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"To win we have to be humble and keep our
feet on the ground, we have to work
concentrated and with great attention for
detail," says Ferrari Team Principal Stefano
Domenicali, "If we can manage that, we can
add another good result." |
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With the
British GP in sight, the ninth race of the season,
Stefano Domenicali, Team Principal of the Scuderia
Ferrari, has summarised the first part of this
Championship.
Five wins, five Pole Positions and as many fastest
race laps, 91 points and leader in the Drivers' and the
Constructors' Championship: a record to be proud of.
"That's true. Looking at the numbers we can be satisfied
of what we have done until now, but we can't forget that
it wasn't all that smooth. We left some important points
down the road, because of a lack of reliability or
because of mistakes on every level. Our situation in the
Championship could be much better. Even during a weekend
when our performance was much better than the one of our
competitors, we risked to not reaching our goal by a
defect of some minor detail. We were able and also lucky
to bring home Kimi's car. But this alarm bell has to
keep us alert."
The F2008 is very competitive on all the race
tracks. Is this a good sign for the rest of the season?
"That's true. Maybe the most comforting point coming
from the first eight races of this year is that the car
has been competitive on different types of circuits so
far. We made a big step forward compared to last year,
even on those tracks, which were a bit difficult, such
as Monaco and Montreal. We managed to do that because
we've worked during the planning and the development of
the car ad because we had a different approach in these
GPs than we had over the last years, in terms of set up.
But we're still disappointed that, despite our efforts,
we didn't gain enough in these races. It was either our
own fault or because the situations were a bit special."
Which competitor provides more food for thought?
McLaren or BMW?
I have great respect for all of the nine competitors of
Ferrari on the track, because I know how much effort
they put in their daily work. I think that the fight at
the top will involve us and the two teams you just
mentioned. McLaren might have something up the sleeve in
terms of performance, while BMW has shown some
consistency in terms of results. As far as the Drivers'
Championship is concerned there are four drivers on the
list. And we are glad that two come from our Team. I
hear from time to time that it might be difficult to
have two drivers fighting against each other and at the
same time against the drivers of the other teams. But I
don't agree at all. When you work in great harmony and
transparency inside the Team and having two drivers, who
can fight for the title, I'd say it's a resource and not
a handicap."
Silverstone is a traditional race on the Formula 1
race calendar. What is the outlook at Ferrari?
"It's always nice to race in one of the temples of
international motorsports. [Silverstone] is a place we
are especially connected to. Froilan Gonzalez gained the
first win for the Scuderia at a GP on 14th 1951.
Obviously we want to add another success, but we know
that we've got to do with motivated competitors, who
will try everything. Last week we had three very good
test days here and we think that we're competitive. To
win we have to be humble and keep our feet on the
ground. We have to work concentrated and with great
attention for detail. If we can manage that, we can add
another good result."
Two technical things to end this interview: will
there be new things on the car and what will you do with
the engine in Raikkonen's car, after what happened at
Magny-Cours?
We did some updates of the aerodynamic and the
mechanics, which is part of the development of the
F2008: nothing secret, but many small details, which,
all together, will contribute to improve the
performance. As far as Kimi's engine is concerned and
keeping the rules in mind, to avoid a penalty, I think
that we will use a new unit to try to reduce the risk."
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