Fernando Alonso set the fastest time in
this afternoon’s qualifying session to take pole
position in just the right place, this being Scuderia
Ferrari's home race at the Monza circuit. And
team-mate Felipe Massa has given the tifosi who are
already packing the grandstands real hope of a strong
result in tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix as he lines up
just behind Fernando, having set the third fastest time.
It was a just reward for all the hard work back at
Maranello, following the disappointment of Spa a
fortnight ago. It has been a long time coming, as not
since Felipe took pole at his home race in Brazil in
2008 has a Prancing Horse car taken the top slot on the
grid. Here, at the fastest circuit on the calendar, the
F10 has improved with every session on track and in
fact, in the final Q3 part of qualifying, the time
Fernando set on his first run would never be beaten.
Felipe, although equally happy with the performance of
his car, was less satisfied with the strategy adopted in
Q3, but nevertheless, two cars on the front two rows is
a very strong position and at least the Brazilian is now
on the clean side of the track for all the important
rush down to the hectic first chicane.
Pole at Monza, in front of grandstands full of the
Ferrari faithful, waving their banners and caps and
cheering in delight: what more could make the day
complete? Perhaps the presence of the Scuderia’s biggest
“fan,” Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo who,
watching from the pit wall was literally jumping for joy
when the chequered flag signalled the end of the
session. However, both he and Stefano Domenicali soon
had their jumping feet firmly back on the ground,
pointing out that the most important and toughest part
of the weekend is yet to come. That is true at every
race weekend of course, but here in Monza, the challenge
is unique, as the high speed nature of the track puts a
heavy strain on every component of the car: the driver’s
concentration is stretched by the high speed, the long
running time at full throttle is tough on the engine,
while the tight chicanes require heavy braking and a
tough car to deal with the pounding from the kerbs.
The Ferrari duo have a real chance of bringing home some
important championship points, but as ever they face
stiff opposition: Fernando has reigning World Champion
Jenson Button alongside him on the front row in the
McLaren, while Felipe will find the Red Bull of Mark
Webber alongside him. Row three is made up of
championship leader Lewis Hamilton, fifth in the second
McLaren and Sebastian Vettel sixth in the other Red
Bull.This is the Scuderia’s 204th pole and the last
time it was fastest in Q3 dates back to the 2008
Brazilian Grand Prix. For Fernando, it is the nineteenth
pole of his career, the second at this track, and
nineteen is also the number of times that Ferrari has
taken pole at this race.
Stefano Domenicali.
“Fernando and Felipe did a fantastic job and the team
delivered them a very competitive car. It’s nice to have
that feeling again which comes from having a car on
pole, after such a long time, but we must not forget
that what really counts is the race, because that is
when the points are given out. Therefore we must all
remain totally focussed on preparing for tomorrow’s
race, bearing in mind how tough the Monza circuit can be
in terms of reliability, which is still the crucial
element in all races. It is very pleasing that this
long-awaited pole has come at Monza and on a day when
our President Luca di Montezemolo and his opposite
number at Fiat, John Elkann were both here to witness
it. Tomorrow we hope to be able to give them and all our
fans something special.”
Luca di Montezemolo: “I am very happy
about this result, which I found so exciting that I was
jumping for joy on the pit wall. Having both our cars on
the front two rows in front of all our fans is very
nice. It goes without saying, this track has always
delivered strong emotions for me. The team did a great
job and never gave up trying. Now we must concentrate
fully because the hardest part is still to come
tomorrow.”
Fernando Alonso: “Pole position at
last! And it’s come at the best possible place, here in
front of all the Ferrari fans! We managed to save two
sets of new soft tyres for Q3 and so we were able to
post a time immediately, before giving it absolutely
everything on the second run. In fact, the time on the
first run was good enough. The team and I have been
without a pole for too long and two Ferraris in the top
three is a fantastic result. At this track, the car
really gets a hard time so we must try and keep all the
parameters under control. We must make the most of this
opportunity to bring home a lot of points: we will try
and get a good start and tackle the first chicane as
cleanly as possible, which is always difficult on the
first lap. We needed this result: coming off the back of
a weekend like Spa, which had raised some doubts about
the car, but here it has improved a lot day after day.
It would be nice to get a one-two tomorrow in front of
our fantastic fans: I feel at home here, just like in
Spain.”
Felipe Massa: “Today I could have taken
pole, but maybe in Q3, we did not adopt the best
strategy. In Q2, my time on the soft tyres came on the
third lap, so for the next part, we opted to do a series
of three laps, but things did not go as we had wanted.
