Ferrari boss Jean Todt is pleased with his team’s Silverstone results however he has said his team must continue to work hard so they get on top of the reliability problems.
Ferrari were looking for two podiums last weekend however their hopes were shattered before the race began as Massa stalled on the grid just after the formation lap, leaving him to start from the pit lane. It was the third reliability problem that had hit the team so far this season – in Australia, Massa had a gearbox problem with left him 16th on the grid, and Raikkonen was forced to retire in Spain after having alternator problems.
Todt acknowledges that the problem over the weekend had nothing to do with Massa. “We are really pleased for Kimi’s result and sorry that Felipe’s car had a technical problem that prevented him from being at the front,” Todt began. “This year, we have cars that are generally competitive given that we have won five Grand Prixs out of nine, but in terms of reliability, we are behing and this is reflected in the overall standings.
“I always say we have got two great drivers but we have to give them a good car. Sometimes, we don’t give them a good car, sometimes, like today, we didn’t give them a reliable enough car and we pay the consequences.”
Despite starting from the pitlane, Massa drove a good race, finishing in fifth place. “All things considered, I am happy with what I achieved today,” Massa remarked. “Sometimes everything goes your way and other times, unexpected things shatter all your plans and you have to try and make the best of the situation. I am disappointed to have lost points in the classification but that’s life.”
