28/01/2010
NEWS STORY
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Following the unveiling of the car with he hopes to challenge for the 2010 title, Felipe Massa spoke on a number of issues including the car, the new rules, his accident and his son.
Asked about the new rules for 2010, the Brazilian said: "We'll start the weekend with less petrol, while we will start into the race with enough petrol for the whole distance. Then there are other details, such as the points assigned to the first and second in the races.
"Having all these changes in mind we have to pay a lot of attention and learn rapidly in terms of strategy and, as far as I am concerned, regarding driving the car to be immediately competitive."
The cold weather in Maranello, which led to the track icing up, meant that Felipe was unable to complete a planned promotional run in the F10 this afternoon, however, when asked about the new car he revealed his role in its development. "Many things happened in 2009, resulting in difficult conditions for us to work on the car. We started very early thinking about 2010. We were asking for many modifications not just regarding aerodynamics, but also the engine and the tank. Everything was really important considering the 2010 rules. What's very important is that every single detail can bring tenths of a second."
For 2010 the Brazilian has a new teammate, a man with a certain reputation. When asked how he feels to be finally working with Fernando Alonso, Felipe made it clear that he is ready for the challenge.
"The expectations as far as my teammate is concerned I've been living for many years now," he said. "When there's a new driver at Ferrari there are great expectations and the goal is to work well as a team, to be complete. I'll have a very strong teammate. I've always done good work, learned a lot, shown many times that I'm able to win and fight, whoever my teammate was. Michael is a friend and I learned a lot from him, but on the track we'll be competitors. Although we'll have a good relationship, as always. I'm happy that he's cheering for me."
Naturally, the journalists present wanted to know whether the Brazilian has fully recovered from last year's accident at the Hungaroring. "I had a really unbelievable accident. But naturally safety is something we're working on every single day. We have to continue like this and there will be much more work to do also amongst us drivers and on the tracks to improve. On a personal level I'm happy that with everything that happened nothing has changed in my work."
Finally, asked about the new addition to his family, he smiles and said: "Felipinho was born in November and it was an incredible feeling. I'm so proud and happy. This here today is a different child: the F10; we have to let it grow rapidly and lift it to a higher level. What we can see here today is the result of many months of hard work on the car, let's hope that we'll be competitive right from the start."