Domenicali: “Alonso is the Number 1 in Formula 1 today”

Late tonight, Fernando Alonso will arrive in Madonna di Campiglio where tomorrow he will take part in the second day of Wrooom Summer 2011, but his name already came up today as the media met with Stefano Domenicali. “For me, Fernando is the Number 1 driver in Formula 1 at the moment,” said the Scuderia Team Principal. “I see a lot of similarities with Michael Schumacher, a driver who made his mark on our history. In fact, in some areas Fernando is even better, for example when I think of the speed with which he integrated himself into the team and the way he became its leader. In this he was much quicker than Michael who took a while to do that.”

Alongside Fernando, Felipe Massa is well used to facing a barrage of criticism, but for the umpteenth time, Domenicali stressed the total confidence that Ferrari has in its Brazilian driver. “I have seen that he was clearly on the up in the last three races and I am sure he will do very well in the second part of the year. Felipe has to stay calm and make the most of his talents, of which there are many: he is a very quick driver over a single lap, but maybe he needs to improve a bit in terms of his consistency in the races. It is definitely not easy being paired with someone like Fernando, but that should be a motivation for him not an excuse. For us, it is vital for Felipe to be on top of his game, given that for at least another year and a half, he is one of our drivers.”

Still on the subject of drivers, Domenicali was asked for his opinion of Hamilton and how he would shape up alongside Fernando, given some recent comments from the Englishman. “I am pleased he said never say never on the subject of Ferrari, in fact it is logical that everyone aspires to come to Maranello sooner or later, given what we represent in the history of this sport. Having said that, I don’t think the question will arise, neither in the short nor in the long term. For the Ferrari of the future, I believe the right combination is to have one well established driver with great experience, alongside a talented youngster on the way up. I do not think that, with the pressure we are under, we can consider having two youngsters in the team at the same time.”