Report: Ferrari and the Malaysian Discomfort

Ferrari is, among the teams used to fighting for the championship, the only one not to have scored any points after two Grand Prix. The situation is critical, and the two Scuderia drivers seem to have lost their lucky charms.

In Melbourne, the mechanics were lacking; here in Sepang, the weather conditions favored neither Räikkönen nor Massa, who did not even finish in the top 10. A critical situation that Michael Schumacher does not like, even less so when he is in the pits. The team must meet this week in Maranello to organize an offensive and rectify the situation.

Felipe Massa – 9th:

« It was a chaotic race and in these conditions, it often happens that decisions made, in hindsight, turn out to be completely foolish. When we put on the rain tires, we thought it was going to rain heavily. In the end, the heavy rain arrived very late. So I switched back to intermediate tires but that’s when the torrential rain fell… »

« We really need to analyze all this to avoid repeating our mistakes next time. The rules have changed, and we must not think that Ferrari has suddenly become stupid. We just have to get used to it. »

Kimi Räikkönen – 14th:

« We were well positioned before the first pit stop, and then we made a mistake by putting on rain tires when it hadn’t started raining yet. My race was then over with tires that wore out very quickly, and when it really rained, they were no longer effective enough to evacuate the water, and I had difficulty driving. »

« It’s certain, we cannot be satisfied with this start to the season! »

Stefano Domenicali – Director:

« We are very disappointed because, once again today, we leave a Grand Prix empty-handed. With a bit of hindsight, we realize that we did not make the right decisions at all, especially with Kimi [Räikkönen]. Felipe [Massa] was also very unlucky; just forty seconds more, he would have stayed on the track and would have benefited from a very good position when the red flag was triggered… »

« We must at all costs change the situation, take responsibility, and come back better. We will analyze all of this in Maranello. »