Felipe Massa says podium finish is still possible at season opener – Formula 1 news
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa says that he believes podium finish is still possible at the season opener of the forthcoming 2012 F1 season going to be held at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia on March 18.
Massa’s hopes are high regardless of the disappointing expression of the technical director, Par Fry who ruled out the possibility of the team for a podium finish in the first race.
“Still, I still believe that we can fight for the podium: it's the only thought I have in my head. But we only have to wait a few more days to have the answer,” said Massa.
There had been a lot of discussion regarding the performance of the new Ferrari car F2012 which had been struggling throughout the pre-season tests because of the aerodynamics of the car.
Moreover, Lotus and Mercedes have appeared as more competent contenders as compared to the last year which will make the competition tough for the Red team and will put more pressure on them.
“The truth is we will only discover the situation in Australia when we are all in the same conditions: little fuel in the tank and the softest tyres on the car,” Massa said. “Certainly there are some teams that seem very strong like Red Bull, McLaren and
Mercedes and Lotus seems very quick to me.”
Furthermore, he said that their aim was to increase the understanding regarding the new car in order make necessary improvements and preparations for the forthcoming season. He also said that in the last year, they did well during the pre-season tests and
they were confident for the race but this year the team was not satisfied with the performance of the car after the testing sessions at Jerez and Barcelona circuits in Spain.
Besides, he said that they had a completely new car for the upcoming season and without any doubt they need to create a thorough understanding about its technicalities in order to acquire its potential.
In addition, he believed that he had a strong team and a firm conviction that they would surely progress during the season.
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