Report: Ferrari achieves a new podium with Massa

Ferrari is improving more and more, and this should be confirmed by the end of the season. After a good qualifying session, the drivers had a good race, even though the outcome was rather negative for Kimi Räikkönen. Starting from the top 10, Felipe Massa is the big winner of the weekend, as he secures a new podium for Ferrari. Once again, a third place behind the Red Bull drivers. Nevertheless, six new points add to the tally for the Brazilian and the Scuderia.

This is not the case for Räikkönen, who retires early in the race due to a hydraulic problem. Massa has outperformed his teammate for the second consecutive year. Ferrari is aiming for Toyota’s third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Felipe Massa – 3rd:

This podium feels great after a very difficult first half of the year. We are improving and we will do everything possible to win this season. I wish to hear the Italian and Brazilian anthems as soon as possible! A great start and strategy are the keys to this result. In the first fifteen laps, I struggled to keep Vettel behind me, but I think he also had some difficulty with his tires. Maybe I could have gotten a better place if I had stopped a little earlier. My tires were not behaving as I wanted, but it’s easy to say these things in hindsight. Before the race, I didn’t think I would finish on the podium. But then, we saw theoretically faster cars finishing behind. We need to continue in this direction.

Kimi Räikkönen – Retirement:

« Germany doesn’t seem to smile upon me. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to give up, but this time, it’s because of debris. A shame, because I thought I was going to get a good result. The car was a bit difficult to drive at the beginning, but I think it was the same for everyone. After 14 laps, we started to see that something was wrong, and we tried to manage the situation. Then, I started losing a lot of power, and the team asked me to pit. The incident with Sutil? These things happen in racing, we talked it over, and I think he understands the situation as do the stewards. »

Stefano Domenicali – Team Principal:

« It’s a great feeling to be back on the podium, and this result for Felipe [Massa] is a good reward for all the efforts made by the team, both on the track and in Maranello. It’s a pity for Kimi, who could have finished on a high note. It’s really unfortunate. Our goal, as we have already said, is to finish third in the Constructors’ Championship, and today this result allows us to close some of the gap with the team ahead of us. However, we have to work very hard to succeed, because this season is still very difficult to interpret. Once again this weekend, we’ve seen performance differences between teams compared to the previous race. There are many variables, especially those related to tire behavior, which don’t seem to be entirely under control. We need to get familiar with what could be the most important point for the rest of the championship. »