Stefano Domenicali predicts a tough season ahead
All through the year, everyone kept hearing that 2010 Formula One season has been the toughest and the most thrilling year in the sport’s history. However, like many other teams and drivers, Ferrari expects to see another 'fierce' season ahead. The Italian
squad predicts a very intense challenge from the rival teams like, Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes GP in 2011.
The Ferrari team principal, Stefano Domenicali, reckons that the threesome fight of 2010 will now change into a very critical battle of top four teams as Mercedes GP is getting ready to jump back in the tug with a loud roar and a great pace. Both the team
drivers, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, according to Domenicali, will return on the 2011 grid with a new strength and form, and will certainly bag some quick race wins.
While talking to the media this Tuesday he stated, "2010 was a fierce season and 2011 will be even more so. Besides Red Bull, which has won and will therefore start as favourite, McLaren will be back strong as it has always been up front and Lewis Hamilton
is an exceptional driver. I also expect Mercedes to be up there. It has invested too much to afford another season like the last one."
The 2010 season saw a very intense combat between the top three teams, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren and the drivers’ championship stayed undecided until the end of the season as the top five drivers, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis
Hamilton and Jenson Button kept striving hard all through the year.
However, if Formula One fans think that this was the best of the fights ever seen in the history of the world’s best racing series, they need to wait to watch the 2011 grid getting prepared. After three decades, five world champions will be standing head
to head, while some other fine racers like Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa are also ready to show some brilliant racing spectacles.
Domenicali further explained that he sees a very strong comeback from both the Ferrari drivers. He added that the few poor performances by Massa last year were due to the severe head injury he received in 2009. However, the team boss is sure that the Brazilian
has been able to fight back all the constraints bravely and now he is "certain" that Massa will bounce back anew after the struggling 2010 season.
He elaborated, "Every driver, in order to race, must feel the strongest. When they don't manage to be the strongest, it's very hard to clear their heads from those excuses each of us creates when things go bad. I think this was the cause of Felipe's bad
season. But he'll come out of it if he works on that. That's why I'm certain we'll see a great Massa in 2011. The driver knows full well he can't afford another season like the last one."
The Italian man also admitted having gone through some very low days after the team lost the drivers’ championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix owing to a poor race tactics. He accepted the fact that Fernando Alonso lost the third championship of his career
only due to a loosely knit race strategy. He revealed considering a retirement after the disappointing race, but the support of everyone in the team as well as the encouragement from all the stake holders gave him confidence to keep moving on.
Domenicali believes that had he been a football coach, he must have retired, but he added that Formula One is another world where things are much more complicated than any other sport.
He concluded saying, "I came to the conclusion that resigning would be a mistake.”
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