Stefano Domenicali has ruled out responding to Ferrari’s latest crisis with the old ‘rolling heads’ technique.

One perception in the paddock is that the fabled Italian team, under intense pressure from the Tifosi and president Luca di Montezemolo, often reacts by emotionally shedding staff, with Aldo Costa and Chris Dyer the obvious recent examples.

So, having installed new faces including Pat Fry but still struggling with the latest F2012 project, will boss Domenicali set heads rolling again?

“Firing people is the work of two minutes,” he is quoted by Germany’s Auto Bild, “but this would not solve our problem.

“Instead I need to find new people who can improve the organisation and push the engineers to improve the car,” added the Italian.

In the meantime, there is no silver bullet.

“I am not happy with the F2012 project,” he acknowledged.

“But if you want to see the glass half full rather than half empty, then Fernando has done a great damage control and, with an improved car, he at least has the possibility to continue to fight for the championship.

“We have to improve,” Domenicali insisted. “I have asked my people to wake up and respond, and I will no longer hear excuses.”

Ferrari will not run all of its planned car improvements at the Mugello test this week.

“My information is that the new single seater is not ready,” reported Livio Oricchio, the correspondent for O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

There has been speculation that, following Ferrari’s troubled start to the new championship with its F2012 car, the changes for the forthcoming Barcelona race will be so sweeping that it might be called a “B” version.

But technical director Pat Fry reportedly told Oricchio that Ferrari designers are “staying with the (current) front suspension”; a reference to the Maranello based team’s innovative use of pullrod technology this year.

And the well-informed journalist Dimitris Papadopoulos adds that, even though the Mugello-spec Ferrari will have a new nose, sidepods and wings, “there will be no new chassis”.

The 2012 season has kicked off promisingly, with more overtaking moves recorded in the first two races than in the same exciting period last year.

The finding is significant, given the highly lauded contribution early in 2011 made by the new passing aid ‘DRS’, and new official supplier Pirelli’s heavily-degrading tyres.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper said 2012 has so far broken even the all-time records of early last season, when there were 63 overtaking moves – excluding the first laps – in Australia and Malaysia 2011.

This year, there were 70 passes in Australia-Malaysia combined.

It bodes well for this weekend’s Chinese grand prix, after last year’s Shanghai race saw no fewer than 63 separate in-race overtakes, including Lewis Hamilton’s winning move on leader Sebastian Vettel.

“China proved to be one of the most fascinating races in our first year, so we have a tough act to follow,” said Pirelli’s Paul Hembery.

“However, the philosophy we have adopted this year actually extends the window of peak performance on the slick tyres, which means that the drivers should be able to race harder and closer,” he added.

Yet another factor at the 2012 Chinese grand prix could be the weather, with F1′s travellers already sampling wet Shanghai roads early this week.

That forecast would suit Malaysia winner Ferrari, with technical director Pat Fry admitting that the Italian team’s 2012 car is almost a second off the pace in the dry.

“Damp, low grip conditions suit our car and flatter some of the issues we have at the moment,” he said.

Red Bull is ready to start bouncing back from a difficult start to 2012.

That is the claim of the energy drink owned team’s racing consultant Dr Helmut Marko, who acknowledged that Australia and Malaysia was not a good start to the campaign for a third-consecutive championship-winning season.

Comparing the reigning world champions with McLaren, Ferrari’s technical director Pat Fry agreed on Tuesday: “I’ve been slightly surprised by Red Bull’s lack of pace.”

Marko acknowledged: “Over the race distance (in Malaysia) we saw that (Sauber’s Sergio) Perez was the fastest,” the Austrian said on Servus TV.

“In wet but also in dry conditions, the Sauber was absolutely the fastest one.

“On the other hand, the whole package did not come together for us,” Marko insisted, referring specifically to bad pitstops, and broken radios.

“There are so many things that have to come together. But we have a plan for how to deal with it for China, to solve our problems.

“I’m confident that we will get it back together sooner or later.

“It makes things of course more exciting, although not quite as easy for us,” he smiled.

 Pat Fry, Ferrari’s technical director, thinks Red Bull remains clearly ahead of the F1 field.
There is lots of talk that the reigning champion team is now closely matched by McLaren, with a big chasing group nipping at the heels headed by Mercedes.

