''We wanted to show the reaction of Ferrari''Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali was understandably delighted with the team's performance after
Kimi Raikkonen's emphatic 19.5s win in Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix at Kuala Lumpur.
"We are very happy
in a way, because of course we wanted to show the reaction of Ferrari after a very different weekend in Australia," he said. "That was not really our standard. So I'm very happy because we showed that the team can do a great job."
"I think the best thing that I have seen is that we kept cool and calm as we normally are, without softening, in a negative way, the pressure that is normal when you have such a difficult start. That's the main reason why I'm happy, to be honest," he added.
When asked if the sense of relief came from the fact that the team had bounced back, Domenicali replied with a simple "No."
"I think the sense of relief is connected to the fact that we really showed our potential. We were strong all weekend, very good pace on both tyre specs and that is, for us, the main thing that is positive. We knew that our car was good, so that's the reason why we are happy," he elaborated.
"Of course what we want to have is 18 points, because that's the way it has to be, that's the way we have to think and looking at the situation, there is a bitter feeling because of course these are very important points," Domenicali shared in reference to Felipe Massa's retirement, before adding: "Nothing is lost because it's a very very long championship but points are always points."
Domenicali was asked whether the team had been confident the engine situation had been resolved: "We are only ever sure after the chequered flag, and that's not enough because we have to see the chequered flag two times for the engine and four times for the gearbox. What I can say is that reliability is the main issue that we need to be very strong on."
"Really, it's really a different championship this year. With the four-race gearbox, you never relax and this is the reason why we need to be focused on the way we are working in trying to improve the quality of everything every time, the method of working and this is really the most important thing, what we will work very hard on in the next days," the Ferrari Team Principal underlined.
"Today, honestly, we were very strong, (but) we took it very easy in the last part of the race," Domenicali admitted. "We wanted to save the car and bring it home because it was so important for us to take the chequered flag."
The next race will take place in Bahrain, where the team tested last February. With the whole F1 field present for the Grand Prix, the situation will obviously be quite different than a winter test session...
"For sure the conditions are very different," said Domenicali. "We tested in February, now it will be April. The temperatures are different but we did a good test there and let's hope that it will bring some positive results."
Source: Ferrari
