Ferrari Teammates On F1 2010

As the 2010 F1 season approaches Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando looked at what they expect the new season to bring from the new rules, and from each other.



“All my dreams in my career came true: now the one to become a Ferrari driver,” said Alonso. “I can almost feel the car in Valencia, it’s very exciting. I hope to stay here for many years, because if you
don’t win the Championship one year, you don’t have to consider to change the team.”

“Regarding its comfort it seems to be more or less on the same level as last year’s car,” he added when asked about his first impressions of the new F10. “There’s always something to improve in the cockpit – seat, elbows, pedals, which have a different inclination compared to the standard set up.”

“We started very early thinking about 2010,” Felipe Massa told the assembled crowd, turning to the changes for 2010. “We were asking for many modifications not just regarding aerodynamics, but also the engine and the tank. Everything was really important considering the 2010 rules. What’s very important is that every single detail can bring tenths of a second.”

“We’ll start with less petrol into the weekend, while we will start into the race with enough petrol for the whole distance. Then there are other details, such as the points assigned to the first and second in the races. Having all these changes in mind we have to pay a lot of attention and learn rapidly in terms of strategy and, as far as I am concerned, regarding driving the car to be immediately competitive.”

“We’ll have a more precise idea after the first test,” added Alonso. “With the petrol load we can put into the tank we’ll all have a different load on board. We’ll concentrate on our work during the tests, without considering the lap times; we’ll see if we’ll be satisfied with the car or not.”

Massa also had to answer the inevitable questions about his Hungaroring accident, describing it as “really unbelievable”, before talking about how safety is one of the primary concerns of drivers and tracks and assuring that “nothing has changed” in his outlook on F1.

But there was much more interest in what the pair saw of each other, the Ferrari line-up being one the three (along with McLaren and Mercedes) sure to generate headlines this year.

“The expectations as far as my teammate is concerned I’ve been living for many years now,” Massa explained. “When there’s a new driver at Ferrari there are great expectations and the goal is to work well as a team, to be complete. I’ll have a very strong teammate. I’ve always done good work, learned a lot, shown many times that I’m able to win and fight, whoever my teammate was.”

Alonso on the other hand was quick to emphasise the team work element of the pairing. “Felipe and I both race for Ferrari. It is important that a red car wins. We’ll both give it our all to improve our performance, we’ll both give 100%. I’ve always had strong teammates and I never had any problems with then. I have a great relation to all of them and it won’t be different with Felipe.”

“Every season is exciting and interesting at the start,” he added. “It’s the same this year, although there are the expectations regarding Schumacher’s comeback, which is very good for F1, which might be well received by TV viewers. I think that there will be two teams fighting for the Drivers’ Title and two for the Constructors’ Title. Let’s hope we’ll be there. Winning the title. I’m not making a bet here, right now everything is too open.”

Source: thecheckeredflag.co.uk