But Briton Fry told the Guardian newspaper: “I think Red Bull are ahead of the rest at the moment. Maybe half a second.

“We’re guessing about fuel levels used in testing but I would say Red Bull are between five and seven tenths ahead of everyone else.”

Fry recently wrote off Ferrari’s chances of a podium this weekend in Melbourne, but – at least in the most recent hours – drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso are sounding more positive.

“At the moment we don’t know who is fast and who is not,” insisted Alonso, according to Marca. “Don’t pay much attention to what is said.

“We are not even going to know anything until Malaysia — a normal circuit.”

HRT’s Pedro de la Rosa, at least, is daring a prediction.

“Maybe (Sebastian) Vettel will win again, but if he does, he will have more sweat on his shirt,” the Spaniard is quoted by EFE agency.

As for Ferrari’s apparent problems, de la Rosa commented: “All I know is what I read, but think about how much time has passed since the last test.

“Two or three weeks in formula one is a world.”

It is already being described as a ‘crisis’, but former Ferrari driver Niki lauda is sure Ferrari’s situation in early 2012 is not that bad.
“The Italians always exaggerate,” the triple world champion, who won two titles with the famous Maranello based team in the 70s, is quoted by German RTL television.

“Everything is either great or everything is negative. I don’t think the Ferrari is as bad as it’s being made out.

“I do know that the McLaren and Red Bull are very similar and Mercedes follows closely behind. Then comes Ferrari — but things can change very quickly,” added Lauda.

As ever in Ferrari’s high-pressure Italy, however, the stakes are high and every episode is amplified — such as when comments made by Felipe Massa apparently contradicted Pat Fry’s prediction that an early podium is unlikely.

“In my head is the thought that we can fight for the podium,” Brazilian Massa insisted after landing in Australia this week, “but that doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with what Pat Fry said in Barcelona.”

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, admitted Ferrari has no choice but to initially “grit our teeth” until the F2012 improves.

“First of all, we have to see exactly where we are in terms of being competitive and then give our all to bring home as many points as possible in this early stage of the championship,” said the Spaniard.

 Luca di Montezemolo insists heads will not roll, as Ferrari looks set to race into the 2012 season without the chance of a podium.
The famous team wrote off last year’s championship early to focus on 2012 with an aggressive project, with new British technical chief Pat Fry in the spotlight.

But also feeling the pressure is team boss Stefano Domenicali, who said at the weekend that he has “the support of president Montezemolo”.

“I am not the one who designs the car: my task is to give my people everything they need in terms of organisation and structure,” said the Italian.

But Montezemolo denied that Ferrari will react in arguably typical fashion by making sweeping changes.

“I’ve always given my staff time and trust,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We have not even begun and already you’re putting the people in doubt?

“Let’s not have that talk,” insisted the Ferrari president.

He admitted the F2012 has untapped potential.

“There are too few tests and unfortunately they are in public. But I would still wait before drawing conclusions about the title fight.

“According to the drivers, the F2012 has some negative elements, but also some positive. The problems have been identified and I hope they can be fixed quickly,” he added.

 Pedro de la Rosa has admitted he senses a little too much pessimism from the Ferrari camp.
Amid talk the famous team’s new F2012 car is a flop and needs to be substantially redesigned, the La Gazzetta dello Sport daily wondered recently: “Let’s hope it’s just pre-tactics.”

De la Rosa, the veteran Spanish driver for HRT, thinks there is an element of truth to that.

“They are better than people think,” he told Cadena Ser radio.

“On the other hand I know that there are teams that are stronger, but I wouldn’t rule out the podium — I assure you,” the 41-year-old insisted.

“What happens is you try to remove the pressure that is on you. As for me, I see Ferrari in a better shape than the sort of negative feeling that exists here in Spain.

“I think they have their problems like everyone else, but their car is faster than it seems.”

It was Pat Fry, Ferrari’s new technical director, who announced recently that the F2012 is not currently a podium contender.

“This is not something that goes through my head,” Felipe Massa admitted to reporters in Sao Paulo this week.

“It is true we tested a type of exhaust and realised it was not the right thing. But last year everyone was 90 per cent sure we would fight for the title and then we did not.

“I won’t hide that we are not 100 per cent satisfied with what we did in the three test sessions in Spain.

“But we have a very strong team and I have lots of faith in their capacity to be able to develop the chassis during the season,” he added.

