Formula One news
No hasty conclusions, says Domenicali
27 March 2009 / Results / PhotosFerrari experienced a slightly low-key start to their season, with Massa and Räikkönen tenth and eleventh in Friday's second practice session in Australia. Both drivers experienced a number of off-track excursions on their way to times which were a second slower than the leading pace from Nico Rosberg, although Team Principal Stafano Domenicali is warning onlookers not to jump to conclusions.
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| 'Early performance not a true indicator' - Domenicalli |
"The first signs seem to support what we saw during winter testing," Domenicali, who starts his second season as Team Principal in 2009, confirmed. "We did a lot of kilometres, pretty much completing the planned programme, and now have to carefully study all of the data gathered. The most important thing which catches the eye today concerns tyre management which, like never before, seems rather delicate: the softer tyres seem to degrade considerably over a distance, while the harder ones suffer from a lack of grip." The Italian's comments reflect the fact that Bridgestone is using non-consecutive tyre compounds in 2009, meaning a greater change in performace between the harder and softer options available.
Although both drivers found themselves on the grass at times, Massa suffered a particularly big moment towards the end of the session, almost hitting the wall between Turns 14 and 15 and taking Michael Schumacher by surprise on the pit wall. "Towards the end of the session the wind got up a bit, which definitely did not help," the Paulista admitted.
"The car went well," Kimi Räikkönen reported. "We didn't manage to find a satisfactory setup, even though we tried various solutions. I think there is every chance we can improve our performance, but I can't say by how much compared to the others."
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