Stefano Domenicali admits Ferrari’s pace not good enough – Formula 1 news
Stefano Domenicali has admitted that Ferrari’s performance was not good enough during the British GP, which restricted drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa to fight for a victory.
Before the start of the race weekend in Silverstone, all of the rival teams were expecting a charge from Ferrari, as the circuit suited their car the best. However, the Friday and Saturday practice sessions suggested a different situation altogether.
Despite that, it was believed that the Italian squad was saving the best for the qualifiers and race day. However, that was not the case, as Massa was unable to make it through to Q3 whereas his team-mate could only set the 10th fastest time of the session.
Due to this, Ferrari seemed completely out of sorts and a top-five finish seemed difficult for them, let alone a podium. However, the race turned out to be a dramatic one, which allowed Alonso to finish third on the podium.
Luckily for the Spaniard, his championship rival Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull could not score even a single point because of a gearbox failure. The German was leading the race at one point and looked comfortable until his car stopped near the pit lane.
Looking at the entire situation in Silverstone, Domenicali said, “We saw this weekend that the pace is not good enough. Fernando's analysis is one that I share. Now we need to analyse all the data to find the reasons for this step backwards, and make a solution.
The drivers are in a difficult position psychologically, so it's important to reassure them.”
The Ferrari team principal went onto add about Massa, “He needs to feel the confidence of the team, so that everything can be perfect in the next races. Adding pressure serves neither the driver or the team.”
The Maranello based team was second in the Constructor’s Championship before the Silverstone GP, but they have now been overtaken by rivals Mercedes, who have come a long way, after their private test with Pirelli in Barcelona.
Mercedes’ driver Nico Rosberg was the one, who managed to win the recently concluded race whereas his team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished fourth after suffering a dramatic tyre burst in the opening few laps.
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