Rumors in the German press, that Ferrari also test Pirelli tyres, but with a car from 2011. Its allowed, to test with an old car, but only with tyres, that are not current. But Ferrari used the current tyres. http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/news ... 52803.html
From what I understand about the Ferrari test: they followed the proper rules for pirelli's FIA granted in-season testing: 2011 car, test driver and the use of "unspecified" Pirelli tyres. And the event was run by Pirelli. That is another key aspect that is in question regarding the Mercedes test
Zitat David Coulthard column: Ferrari must improve or risk losing Alonso By David Coulthard BBC F1 co-commentator
Sebastian Vettel has taken a lot of impressive grand prix victories in his time and the one in Germany on Sunday was right up there among them.
It was a win that owed a lot to track position, which he earned by qualifying second to Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes and making a good start.
There's no question that, had one of the Lotus cars got past him, Vettel would have found it difficult to win. But he controlled the race extremely well and fully deserved it.
People forget it because of the amount of success he has had, but a lot of Vettel's victories have been by small margins, although not many by as small as on Sunday.
He tends to manage his races, pushing the car only as far as he needs to do. This was a bit different. He was managing the race, certainly, but the pressure he was under was greater than it usually is.
The first time Red Bull would have known for sure that Vettel was going to win that race was when he exited the last corner. It was that close.
You could see in his eyes after the race how much it meant to Vettel, and how much he had enjoyed the close, tough battle. Continue reading the main story
I continue to be impressed by Vettel, and that's not because I have a historical relationship with him through Red Bull Racing. I continue to be impressed by Fernando Alonso, too, for example.
Vettel is doing a fantastic job this year and if he carries on like this it's hard to see how anyone will prevent him winning a fourth world title.
This is a tough time for Lewis Hamilton. It's very hard for us as broadcasters to explain why Mercedes are the kings of qualifying but just can't seem to get it together in the race, with one or two exceptions.
The team themselves admit they don't understand it - so there's no way we can say what's going on.
Hamilton was obviously frustrated after the race, and it's good that he doesn't hide it. He clearly doesn't like the way these tyres work, and he's not afraid to say it.
It doesn't make things easy for his PR handlers, but it's right that he is open and honest about his feelings on that subject.
It was very clear from the start of the race that Hamilton was in trouble - he only just managed to hold off the two Lotus cars in the first few laps and it was no surprise when Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean emerged as Vettel's main contenders for victory.
The hotter it is, the better it seems to be for Lotus, and Grosjean finally produced the race weekend he desperately needed to.
I have been critical of him in the past, and rightly so, but we have always known the speed is there. His problem has been harnessing it on a consistent basis and not bouncing off things.
Grosjean seemed to have himself more under control in Germany, and yet the speed was there, too. It's combining those things he has struggled with so often.
There was an illuminating moment in the interview we did with him on the BBC after qualifying. Suzi Perry asked him how he was going to get it together to have a strong weekend and he said it was just a question of believing in himself.
It sounded like the sort of thing a psychologist would say, but the way Grosjean said it meant it sounded like it was from the heart, rather than just like he had been told to say it.
Maybe that's the key for him - sourcing that self-belief. If he can keep driving like he did in Germany, his day will come.
It was Grosjean who was Vettel's main challenger for much of the race.
He got ahead of Raikkonen thanks to an impressively long first stint on the fragile 'soft' tyre, and it was only the team's decision to throw the dice with Raikkonen at the end of the race, running him on a short final stint on the 'soft' tyres, that meant Grosjean lost second place.
It was a tough decision for him to be told to make way for Raikkonen so the Finn could have a go at overtaking Vettel, but everyone understands why it was made.
For one thing, Raikkonen has earned that right through the consistency of his performances in their season and nine races of being team-mates; for another, in terms of the championship, it was the only decision that made sense.
It gave Raikkonen three more valuable championship points, and the way Vettel is going at the moment, Raikkonen needs every single one he can get.
Despite finishing second with Alonso fourth, Raikkonen remains third in the championship behind the Spaniard.
We don't immediately think of Lotus as title contenders, because that team has had some poor seasons since Alonso won his last title for them in 2006, when they were called Renault.
The Ferrari name is bigger than Lotus, but actually Lotus are in a better position at the moment to challenge Vettel than Ferrari are.
You get the impression Ferrari believed more in their title chances last year, when they were in a worse competitive position, than they do this season.
That's almost certainly because last year they were ahead on points and now they're behind.
It's not a case of shoulders down at Ferrari, but everyone in F1 recognises how difficult it is to close a gap, especially when you are fighting against a superior car.
Alonso is normally so positive about his chances, but his post-race comments were revealing. He said: "They need to do something and they need to do it now." That's as close to banging the table as you get.
It's a long time since Alonso won a world championship and that's not because he's not putting in world championship-level performances. He does that all the time.
If this continues for that much longer, you have to wonder how much longer Alonso can stay at Ferrari.