Ferrari has set to work to fix a problem at the rear of its troubled F2012 car, Italy’s Autosprint reports.
The report said initial winter testing highlighted problems with the car’s exhaust solution, prompting Pat Fry to order the outlets be moved inwards.

This, however, left the homologated portion of the chassis that housed the original exhausts intact, with modification to require a new FIA crash test.

“I want to understand what is happening, and how many seconds it will take to be fixed,” president Luca di Montezemolo is quoted as having said.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda is alarmed.

“I have never heard comments like this from within a team — this is dramatic,” the great Austrian told Blick newspaper.

However, the Swiss newspaper also said some of Ferrari’s rivals are making similar modifications to their cars that will require new FIA crash tests.

Even so, “nobody at Maranello expected this”, wrote the famous Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Corriere dello Sport, meanwhile, said the fact Ferrari gagged its drivers for the first time ever recently is “more worrying than the testing results”.

Test driver Marc Gene told Spanish television Antena 3: “This will be a very long world championship, and we will fight to win.

“At the moment we are not at the level we wanted to be.”

It is faintly possible Ferrari is playing an extreme hand of bluff, but Lauda insists that theory is now believed by “only a few”.

“They’ve got a great team,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports, “they haven’t fully shown their hand yet. I think they’re more competitive than people believe they are.

“I’m sure the car looks a handful but sometimes a difficult car can be a quick car so it would be foolish to write off Fernando (Alonso) going into Melbourne,” he added.

Kimi Raikkonen ended the 2012 pre-season with this year’s fastest Barcelona laptime, but the Finn is not yet predicting a win in Melbourne at the end of next weekend.
“No one will know how fast any of the cars are until we get to qualifying at Albert Park,” said the returning 2007 world champion.

Lotus – fast at Jerez and also at the Circuit de Catalunya – is expected to trail pacesetters Red Bull and McLaren this season.

Yet in reality, the situation is deliberately clouded: Red Bull had a bad final day of testing on Sunday, but when he was running, rivals expected Sebastian Vettel’s RB8 was brimmed with fuel.

And when he came into the pits, there was the odd sight of team mechanics using large umbrellas to hide the car’s newly-added secrets, including the sidepod exhaust.

“I think that’s a question for Charlie Whiting,” said Ferrari’s technical director Pat Fry when asked about the legality of the solution.

Even so, Red Bull’s position of dominance seems to have been somewhat eroded for 2012, with Mercedes chief Ross Brawn suggesting the RB8 is closely matched by its rivals unless the team has been “running a huge amount of fuel”.

Sebastian Vettel told DPA news agency: “McLaren are strong. Mercedes are definitely stronger than last year and Lotus and perhaps some other teams should not be forgotten — Sauber, Force India.

“Ferrari seem to be having some difficulties,” added the reigning world champion.

World champion Vettel’s final comment appears undoubtedly true, with the famous Italian team’s drivers oddly banned from speaking with the media while technical boss Fry confessed that all is not well.

“I’m always pessimistic,” said the Briton, who said a podium for Ferrari in Melbourne is not likely. “I’m disappointed with our performance at the moment.”

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, ignored his media muzzle and told Spanish television at a football game: “In the first races we will suffer — we are not yet at 100 per cent.

“We’re not in as good shape as (Barcelona players) Messi and Iniesta,” he is quoted by Barca TV.

But for now, it’s all talk, and so the reticent Raikkonen summed it up well: “Like I said, I don’t know, probably no one does,” he is quoted by Germany’s Sport1.

“In two weeks, we’ll know.”

While the smiles in the Lotus pits are obvious at Jerez, the same cannot be said of ‘grandee’ outfits Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton had his first try of the MP4-27 on Thursday and said the new McLaren felt “pretty good”.

“My initial feelings are pretty positive,” he added. “The car feels reasonably quick.”

But with every other 2012 car featuring a radical ‘step’ in its front nose, some reports believe McLaren may have missed a trick by opting for a conservative solution.

“It is not a trick or a loophole that we did not spot,” said McLaren’s technical director Paddy Lowe.

“Some people have some interesting ideas around the use of that step, and we are looking with interest at all of that stuff,” he told the Mirror.

Actually, the McLaren was not far off the pace of Sebastian Vettel’s new Red Bull, but the pair were a long way from Romain Grosjean’s impressive Lotus E20, and the 2011 Mercedes driven by Nico Rosberg.

