Domenicali: We cannot rely purely on the misfortune of others

Ferrari team principal, Stefano Domenicali, has stipulated that the Scuderia cannot rely purely on the misfortune of others, as they strive to clinch both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Over recent races, Alonso and Ferrari have been highly lucky with the likes of Hamilton and Vettel retiring over the last two races.

Although Fernando Alonso retired at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix due to the incident started by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean, the silver lining was that Lewis Hamilton also retired in the same incident. Next time out at the Italian Grand Prix around the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Fernando Alonso could only manage 3rd whereas title contender Lewis Hamilton took victory. Once again the positives for Ferrari was the double-DNF of the Red Bull duo, which made Hamilton’s victory all the more bearable for the Scuderia.

However, Stefano Domenicali believes Ferrari cannot continue relying on this kind of misfortune for others, which was once again evident at the Singapore Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton suffered a gearbox issue a ceded victory to Sebastian Vettel with Fernando Alonso a close 3rd. Due to Alonso’s unyielding luck, the Spaniard’s Championship lead was reduced by only eight points after Singapore.

“It was a very difficult weekend, but the final outcome can be regarded as positive.” Explained Stefano Domenicali, after the 61-lap Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. “It’s true that Fernando’s lead over the next man has been reduced, but it’s also true the Spaniard has made up points on three of his four closest rivals. As for the Constructors’, the situation is pretty much the same as before: the leader is a bit further away but second place is a tiny bit nearer. There are six Grands Prix to go to the end of the season and clearly, we need to make a step forward in terms of performance, because we cannot rely purely on the misfortune of others. Where we need to improve a lot is on circuits that require maximum aerodynamic downforce.”

The next race on the calendar is the Japanese Grand Prix around Suzuka, and could well be a race which finally confirms the true Championship contenders for the remaining few races. Lewis Hamilton will be striving for a competitive result, as will the Finn of Kimi Raikkonen. However, with Fernando Alonso having only retired once so far this season, it’s unquestionable that consistency will remain the key to success in the closing stages of the season.

Follow me on Twitter - @AndyYoungF1