15.05.2010 MASSA ON ROW TWO IN MONACO AS ALONSO TO START GRAND PRIX FROM THE PITLANE

FERRARI F10 - MONACO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
FERRARI F10 - MONACO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
FERRARI F10 - MONACO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
FERRARI F10 - MONACO GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING

The most famous team in motor sport and the most famous race on the calendar do not seem to go well together, as yet again today, bad luck struck Ferrari in Monaco. Felipe Massa (above, on track images) qualified on the second row while Fernando Alonso (above, with Piero Ferrari) watched the final session from the garage.

The most famous team in motor sport and the most famous race on the calendar do not seem to go well together, as yet again today, bad luck struck Scuderia Ferrari in Monaco. For Felipe Massa, it was only slightly annoying that his final lap of qualifying, in a session where he really looked capable of fighting for pole, was spoilt by traffic, which cost him precious fractions of a second. However, he still starts from a very respectable and promising fourth spot on the second row.

More serious is the situation for Fernando Alonso. In this morning’s free practice session, he hit the barriers at Massenet and although it was not a very high speed impact, the angle of attack did some serious damage to the chassis. For two reasons, this meant the Spaniard was unable to take part in qualifying: firstly the chassis was too badly damaged to repair in time and secondly, the regulations state that a driver cannot use two chassis on the same day. What had looked like being the Scuderia’s strongest qualifying in recent races now ends up with Felipe near the front, but Fernando relegated to starting tomorrow’s sixth round of the world championship from the pit lane. There is no need for a reminder that at this track, where overtaking is really difficult, this situation could not have come at a worse time. However, while it is true that passing is tough here, it is equally true that anything can and often does happen in this longest race on the calendar.

Mark Webber was quickest this afternoon, the Red Bull driver following up his pole and win in Barcelona last Sunday with another first place start here in the Principality. His team-mate Sebastian Vettel, starts right behind him and alongside Felipe. Splitting the Australian and the German is Robert Kubica in the Renault. Under normal circumstances, this front row position for the Polish driver would have been a surprise, but for the fact he has been very quick right from the start of free practice on Thursday. Lewis Hamilton is the highest place man on the grid to have won this event and he starts on Row 3 in fifth place in the McLaren, with Nico Rosberg next to him in the Mercedes, while Row 4 is occupied by two other Monaco victors, Rosberg’s team-mate Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button in the other McLaren.

“The way this day has ended is very regrettable,” said Stefano Domenicali. “We had the potential to do very well, but Fernando’s accident immediately diminished our chances. It’s a shame, as we had shown right from the start of this weekend that we were very competitive. Tomorrow, we will effectively run two races. Felipe is perfectly placed to get a good result, while Fernando, who starts from pit lane, will have a mountain to climb, a veritable Alpine peak. We will try and bring home as many points as possible and then we will see where we stand in both championships.”

Felipe Massa: “Fourth is not a bad place. It will be a long race tomorrow with lots of unexpected situations and starting from the second row puts me in a strong position. Sure, I’d hoped to do a bit better because I was pleased with the handling of the car but, on my last lap in Q3, I was nearly always behind Rosberg and I was unable to improve my time. In all three sessions of qualifying, the time came at the end of the series of laps: I managed it in Q1 and Q2, but not in Q3. It’s a shame as I could have got onto the front row. I will try and pick up as many points as possible, because in this championship, it is vital to always finish in the top ten. Here, the F10 is easier to driver than at the last two races and the tyres are working very well, especially the harder ones.”

Fernando Alonso: “This is the worst possible place to have to start from pit lane, given that overtaking is always problematic. It is a real shame, because the car was going very well. It was my mistake but, it was also very unlucky, because with an impact at ninety, you don’t normally write off a chassis! Unfortunately, the angle of impact with the barrier was such that the damage could not be repaired and the rules don’t let you use the spare chassis. So, I had to watch qualifying from the garage, along with the team, hoping to see Felipe end the Red Bull domination: it was very close and tomorrow we will do our best to bring home some points that can be useful for the classification. Do I think I’ve made too many mistakes this year? In Barcelona, where I am maybe under the most pressure, I did my best qualifying lap and had my best race. If after ten years in Formula 1, I still have to prove that I do not feel pressure, then it’s not worth talking about it anymore…”

Chris Dyer: “It’s been a very difficult day for us. We had a car that had the potential to fight for pole on a difficult track like this one, but we were only able to do so with just one car. The rules do not allow the use of a second chassis on the same day and the damage to Fernando’s car, after his accident this morning, was too serious to be fixed. Felipe did very well in Q1 and Q2, but he did not manage to put together the perfect lap in Q3 and had to settle for fourth place, which is still good enough to have a strong race tomorrow. Fernando will start from pit lane: a few years ago, someone in a similar situation managed to finish fifth in a Ferrari, so we hope we can improve on that performance!”

Qualifying details:

Session Driver Pos. Time Laps Driver Pos. Time Laps
Massa: Q1 1st 1.14.757 7; Q2 2nd 1.14.405 10; Q3 4th 1.14.283 6

Chassis: F. Massa 284, F. Alonso 283
Weather: air temperature 21 °C, track temperature 33/34 °C. Cloudy
 

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