
Stefano Domenicali, he is not afraid. Ferrari's team principal files the sad parenthesis of the Belgium Grand Prix and he looks at the future: the immediate one is represented by the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday September 9, 2012.
"We leave Belgium with the awareness of our means, the championship is in the hand of the people who work in Maranello, they have to improve the car. The competition is still open and Fernando is again ahead of the championship and that is the basis to start with to carry one. This will be surely a demanding weekend on the technical side".
For the Italian Grand Prix a lot of work for the team of Maranello is expected.
"We will run with a specific configuration answering to the low demands of downforce required only for this circuit, we also know that a lot of our rivals are very competitive on this track. It's surely a special race for us. There is a special feeling for the home race, but the reality is that the amount of points up for grabs is the same of the other 19 grand prix in the world. To conclude, I would like to think that we will leave Monza having important points aside in the one that is a really special race for us".
The accident happened at the start of the Belgium Grand Prix is already forgotten.
"I believe that, having seen how the race went, we could have brought home some important points for the championship. The relief comes from the fact that there could have been serious consequences for Fernando. But he's fine, there's no problem. He returned with us to Maranello on the charter flight and on Monday he was already well, without pain and completely focused on the next race".
The Ferrari team principal also expresses important words for Felipe Massa, fifth in Belgium.
"I'm happy for him. We needed a race like that from him as a team and he needed it as a driver. After a difficult day of qualifying, he showed a very strong pace during the race. We need to see him again, not just at Monza this weekend but also for the rest of the season".
The great fear of the Spa accident has passed. For Fernando Alonso it is time to resume the race for the world title, aiming to do well on a special track for Ferrari fans, that of Monza, where coming first would have a particular taste. But, victory aside, the World Championship leader, in the opening press conference of the Italian Grand Prix, sets his goal: to finish ahead of his closest rival in the standings, Sebastian Vettel. The Spaniard's first words in the press conference close the Belgium chapter.
"I saw those images on TV. It was certainly a very unfortunate situation, especially for Grosjean. There were many factors at play that day: the smoke from Kobayashi's car on the grid, Maldonado's early start... and then the bang... it's something that went wrong for a few pilots, but it's over. Everything's fine. Of course, the distance between the Lotus in flight and my head was 20 or 30 centimeters... It's gone good. McLaren is going strong and is the favourite, but you will see that here in Monza between qualifying and the race we will come up with something good".
Fernando Alonso is cautious about his predictions for the race. However, the Spanish rider assures that he is at 100% after the accident.
"I don't know if I will be able to win the championship without winning more races. For now, McLaren is very strong and if they win three or four Grands Prix in a row our advantage will disappear. The goal this weekend is to finish ahead of Vettel, as we tried to do with Webber in the last few races. We just need to make progress in the remaining three months, and I'm sure we will".

Caution aside, Fernando Alonso is not unaware of the special value of the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari.
"Monza is special for any Ferrari driver, you always hope to repay the public for the support they give you from Friday to Sunday. Certainly, the best memory I have is that of the victory obtained in 2010, in my first time here with the Ferrari".
A proposal also shared by Felipe Massa.
"I like Monza a lot. I feel good there because it's practically my home. I'll put all my energy together to have a very good weekend and a good race and to do better than my best result this year".
After the fourth place achieved at Silverstone and the fifth place achieved at Spa, Felipe Massa is now aiming for the podium.
"In these three days we also have to work a lot on strategies, because if in Belgium certain teams made just one pit stop and finished in first and second place, this will be a track where everyone will aim to make as few pit stops as possible. I predict that almost everyone will only make one stop".
The main opponent for the Ferrari drivers is Sebastian Vettel, who is aiming to make a comeback in the Drivers' World Championship standings.
"They shared a lot of points and Fernando managed to get more. In any case, without speed he wouldn't have gotten them. The important thing is to learn from the mistakes and stop looking in the rear-view mirror. I'm happy to stay in Italy, but I'm sure which won't be a walk in the park. Last year I did very well in Monza. And in Spa we showed a good performance on a circuit similar to that of Monza. However, in Spa, between qualifying and the race, there were several surprises. This year the season is simply unpredictable. Let's see what happens when we stay there. I insist: theories are nice, but in the end what counts is what happens on the track".
