Team Ferrari: We made "Blunders"

FERRARI chief Stefano Domenicali has admitted the team made THREE blunders that cost Fernando Alonso the world title. And in a crushing confession, he said of the Abu Dhabi finale: "It was probably our worst race of the season.

"Ferrari's main mistake was obvious. In covering championship rival Mark Webber's early pit stop, they forgot about the challenge being mounted by runaway race leader Sebastian Vettel. But team principal Domenicali added: "We were also unduly concerned about the wear rate of the soft tyres and we did not take into consideration the difficulty of getting past other cars on the track."The flawed strategy left Alonso mired in midfield and unable to get by a line of cars ahead of him. He eventually finished seventh as Vettel, who pitted much later after a long run on soft tyres, sailed to victory and the world championship. Domenicali said: "There is great sadness at the moment, because to come so close to our goal and to see it slip away for just a few points really hurts."Alonso preferred to look to the future rather than dwell on the catastrophic cock-ups.

The Spaniard said: "This is still a great season. There have been some very intense months and I found myself in a team that has an amazing atmosphere."Now there is some sadness but I am sure with a clear head we will begin to appreciate better what we have achieved."We have to continue like that, staying united, determined, and we have to face next year with the same will to win."Ferrari's devastated president Luca di Montezemolo refused to admonish Domenicali and his pit-wall lieutenants. He said: "Our morale is low after the conclusion to this season, but that's sport."We had everything in place to win the title with Fernando but things did not go our way."All the same, I want to publicly thank the team for being capable of getting to the final round still in the fight for the drivers' title, and for staging a comeback which in July almost everyone considered an impossible task."Domenicali has done a great job, keeping the team united at all times, even in the toughest moments."It will take us a little while to get over this disappointment but we have to keep our heads up and be proud of what we have done.

















stefano domenicali

Read more »

Seb Vet Hai for Red Bull Racing next season

NEW world champion Sebastian Vettel has no interest in driving for Formula One's 'mythical' teams Ferrari and Mercedes — at least for the time being. The 23-year-old German insists a team's history and reputation is not enough to attract him.

And he remains fully committed to the Red Bull squad that helped him to the title — as it is his best hope of winning another. Vettel said: "Michael Schumacher told me that special moments can be experienced driving for Ferrari or for Mercedes. "Both brands are the past, the present and almost certainly the future of Formula One."Every driver secretly dreams of Ferrari or Mercedes. However, whether you go there someday depends on many factors. And everything has to fit together — the myth is not enough."But that's far, far away. Next, I will defend the title with Red Bull. We have something that in F1 is crucial for success — the right people in the right place."Writing in Germany's Bild newspaper, Vettel also played down talk he could go on to beat Schumacher's F1 records.He said: "Now I know how difficult and stressful it is to win a title. And Michael has done it seven times!"But I do not drive in F1 in order to break Michael's records. You cannot compare my life and career with his. He is a legend and I am just getting started.


















vettel

Read more »

Schumacher not in the Top 50 Legends of 2010

Motorsport experts at Britain's leading racing magazine have delivered an astonishing snub to Michael Schumacher by failing to include him in their top FIFTY drivers of 2010. And they declared bluntly: "It's for the quite basic reason that he wasn't very good. "The annual assessment in Autosport covers drivers from major international categories and is based on their results, experience, the quality of their equipment and the level of opposition.

Schumacher — ninth in the world championship for Mercedes GP — simply did not figure in the calculations. The magazine's editor Andrew van de Burgt explained: "He didn't make a single visit to the podium and didn't really do any of the stuff we expected from him. "Coupled with that, his comeback was easily the most hyped and eagerly anticipated I can remember. The expectations were so great and the results so disappointing. "If there had been just one race where you thought Schumacher was exceptional that may well have been enough to get him into the top 50.

But I can't think of that one performance. "Van de Burgt said what "really did" for Schuey was the performance of his Merc team-mate Nico Rosberg, rated at No12 in the list.He added: "Rosberg more than had the measure of Schumacher. And what we have seen in the past suggests Rosberg is a very good driver but maybe not a great one. "So to be so comprehensively beaten by him didn't really show Schumacher in a great light. "The Autosport experts did not buy Schuey's argument that Bridgestone's Formula One tyres did not suit his driving style.Van de Burgt said: "The tyres are the same for everyone and a driver who has won 91 Grands Prix and seven world championships has got to adapt."Although Schumacher did not make the top 50, drivers such as Virgin's Timo Glock — a mere 25th in the world championship — were included. Van de Burgt said: "Glock drives for a team that didn't have much in the way of resources but got some pretty decent performances out of that car in a way you didn't see Schumacher doing."But the editor accepted Schuey showed "a few little hints" of renewed promise in the final few races of the season.And he conceded the German, who will be 42 next month, is "wily and experienced enough" to win a Grand Prix in 2011 if Mercedes come up with a great car.However, when it came to this year's Top 50, he said that for Schumacher, it was "close but no cigar".




















Schumacher

Read more »

Vettel: Kimi Raikkonen was my Inspiration

Sebastian Vettel has revealed Kimi Raikkonen was the inspiration behind his brilliant charge to the world title. The new champ said he faced a similar situation to that confronting Raikkonen three years ago.

Then, the Finn trailed championship favourite Lewis Hamilton by 17 points heading into the last two races, with only 20 up for grabs under the old scoring system. But he put his head down to win both and take the crown as Hamilton faltered. This year Vettel was a hefty 25 points behind Fernando Alonso with two races to go and 50 points on the table. But, like Raikkonen, he won both to snatch the title at the last gasp.

Vettel said: "Prior to the race in Abu Dhabi I was thinking about Kimi's situation. "Whether you like Kimi or not - some people do, some people don't — but I faced a little bit of a similar situation. "Obviously we were in a stronger position in terms of how many points were missing. But if you know Kimi, you know the one big advantage he has is that he just does his own thing, which was my target all weekend long."What he achieved three years ago was very special because no one thought it was possible. "He proved us wrong. But the circumstances were special, the same as with me."However, Vettel will doubtless be hoping his career path will not follow Raikkonen's for too long. The crash-prone Finn has had an abysmal year in the World Rally Championship after quitting Formula One.
















Vettel

Read more »