Vettel, also getting his first taste of his 2012 machinery on Thursday, admitted there are “question marks” about all of F1′s regular pacesetters.

Nevertheless, “We are where we want to be,” the reigning world champion smiled. “It feels fine and as we expected.”

Agreed team owner Dietrich Mateschitz on a rare paddock visit: “It looks quite good but anything else would have been a surprise as the car is a development.”

Much more worried is Ferrari, after the aggressive 2012 Ferrari on Thursday looked no more impressive in Fernando Alonso’s hands than it had under Felipe Massa’s control earlier this week.

Britain’s Daily Mail said the F2012 is “ugly in more ways than one”.

“I can only say that it is going to take a lot of analysis to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together,” said Ferrari’s British technical director Pat Fry.

“I am not happy with where we are at the moment.”

Arguably even less happy on Thursday were Force India’s Jules Bianchi and Nico Hulkenberg, after the French test driver crashed the new VJM05 before setting a laptime.

There were not enough parts to repair the car and so Hulkenberg’s scheduled track debut was postponed.

“I’m very sorry,” said Bianchi, “because my mistake has cost the team a lot of time and effort.”

The press round of Stefano Domenicali after the race began in Valencia because of the late decision of the stewards was later than usual, but very rewarding. For Ferrari had just made the website a controversial review online, in which the Grand Prix of Europe as a “scandal” was called.

Earlier, Fernando Alonso has indicated that he thought the race had been manipulated. But Ferrari back row: On the website you have not published the opinion of Ferrari, but the Ferrari fans around the world, Alonso had made his statement “in the heat of battle.” Team boss Domenicali attempted to clarify this point in discussion with media representatives from around the world.
Question: “Stefano, on the Ferrari website, the race today called scandal, Fernando said that it has been manipulated …”
Luca Colajanni (Ferrari spokesman): “The speech by the voice of the fans – you should have read the message carefully!”
Stefano Domenicali: “I am the official voice of Ferrari. Ask me, I then answer that.”
Technical progress made

Q: Can you explain why you are so angry today? ”
Domenicali: “Naturally we are very angry because we did not get the points we have in this race because of our performance really need to do. If I analyze this weekend even from the technical side, we have but one step forward, even if he is still not large enough to catch Red Bull. In the first round we saw that things were in the right direction. ”

“The frustration is so great because we made the right move, but still less points than in the most difficult race of the year. This is very frustrating. Do I have to say from the sporting angle that we had bad luck today. The only four cars on the home straight were when the safety car was on, were Vettel, Hamilton, Fernando and Felipe. Vettel stopped before the safety car, Hamilton had ignored the yellow flags and the yellow light, but we had a full lap behind the Safety- Car driving. In the meantime, took the field that was in the pits, back on us, so we fell behind when we came into the pits. The plan you can not. ”

“Before some decisions are made, you should be sure they are right and wrong. If we now know, however, that the date of a decision affects the race, then they must be taken quickly, otherwise the consequences of unfair have. Today, the Ferrari has affected quite badly, so we must make sure that something like this happen again. More I would say not really. also ran against a lot of cars still an investigation. That I think is not good. ”

Question is: “When the FIA driver got into the race management – today it was Heinz-Harald Frentzen – first of all were happy, but in the last race there were many contentious decisions. How do you comment that?”
Domenicali: “had the present situation to do with the driver Commissioner nothing, I think. They had indeed nothing to do with the fact that a driver knows that there is slowed down or this and that is in the cockpit. I think that was the day a normal thing for the Commissioners.
“But I want to say something else. First of all, I am very pleased that Mark Webber doing well, because that is the most important thing. In life, have possible priorities. Today he had a very tragic accident, so I am happy that He’s healthy. But the accident has clearly shown that the large performance difference between the cars can be very dangerous. We’re talking about for some months, but today we were fortunate that we have not seen play. As braked different and there are different lines driven. Furthermore, we need to think about. ”

Q: If the safety car not normally catch the leaders and all others to pass through? ”
Domenicali: “I know that the race management, the safety car rausschickt regardless of what happens on the track, if it is necessary. I think correctly. The cars should also be waved through to the leader as quickly as possible behind the safety car is. This as I understand it, they wanted to now the medical car to protect the safety car to prevent the cars rushing around the track. ”

Q: You just said something about the big speed difference and that is dangerous. If the by the adjustable rear wing does not get worse? ”
SD: I think we need to examine carefully. When the leader must not press the button and Hintermann already created a difference in speed. Today we have seen, this can lead to.