Speaking on the topic of safety, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel bless, for the future, protection in the cockpit of single-seaters for the drivers' heads.
"That must be the future".
Says Michael Schumacher, referring to the accident at the Belgian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel also thinks that the protection will be fitted soon, although he admits that he is not a big fan of a cockpit screen. But it will be inevitable. Thursday 6 September 2012 James Key becomes the new technical director of Scuderia Toro Rosso, replacing Giorgio Ascanelli. The Briton, who previously had experience with Jordan, Midland, Spyker, Force India and Sauber, also working on the project of the surprising C31, began his adventure in the Faenza facility on Monday. Says the team principal of Scuderia Toro Rosso, Franz Tost:
"With James Key in the role of technical director we begin a new chapter in the history of Toro Rosso and we hope that this will be an interesting one. James comes to us with an important reputation, having already helped several small teams in their growth. We cannot expect miracles in next races, but his work could have a certain influence on the car for 2013, a year which we hope will be better than this one, although I must say that the double points finish in Belgium is already an encouraging result".

For his part, James Key says:
"I am very happy to join Toro Rosso after spending several months away from Formula 1. For me it is a great opportunity to join this ambitious team in which many motivated people work. The regulatory change can present us with some clear opportunities for growth, but we don't want to just look to the future, but also think about the short term. Our goal is to move the team up the Formula 1 hierarchy. The project for next year's car is already underway and it seems to me that the guys were working in the right direction: now we still have several months to make sure that this is a step forward compared to this year's car. But we also still have several updates for the STR7, which we hope will help us continue on the line of the good result obtained in Spa".
As we know, following the accident at the start of the previous Belgian Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean was excluded from the Italian Grand Prix. The French driver was also fined €50.000. In his place the British team calls Jérôme d'Ambrosio. The Belgian, who raced with Virgin in 2011, achieving fourteenth place as his best finish on two occasions (Australia and Canada), is the team's test driver and third driver. Friday 7 September 2012 the first free practice session on Friday took place in clear weather conditions. Michael Schumacher manages to make the most of the high top speed of his Mercedes and sets the best time. However, Mercedes suffers from high degradation of the rear tyres. Jenson Button is second in the timesheets, followed by Nico Rosberg. In the first test session, Finnish Valtteri Bottas took over from Bruno Senna at Williams and Frenchman Jules Bianchi took over from Paul di Resta at Force India. Due to the off-track accident suffered in Belgium and the leg injury suffered, the presence of the Indian HRT driver, Narain Karthikeyan, was in doubt right from the eve of the Italian Grand Prix. During the first test session the Indian driver was replaced by Ma Qinghua, the first Chinese driver to participate in a Formula 1 weekend. In the afternoon session the Mercedes engines confirmed their competitiveness, as Lewis Hamilton set the best time, ahead of his teammate, Jenson Button. After the accident at the start which ruined his race in Belgium, Fernando Alonso's unhappy moment continues upon his return from holidays. In Monza, where the Spaniard is called to the test of pride, to send a clear signal to all the competitors, the Spanish driver had to deal with another truly difficult day.
In the first test session, Fernando Alonso's car presented engine problems, which broke right at the moment, when the Spaniard was trying to understand what the car's potential really was on the fast Monza circuit. The engine, they explained in the pits, had many kilometers on it, so in itself the thing - always unpleasant, even if only for an image reason - did not seem very alarming on a technical level.In the afternoon, however, the situation drastically worsened. Back on track after changing the engine, the Spaniard was unable to do more than 17 laps. Fernando Alonso didn't even have time to warm up the new engine, as a gearbox problem (stuck in second gear) forced him to end testing early, leaving his fans with an unpleasant feeling of the car's unreliability. Luckily it's only Friday and, as Alonso always says, the points are won on Sunday. In the meantime, however, we must note the extraordinary competitiveness of this very delicate phase of the season with eight cars - including Ferrari - in the microscopic time space of 0.25 seconds. The fastest was Lewis Hamilton with McLaren, who preceded his teammate, Jenson Button, by 0.038 seconds and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari by 0.058 seconds. Fourth time for Felipe Massa, 0.140 seconds behind. Nico Rosberg, the only one of the leaders to have scored his best performance using Hard tyres, is fifth. The two Red Bull Racing teams are late. Mark Webber is eleventh, 0.814 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton; Thirteenth Sebastian Vettel, with a delay of 1.104 seconds. Fernando Alonso jokes in the press conference at the end of the tests:
"We broke a few pieces, but it was definitely a positive Friday. They weren't very important pieces, we were trying some slightly experimental things and it looked like it could happen. But now we're already focused on tomorrow, a little more We still need performance because the McLarens were very fast. We'll make some changes for tomorrow morning, but it's not a question of going from black to white".

