The mystery of F2012 remains unsolved
Fernando Alonso and Ferrari continue to explore the behavior of the F2012, which is deemed complex by the double Spanish world champion who nevertheless tries to remain optimistic.
If the situation at Ferrari seems to make Lewis Hamilton smile (see our report from this morning), things aren’t exactly looking up for the Reds. Yesterday at the press conference, Fernando Alonso admitted that his Ferrari was complex and that the team still had not managed to fully understand it and therefore extract maximum performance on the track.
« It is true that we are still gathering information that we should already have, but the car seems complex to understand and we need to improve our understanding of its behavior, » explained Alonso in front of a group of journalists.
While Ferrari continues to learn the functioning of its F2012, the Scuderia’s rivals are racking up laps and conducting Grand Prix simulations.
I remember that last year we conducted a race simulation during the first week of testing and in Melbourne, we were 1.5 seconds behind Red Bull. So I prefer a performance car that needs to be made reliable rather than having a solid but slow car, the Spaniard relativizes.
Obviously, the tests are not ideal for getting a true sense of the teams’ strengths, nevertheless, Alonso hopes that his Ferrari will allow him to perform well once the season is underway.
« Our goals are high, that’s normal for Ferrari. Currently, we don’t really know where we stand. We’re probably not the fastest, but we’re not the slowest either. With the higher temperatures in Australia, we’ll see how our car performs. »
In 2011, Red Bull dominated the championship from head to toe. The Red Bull’s opponents are therefore forced to be inventive and take certain risks to hope to beat Vettel this year.
« The Red Bull seems competitive, it’s not really a surprise. McLaren and Ferrari need to invent something and be a bit more creative to beat them, and that’s what both teams have done. Ferrari and McLaren have chosen different solutions, different philosophies, and we will see the result in Melbourne and more importantly, in November, » concluded the Ferrari driver.
Today, it’s Felipe Massa at the wheel of the F2012, and he is in sixth place with a time of 1:24.771 at the midday break. The tests will resume at 2 PM, and you can follow them in live text on Motors Inside.
From our correspondent in Barcelona.
