Ferarri have expressed their relief after finally realising their true potential in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend – as Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen blitzed all comers in the battle for the top spot.
Indeed, the session turned into something of a scarlet demonstration as no one proved able to hold a candle to the reigning constructors' world champions, who had comfortably locked out the front row well before the chequered flag dropped. Contrary to expectations, however, it was Massa who made the running rather than team-mate Raikkonen, with the Brazilian producing a lap almost half a second quicker than anyone else could manage right towards the end to drive home his supremacy.
“I am very happy!” enthused the man who also took pole in Sepang last year, only to almost immediately relinquish his advantage on the opening lap and then go on to run off-piste whilst endeavouring to pass Lewis Hamilton. “In the final part of qualifying, I managed to put together two really good laps after struggling a bit in Q2. Right at the end there were a few drops of rain, but it had no effect whatsoever on the performance.
“It is very important to start from the front, and I hope I can have a good race. We know our car is very competitive over a long run, but it is also clear we face a long, tough race. All the same, we can only be confident about tomorrow.”
Defending world champion Raikkonen blamed tyre woes for the gap that separated the two Ferrari drivers on the final timing screens, and insisted that – come rain or shine – he was confident of a far better result on Sunday than was the case in the season-opener in Melbourne.
“Of course, I would prefer to have taken pole,” the Finn reflected, “but second place is definitely not bad and I am happy that the team got the best result possible. In Q3 I was not able to get the tyres to work as well as possible, especially on my second run, after having had a good lap in Q2.
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Indeed, the session turned into something of a scarlet demonstration as no one proved able to hold a candle to the reigning constructors' world champions, who had comfortably locked out the front row well before the chequered flag dropped. Contrary to expectations, however, it was Massa who made the running rather than team-mate Raikkonen, with the Brazilian producing a lap almost half a second quicker than anyone else could manage right towards the end to drive home his supremacy.
“I am very happy!” enthused the man who also took pole in Sepang last year, only to almost immediately relinquish his advantage on the opening lap and then go on to run off-piste whilst endeavouring to pass Lewis Hamilton. “In the final part of qualifying, I managed to put together two really good laps after struggling a bit in Q2. Right at the end there were a few drops of rain, but it had no effect whatsoever on the performance.
“It is very important to start from the front, and I hope I can have a good race. We know our car is very competitive over a long run, but it is also clear we face a long, tough race. All the same, we can only be confident about tomorrow.”
Defending world champion Raikkonen blamed tyre woes for the gap that separated the two Ferrari drivers on the final timing screens, and insisted that – come rain or shine – he was confident of a far better result on Sunday than was the case in the season-opener in Melbourne.
“Of course, I would prefer to have taken pole,” the Finn reflected, “but second place is definitely not bad and I am happy that the team got the best result possible. In Q3 I was not able to get the tyres to work as well as possible, especially on my second run, after having had a good lap in Q2.
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