Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has called their team’s 2013 car “The Hopeful One” (“La Speranzosa”) after the team’s promising start to the season in Australia.
Fernando Alonso finished second with Felipe Massa in fourth place, putting the team in the lead of the constructors’ championship.
“La Speranzosa?óÔé¼Ôäó is living up to our hopes,” di Montezemolo told the Ferrari website. “We did what we expected to do.”
“We raced a good race, particularly against Red Bull and [Sebastian] Vettel, whom I consider our strongest rival. Our goal was to make it to the podium and we did that.”
“That?óÔé¼Ôäós definitely a positive start to the championship and will be good for the team psychologically: for the mechanics, the technicians and the drivers. It was important to start the season well as that hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót happened in the last two years.”
Montezemolo added his praise for Massa, who started the season closer to Alonso’s pace than he did last year: “I?óÔé¼Ôäóm satisfied with Felipe Massa’s performance ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ he was very fast in qualifying and delivered a brilliant race.
“Fernando Alonso also did very well. He looked motivated and happy to have seen the first good responses to the tests confirmed on the track. So now, it?óÔé¼Ôäós feet back on the ground because there?óÔé¼Ôäós still a lot of work to do.”
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Image ?é?® Ferrari/Ercole Colombo
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
18th March 2013, 17:17
So Ferrari have actually acknowledged their car isn’t rubbish?! Wow.
aka_robyn (@)
18th March 2013, 17:40
Also:
Fernando Alonso did not approve this message! ;-)
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
18th March 2013, 17:41
Could well be the first time in a decade that Montezemolo doesn’t blame anyone…
synapseza (@synapseza)
18th March 2013, 17:49
yet
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
18th March 2013, 18:07
Such a pathetic statement. Little by little Ferrari is acknowledging their past incompetency, they were hopeless since the end of 2008, now they are competently average. Doing okay is a reason for celebration! Mr Ferrari must be turning in his grave, and Montezemolo is suffering from temporary memory loss, dementia or hypocrisy, or all the above.
Enigma (@enigma)
19th March 2013, 9:33
@peartree Or they realise how good they are at strategy, reliability and how efficient Alonso is. Montezemolo knows they can win the title if there’s no car much quicker than theirs.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
18th March 2013, 18:57
Ferrari and Alonso were praising the F2012 midway the season, it wasn’t until Hungary when they once again started to fall behind in development, that they bashed their car again!
Nevertheless, it’s nice to see Ferrari quicker than Red Bull in Melbourne. That’ll give me something to smile about, don’t you agree, @vettel1 ? :-)
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
18th March 2013, 19:55
@kingshark – for sure it’ll give you something to smile about, although he’s got to be a threat to Vettel now though! ;)
Good to see that Alonso has actually recognised Vettel’s a strong rival without mentioning Adrian Newey @aka_robyn!
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
19th March 2013, 0:19
When alonso says Vettel he automatically means Newey. hehe
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
18th March 2013, 17:32
“I’m satisfied with Felipe Massa’s performance – he was very fast in qualifying and delivered a brilliant race.”
Of course he is satisfied, because he didn’t take points from his team mate. If I was Massa, I would better drive for smaller team, than to act as number 2 driver, whose only purpose is to score points for team and take away points from his team mate’s rivals.
matt88 (@matt88)
18th March 2013, 17:42
“La Speranzosa” sounds good, certainly better than “LaFerrari” for the latest supercar.
However, I expect Ferrari to rely not only to hope, but also to some piece of solid engineering to fight for the championship.
brny666
19th March 2013, 0:53
You made me laugh so hard, I can hear it now in my head: “Ferrari – Powered by Hope” lol
Girts (@girts)
18th March 2013, 17:54
I hope that McLaren internally don’t call MP4-28 ‘The Hopeless One’.
MB (@muralibhats)
18th March 2013, 17:59
+28
ak
18th March 2013, 18:01
ha!
Nick (@npf1)
18th March 2013, 18:03
The MP4-24-2?
BasCB (@bascb)
19th March 2013, 8:11
Nah, they “#BelieveInMcLaren” far to much to give up hope @girts
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
18th March 2013, 18:01
Ferrari vs. McLaren
Luc
18th March 2013, 22:36
+ 138
Nick (@npf1)
18th March 2013, 18:01
As a long-time Ferrari fan, a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of recent seasons have left me with a sour taste. Not just because of the lack of championships, but also the constant rampages against the sport, other teams, putting blame on anyone but themselves and their constant firing of people when things don’t work out.
2012 started terribly, but it seemed like they kept their marbles together and worked, rather than blamed. Sure, Luca had some crazy statements, but like someone said above me, it’s a waiting game until Luca makes some crazy statements this season. They didn’t knee-jerk and fired someone and instead kept working, and now they have a car with very good race pace and in the hands of Alonso and a reborn Massa, should be able to get some serious points and perhaps a championship or two.
