15°c Overcast
11°c Cloudy with clear breaks
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Ferrari upbeat for 2013 after strongest F1 season start in 3 years at Australian GP
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain reacts during the post-race press conference of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 17, 2013. Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland won the race ahead of Alonso and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel of Germany. (AP Photo/John Donegan)
MELBOURNE, Australia - With Fernando Alonso claiming second place at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday and fourth-placed Felipe Massa declaring himself back to his best, Ferrari had reason to celebrate its best start to a Formula One season in several years.
The Ferrari drivers outraced the qualifying pacesetters Red Bull to show they will be hard to beat for the 2013 championship.
"I am extremely happy," Alonso said. "We had an extremely difficult start to the season two years ago and last year, and this year is very different. We are very optimistic and have an interesting season ahead."
Ferrari had lacklustre season starts the past two years, with Alonso fourth and Massa seventh in 2011 and a fifth place for Alonso last year, while Massa spun out and failed to finish.
Massa, who came so close to winning the 2008 championship before his form declined following a serious accident in 2009, was back to his best in the closing races last season.
His performance Sunday indicated he had carried that improvement into the new campaign, and said he could have finished on the podium on Sunday if not for his three-stop tire change strategy, compared to two stops for race-winner Raikkonen.
"That was the biggest problem of my race. I wanted to stay on the track," the Brazilian said. "It feels a little too early when they (called me) to stop ... Both cars overtook me and then I was always behind these cars.
"Apart from this the race was good. It was positive. Even if I finished fourth, it's positive for the rest of the season, looking at how we finished last season," he said. "It was a good start for the championship."
Two-time world champion Alonso was thrilled to have outpaced the Red Bulls although a little concerned at the speed of race winner Kimi Raikkonen and the fact the Lotus was far gentler on its tires than the Ferraris, allowing it to make two stops compared to three for most other leading runners.
"It is a worry, yes," he said about the pitstop differential. "Lotus did a very good job and Kimi was driving fantastically and could do two stops. So we have to analyze it. We have only four days to the next race and we have tough opponents."
More Auto Racing
- Back to Top
- Return to Auto Racing
More Auto Racing
(1 of 17 articles for today)
Next victory for Dario Franchitti will be a milestone, especially if it comes at Indianapolis
3:11 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Auto Racing
- Patrick feels for naked celeb Andrews
- F1 leader Sebastian Vettel under pressure to win Monaco pole with Kimi Raikkonen lurking
- Rosberg takes pole position for Monaco GP ahead of Mercedes teammate Hamilton
- Montoya had victory in sight at Richmond when a late caution added to season-long woes
- Ryan Briscoe, 7 Indy 500 stars on his resume, eager for more than a just a top 5 finish
- Despite big crashes, Sergio Perez says aggression is the only way to tackle Monaco GP
- Denny Hamlin takes Coca-Cola 600 pole with record qualifying lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- McLaren F1 team principal Whitmarsh concedes expectations too high this season
- NASCAR goes to group qualifying for Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma and Watkins Glen
- Sergio Perez clears the air with McLaren teammate Jenson Button after Bahrain GP crashes
- Patrick feels for naked celeb Andrews
- Jimmie Johnson gets record All-Star race win then shrugs off his haters
- Jimmie Johnson uses fast last pit stop for record 4th Sprint All-Star win
- Michel Jourdain Jr. lone driver to fail to make Indy 500 field during Bump Day
- IN THE PITS: AJ Allmendinger doesn't question his 2nd chance with Roger Penske
- Young American racing stars quickly put cars in Indianapolis 500 field on Bump Day
- IndyCar penalizes Ganassi, Rahal teams for rules violations
- Denny Hamlin takes Coca-Cola 600 pole with record qualifying lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Race track owner revs mouth
- Indianapolis 500 will start with full 33-car field after 1st 9 drivers qualify
- Perfect conditions help NASCAR drivers reach upward of 214 mph during tire test at Indy
- This story starting to get old
- Hot-heads Stewart and Kurt Busch get physical in wild green-white-checker finish at Richmond
- Patrick feels for naked celeb Andrews
- American Ryan Hunter-Reay wins pole position for IndyCar's Sao Paulo 300
- Jennifer Jo Cobb feels 'in danger' racing against Mike Harmon Friday night after his arrest
- Neel Jani takes ALMS pole at Long Beach for Rebellion Racing
- Police arrest 2 Richard Childress Racing crew members following post-race brawl at track
- NASCAR suspends RCR crew members for fighting with Nelson Piquet Jr. after Richmond race
- No telling if NASCAR will fine Ryan Newman for comments after crash at Talladega
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.