Ferrari does not exclude anyone from the title race
Lewis Hamilton, currently second in the championship, is now Alonso's number one rival for the title, but Ferrari is not overlooking Kimi Räikkönen, who is showing great consistency this season, nor even the Red Bull drivers. In 2012, anything can happen.
Kimi Räikkönen may not have won a Grand Prix yet this season, but the Finn from Lotus has amassed 6 podiums and 10 consecutive finishes in the points in 2012. This consistency allows him to rank third in the championship, just one point behind Lewis Hamilton and 38 points behind Fernando, who maintains the lead.
With the current form shown by the MP4-27, Lewis Hamilton is seen as public enemy number 1 for the Scuderia and its Spanish driver, but Ferrari is not neglecting its former driver, who brought them the driver’s title in 2007.
« I have always said that Kimi is a dangerous driver and he is getting closer and closer. Hamilton, with the car he currently has, is very strong and we have seen in the last races that anything can happen. So all the drivers who are in the top 5/top 6 must, I think, be taken seriously, » emphasizes Stefano Domenicali.
The start of the season has shown that the outcome of one Grand Prix is no longer necessarily the same as the next, with seven different winners in as many races. But today, McLaren seems to have the most well-rounded package everywhere. As proof, the MP4-27 won the last three events, in Hungary, Belgium, and Monza, on tracks requiring very specific levels of downforce. Similarly, the Lotus E20 has proved relatively competitive on all the championship tracks.
« We must take the races one at a time and see the competitiveness of the car they [our opponents] are driving. That’s the only thing we have to do now, » explains the Scuderia Ferrari team principal.
With the double retirement of Red Bull, due in particular to an alternator problem on Vettel’s car, the Constructors’ Championship is also more open than ever with only seven races remaining. The Austrian team now leads McLaren by only 29 points, who are themselves 17 points ahead of Ferrari.
« With Red Bull dropping out, the constructors’ championship remains difficult for us but still open for the top 4 teams. It’s therefore an additional motivation for us, » declares the Italian.
The next Grand Prix will be held in Singapore in just under 15 days. In 2011, Red Bull had its two drivers on the podium there. Sebastian Vettel clinched his 9th victory of the year while Webber was third behind Jenson Button.
