Saturday, April 27, 2013

Ferrari targeting perfection following Bahrain woes

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Ferrari F138 with rear wing DRS stuck open.
Formula One World Championship, Rd4, Bahrain Grand Prix, Race Day, Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday, 21 April 2013
Team principal Stefano Domenicali has said that Ferrari must ‘be perfect in every area’ if they are to avoid dropping more points and challenge for both titles in 2013.
Domenicali’s words come in the wake of the Scuderia's difficult race in Bahrain in which Fernando Alonso fell back down the field because of a DRS problem and Felipe Massa was slowed by two tyre-related issues.
“It’s hard to recall a race where so many things went wrong,” said Domenicali. “The DRS failure prevented Fernando - who yet again produced a great performance - from fighting Vettel for the win.
“Then for Felipe, there were the two tyre-related problems that pushed him out of the points and prevented from getting the top five finish that was within his grasp. We had the potential to get these results, but we were unable to do so, partly because of external influences.
“We must work with renewed attention on (the reliability) front. We must also continue to develop the car and increase our understanding of the tyres, which is more crucial than ever this year. In these first four races of the season, we have not managed, for various reasons, to bring home the points that were within our grasp.”
Analysis has revealed that the DRS problem on Alonso’s F138 - which resulted in the rear-wing flap sticking open - was caused by a breakage of a mechanical component within the system. Ferrari say it is the first problem of its kind that they have experienced in three years of using the DRS, but despite their recent bad luck Domenicali insists Ferrari must not be discouraged, even though the Italian team has slipped further behind their rivals in both championships.
“We have seen so often, both in our favour and against, how things can change in a hurry,” he said. “We believe in our ability to be in the fight for the titles right to the end and this time, we have been in that fight since the start, which has not been the case for a while.
“At the same time, we must be aware that in order to achieve our objectives, we have to be perfect in every area.”

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