And he adds:
“Everything happened today, from a technical point of view. It wasn't an easy Friday, no. In the morning the engine broke, and now the gearbox has failed. But in the end we experienced what we had to experience thanks to Felipe's excellent work. My teammate took care of doing all the planned work, and I trust him blindly. Now we have to analyse his data and fine-tune the car for qualifying".
The optimism displayed by Alonso is definitely legitimate:
“After all, the situation smiles on us. We are in the lead, with an excellent advantage. Paradoxically, after Spa we can also afford another race without even reaching the finish line and we would still find ourselves in contention for the world championship. Instead, if those chasing us miss even just one shot, they can say bye bye to their dreams of glory".
And so even mechanical failures take on a different flavor:
“Which can be considered from another point of view: usually what breaks in Friday testing is replaced and therefore works well both in qualifying and in the race, when the points valid for the World Championship are awarded...".
The situation is, in reality, slightly more complex than that. Because if on the one hand it is true that the Spanish driver's opponents cannot afford mistakes, it is also true that the 2012 Formula 1 scenario, as we found it after the summer break, shows a truly very fast McLaren. Of course, its drivers are behind in the standings. Lewis Hamilton, rightly or wrongly considered the most fearsome, is 47 points behind, but the difference in performance between the English cars and the others (including Ferrari) is worrying. McLaren won by a landslide at Spa, where Hamilton would have finished comfortably second behind Button if he hadn't been kicked out, and they also seem superior at Monza. Thus, the Spaniard has no choice but to continue with his zonal marking:
"I do my races always being careful to finish ahead of the man who follows me in the general classification, regardless of who he is".
And that is in this case Sebastian Vettel. Whose Red Bull Racing appears mysteriously subdued. A strategy, that of Fernando Alonso, which aims to use the great competitiveness of this championship for its own purposes. Starting from the unusual assumption that, having reached this point, it would even be possible to win the World Championship without winning a single race. Also because, compared to the start of the season, Ferrari has grown a lot.
"Of course we improved. In Jerez, when we put the car on the track our mood was very low, now we are here, it's Friday and we are third and fourth, of course Ferrari's recovery was incredible. I don't remember a recovery like this for a long time, for no team and I think that even from the outside it is completely evident. Now there is another step missing, we can win the World Championship, but there are many cars fighting and in this situation if you fall a little behind It's not like you finish fifth like last year but you find yourself in twelfth place and we can't afford that".
Fernando Alonso sweeps the crisis away. With the Spanish driver leading the World Championship, the organizers of the Italian Grand Prix are certain they can repeat last year's exploit, when 150,000 fans invaded the Monza racetrack. Mind-boggling numbers for the Italian Grand Prix, whose brand is worth 3.800.000.000 euros.

