Ferrari chief hails Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massas perfect start to Formula One season
Date published : 15 Mar 2010 - 12:27:28
Fernando Alonso profited from a late spark plug failure in Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull to lead team mate Felipe Massa home and bury memories of a truly shocking 2009 Formula One season.
The Scuderia won just one race all season courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen at Spa and decided early in the summer to devote resources to building a better car for 2010.
Related ArticlesFernando Alonso wins the Bahrain Grand PrixAlonso wins on Ferrari debutMcLaren bemoan lack of overtakingAlonso hails 'special day' for FerrariDavid Coulthard's guide to BahrainVettel's fate sparks warning to F1That gamble paid off in the desert kingdom of Bahrain where the F10 looked ominously strong. And Domenicali, who survived calls for his head last season, admitted the weekend amounted to a huge psychological boost.
"Yes, absolutely, this was a very important race for all of us in the team,' he said. "After a difficult season like last year, and after a very difficult decision that we had to take last year, everyone was ready with the gun to fire.
"But that is part of the game. This is the reason why I have to take certain responsibility. It is good because it shows that the decision was right.
"I have to thank all the people at home who worked very hard, they were staying together, because it is easy when you have a very bad season.
"Everyone says you have bad people and it was better in a different period. But that is life. We know that. So the only way to react is to come back with results."
The Ferrari chief warned that one win was hardly reason enough to crack open the champagne and said the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes were all capable of bouncing back.
"For us, the important thing is to see that the car we had here in Bahrain has given us a good base for the future. It is a very, very long season this year and we want to stay with our feet on the ground - I expect all the other teams to be aggressive and competitive."
Domenicali added that it was too soon to identify who are likely to emerge as Ferrari's main rivals in this year's title race.
"I think it is best to respect all the other teams. Red Bull Racing and McLaren are very strong. Now we have to see which teams can develop quickly and bring in new parts."
