No revolution for Ferrari in China

Fernando Alonso did not expect to be leading the drivers’ standings after two races, but the Spanish driver is savoring these moments: Upon arriving in China, I certainly did not expect to be leading the championship, at least considering how private tests went. This means we have done a good job managing the potential at our disposal and knowing how to take advantage of every opportunity.

In order to reduce the gap with its rivals, Ferrari will introduce some new features to the F2012 for China, as Pat Fry revealed: New elements are arriving and we are trying to get them on the track as quickly as possible. We will have five improvements in China, some are quite visible, others less so. Also, there will be a bigger improvement to the package in Spain. It would have been nice to have them earlier, but we have already brought some elements here that we were developing for Spain.

But Fernando Alonso does not expect Ferrari to make a leap forward with these new parts: I do not expect big surprises in this race compared to what we saw in Australia and Malaysia. It is true that three weeks have passed, but that does not mean we have had enough time to completely modify the car in such a short amount of time: we will have some new things, but nothing very significant, moreover we can expect other teams to also bring new parts.

The Iberian driver will not change his approach in China despite leading the driver standings. His goal will be to score big points: «We will not change our approach for this Grand Prix: we want to achieve a good result, we will need to focus on ourselves, trying to be perfect and exploit every possibility that may arise throughout the weekend. I don’t want to start saying that our goal is to finish in such and such a position because discussions about it are not worth it. We must give our best and score as many points as possible: a bit like ants, who start something one day, knowing it will produce something of great value in the future.»

On his side, Felipe Massa hopes to restore his reputation because he knows he didn’t live up to expectations in Australia and Malaysia. He could have done much better, as evidenced by Alonso’s results: Tomorrow afternoon, we will have our usual meetings with the engineers to prepare for the race. I sincerely hope I can have a normal Grand Prix, without any problems, starting on Friday: it is essential for me to achieve a good result. I know it won’t be easy, especially because I know we can’t have any major new elements, at least in the short term. We will try to make the most of what we have, as Fernando managed to do both in Australia and Malaysia.

To maximize his chances, the Brazilian worked with his engineers to prepare for the Chinese event as best as possible: «I was in Maranello last week, working on the simulator to be prepared for the next two races. I studied every minute in detail to see what didn’t work in Melbourne and Sepang, to fix things and be ready for China and Bahrain.»

Under fire for his start to the season, Felipe Massa is not worried because he knows he is supported by Ferrari, and that support is all that matters to him: “I know there have been a lot of criticisms towards me, but I’m used to it, as it’s not the first time this has happened. I feel that the team has confidence in me and that’s what matters. I am well aware, having experienced it several times in the past, that it takes some time for the situation to turn around.”

The Paulist has good memories of the Shanghai International Circuit, having secured two podiums there. And even though he expects a tough race, he knows that anything can happen which could allow him to achieve a good result: “Last year in China, I finished the race in 6th place, but at the end of the race, I suffered a lot because I couldn’t maintain a similar pace with the hard tires compared to when I was on softs. It’s a shame, because I remember I was still second in lap 43. I’ve finished twice on the podium in Shanghai: I was on the third step in 2007 and on the second in 2008. It’s a track I enjoy: there are many different corners and a very long straight that, even before DRS, allowed for overtaking. It’s clear that this year, we will struggle a bit, especially in terms of top speed, so it won’t be easy for us. But it’s not always the fastest who wins in the end…”