Formula One news

Ferrari to concentrate on reliability

Ferrari is concentrating on the reliabilty of their F60 car following last week's four-day test in Barcelona; drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen shared driving duties at Circuit de Catalunya, Stefano Domenicali was happy with the car's performance but believes the team now has to focus on reliability.

The Italian team enjoyed a successful week of testing, with just a fortnight to go before the 2009 season gets under way in Melbourne; the Team Principal explained how reliability of the car is now the key area:

"Over the last days I've been in Barcelona to follow the last stages of the test sessions and I've seen a very concentrated and determined team. We're satisfied with the level of our car as far as the performance is concerned but it's obvious that we still have some work to do and that we have to concentrate on its reliability. Last year we saw how important reliability and the smallest details are so we have to work much harder in that direction."

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the Italian - who starts his second season as Team Principal this year - finds it hard to set any expectations: "Like never before, I'm expecting a very difficult season," he said. "Many changes have been introduced as far as the regulations are concerned. When planning the car, we had to start from scratch. In this case time plays an even more important role; both ourselves and our main competitors were working until the last moment on the development of the 2008 cars, so might have a slight advantage compared to those who gave up last year and dedicated themselves and their resources earlier on to a new project, because so many rules have been modified.

"It's more difficult than ever to say anything about the levels of performance on track. Until a couple of days ago there was great equilibrium between the different teams - some expected and some a bit less - and then there was Brawn GP's rollout; their performance was incredibly surprising and they have to be watched with care. We think that we're part of the more competitive teams, but there are still many unknown factors to consider. We'll have to wait for Melbourne to get the answers."

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