Last year Ferrari fans hoped against their better judgment, if they keep this pace up, we might be looking at Ferrari’s most solid odds for the championships in years.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
18th March 2013, 18:26
I think they acknowledged that they didn’t had the tools to challenge and dominate championships, in a way they travelled back in time to 1996, when they started their process of renovation within Ferrari. Now Ferrari have been upgrading the wind-tunnel and restructuring several other areas of their factories, they haven’t finished the job but the team is much more focused now as their staff Pat Fry and Tombazis have claimed.
Bendanarama (@bendana)
18th March 2013, 18:13
Which is Ironic, because he also calls Felipe Massa “The Hopeless One.”
Gilles V
18th March 2013, 20:08
Massa is not hopeless. Last year, he was doing research @ developement during Sunday’s race because the lack of testing during the season…
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
19th March 2013, 0:21
haha nice one.
bimo
19th March 2013, 10:28
The Hopeless One vs Cry Baby
Palle (@palle)
19th March 2013, 22:24
Ferrari has something with names as pointed out at sniffpetrol:
http://sniffpetrol.com/2013/03/05/laferrari-is-here/
I almost wetted my pants reading this.
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
18th March 2013, 18:39
The Ferrari is a fast car but i cant see anyone else but Raikkonen winning in Malaysia. maybe i am showing my inexperience here but ss it fair to say that given the lotus pace and easiness on its tyres, Unless it rains, Raikkonen only needs to stay within 20 seconds of the leading care and just make one pitstop to win the race?
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
18th March 2013, 18:39
*Car
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
18th March 2013, 18:40
arrggg *one LESS pitstop.
Akin Aslan (@hamfanatic)
18th March 2013, 19:28
Well I have seen some onboard footage from kimi and that turn in on the lotus is Incredible. The rear end seems to be planted as well, i suspect them to be strong in malaysia. I believe that mercedes will also be strong with their developed suspension trick on a twisty track
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
18th March 2013, 22:21
Well Australia is a soft suspension track with emphasis on front-end grip, different from most tracks, so let’s wait.
Jake (@jleigh)
18th March 2013, 21:35
You might be right, but it’s a bit early to say, particularly considering the unusual conditions in Aus. Lets not forget that in China last year, due to unusual conditions the tyre munching WO3 won by 20 seconds, making one less pits top than most.
Kimi4WDC
18th March 2013, 23:07
Cause Button decided to block faster cars, which they gladly agreed to and destroyed their tyres as result.
Kimi4WDC
18th March 2013, 23:04
You on to something, just compare the gaps from last year. This year’s Australian GP wasn’t even close.
Gabriel (@naylamp)
19th March 2013, 3:22
Nah, Kimi won because Massa and Alonso couldn’t pass Vettel in the first stint. In Malaysia it’s easier to overtake. Massa for the win!
Ivano (@)
19th March 2013, 11:24
Credit to Lotus for chancing a two stop against Ferrari and RB playing safe with three stops. Now though, I’m certain the teams will use Friday practice to test set ups for fewer stops, so it’s still open.
Brace (@brace)
19th March 2013, 23:46
@ivano
I don’t think Ferrari and Red Bull played it safe. You’ll agree that Ferrari and Red Bull are actually very sharp when it comes to strategy.
I just think that it was a best strategy from their point of view. Problem is, Red Bull just didn’t have a pace of Ferrari and Lotus, no matter the strategy, while Ferrari who had a pace was stuck behind slower Red Bull for half a race. Fair play to Lotus though, for having a great car and knowing how to use it.
Palle (@palle)
19th March 2013, 22:18
Malaysia will be very different from this years Australian GP, and the other teams will be prepared for this type of strategy from Lotus, so anything could happen – including very bad weather conditions. But good to see Kimi back on the top the podium. I expect RBR to be stronger in the race in Malaysia, compared to Aus.
Herman (@)
18th March 2013, 19:33
Ferrari if they fail to win any championships:
You were the hopeful one! It was said that you would help us win championships, not lose them! You were to bring balance to Ferrari, not leave them in darkness!
brny666
19th March 2013, 0:57
You overestimate my power!!
MrGuy037 (@mrguy037)
18th March 2013, 21:42
Are they maybe in a good enough mood to let McLaren “borrow” internal documents about pushrod suspension?
Kimi4WDC
18th March 2013, 23:03
He is just digging a hole now, they not going to win and now he got one less excuse. Ferrari not going to win that Championship until LdM steps away from F1 team.
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
19th March 2013, 16:20
@kimi4WDC: I like your username. Here’s hoping for the same. :)
Ivano (@)
19th March 2013, 10:48
I believe Luca has done a fantastic job at Ferrari. He’s resurrected the F1 team twice, first in the 70’s, then with the rebuild around Schumacher, and has turned it into a profitting business, eventhough I don’t agree with Dubai world. So for me, what he says in his picky and swaying rule, means he knows whats he’s doing for the final objective.
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
19th March 2013, 16:19
Yes he really has. He was there when Kimi was driving too and that was a good stint. :)
Aish Heydrich (@aish)
19th March 2013, 16:21
Sorry, @ivano. ^