Saturday: Felipe Massa returns to Q3 with Ferrari
For the first time in the 2012 season, both Ferrari drivers made it into Q3. Fernando Alonso will start in fifth position and believes it was difficult for him to compete for pole position, aiming for the podium instead. As for Felipe Massa, he will start 7th after setting the fastest time in Q2 and hoped to finish in the Top 5 of the final qualifications, but in vain.
Fernando Alonso – 4th and 6th (5th on the grid):
« In Italy, there is a proverb that says: “Chi va piano, va sano”. Well, that’s what we are doing: step by step, we are getting closer. I am happy with this qualification, the best we have achieved as a team this season. I had a good feeling all weekend. Maybe in Q3 we could have shaved off a few tenths here and there, but I don’t think it would have helped us gain positions, considering the driver ahead of me is three-tenths faster.
Usually, it’s the top three on the grid who compete for the victory, so I think our reasonable goal is a podium finish, but we also know that surprises are the order of the day. We saw it again today, with Michael’s fastest time: I was very happy for him, even though he won’t be able to enjoy it due to a penalty.
This afternoon and tomorrow morning, I will work with the team to decide on the best strategy. The Soft tires are performing well, but we will start with the Super Softs, so we’re going a bit blind concerning their lifespan: we will find out during the race how they perform.
In terms of the championship, it’s a good grid, given that, among our direct rivals, only Hamilton starts ahead of us and Vettel is 9th.
It’s been a long time since I had Michael [Schumacher] beside me on the grid, so it will be nice to have him near me, but I’ll focus on trying to overtake the four guys in front of me rather than worrying about the sixth.
Felipe Massa – 2nd and 7th:
« It was a good qualifying session and I could definitely have done better than this seventh place: the top 5 was within my reach, given what we saw in Q1 and Q2. Unfortunately, in Q3, I couldn’t find a perfectly clear lap because of the traffic, but that’s not easy to achieve here.
That said, I am very happy with the way things are going so far in this Grand Prix. Finally, I’m having fun at the wheel of the F2012: the settings we have chosen have clearly made it easier to exploit its potential. It’s a point to keep in mind for the rest of the championship as well. We are still struggling a bit in the sectors where traction is crucial, which can easily be seen by comparing our car to the best, corner by corner. However, in this area we have also made progress.
Michael did a great lap and I congratulate him: it’s a shame he’ll be closer to me on the grid tomorrow afternoon.
Let’s hope we have a good race and that a whole new championship will truly begin for me!
