For Mika Salo, Ferrari has a good team

As the F1 circus gets ready to arrive in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix, Mika Salo reflects in an interview with GPWeek magazine on a season start he considers promising: “The championship looks very good. Who would have thought, after winter testing, that Fernando Alonso would lead the championship with a five-point advantage after two races? I think this year will be a tight one.”

Naturally, for the former Ferrari driver, Fernando Alonso’s victory in Malaysia is as much a surprise as it is a satisfaction: « Their last weekend was great. I was there in Malaysia and I am so happy for Ferrari that they won. Their car seems bad, it is slow and awful to drive, but they still managed to win the race. It proves one thing about the team: they are really good. But they still have a lot of work to do because the single-seater is far from being a winning car. »

But the condition of the F2012 is not the only subject of debate on the Maranello side, as Felipe Massa’s unconvincing start to the season throws him to the commentators, reporters, and F1 enthusiasts: « Australia and Malaysia have been disasters for him, and it’s bad for a driver to have two such races in a row, especially if they are the first two races of the year. Everyone started saying Ferrari should get rid of him, and it increases the pressure that already weighs heavily on him, so in the next races, there will be even more chances that he will make a mistake. I think Felipe should not listen to that and just focus on his job, trying to regain his former form. It’s a shame because I like him: I don’t know what’s wrong, but he really needs to do better. Fortunately, it’s not up to me to decide whether to keep him or not. »

Today, while Felipe Massa’s future seems increasingly likely to be part of the past at Maranello, Sergio Perez’s future appears to be more forward-looking, whether in the near or distant future. Mika Salo, former Sauber and Lotus driver, is pleased to see these two teams in the fight for victory: « There are many teams that can win. Everyone continues to learn a lot, and the break before China is important for many teams that need to improve. Mercedes, for example: they are very fast in qualifying but slow in the race. McLaren also needs to improve: okay, they won the first race, but the second was a disaster for them. Red Bull will also make a comeback, for sure, and Ferrari will improve. I also like the idea of Sauber and Lotus being back at the forefront, provided Kimi [Räikkönen] does better in qualifying. There are so many guys fighting for victory this year, so I think we will see lots of great races. »

The Finn is also pleased with the return of his compatriot, which he considers to be generally positive for F1: « He seems happy and is still devilishly fast. I think it’s great, especially for Finland. I do a lot of TV in Finland, and the interest has really grown there and probably everywhere else in the world. Formula One needs characters like him: the others are like robots, but he doesn’t fit that mold. »

Finally, nearly ten years after his last Grand Prix in Japan in 2002, Mika Salo reflects on the experience he recently had driving a Ferrari F2008 during the very first edition of the Ferrari Racing Days at Suzuka, which the F1 world interpreted as secret tests following his statements: « I was surprised because in ten years, they have lost power, but the aerodynamics are much better and the speed in the corners is now superior. I remember I used to negotiate some corners of Suzuka flat out, and now I was far from it. It was a lot of fun! I had been asking Domenicali for years to let me test a modern car, but afterwards, my neck hurt like hell for five days. I’m too old for this now and I don’t have as much guts as before! »