Nico Rosberg is adamant the time is not right for Mercedes to give up on the 2010 world championship.

The Brackley based team raced a major car upgrade in Valencia last weekend, including a Red Bull-style ‘blown rear diffuser’ and exhaust layout.

But it was yet another bad weekend for the team, and team boss Ross Brawn admitted he would now “reflect, assess and see what our next steps should be”.

According to Rosberg, that next step should not be abandoning the W01 in order to focus completely on the 2011 car.

“We still have many opportunities for development,” he said in an interview with Sport Bild.  “Other top teams, for example, have things that we can develop quite simply.

“That is what we are doing,” said the German.

Michael Schumacher has admitted he is now beginning to think about next year, but the seven time world champion has less than half the points of his younger teammate.

“I am absolutely against that (giving up on 2010),” answered Rosberg, who turned 25 on the day he finished 12th in Valencia.

“I still believe in my chances.  If the championship leader Hamilton fails just once and I win, I will almost be at his level,” he added.

(GMM)

Jun.12 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has dismissed claims he is ‘too nice’ to lead Ferrari back to world championship success.

Taking over from the resolute Jean Todt at the beginning of 2008, Domenicali came close to leading Ferrari to that title before the Italian team slumped last year.

This season, the F10 began the season looking a championship contender, but in Turkey two weeks ago it was good enough only to populate the midfield.

The arrival as team boss of Italian Domenicali, 45, came in the same era as Ferrari lost Frenchman Todt, German Michael Schumacher, Britons Ross Brawn and John Iley and South African designer Rory Byrne.

Max Mosley said recently that an increasingly Italianised Ferrari is now “reverting to type”, while Domenicali is often regarded as too nice to succeed with an eminent position.

“I don’t care,” he is quoted by the Guardian newspaper. “I’m not going to change my philosophy of life because some people don’t like my style.

“There is no specific style to be a winner or to be a manager of a group,” insisted Domenicali.

Rather, he points to a new era where Ferrari is adjusting to the need to scale down and restrict spending, while the team’s own Fiorano test track is now hardly used.

“A couple of years ago there was no limit on investment,” he said.

“No limit on anything. Two years ago you wanted one of something you had hundreds. Now you want one of something you have half.

“Formula one is a different environment now, a different culture, and it’s difficult to change the mentality of a big group. This is the biggest challenge for us.”

The Brazilian pilot, Felipe Massa (Ferrari) declared he believes he’s going to have a “very good relationship ” with his new mate, the Spanish Fernando Alonso, because, in these first days he has already talked with him more than with Kimi Raikkonen in three years.”
“Things have begun very well; we have spoken a lot about the car and on what to do to make it competitive.  I have talked more with Fernando these days than with Kimi in three years.  Of course, that’s not difficult because Kimi doesn’t like to talk a lot, but I also worked very well with him, even without the need to talk,” clarified Massa in a press conference that took place in Madonna di Campiglio, where the Ferrari team 2010 ‘Wroom’ is being held.
Hence, the Brazilian considers that they can both “work very well together,” because the opposite would be “negative,” both for themselves and for the team.  ”We’re in a very important team.  We know what we have to do.  And we know that if we work well together we can have a better car in the racing track,” he added.
In this way, Massa wanted to clarify the questions that arose on how his relationship with the ‘Scuderia,’ would be, after the clashes between both pilots.  ”We have discussed the problems.  It’s similar to when you go and speak to your mother and once you tell her your feelings and ask her to forgive you, everything gets back to normal.  Personally, I don’t have any strange feelings or opinions towards Fernando,” he stated.

“I FEEL BETTER THAN PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.”

On the other hand, the pilot from Rio de Janeiro made reference to his recovery following the accident he suffered last year in Hungary’s Grand Prix and which forced him to loose the last eight races.  Massa pointed out that he’s “very well,” that he’s had “a very good” recovery and that he’s even better than prior to the accident.”
“I’m motivated and looking forward to begin the year.  I’m also going through a very important moment in my life with the birth of my first son, ‘Felipinho’”, Massa said.  “My goal is to become world champion,” he made clear.
“Everybody knows I was frustrated because of 2008’s events, due to many things that revolved around the championship, and which I hope will never happen again in Formula One.  I want to fight and become world champion,” he declared sententiously.
Even though the Brazilian experienced tough moments after his accident, according to what he confessed, he never once thought of retiring.  ” I never thought I would have to stop competing; I was convinced that I could be back in Valencia, already.  The accident has not changed my approach on work and my way of thinking, because I’ve had to face many difficulties in my life and I have always learned a lot from them,” he explained.

“SCHUMACHER COMEBACK IS GOOD FOR FÓRMULA 1″.

Another topic that the Ferrari pilot touched was the comeback of his ex-mate, the German Michael Schumacher, who will reappear in the competition but now with Mercedes.  ”When he ran he was happier than when he didn’t.  His comeback is interesting and good for the racing sport,” he pronounced.
In addition, Massa described the German pilot as “a friend” and considers that it was “very important” for him to have him as a mate, because he helped him “to improve.”  “In the track we will fight one against the other, but outside the races our frienship continues;” he indicated.
Massa’s point of view is that ‘Schumi’ did a “perfect career, retiring in the right moment.”  ”Now, he has wanted to come back and it’s very difficult to tell if his decision is correct.  It will surely be strange to see him race for another team after running so many years in Ferrari, but just now, there were no more options for his comeback because the decision of who the two pilots will be has already been taken,” he specified.

“EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED IN 2008 AND NOTHING IS GAINED BY LOOKING BACK.”

Finally, the Brazilian talked about the 2008 Singapore’s Gran Prix events, with the intentional accident brought about by ‘Nelsinho’ Piquet -who was then in Renault-, and which allowed Fernando Alonso to win, taking away some points from Massa which were later decisive for the championship’s result.  Lewis Hamilton would take the title with only one margin point with respect to Ferrari’s.
In the wake of the scandal, Renault’s former director, Flavio Briatore, was declared guilty by the FIA and banned for life for ordering Piquet’s accident.  The ban was recently overturned by the Paris Court.
“Honestly, if you see something that’s not alright in the racing sport, and that, one way or the other, goes against the rules, I don’t think it’s difficult to change the result, even if that would not be good for the sport,” Massa concluded.  “Everybody knows what happened and that nothing is gained by looking back:”