He is 32 this year. He has still has five or so years left at the very top level, perhaps a bit more, but if Ferrari cannot get it together soon he is going to have think about his future there.
David Coulthard was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson
Zitat Montezemolo: “This Ferrari doesn’t sit well with me”
A turning point to tackle with a knife between the teeth
Maranello, 29 July – “The Ferrari I saw in yesterday’s race doesn’t sit well with me.” President Montezemolo was very clear when, early in the morning, he opened the meeting with Stefano Domenicali and the Scuderia engineers, the day after a disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix, especially on the performance front. The President asked for an immediate upping of the tempo, right from Spa, to start being a contender for victory again, as had been the case up to the Canadian Grand Prix.
As usual, Montezemolo did not mince his words when it came to asking the team to step up a gear. Each one of the engineers present received a “gift” of a knife, along with an invitation – metaphorical up to a point – to put it between their teeth when thinking how to tackle the second half of the season.
This is definitely not the time to start arguing over who was responsible for this or that decision, partly because everything is still possible with nine Grands Prix to go. The points are available and so is the potential to score enough of them to win. Montezemolo is doing his utmost to ensure that the team has all the support and resources it needs, starting with the announcement that James Allison, formerly with Lotus, will join the Maranello team, starting work already on 1st September. However, there is a need to close ranks, without giving in to rash outbursts that, while understandable in the immediate aftermath of a bad result, are no use to anyone.
That was a reference to the latest comments from Fernando Alonso, which did not go down well with Montezemolo, nor with anyone in the team. So, when Montezemolo called the Spaniard this morning to wish him a happy birthday, he also tweaked his ear, reminding him that, “all the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own. This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.”
Montezemolo also attended the technical analysis, which went into every detail, leaving no stone unturned, including the subject of the introduction of the new tyres over the course of the last two races, a variable that definitely did not suit the Ferrari. Pirelli’s choice contributed to artificially altering the hierarchy in the field, something that has not pleased the President or the men of the Scuderia. This topic will be the subject of further debate in the near future.
ZitatAdam Cooper @adamcooperf1 36m I think Ferrari has just added a little more momentum to the Alonso wants to go to Red Bull theory...
ZitatPablo Elizalde @EliGP 20m The Red Bull talk may be overoptimistic, but it does seem like a strange moment to criticise Alonso for the first time
ZitatPablo Elizalde @EliGP 20m Not sure what Alonso's comments were, but apparently he was asked what he wanted for his birthday and said his rivals' cars
ZitatPablo Elizalde @EliGP 13m Ferrari doesn't like its drivers criticising its cars. Ask Prost.
ZitatAdam Cooper @adamcooperf1 2m Still can't believe the tone of that Ferrari website story, am pretty sure that @alo_oficial and @lsgrcbd won't be very happy...
ZitatFerrari's Luca di Montezemolo warns Fernando Alonso over F1 conduct By Pablo Elizalde and Jonathan Noble Monday, July 29th 2013, 16:38 GMT
Fernando Alonso Ferrari F1 2013Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has warned Fernando Alonso about his conduct following comments made by the Spaniard during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
While it is unclear which comments Montezemolo was referring to, the Italian squad suggested Alonso had been critical of the team after a difficult weekend in Hungary.
In a statement on its website, Ferrari wrote: "There is a need to close ranks, without giving in to rash outbursts that, while understandable in the immediate aftermath of a bad result, are no use to anyone.
"That was a reference to the latest comments from Fernando Alonso, which did not go down well with Montezemolo, nor with anyone in the team."
Ferrari revealed di Montezemolo talked to Alonso today to wish him happy birthday but also warn him about his conduct in public.
"All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own," Montezemolo said.
"This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one's own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it."
Alonso finished a distant fifth in Hungary on a weekend when the team effectively reverted to an old specification package because new parts introduced in recent races had not worked.
The Spaniard said Ferrari was finally getting to the bottom of its problems, but warned that an improvement must come right after the summer break in order to stay in the fight.
"Now we understand the car, we understand the problems," said Alonso.
Fernando Alonso Ferrari F1 2013"We know what parts were not working and in a way it is normal to have this deficit now we are driving with the old parts.
"Over the summer we need to make a step forward that we thought we should make at Silverstone.
"We need these couple of tenths to come immediately for Spa and Monza to have the same performance with the cars we are fighting for the world championships."
The two-time champion has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, although he is still in third place in the standings.
ZitatAndrew Benson @andrewbensonf1 11m
Remarkable admission by Ferrari that Montezemolo phoned Alonso on Monday to "tweak his ear" for his "latest comments" http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/montez ... snt-sit-me …
Even though Pat Symonds has served his suspension for the Piquet Jr. crash, I still think it's too risky for a big name like Ferrari to hire Symonds. Unfortunately, he will never clear his name from that incident. It doesn't help that Fernando currently drives for Ferrari. Thus, you would have two people involved in the "crash scandal" present in the same team. A team like Ferrari can't risk such a hire in my opinion.
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