And again, 550.000.000 viewers will attend the event, thanks to the coverage of 77 television stations from all over the world. The security service was also impressive, with over 700 uniforms called to guard the perimeter of the circuit. Meanwhile, the Italian Grand Prix has already established a record, and that is that of tweets, which are monopolizing the internet. One fact above all: around 50% of those who tweet from Monza have on average 100 followers, who make the Grand Prix visible up to 150.000 contacts. And speaking of records, this year the Italian temple of speed achieved another one. It is here that the first Chinese driver in history got into a Formula 1 car. His name is Ma Qing Hua, 26 years old, who made his debut behind the wheel of an HRT. In Monza, as in Milan, the controversy over the free tickets that ended up in the hands of the city councilors of the two cities does not abate, who rejected the proposal, made by a Monza civic list, to auction off the coupons to raise funds from donate to charity. Unfortunately, however, it must also be said that between disservices and embarrassing scenes, the Italian stage of the circus has now turned into a sort of sample of Italian inefficiencies, a gallery of decadence described and derided in recent hours in the news, in stories and in tweets of journalists from the most prestigious newspapers in the world, from the English Reuters to the Spanish El Mundo. The most symbolic scene dates back to Thursday afternoon, when during Michael Schumacher's fan session, one of the organizers had to intervene to remove the police (yes, that's right) on duty in the paddock who were replacing the fans, taking photos of the champion and hindering operations. All this while, a few meters away, someone was stealing the access points of the press room's wi-fi system, infuriating the Anglo-Saxon journalists, enthusiastic to point out how Italy is the only country that is not able to ensure internet coverage. On Friday the network was restored, but by then the fool was over.
"It's the fault of the thieves".
The organizers explain, pointing the finger at crime which, during the days of the Grand Prix, moves en masse to Monza. On Thursday evening, in the parking lot of a pizzeria in front of the circuit, Paul di Resta's car was broken into. A very knowledgeable Spanish journalist explains:
"It's a gang of Neapolitans. The police commander told me in desperation when I went to report it: they tried to steal mine too".
But there is also that of touts. They are everywhere, hundreds of them. Recognizable by their beautiful signs, they act undisturbed (the police have other things to do). After all, tickets are a hot topic in these parts. On the eve of the Grand Prix it was discovered that the city councilors of Monza and Milan received four free coupons each. In any other part of the world a scandal would have broken out, not here in Monza where they are evidently used to much worse. The top management of the racetrack is under investigation for false invoicing and corruption and the bribes - at least according to prosecutors - fly into everything, even the asphalt of the circuit and the sandwich kiosks. On Saturday 8 September 2012, during the last free practice session, Lewis Hamilton set the best time again, ahead of Fernando Alonso by just 0.001 seconds. The Red Bull Racings still remain behind, with Sebastian Vettel remaining stationary along the track. Paul di Resta was forced to replace the gearbox at the end of free practice; for this reason he will be penalized with the loss of five positions on the starting grid. A few hours already late, in Q1 there was a technical problem for Nico Hülkenberg, who was unable to set any timed times. Jérôme d'Ambrosio only qualified for Q2 in the final minutes. The best heat time is that of Fernando Alonso. In addition to Nico Hülkenberg, the Caterham drivers, Heikki Kovalainen and Vitalij Petrov, the Marussia drivers, Charles Pic and Timo Glock, and the HRT drivers, Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Kartikeyan, are eliminated. In the second phase we see a great balance of performances, with the ranking revolutionizing in the final moments. Paul di Resta and Sebastian Vettel only entered the top ten at the last attempt, while Fernando Alonso set the best time again. Jerome d'Ambrosio, Mark Webber, the two Williams of Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna, the two STRs of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne, and Sergio Pérez are eliminated. In Q3 Fernando Alonso was unable to repeat the excellent times set in Q1 and Q2, due to the loss of a nut that should have blocked the anti-roll bar, making the car uncontrollable in traction.

The Spaniard will start from tenth position. Lewis Hamilton thus conquers pole position. In the final stages Paul di Resta moved into second place, before in turn being preceded by Felipe Massa, later beaten by Jenson Button.
"In the end, I'm sure that after the race someone in the top six in the standings will have closed the gap on me. But I'm also sure that someone else will have moved away".
The key phrase of the most difficult Saturday of the season was pronounced by Fernando Alonso at the end of his press conference. Words that could be translated as follows: I start tenth, I push hard, I overtake as many opponents as I can, and in the end I go home with a smile, with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton a little closer (but still not too much) and Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber a little further away. It would be a feat.
"Yes I know. I will do my best".
Did you understand what happened to the car?
"It was a problem with the rear suspension. At a certain point the car started to go bad. I contacted the garage to say that I had a puncture, that was the feeling. But there was nothing of the sort to them. The situation worsened rapidly, I could no longer drive, and I returned".
On Friday you broke the engine, brakes and gearbox and the rear suspension in qualifying. What's happening to Ferrari?
