Sunday: A podium with a victory air for Ferrari

Fernando Alonso – 2nd:

This second place feels like a victory. After finishing the race in Sakhir, nearly a minute behind the winner, we lapped one of the two Red Bulls today and fought until the very end for the win. Moreover, we gained a lot of points on the Red Bull and McLaren drivers, making the results of this weekend even more positive.

The end of the second stint was the key moment of the race: perhaps Maldonado pitted a bit early and we stayed on track, but we lost time behind backmarkers for a whole lap, partly because there was a yellow flag at the end of the main straight.

Then, with seven laps remaining, I suddenly lost rear grip: I asked the team if something was broken because the car’s behavior was constantly changing, for no apparent reason. However, in the final laps, the Williams was still very fast and, towards the end of the race, we were also happy to be able to keep our second place while Kimi [Räikkönen] was catching up to me.

This championship is very hard to interpret with all these different winners and the inconsistent performances of the leading teams from one race to another. We definitely didn’t do the best job when designing the car, there is still a lot to do, but we can be proud of the way we have exploited its potential, probably beyond the car’s limits.

After two Grand Prix races – China and Bahrain – where we struggled a lot, being back on the podium is very positive and gives us confidence for the rest of the championship. We must continue to constantly bring improvements to the car because it is very tight, and the smallest detail can make the difference.

Felipe Massa – 15th:

Today, my race was affected by a penalty that I was forced to serve on lap 28. Honestly, I don’t think I did anything wrong and I believe it’s better to look in detail at what happened because I was in the middle of a group of cars and I wasn’t trying to overtake anyone. It’s really a shame because up until then the race was going well for me and a points finish was easily within my reach. I was in a group with the Red Bull and McLaren cars and I could keep up with their pace.

I had a good first lap where I managed to gain a lot of positions. I am delighted that Fernando was able to fight for the win until the end of the race because it shows that the potential of our car has definitely improved: we still don’t have the fastest car, but it seems that we are on the right track.

I would like to congratulate Pastor who is a good friend: the taste of a Formula One victory is something tremendous and I can understand what he is feeling right now.