Sunday: Ferrari and Alonso are satisfied with a 4th consecutive podium

Fernando Alonso – 3rd

« Another podium, the fourth in a row. We were competitive on four circuits with different characteristics, despite weather conditions in July that don’t really suit our car, so it gives me confidence for the rest of the championship even though I’m eager to catch my breath a little. It was a very busy and stressful July, and I think everyone, especially the team members, deserves a few weeks of vacation. When we resume, let’s hope for warmer conditions, even though it’s never guaranteed at Spa.

I got off to a good start but then, at the first corner, I experienced some traction difficulties and Michael managed to overtake me. After that, some early race incidents cost me precious time behind the Mercedes and then Webber. At that point, we decided to bring forward our tire change and switch to a four-stop strategy: the plan worked and that’s how we secured the podium. Of course, even our rivals had difficult moments but we did a good job staying on track with slick tires while it started to rain again. At that moment, we weren’t very fast with the super soft tires but we didn’t panic and then switched to soft tires. It was a very interesting and exciting race and I want to congratulate Jenson who celebrated his 200th Grand Prix in the best possible way.

Felipe Massa – 6th

« It was a difficult race with the rain coming and going. My afternoon was ruined when I went off the track on the eighth lap. The rear of the car hit the barriers, and I was afraid the car was too damaged to continue, but my engineers told me I could go on. I lost a lot of time because of that, and even though I made some nice overtaking maneuvers and climbed back up the rankings, it still bothers me not to have been able to fight for the podium as I probably could have.

When it started to rain after 40 laps, the conditions were very difficult: it was absolutely necessary to avoid the white lines because they are extremely slippery; it was like driving on ice.

Now we have some vacation. I am going back to Brazil to be with my family and while I have always enjoyed spending time in my country. I am sure that when I return to Europe, it will be the beginning of a second part of the championship better than the first.

Stefano Domenicali, Team Principal

« All things considered, we can reasonably be satisfied with the way things turned out. Perhaps we could have hoped to get a bit more out of it, but it seems that this was the wettest July in Formula One history. I don’t know if that’s really the case, but the fact is that the last three races were held in conditions that suit us the least. That said, the race was punctuated by accidents that, for better or worse, made a difference.

However, having managed to get onto the podium under these circumstances is always positive and we can consider the glass half full. I am also sure that after the summer break, we will have every chance to achieve some good results. The championship would be open without Vettel, but we will continue to fight for the title until it is mathematically impossible to win it. Now we will do everything possible next week before the summer factory shutdown to be as well prepared as possible for the Belgian Grand Prix.