"We were a little unlucky, that's all".
Isn't it that maybe you pushed a little too much on developments and the machine, under too much stress, became more fragile?
"No I do not think so. The pieces that broke on Friday had many miles on them. The suspension that ruined our qualifying is a part that Ferrari has been using for fifteen years... it's not a question of stress. Just bad luck".
Has the wind turned? In short, at the beginning of the year fate seemed decidedly on your side...
"I am convinced that at the end of the season the budget is always balanced. And in any case I think that the points advantage we have in the general classification are deserved. Of course, after a series of positive weekends, this double stop is worth recording, but I wouldn't make a drama out of it. Maybe tomorrow it will end like in Valencia. Vettel and Hamilton start in front of me but in the end I win".
Are you aiming for victory, then?
"I don't feel like misleading people. I say I'll win, then I get on the track, do a normal race and finish eighth. I can only assure all the fans that I will do my best to recover as many positions as possible".
The car feels fast on this circuit.

"Yes, it's good. Today we could have taken pole position. In Q1 I did a time of 1'24"1 with the Hard tyres, in Q2 I did 1'24"2 driving relaxed. Hamilton set the best time in Q3, lapping in 1'24"0. I still had a few tenths: I could have taken pole position. But nothing. Now all I have to do is start aggressively and attack from the first corner, while being very careful so as not to end up in worse trouble. I have to get ahead of Vettel but I also absolutely have to avoid scoring zero points".
And then there is Felipe Massa, who can be of help this time.
"I count a lot on Felipe. He has a great car and today he drove very well. Usually he does very well at the start. I hope he checks out the McLarens and maybe keeps up with them. This way he will give me the opportunity to reach them".
And there is also a lot of anger on the part of the president of Ferrari, Luca Montezemolo, who arrived in Monza with the belief that he could witness a great result.
“Because our car is very strong on this track, we are highly competitive, as demonstrated by Massa's third time".
And now he needs a few hours of relaxation, to be able to accept such a disastrous timing.
"There is nothing easy in Formula 1, but Alonso was going great, he would have put everyone in line, he would certainly have started in the lead, in Monza, in our home, in front of our fans. It is bitter to receive such a verdict, from everything to nothing".
The suspension that rhymes with disappointment, which mortifies dreams and which makes Lewis Hamilton breathe a sigh of relief, someone who feared Ferrari a lot and who now hopes to make the most of this last chance, with a triumph that could bring him closer again in the rankings to the Spaniard and could allow him to get back in the running to win the World Championship. Next to him will be his teammate, Jenson Button. It is true that the other Englishman from McLaren still feels he is in the running for the world title (however he is 63 points behind), equally true that Lewis Hamilton, with his recent intolerance which has led to him being placed next to the Mercedes, a problem that was clearly evident in Belgium, certainly didn't sit well with the team. But the team led by Martin Whitmarsh is too smart to understand that opportunities can no longer be wasted and that in Monza, if they still want to cradle world championship dreams, they really can't go wrong. So it is better to believe other sentences by Jenson Button, such as the one with which he says that:
"At the first corner we will be aggressive, but without running the risk of ruining everything".
On the other hand, Felipe Massa had never started so far this year and now boldly states:
"We are fast, the car is perfect, why shouldn't I dream, especially if I had a good start, of beating the McLarens?"
Fernando Alonso hopes so and Luca Montezemolo almost orders it:
"We're focusing a lot on Felipe this weekend. He is the one who must give us the victory".

Giving himself, at the same time, because it would be a very important success and if indeed, as he swears, Ferrari has not yet decided on the second driver for next year, a future in red. Felipe Massa is more motivated than ever:
"It's a special race for the team and fundamental for me".
Luca Montezemolo hopes so, preferring to forget what happened to Fernando Alonso and digressing on the F1 to come, such as cost cutting, which cannot be renounced, the third car, the technological excellence that must preserve this sport, development and research:
"Because when I hear about electric cars, I still think it's a joke. Which doesn't even make you laugh".
