Sunday: Alonso third and Massa sixth in Monza

Fernando Alonso – 3rd:

« Being back on the podium here with the Ferrari team is always very exciting. I mentioned yesterday that a podium was possible here for us. We knew we needed a good start, and that’s what we managed, thanks to good preparation with the engineers over the past two days. The start was a magical moment, like in Barcelona, even though we knew it wouldn’t last. Nevertheless, it was a joy to see our fans cheering us on during the safety car outing at a slow pace. We couldn’t do anything against Vettel; he was much faster than us and overtook me easily. It was simpler against McLaren; with the soft tires, we could fight, but with the mediums, they were much better, and if the race had lasted a bit longer, we wouldn’t have seen the podium. That said, I’m happy with the result, we were better in the race than in qualifying, and it’s been like that since the start of the season. But we must stay focused and try to reach the goals that are achievable for us. That’s what we did today. Sure, the title is now distant, but we are determined to win races and defend our position in the drivers’ championship. »

Felipe Massa – 6th:

« Today, I can only be disappointed with this sixth place because the podium was truly possible for me. Unfortunately, the incident with Webber cost me too much time, and at that moment, I dropped back to tenth place. This meant I had to overtake several drivers to catch up with the leaders, but I was too far behind. The collision with Webber didn’t cause any damage; he touched my wheels and pushed me at turn 2. I braked slightly trying to get back on a good trajectory, but he didn’t relent. I’m really disappointed because the car wasn’t bad in terms of pace, even with the medium tires. We were fast with little degradation. We hope to have better luck in the remaining six races. »

Stefano Domenicali – Team Principal:

« Honestly, we could hardly hope for better today given our current situation. Fernando is now second in the drivers’ championship and it’s extraordinary, it proves the value of this driver. Another very good performance from him today with a superb start and a fierce battle. Felipe also did a good job and I am sure he could have fought against Vettel if Webber hadn’t touched him. He had a good race. But at Ferrari, we are always looking for victory and third place in the constructors’ championship cannot really satisfy us. But the team is working hard and we are improving gradually. Our goal for the rest of the season is to win races and continue to do our best. »