Maranello - The only positive thing from the Singapore weekend was that we both finished the race without any reliability problems. As far as the performance was concerned we were a bit in trouble as of the start of the weekend. As I’ve said many times before it’s impossible to predict anything before the start of the race weekend. We already understood on Friday in Singapor that it would be tough for us.
The car was very nervous and we didn’t have any grip at all.
In the end the situation gets more and more difficult. We stopped the car’s development quite some time ago, while there are other teams, who, for one reason or the other, improve their cars. Considering that the last two races were held on special circuits it was predictable that on a track with such a high downforce like the one in Singapore the improvements the others brought had a bigger impact. After the qualifying we knew that also the smallest goal, reaching the points, was something hard to achieve. We went for the hard compound for the first two thirds of the race, but the car didn’t have any grip. The situation was slightly better with the soft compound, but then it was too late and I don’t think that we could have gained more than one point.
Now we’re going back to Suzuka, where I drove a Ferrari for the first time. In Fuji I went onto the podium twice, but this one here is a different track: it’s very fast and demanding. I had one of my nicest wins there in 2005: I started from the back and took over the lead in the end. It’s a very demanding track for us drivers. The realistic goal is to reach a place in the points. We’ll give our best, but it will be difficult; as difficult as to defend our third position in the Constructors’ standings with McLaren catching up.
Maranello - I’m glad we’re going to Singapore. It’s a fantastic city, I like the food and I don’t mind that we race in the evening. Furthermore it’s another city circuit and the slower the circuits are this year the better we were, just look at Valencia and Monaco: there’s no reason, why it shouldn’t be the same in Singapore.
I still have a score to settle with this race. Last year, at the end of the race, I drove into a wall, when I was fighting for the fourth position against Glock. I really don’t like that memory. The first night race was great for all of us. Besides some parts of the run-off area the whole track is perfectly illuminated. There’s no difference to daylight. As on all tracks like this overtaking is almost impossible. The KERS will be an advantage, but it won’t make the difference like it did in Spa or in Monza.
If it’s true that the F60 is more competitive on slow tracks, than it’s also true that the other teams will show up with improvements; that’s why it will be more difficult for us. We have to try to use the package we have the best way possible and we need to find the best set up. If we attain perfection than we can fight for a place on the podium. This is our goal. We gained a place on the podium five times in a row and as of the race at the Nürburgring I gained the same number of points as the leaders in the standings. Let’s hope we can proceed like this until the end of the season. It would be great keeping the third place in the Constructors’ Championship, but it will be very difficult, too. Over the last four Grands Prix we had only one car in the points, but now we also need the second car’s contribution. I’m sure that thanks to his experience Giancarlo can make it.
I think that out of the four remaining races the one in Singapore suits Ferrari the best. If we want to win we need to be more than perfect and need a little bit of luck. But after the win in Spa it would be fantastic to have this feeling once again.
Monza - Before we arrived at the Italian GP I said that a place on the podium was our goal and that for reaching it we’d have to do everything 100 percent. My forecast was correct: we got out the car’s potential and me made it. The qualifying went very well. The
F60 was set up well and the KERS was lots of help: in Q3 I had one of the best laps this season and I was very happy. Third on the grid was very important for a good result. We knew that many had opted for a one-stop strategy. The difference between the two strategies is extremely small on this track and those who didn’t use the KERS had a valid option with the one-stop strategy.
I had a very good start, but because Hamilton wasn’t as fast I had to lift my foot and move to the left, where I touched the grass with two wheels. I managed to pass Sutil and that was the decisive move so that I was able to fight for the podium. We didn’t make any mistakes for the whole race: it was a piece of luck that we gained the third place, but in the end it’s the result that counts. It was a perfect weekend, because we couldn’t have done any better.
I’m really happy for another place on the podium, especially because we gained it in front of the numerous Ferrari fans: when you see all the flags of the Prancing Horse in the wind you understand how much passion there is. That was a great feeling for me.