Q: Just to clarify again: On your website is a scandal of the speech. If you say that this is not the Ferrari’s opinion? ”
SD: You were here all the time. Did I say scandalous? ”
Only the opinion of the fans

Q: No. But it is on the Ferrari website. ”
Domenicali: “The text there is the opinion of all Tifosi against the world. But I am the official voice of Ferrari and I have never said that.”

Q: Fernando, says the race was manipulated. ”
Domenicali: “We need him to admit that he has said in the heat of the moment, but I can understand him, because the race was broke by factors that were beyond our control. That is why he said that.”

Q: Will you bring this matter to the FIA or discuss with the teams? ”
Domenicali: “We have submitted the topic already in the FIA. That is completely incorrect.”

Q: What does this mean? Could it even be a different race result?
SD: No. The outcome is certain, but we are concerned about the future. We want to talk about it, so something in the future can not happen. ”
Q: You had prior to this Grand Prix a PR day of shooting, on some team bosses have complained. Must be made clear what a day of shooting and what is a test? ”
Domenicali: “It is not my style, something the public unsubscribe, but if there is something to discuss, then I pick up the phone. That’s my style. The shooting day was clear. If people want to change the wording of the rule We have no problem with that. ”

Q: one hand, you walk the day of shooting on a very fine line when it comes to the limits of the rules to explore the other hand, the rules today against you … ”
Domenicali: “One can not even compare it. To day of shooting, we have the allowed 100 kilometers used to supply our customers, our network and our dealers with material. Under such conditions it is difficult to learn about the car . But as I said: If someone has a problem, he can talk to us, then we explain it. ”

Q: Let’s auspicious on a topic. Pat Fry moves from McLaren to you. Can you describe his area of responsibility?
Domenicali: “When we found out that he has been on the market, we immediately realized that he was a great technician with much experience. I know that he also had offers from other teams, but we saw this as a good opportunity to join our team. He works as vice-head of technology. This is a very important task, not only for this year, but especially for the future. ”

Q: Do you find it okay that the drivers who have violated the safety car rule were punished only with five seconds? ”
Domenicali: “The danger of today’s decision is, I think that one might be tempted in future to violate the rules against better knowledge, to have an advantage. This is dangerous.”

Ferrari is “wise” to have poached an experienced engineer from McLaren, according to former grand prix driver Jos Verstappen.

Briton Pat Fry, McLaren’s former joint chief engineer who was with the Woking team for 17 years and recently working on the 2011 car, will start his new role at Ferrari next week as assistant technical director.

“Getting Pat Fry is a wise move,” Verstappen wrote in a column for the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

“Like last season, you could say again that Ferrari’s performance has not been good enough.

“It is not the drivers’ fault — in particular, I estimate Alonso very highly.

“But in recent years Ferrari has lot some very important people and I think they are still affected by that,” he added.

(GMM)

Ferrari on Tuesday confirmed reports that Pat Fry is joining the famous Italian team.

It emerged at the weekend that the 46-year-old Briton, who until recently was heading McLaren’s 2011 car project as long-time joint chief engineer, was linked with a move to the Maranello based squad.

Italian reports had said Fry, although currently on compulsory ‘gardening leave’, will be able to have an impact on Ferrari’s next car.

A team statement on Tuesday confirmed that Fry will begin his new role as assistant technical director, reporting to Aldo Costa, on 1 July.

Ferrari said the “structure of the technical department remains (otherwise) unchanged”.

Fry joined McLaren from Benetton in 1993.

“I think it was probably good for him, the right decision for him to take a bit of a break, take a breather,” McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh said last month.

(GMM)

McLaren’s recently-departed chief engineer Pat Fry is heading to Ferrari.

It emerged last month that the 46-year-old Briton, who joined from Benetton in 1993, has left the Woking based team for an unknown destination.

Fry shared McLaren’s chief engineer role with Tim Goss, and was in charge of the 2011 car project.

Italian media sources on Sunday said Fry is headed to Ferrari, and will have an impact on the famous Maranello based team’s next car.

(GMM)