, competing with McLaren et Red Bull in terms of performance, but sometimes lacking foresight in tactical choices to glean the best possible result.

« Ferrari is in the game, that's for sure, analysis for AUTOhebdo.fr Patrick Tambay, former pilot F1 and RMC Sport consultant? BFM TV. Maybe not in qualifying but at least in the race. But they also experienced some setbacks in managing particular situations with the rain. »

If the car performs well, it will be able to be equipped with different developments during the European Grands Prix, starting with the F-duct, a system implemented by McLaren and, since then, reinvented? since not copied in the strict sense? by (almost) everyone. But, despite the status of favorite which has stuck with it since the winter tests, the Maranello team has not outclassed the competition and today only counts the victory in Bahrain.

« Yes, there is a slight disappointment, comments Patrick Tambay. But Massa led the championship before the Chinese Grand Prix and Alonso was not far behind. The points system means that we can lose ground quickly but we can also get back into contact quite quickly. There was a big management error, like for McLaren, in Malaysia, during qualifying. But we will have to reckon with Ferrari. It?s a real war machine. The car is really not bad, even if there are developments to be carried out. The drivers are top notch. We will have to reckon with them until the end of the year. »

Moreover, Fernando Alonso is indeed ready to take up the challenge from the first laps of the European Grands Prix. The Spanish driver knows that the next four months will be decisive. “ It's time to show who is ready to win the championship and who is not, declares the Spaniard. It is now, in Europe, that the moment of truth arrives for drivers and teams who want to show who is capable of making developments the most quickly. A superb battle is about to begin. »

Fernando Alonso also knows that for Ferrari to achieve better results, the F10 must be able to start from a better position on the grid. “ We don't have the pace of Red Bull in qualifying, confides Alonso to AUTOhebdo, on sale this week. We absolutely must get to their level as quickly as possible. The day they have solved their reliability problems, they will be untouchable. But overall, for now, our car represents the most complete package. »

In addition, there is the question of engine management. In four Grands Prix, Fernando Alonso has already broken two propellers. He will have to use six engines for the fifteen Grands Prix that remain on the program but don't worry. “ Although concerned by these incidents, which we hope to resolve definitively as quickly as possible, we are not concerned, explains Stefano Domenicali to AUTOhebdo. These engines are identical to those from 2009, which did not break, and none of the breakages experienced recently have the same origin. It's reassuring. »

Another concern at Ferrari: the collaboration between Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. If the latter overtook the Brazilian in the pit lane during the Chinese Grand Prix, the Scuderia is trying to calm things down. This episode will not change by one comma the good relationships that exist between them, says a spokesperson for the Scuderia to AUTOhebdo. What happened in China is just an episode and will be considered as such. It's obvious that both want to win, but always respecting a simple rule: the good of the team before individual interests. »