SCUDERIA FERRARI F1 PRESS 2010

Valencia, 27 June – Fernando Alonso took the chequered flag at the end of the 57 laps of the European Grand Prix in ninth place and Felipe Massa in fourteenth. The race was completely ruined for the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro duo because of a badly managed Safety Car period and there was further chaos after the race, with no less than 9 drivers brought before the Stewards for an infringement during the neutralised part of the race: meagre compensation, their penalties moved Fernando and Felipe up to eighth and eleventh respectively: meagre indeed, when the podium had beckoned from the start. On the podium, Sebastian Vettel was the winner for Red Bull, with the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finishing in second and third places respectively.

For the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix, a Ferrari driver has stepped onto the podium today, as Fernando Alonso finished third for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro behind a second consecutive one-two finish for McLaren, Lewis Hamilton winning from Jenson Button. To say Felipe Massa had a difficult day is an understatement and the Brazilian eventually came home in fifteenth place, needing two nose changes on his F10, the first on the opening lap after he was sandwiched between Button and Tonio Liuzzi and the Force India driver collided with him and the second in the closing stages when again he was the victim, this time when he was involved in an incident with Michael Schumacher.

Istanbul Park, 30 May - Celebrating Scuderia Ferrari’s eight hundredth Grand Prix in glory was always going to be difficult with Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso starting from eighth and twelfth places on the grid respectively and so it proved, as The Brazilian came home seventh and the Spaniard one place behind his team-mate. The race was dominated by McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton winning from Jenson Button, but only after the two leading Red Bulls of Webber and Vettel collided, forcing the German to retire and the Australian to move down to third for the final podium position. Today’s result sees Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro lie in third place in the Constructor’s Championship

20 more points, second in the championship

Monaco, 16 May - Felipe Massa started the sixth round of the world championship from fourth place and that’s where he finished the 78 lap race, which ended behind the Safety Car. Fernando Alonso came home seventh, having been sixth until the last corner, when he was passed by Michael Schumacher in a Safety Car period, so the Spaniard’s sixth place was restored to him. Fernando provided much of the action in a race dominated by Red Bull, who finished first and second courtesy of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Robert Kubica in the Renault completed the podium trio. The result sees Fernando keep third place and Felipe move up one place to sixth in the Drivers’ classification, while the team remains second in the Constructors.

Montmelo, (Barcelona) 9 May - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro has closed the gap to McLaren, the current leaders of the Constructors’ classification from nineteen to just three points, thanks to a generous haul of twenty six points picked up in this afternoon’s Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the world championship. Fernando Alonso finished second, much to the delight of the Spanish crowd cheering him on the podium, behind race winner and pole man Mark Webber, whose Red Bull team-mate, Sebastian Vettel came home third. However, Red Bull has also closed the gap to a similar distance behind the Prancing Horse. Fernando now moves to second in the Drivers’ classification, while Felipe Massa contributed a valuable eight points by coming home sixth.

Shanghai 18 April - Exactly predicted at the start of the week, rain arrived just before the start of the Chinese Grand Prix. Today, the weather gods did not help the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team, as Fernando Alonso came home in fourth place and Felipe Massa was ninth, at least bringing home 14 valuable points. However, this was not enough to keep the lead in both championships, as the Scuderia now drops to second place behind McLaren, who scored a convincing one-two, with Jenson Button taking his second win of the season ahead of team-mate, Lewis Hamilton. The very consistent Nico Rosberg was third for Mercedes, which means he is now second in the Drivers’ classification behind Button and ahead of third placed Alonso. Massa drops down from first to sixth.

Only seven points in the bag for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix, courtesy of a seventh place for Felipe Massa. Fernando Alonso had to retire at the start of lap 55, when the engine broke. After the first three races of the season, Felipe heads the Drivers’ classification on 39 points, two more than his team-mate and Vettel, while the Scuderia stays at the top of the Constructors’ classification with 76 points, ten more than McLaren.

Melbourne, 28 March - Felipe Massa on the podium in third place and Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team-mate, Fernando Alonso, right behind him in fourth, to ensure that the team and its drivers continue to lead both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships after the second round in the series, the Australian Grand Prix. Albert Park often delivers thrilling races and this was no exception, aided by the rain that fell just before the start and a first lap collision that brought out the very traditional Melbourne Safety Car. The race was action packed from start to finish and proved that Ferrari Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali was right to advise caution, when others started talking about rule changes following a rather processional opening race in Bahrain. The race was won by Jenson Button, the reigning world champion thus claiming his first win for McLaren and, ahead of Felipe came Robert Kubica, second in the Renault.