The Brawns seem to be there again, fighting for the title, while Red Bull’s situation is more complicated. Webber and Vettel won’t give up, but they have to hope that the two Brawns will have some problems if they want to catch up. My goal is to help the Team keeping the third position in the Constructors’ standings and gaining as many points as possible.
The next race will be held in Singapore, where I didn’t finish the race last year. Nevertheless it’s a place I really like a lot. We have to do the same we did in Monza: trying to get the best out of the F60 and gaining a place on the podium for the fifth time in a row. The more the championship proceeds the more difficult it is for us, because the others continue developing their cars, while we don’t have any innovations coming up anymore.
These are very intense weeks: after the two consecutive races in Valencia and Spa now there is Monza on the calendar, this year's last race in Europe. In Belgium we won and we want to go on like this in the last races, trying to stay on the podium. It's one of the most important GPs of the year, because we race in front of our fans and it would be great to give them satisfaction. The success at Spa was very important for the team: I could see the guys in front of the podium and understood how much this victory meant for them, especially in such a difficult season. It was great for me to listen to the Finnish and the Italian national anthems after such a long time. And it would be excellent to repeat it until the end of the season. Racing in Monza in front of our fans with all the Prancing Horse flags in the wind is a fantastic feeling. I've never won a race in Italy, but I always liked racing at Monza. For me there's no extra pressure, but I know how much the team wants to have a great race here.
The track is the fastest of the season and the KERS should help us just like in Spa. You need to use the kerbs well and this wasn't the strong point of our cars over the last years. We'll see what will happen as of Friday. We didn't do the usual test on the track so it's difficult to say because the cars haven't used this aerodynamic set up so far. I'll have a new teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella. I always got along very well with him. He's one of the most expert drivers and we will give our best to help Ferrari keep the third place in the Constructors' Championship. The performance levels changed from one race to the next this year. There are team like us who stopped developing the car and others making pressure, because there are still several goals to reach. Looking back I'm happy because I'm the driver who gained the most points over the last races (25): who would have said that after such a start of the season?
It will be a difficult weekend, but I can promise the fans that we will give our best as usual.
Maranello - I really like to win and I love the Spa circuit. It was great coming back to win here at this track. After such a difficult season my goal was to gain at least one success with this car and we did it. This is definitely the most beautiful moment of the year!
The F60 wasn’t easy to drive with an empty tank, so after Q1 I though it might be difficult to get into Q3. But in Q2 I managed to drive a good lap qualifying myself for the next round. I drove well in Q3, but as the cars were all pretty close I couldn’t do better than position six on the grid. Saturday afternoon I had a really good feeling: I knew that I could fight for the win. Naturally the KERS helped us a lot at the start and when the safety car came in. That doesn’t change the victory’s value, but we enjoyed the first success with this car using the KERS.
I knew that the start would be crucial. Barrichello had a very slow start, which didn’t help me, but I managed to come out of the Source in third position and I was right behind Kubica at the Eau Rouge. Then I overtook him, but I took the first right-hand corner after the main straight too wide, holding second position. Then the safety car helped us. At the restart we knew that it would be crucial to keep the tyres and the brakes at the right temperature to attack Fisichella while exploiting the KERS. There was a moment when we were really close to colliding during the overtaking manoeuvre, but I could hold my line on the track. Once I had passed him and I was in the lead I knew that the main part had been done. We had more or less the same fuel loads and although he was very fast there weren’t any possibilities for him to attack me. Maybe it would have been easier if we’d had different types of tyres, but we crossed the line first. It was great listening to the Finnish national anthem on the podium again! I came very close to a win many times last year, but for some reason or another I couldn’t make it.
I’ll give my best to gain as many points as possible in the remaining GPs. It won’t be easy, because the other teams will show up with further developments, while we “froze” the F60, concentrating on the project for 2010. We have to try to give our best with what we have, trying to fight for a place on the podium. We’re very happy for our fans, who finally had a reason to celebrate. There’s no better way to arrive in Monza. I know that I’m repeating myself, but I want to say it again: it won’t be easy, but we’ll give our best to be on the podium again.