European GP - Ferrari - RaceThings looked good at the start of the European Grand Prix as
Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa ran first and second exiting the first turn.
For Raikkonen, a mechanical failure ended his day following a pit lane slip up, while Massa seemed
in control of the race until the final round of pitstops. As the rain fell, the Brazilian had no answer to the pace of rival
Fernando Alonso who swept by with four laps remaining to take the race win.
In terms of the championship, Massa is now 11 points behind Lewis Hamilton who failed to score today after a plethora of issues. Raikkonen's DNF leaves him 18 points off the championship lead.
Felipe Massa
"A second place that leaves a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. I had driven a strong race right up until the last rain shower, then once I had the rain tyres on, I immediately felt vibrations which made the car very unbalanced. And that, after I had been really strong when it had been wet in the early stage of the race. In the dry, I managed to gradually make up ground on Alonso because the car was great. I was lucky at the start because I managed to stay on track when the conditions meant it was almost impossible, but then I was not so lucky at the end. But that's racing and I have to accept it. The discussion with Fernando? I was a bit on edge but then he apologized and that was the end of it. The positive side is that I have made up a lot of ground in the Drivers' classification. There is still a long way to go this season and we have to be confident."
Kimi Raikkonen"I am very disappointed.
I was in a good position, immediately right behind Felipe and Alonso and the car was very quick and I was convinced I could win. But gradually, the hydraulic system began to malfunction, I began to lose time and then I was forced to stop. This knock back does not mean I feel like giving up the fight, even if there is now one less race in which to compete. The gap to the head of the classification remains the same and anything can happen in the seven remaining races. We have a very competitive car but clearly we have to improve on the reliability front."
Jean Todt
"The result of this European Grand Prix should not be described other than disappointing. We had a very competitive car and we were starting from first and third places. But we are going home with just eight points thanks to Felipe's second place. At the end of a race run in changeable weather, - dry, wet, dry again and more rain at the end - Felipe saw himself miss out on a win which he richly deserved, losing out in the very last moments when the track was wet once again. Unfortunately, he had vibrations with his rain tyres which made the car difficult to drive. We are very disappointed for Kimi, stopped on lap thirty five by a problem with the hydraulic system. We have to find out the cause but once again it shows that you do not go far without reliability. There is still a long way to go in this season and anything could yet happen in the seven remaining races."
Luca Baldisserri
"This was a race in which we were capable of picking up maximum points. We had a very competitive car in all conditions, but first a problem to the hydraulic system put Kimi out of the game when he was right behind Alonso, and then the final rain shower cancelled out Felipe's lead, built up thanks to a great drive, as at this point he was penalized by a set of tyres that were causing vibrations. We had come out of the roulette following the downpour immediately after the start reasonably well and we timed the return to dry tyres perfectly. There is much to regret because if we do not make up ground in the classification while we are as competitive as we were today, then the situation gets more complicated. But having said that, we will never give up."
Source Ferrari
