Friday: Eventful Day for Alonso and Ferrari
The Spanish world champion experienced an off-track excursion at the end of free practice but remains satisfied with his day, even though he states he doesn't think he can fight for pole or victory this weekend. His teammate, Felipe Massa, is also pleased with his performance of the day and hopes for a more peaceful qualifying and race compared to the past few weeks.
Fernando Alonso – 5th and 3rd:
« As was the case 15 days ago in India, I lost a bit of time again here in Abu Dhabi: over there it was the engine that forced me to pull over, and here it was going off track. There is no particular grip issue in the first corner, but if you flirt with the curb when you brake, then you do indeed lose a bit of grip. I see a lot of similarities between my exit and Sebastian’s, maybe tomorrow we’ll try to stay a little more in the middle of the track without going so much to the limit in this corner!
It bothers me to have lost a bit of time, but above all, I’m sorry for the mechanics who now have extra work to repair the car. I will try to thank them with a good lap tomorrow night in qualifying.
I had no new things to try today, so we focused on comparing two different levels of aerodynamic downforce and evaluating the new 2012 Pirelli tires.
As usual, it’s difficult to say where we stand compared to others because there are many uncertainties on Friday. I don’t think I will fight for pole or victory, but the first impressions are that we are slightly better than we expected.
The track improved between the two sessions, partly due to the drop in temperature: at noon it was very hot on the track. We felt at ease with the soft tires, but we didn’t seem too bad with the medium tires, as we have seen in the last races.
Felipe Massa – 6th and 4th:
These were two good sessions for me, but that doesn’t mean much for the qualifiers. Two weeks ago, I was the fastest on Saturday afternoon and then things went differently. That said, I’m reasonably satisfied with how the last two races have gone in terms of performance. Obviously, I can’t say the same for the final result because something always happens to me during the race: let’s hope it will be different this time. I’m sure it will be: the important thing is to keep doing a good job, to stay fast, and things will take care of themselves.
Regarding the design of my helmet, it is on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s third championship and it will be auctioned for the foundation that bears his name today: I am honored to be able to do something to support their initiatives.
Regarding the vibrations of the front wing, honestly, when I’m behind the wheel, I don’t notice anything; the car always behaves the same way, without the slightest problem.
