Felipe Massa

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says the row over Formula 1′s scoring system is embarrassing for the sport.

The FIA announced last week a new ‘winner takes all’ system, in which the driver with the most wins would be champion, even ahead of a driver with more points.

The governing body also rejected a system proposed by the Formula One Teams’ Association that would have increased the points advantage between the winner and the second-placed driver.

But, after complaints from the teams and drivers, the governing body admitted it was ready to defer the introduction of the new system if the teams were unhappy about it, and it now seems likely that the one used last year will stay on for 2009.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ferrari has given its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) the sign-off for use from next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

Following successful tests of the system during its pre-season development programme, Ferrari is heading to the race in Melbourne intending for both Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen to have KERS fitted to their cars.

Ferrari is the second team to confirm its KERS will be used in Melbourne, with Renault having announced earlier this week that it would use it in Australia.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has voiced further criticism about the raft of radical rule changes that the FIA announced earlier this week.

As well as unveiling plans for a voluntary budget cap from the start of 2010, the FIA has shaken up Formula 1′s points system – declaring that the world championship will be handed to the driver with the most wins.

The changes have already drawn critical comments from former champions Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, and di Montezemolo has spoken out again too.

Read the rest of this entry »

Former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has now officially left the Italian car manufacturer, after resigning from all the positions he held with the company.

Todt had stepped down as CEO of Ferrari last year but remained with the company in various roles. However, at a meeting of the board on Tuesday, chairman Luca di Montezemolo said that Todt was leaving Ferrari entirely.

Di Montezemolo paid tribute to the efforts of Todt, who helped make the team a multiple championship-winner after originally joining it in 1993.

“Jean Todt has been one of the leading protagonists of the Ferrari story of the last 15 years,” declared Montezemolo. “Skill and passion have always characterised his work and have won him my personal respect and affection, the one of the Company as a whole and of the Prancing Horse enthusiasts everywhere.

“I would like to wish him the very best for the future which I hope will prove extremely satisfying both personally and professionally.

“All of these years we’ve spent together – victories and tough times included – have forged a link between Jean Todt and Ferrari that will never be broken.”

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domencali is confident the F60 is quick enough to be at the front in Melbourne, but admitted that reliability is still a concern.

Indications from recent tests suggest that Ferrari has more reliability issues than its rivals, and Domenicali acknowledged this resolving this was the team’s priority.

“Over the last days I’ve been to Barcelona to follow the last stages of the test sessions and I’ve seen a very concentrated and determined team,” he said.

“We’re satisfied with the level of our car as far as the performance is concerned. It’s obvious that we still have some work to do and that we have to concentrate on its reliability.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ferrari’s technical director Aldo Costa says the Italian squad are “quite satisfied” with the development and performance of their KERS system so far.

The Maranello squad had admitted last year that their development of KERS had been slow, but lately they have been making significant progress, despite a failure during testing at Bahrain earlier this year.

Read the rest of this entry »