A crowd
of 20,000 spectators watched Scuderia Ferrari test
driver Marc Gené carry out a high speed demonstration
run behind the wheel of an F2008 single-seater on the
Doha corniche in Qatar yesterday afternoon.
The event, organised by
Shell in collaboration with the Qatar Motor Show, which
gets underway for the second time tomorrow (Monday), was
a unique spectacle: seeing a Formula 1 car rocket at
over 300 km/h down a three kilometre course set up as a
temporary venue along the Qatar capital’s sea front drew
an enthusiastic response from the spectators, as did the
pit stops, run by Scuderia Ferrari’s F1 Clienti
department.
“It was a very interesting day: demonstrating a Formula
1 car in such a beautiful setting was really enjoyable
for me,” commented Marc Gené after the show. “I’ve done
quite a few events of this type, but I have never
managed to go as quickly as I did today. Towards the
end, I was pressing on the accelerator, because I could
feel the enthusiasm of the crowd: it was down to the
track and, in the shape of the F2008, an amazing car.”
The Spaniard stressed the important of events like this
when it comes to increasing the popularity of Formula 1.
“It’s great to bring our sport so close to the people,
especially in a country that has never seen any F1
action and I am particularly grateful to the organisers
of the event, for ensuring all the necessary safety
precautions were in place as well as allowing the
spectators to experience the spectacle in such an
intense way. I like Qatar: I was here back in 2004 for
the first running of the MotoGP and I have found the
country has changed, grown in what one could say is a
controlled manner. We got a very warm welcome, showing
the passion the people have for Ferrari and motoring in
general.”
With only a few weeks to go to the start of the season,
inevitably Marc was asked about the Scuderia’s prospects
for 2012. “Back in Maranello, everyone is doing their
utmost to be as well prepared as possible for the
season,” said Marc. “We are pleased with the work we are
doing, but we are well aware that we don’t race alone
and the others are also doing their best. We will only
begin to get a true picture at the first Grand Prix in
Melbourne. Clearly, Ferrari has just one objective,
which is part of our DNA, namely victory and we have
proved many times before that we know how to achieve it:
it’s not by chance that we are the most successful team
in this sport. However, we are equally aware that
winning is never easy, especially in a sport as
competitive as Formula 1.”