Then on my second run, I did not manage to improve
enough to take pole. All the same, it was a good
qualifying and I am pleased with the performance of the
car, which improved yet again today. We changed various
things compared to yesterday morning which saw us become
more competitive. I have never been very lucky at Monza,
but tomorrow I will be starting from a good grid
position. It is very motivating, especially when you see
how happy are our fans, and it gives you a little bit
extra. It would be nice to reward them for it…”
Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result, for
the team, the drivers and for our championship chances.
Both Felipe and Fernando were pleased with the handling
of their car and we had no problems of any sort today.
Both of them did a great job, setting a time at the
right moment and being first and third is a just reward.
It has been such a long wait to see one of our cars on
pole and there could be no better place to do it than
here at our home race. We know that usually, one of the
F10’s strongest attributes is its race pace, therefore
tomorrow we must try and consolidate today’s
achievement. From what we have seen yesterday and today,
there are no particular problems in terms of tyre life:
maybe the hards struggle a bit more to get up to
temperature, but we don’t expect to see anything
different to usual in terms of strategy.”This is the
Scuderia’s 204th pole and the last time it was fastest
in Q3 dates back to the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. For
Fernando, it is the nineteenth pole of his career, the
second at this track, and nineteen is also the number of
times that Ferrari has taken pole at this race. “A
really great and important result,” commented
Stefano Domenicali. “Fernando and Felipe did a
fantastic job and the team delivered them a very
competitive car. It’s nice to have that feeling again
which comes from having a car on pole, after such a long
time, but we must not forget that what really counts is
the race, because that is when the points are given out.
Therefore we must all remain totally focussed on
preparing for tomorrow’s race, bearing in mind how tough
the Monza circuit can be in terms of reliability, which
is still the crucial element in all races. It is very
pleasing that this long-awaited pole has come at Monza
and on a day when our President Luca di Montezemolo and
his opposite number at Fiat, John Elkann were both here
to witness it. Tomorrow we hope to be able to give them
and all our fans something special.”
Luca di Montezemolo: “I am very happy
about this result, which I found so exciting that I was
jumping for joy on the pit wall. Having both our cars on
the front two rows in front of all our fans is very
nice. It goes without saying, this track has always
delivered strong emotions for me. The team did a great
job and never gave up trying. Now we must concentrate
fully because the hardest part is still to come
tomorrow.”
Fernando Alonso: “Pole position at
last! And it’s come at the best possible place, here in
front of all the Ferrari fans! We managed to save two
sets of new soft tyres for Q3 and so we were able to
post a time immediately, before giving it absolutely
everything on the second run. In fact, the time on the
first run was good enough. The team and I have been
without a pole for too long and two Ferraris in the top
three is a fantastic result. At this track, the car
really gets a hard time so we must try and keep all the
parameters under control. We must make the most of this
opportunity to bring home a lot of points: we will try
and get a good start and tackle the first chicane as
cleanly as possible, which is always difficult on the
first lap. We needed this result: coming off the back of
a weekend like Spa, which had raised some doubts about
the car, but here it has improved a lot day after day.
It would be nice to get a one-two tomorrow in front of
our fantastic fans: I feel at home here, just like in
Spain.”
Felipe Massa: “Today I could have taken
pole, but maybe in Q3, we did not adopt the best
strategy. In Q2, my time on the soft tyres came on the
third lap, so for the next part, we opted to do a series
of three laps, but things did not go as we had wanted.
Then on my second run, I did not manage to improve
enough to take pole. All the same, it was a good
qualifying and I am pleased with the performance of the
car, which improved yet again today. We changed various
things compared to yesterday morning which saw us become
more competitive. I have never been very lucky at Monza,
but tomorrow I will be starting from a good grid
position. It is very motivating, especially when you see
how happy are our fans, and it gives you a little bit
extra. It would be nice to reward them for it…”
Chris Dyer: “A fantastic result, for
the team, the drivers and for our championship chances.
Both Felipe and Fernando were pleased with the handling
of their car and we had no problems of any sort today.
Both of them did a great job, setting a time at the
right moment and being first and third is a just reward.
It has been such a long wait to see one of our cars on
pole and there could be no better place to do it than
here at our home race. We know that usually, one of the
F10’s strongest attributes is its race pace, therefore
tomorrow we must try and consolidate today’s
achievement. From what we have seen yesterday and today,
there are no particular problems in terms of tyre life:
maybe the hards struggle a bit more to get up to
temperature, but we don’t expect to see anything
different to usual in terms of strategy.”
|
|
|
