Summary: Ferrari (finally) scores its first points 2009!

Ferrari has still not been able to realize its potential. The Italian team initially had both of its drivers in the top 10 and could hope to score points with its two cars. At the end of the Grand Prix, the result is only half good – optimism being the order of the day.

Räikkönen indeed scores Ferrari’s first points of the year. He finishes 6th, still affected by reliability issues or during pit stops. A 5th place finish was possible. Massa, on the other hand, encounters a problem right at the start. He breaks his front wing, almost causing both Ferraris to retire. He finishes 17th… a lap down and still with electronic reliability issues in the F60.

The first Asian tour is over, and the team expects a renewal in Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks. One thing is certain, giving up is not an option, and optimism is giving way to taking responsibility.

Felipe Massa – 14th:

My race was decided right from the start. I was sandwiched between Räikkönen and Barrichello, and my front wing broke when it touched my teammate’s rear wheel. In fact, I didn’t immediately realize what had happened and it took me two laps to pit and change the front wing. After returning, I had a clear track but my hopes of making progress disappeared when I got stuck in traffic… On top of that, my telemetry wasn’t working and my engineers couldn’t help me control the car…

« The KERS didn’t work very well either, especially at the start. It’s a shame, we missed the opportunity to score points again today. Now, I’m looking forward to Barcelona and I hope to perform well there. One thing is for sure, we will do our utmost because each of us wants to get back to the top! »

Kimi Räikkönen – 6th:

« I am happy to have been able to score some points here but I can’t say that we are satisfied with our performance. I fought the whole race… for 6th place. We are aware that we need to improve and theoretically the new package should help us in Spain. However, we don’t know its contribution compared to the updates our competitors will have. »

« Today, we got the best out of the F60 I think, even though we lost a bit of time in the second pit stop. I might have been able to come out ahead of Barrichello without that. »

Stefano Domenicali – Director:

« Today we hoped to have both cars in the points, but we only achieved half of our hopes. Felipe [Massa]’s race was ruined during his contact with Kimi [Räikkönen]. He then had a subdued race without being able to make a comeback, but demonstrated good performance with very high fuel loads. Räikkönen, on the other hand, had a good race to score some points and end a positive weekend overall. »

« His 6th place shows our current level in the hierarchy. We are aware that work remains to be done on reliability and even today we encountered some issues. We need to be focused everywhere, not just on one part like the diffuser, for example. We can hope for better in Barcelona for the return to Europe, even if I think there won’t be any miracles. We are Ferrari and we will fight until the mathematics say it’s too late! »