Formula One news

Ferrari celebrates 200th pole

Kimi Raikkonen secured Ferrari's 200th F1 pole position today at Magny Cours, and Felipe Massa made it a perfect day with second place. 

"We are very happy with this result," said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. "It is very satisfying to have notched up our two hundredth pole, but we must not rest on our laurels. It's the championship points that count and they get handed out after the race. It's true that this gives us the best possible start, but we will have to watch every last detail if we want to bring home maximum points. On top of that, the weather forecast is very uncertain, with a chance that it could worsen just as the race is on."

Felipe Massa commented, "It was a good qualifying, especially the first two parts. In the third one, maybe I went a bit over the limit to try and get out all the potential from the car and I lost enough time to prevent me from doing better. However, I am happy, because we have everything in place to pick up important points for the championship. The F2008 is very competitive on this type of track and we worked in the right direction in terms of fine tuning it. Tyre choice for qualifying was not easy but so far, we have been able to be strong in all conditions. I am happy that the team recorded its two hundredth pole position today and it's an honour for me to have made a small contribution to this milestone."

Kimi Raikkonen added, "I am very happy with this result, not just for myself but above all for the team. It is a pleasure to have taken Ferrari's two hundredth pole even if, at the moment, I have only played a small part in the history of Scuderia. So far, the weekend is going really well but of course we have yet to tackle the most important part which is the race, where anything could happen. The car has always been well balanced and, at least as far as the first lap is concerned, the performance of the two tyres is pretty similar, while the harder compound seems to do better over a long distance. If I was not to win, I would obviously be a bit disappointed, but the most important thing is to finish and bring home the maximum number of points, because we really need them."

more news

• 05 Sep.
  • McLaren to open office in US
  • Massa tops first free practice at Spa
  • Photos: Friday at Spa-Francorchamps
  • Vettel to test Red Bull this month
• 04 Sep.
  • Massa eyes up vital six final races
  • Raikkonen hopes for dry weekend
  • Photos: Thursday at Spa-Francorchamps
  • Coulthard: The engines make the difference
• 03 Sep.
  • Bridgestone going hard on Spa
  • Former Albers manager teams up with Doornbos
  • Massa: Beating Raikkonen will be difficult at Spa
  • Belgian Grand Prix technical preview
• 02 Sep.
  • Raikkonen: I need a good result at Spa
  • Button: Spa is just great!
  • Brawn hopes for mixed weather conditions
  • Toro Rosso invites Sato and Buemi for test
  • Glock hoping to score more points
  • Renault not giving up on fourth
  • Piquet determined to score at Spa
• 01 Sep.
  • Ecclestone supports Mosley
  • Trulli expects another strong weekend
  • Alonso determined to bounce back
  • Cregan to leave Toyota at end of season
  • Belgian Grand Prix snap shot
  • Mercedes boss expects tight end to season
• 31 Aug.
  • Alonso pleased with test progress
  • Honda still looking for Monza set up
• 30 Aug.
  • Force India eyes Honda after test progress
  • BMW boss wants both cars in the points
  • Aero updates for McLaren at Spa
  • Heidfeld in determined mood for Spa
• 29 Aug.
  • Hamilton finishes test on top
  • Another accolade for Frank Williams
  • Hamilton relishing Spa challenge
  • Photos: Friday in Monza
  • Former champion Phil Hill passes away
  • Alonso happy with first day at wheel
  • Rosberg hopeful of upward trend
• 28 Aug.
  • Heidfeld on top at Monza
  • Photos: Thursday in Monza

Homepage