F1 favorite Ferrari spurred on by Alonso’s arrival (PA SportsTicker)
March 10, 2010
By PAUL LOGOTHETIS AP Auto Racing Writer
MADRID(AP)—Spurred on by arrival of two-time champion Fernando Alonso, Ferrari goes into the Formula One season as the championship favorite with a bit of a chip on its shoulder following a disastrous 2009 campaign.
Last year was the worst showing for the Italian team since 1993 as it finished fourth in the constructors table with a single victory. Felipe Massa missed the second half of the season after sustaining life-threatening injuries in a crash at the Hungarian GP.
Ferrari has emerged from the doom and gloom of last season to rally behind the signing of Alonso. The Spaniard, meanwhile, is coming off three straight difficult seasons and has been re-energized by what he calls “the best car I’ve ever driven.”
“It’s unbelievable the feeling here, the passion of everybody,” Alonso said last month in Valencia, Spain, where a record 36,400 spectators came out to see his first spin in the iconic red car.
Alonso replaced Kimi Raikkonen, whose standoffish personality never enamored itself to the Tifosi even if the Finnish driver beat both Alonso and McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton to the 2007 title by one point.
Alonso will finally get the chance to duel with Hamilton in a worthy car, while old foe Michael Schumacher, defending champion Jenson Button of McLaren and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel are all expected to be at the front of the field, as is Massa.
“He’s definitely one of the best,” former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello told the Associated Press. “And when you first start at Ferrari it’s a dream team with all they can offer you – not only the car, but what they offer you outside too. With that he’s living a good moment, so I tip him and Massa (for the title).”
Ferrari is accustomed to excellence and team president Luca di Montezemolo is expecting a lot from his two drivers after last year’s woeful results.
“I haven’t forgotten the humiliation of the Abu Dhabi weekend,” di Montezemolo said in front of Alonso, Massa and 400 Ferrari employees. “But now we know that our efforts paid off, because we can look at the start of the season knowing that we have a reliable car and we’re ready to tackle our competitors.”
Last season was a disaster by Ferrari’s high standards.
Ferrari focused on 2010 earlier than usual since it was already out of the title fight by April’s Spanish Grand Prix, and then Massa’s replacement, Luca Badoer placed last in the two GPs he raced before Giancarlo Fisichella was signed. Fisichella remains as a reserve driver this season.
Ferrari concluded the preseason with more test miles than any other team and the fewest reliability problems.
“What we could see, and considering all the unknown factors in the testing, I think that we’ve shown that we can be competitive and are part of the top group in terms of pure performance,” team principal Stefano Domenicali said.
Alonso also struggled uncharacteristically last season.
The Spanish driver managed only one top-three finish with Renault, who guided him to back-to-back titles with in 2005-06. Those championships spurred his move to McLaren, where promising rookie Hamilton proved to be the biggest obstacle to a third straight title as the British driver was favored despite his inexperience.
“That helped me become a better driver,” Alonso said of his McLaren gap-year. “I’ve arrived with more maturity because of those experiences. I’m more relaxed, more at peace. I’m ready for any challenge.”
Massa cannot afford any mistakes following his early exit last season after a freak accident in Budapest led to skull surgery and the lengthy layoff. Raikkonen picked up the team’s sole win at Spa.
“I’ve never had problems with teammates in the past or present so I’m 100 percent sure that I will never have a problem with Fernando – we work well together and that’s important,” the Brazilian said. “We’re working very well in the right direction.”
There seems to be no doubting Ferrari is heading in the right direction, but one of the most competitive fields – which includes former Ferrari driver Schumacher – seems to be the biggest obstacle this season rather than internal affairs.