Q. What happened to Felipe Massa in the last laps of the race? Stefano Domenicali: Unfortunately we had a problem, and we saw it at the last stop. Some of the fuel did not go into the tank. We don't know yet what is the real problem, and if it is connected to the tank itself. We are checking it now, and we already had a short second stint because we planned to have a longer one because we saw we were going very well. Then the problem occurred again on the second stop. When we had the possibility to check the situation, we tried to see if it was possible to change the refuelling rig and come back in, or stay out. And it seems it was the best solution to do that and complete the last laps. Q. Felipe says that the step forward in the car this weekend has given you fresh optimism about your chances of fighting for the win, but he thinks you can forget about the championship as Brawn GP is too far ahead. Do you share those sentiments? SD: Well, I think first of all we want to see things in house. We need to make sure that what we are doing is the maximum level that we can do. So as soon as we are ready, hopefully very, very soon, at all levels performance, reliability and management and so on, then we need to look ahead and see where we are. For sure they [Brawn] are very reliable and very quick, and the situation for us is the opposite. So I said, on our side we will try and do the best and then we will see. Q. What do you have to do because you have trouble with strategy and trouble with the car? SD: I think that we need to rely on our people to make sure they will do a step in their performance. It is easy to say to people - go home! Then, what do you do? You don't improve the situation for that, so we have to be very rational now. We need to put all the problems one behind the other, because for sure the problems up to now are not acceptable. Q. Looking at the fuel weights from Saturday, Felipe should have gone in the first stint much longer than the Brawns. Why did he come in so early? SD: I think that there is an interesting point to see what is the situation with the fuel consumption. It could be an interesting element for the future. I would say, that is it. Q. While on the one hand you had a good weekend with a huge step on the performance side, when you look at the mistakes and things that happened, and compare it to the days when Ferrari gave nothing away, does it cause you some pain? And how do you rally the team against it? SD: There is a lot of pain. I would be dishonest if I didn't say there is a lot of pain, because that is the thing that I have now. It is important that, once again, we need to make sure that the people who have the responsibility in all the areas do the maximum job we can do. I am here to keep the pressure on them, but of course I need the people to work and react very hard to take responsibility because otherwise it will be difficult. For sure, looking back, it should be a target to reach back at that level as soon as possible. Q. Talking about the mistakes and the problems, do you worry about your own position in the team? SD: To be honest with you, that is not really the problem. If that was the problem by the fact that I could be available for everything and the situation would improve, then a company guy who has worked for Ferrari for 20 years, I would be the first to do it. To be honest I don't think that is the point to make sure we are able to go back to our standard level. Q. For many years Ferrari was the reference point in F1, but now there are mistake. Why do these things happen this year? SD: Well, I think for sure unfortunately we had a problem with reliability in other years. If you look back in the past, that was really the biggest problem and in the past decades we were not able to solve 100 percent. We unfortunately had a lot of experience on that, and it is something that really, really we need to do something. It has been a long term problem and we have not been able to solve it. For sure on the other side, and managing the tactics. This is something that, with all respect, we are not at the level that we should be. We need to investigate the people, and we need to rely on the people that have that responsibility. This is something that we need to improve. Q. What are the reasons for the change? SD: I think that it is difficult to say that there is only one reason, because otherwise the others are God and the other people are not correct. There are reasons, but it is not only because you have in mind that there is only one person who was taking a decision. Q. On the fuel thing, you seem to be suggesting that the engine is thirsty? SD: I don't know, to be honest, we need to see. Looking at the weight of the car, it seems it can be a factor with fuel consumption and driving style. For sure we need to understand that. Q. Several teams this weekend, some in private and some in public, have said they will not enter the 2010 world championship unless there are significant changes to what is on the table. What is Ferrari's position on this? SD: This weekend, I had other problems that took place. For sure as you know we are trying to find a solution because this situation with the actual regulations is something that we do not think is the right way to go. We want to find a solution. Q. Was it a new fuel machine with Felipe? SD: No. We need to understand what is the problem, we don't know yet. Q. Can you explain what happened to Kimi? SD: Not yet. It seemed to be an hydraulic problem but they don't know yet the reason for that. They are just looking in the garage to try and find out. Q. The race pace seemed to be quite good today. How much confidence do you get from that? SD: I think that is for sure the best and the only positive aspect. It is very significant for this weekend. I would say that Felipe was fighting for the podium today if he did not have the problems he had. This is something we need to keep from this negative moment as a positive point to step back for when we are preparing to go to Monte Carlo.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the only positive the Italian squad can extract from the Spanish Grand Prix is the improved speed of its car. The Maranello-based outfit continued with its shaky start to the season in Barcelona, where Kimi Raikkonen retired with mechanical problems and team-mate Felipe Massa finished in sixth place after he was forced to slow down in order to save fuel following an issue during his last pitstop. Despite its problems, Ferrari showed improved form since the last race in Bahrain thanks to the introduction of a major upgrade package. Domenicali admitted that was the only positive point of the weekend. "I think that is for sure the best and the only positive aspect," said Domenicali. "It is very significant for this weekend. I would say that Felipe was fighting for the podium today if he did not have the problems he had. "This is something we need to keep from this negative moment as a positive point to step back for when we are preparing to go to Monte Carlo." The Italian, whose team has scored just six points in five races, conceded the current situation is painful for Ferrari. "There is a lot of pain," he said. "I would be dishonest if I didn't say there is a lot of pain, because that is the thing that I have now. It is important that, once again, we need to make sure that the people who have the responsibility in all the areas do the maximum job we can do. "I am here to keep the pressure on them, but of course I need the people to work and react very hard to take responsibility because otherwise it will be difficult. For sure, looking back, it should be a target to reach back at that level as soon as possible." Domenicali was cautious when answering questions about Massa's comments that the championship is over both for him and his team. "Well, I think first of all we want to see things in house," Domenicali added. "We need to make sure that what we are doing is the maximum level that we can do. So as soon as we are ready, hopefully very, very soon, at all levels performance, reliability and management and so on, then we need to look ahead and see where we are. "For sure they [Brawn] are very reliable and very quick, and the situation for us is the opposite. So I said, on our side we will try and do the best and then we will see."
