Sunday: Alonso and Massa are not surprised
The Ferrari drivers admit they had no illusions about the Chinese Grand Prix. Hampered by the weaknesses of the F2012 on the straights, the Scuderia's drivers could not do better than 9th and 13th in Shanghai.
Fernando Alonso – 9th:
We knew it would be a tough race, and that was confirmed. We were constantly in traffic with no opportunity to exploit the car’s potential, and when you’re behind other cars, the tires degrade faster.
Opting for a three-stop strategy meant we were forced to overtake, but with our top speed, it was almost impossible to pass on the straight, so I had to undertake maneuvers elsewhere, where I could make better use of the car.
Of course, it doesn’t leave me very optimistic for Bahrain on a circuit where traction and speed are vital, precisely the areas where we are struggling. Again, next week will primarily be about damage limitation.
I don’t want to think about the standings because the priority is to improve the F2012. That doesn’t mean I’ve lost all hope, quite the opposite. Last year, we believed until Spa, so there’s no reason not to believe now while we’re third in the standings, eight points behind the leaders. Of course, we definitely need to take a big step forward to make the car faster. In Spain, we will have a major upgrade, but so will the other teams, and I’m not expecting a miracle that would make us go a second faster than the others.
Felipe Massa – 13th:
« I tried to do my best in a very competitive race. Of course, I can’t be satisfied with thirteenth place, but I think as far as my race is concerned, it’s a step forward compared to the first two events of the season. At least I managed to run a normal race and I know that I did everything I could.
The decision to make only two stops was the right one, given my position, but perhaps in light of how the race unfolded, it would have been better to stop at other times. However, it’s easy to say now, after the race has ended.
Each time I found myself in traffic, I was penalized by the lack of speed, which is our car’s weakness at the moment. The Sakhir circuit, for the next round, doesn’t seem favorable for us given how things have unfolded so far. For me, it’s a race where I’ve always done well, but I’m not getting my hopes up. As always, we will try to do our best.