Sunday 9 September 2012, at the start of the Italian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton got off to a good start and remained in first position, followed by Felipe Massa who passed Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher was fourth, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. Fernando Alonso made a good start, thus managing to move up to seventh place before the end of the first lap, after passing Kamui Kobayashi at the Parabolica. During the second lap the Spaniard also passed Kimi Räikkönen at the first chicane. During the fourth lap Sebastian Vettel passes Michael Schumacher. During the seventh lap the German Mercedes driver was also passed by Fernando Alonso. Subsequently, during lap 15 Michael Schumacher makes a pit stop, and during lap 17 Sergio Pérez also changes his tyres. The Mexican is the only one among the leading riders to use Hard tyres, and in this phase he also manages to pass Kimi Räikkönen, thus climbing to sixth place. During lap 18 Jenson Button overtook Felipe Massa at the Roggia and moved into second place. The Brazilian made a pit stop on the following lap, then also followed by Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Massa returns to the track ahead of the German Red Bull Racing driver and his teammate. Shortly after, the trio passes Daniel Ricciardo, who has not yet changed his tyres. McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button also pitted between lap 22 and lap 23. Sergio Pérez, who has not yet made the stop, moves into first position. Meanwhile Fernando Alonso tries to pass Sebastian Vettel at the Curva Grande, but the German pushes him with all four tires onto the grass. During lap 29 the Spaniard tries the maneuver again and manages to pass the German Red Bull Racing driver, who was penalized with a drive through for the incorrect defensive maneuver in the previous attempt. In the meantime, Sergio Pérez returns to the pits to change tires.
Lewis Hamilton returns to the lead, ahead of Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Sergio Pérez. During lap 34, between the Ascari curve and the parabolica, the McLaren team's dream of achieving a one-two vanished, as Jenson Button stopped due to a fuel system failure. During tour 35 Sergio Pérez passes Kimi Räikkönen at Roggia, but the Finn goes on the counterattack and regains the position. Two laps later Sergio Perez overtakes the Lotus driver again and manages to gain a position. Nico Rosberg also managed to pass the Finn during lap 38, again at the Roggia, but shortly afterwards both Mercedes drivers returned to the pits to make the second stop, and lost numerous positions. During lap 40 Fernando Alonso passes Felipe Massa, and rises to second position, while Sebastian Vettel passes Mark Webber and rises to sixth place. Lewis Hamilton continues undisturbed in first position, followed by Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Sergio Pérez, Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel. The Mexican Sauber driver, on Medium tyres, is much faster than the two Ferrari drivers. Therefore, Sergio Perez easily passes Felipe Massa at the parabolica during lap 43, and then Fernando Alonso during lap 46 at the Ascari corner, climbing to second place, behind Lewis Hamilton. During lap 48 Sebastian Vettel retires. The German driver stops shortly after crossing the finish line, on the advice of his team.In the final laps Nico Hülkenberg and Mark Webber also retired, the latter after a spin at the exit of the Ascari curve, during lap 50. Lewis Hamilton wins the Italian Grand Prix, followed by Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso. Felipe Massa is fourth, followed by Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, Paul di Resta, Kamui Kobayashi and Bruno Senna. Start from pole position and off to victory: Lewis Hamilton literally dominated.

The Briton managed to conclude a masterpiece race, the one that all drivers dream of, as a true leader, leading from start to finish. But the party, the big party is for Fernando Alonso because with his third place he made a huge leap forward in the World Championship standings, given that Sebastian Vettel retired a few laps from the end due to the usual problem with the alternator of his Red Bull Racing (for the second time). In fact, now Fernando Alonso, with seven races to go in the World Championship, is leading the standings with a 37 point advantage over his pursuer, who is no longer Sebastian Vettel but Lewis Hamilton. In short, does a third place count as a victory? Absolutely: thanks to the podium achieved in Monza, Fernando Alonso has risen to 179 points in the standings, while Lewis Hamilton is on 142 points. And therefore with an advantage of 38 over Kimi Raikkonen, who has 141 points, and 39 over Sebastian Vettel, stuck at 140 points. To tell the truth, the Ferrari party was (partially) ruined by Sergio Perez, who at the end of the race passed first Felipe Massa and then Fernando Alonso, letting the dream of a podium with two Ferrari drivers fade away. But demonstrating how Sergio Perez is always there, ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself.In any case, Felipe Massa's fourth place was also excellent, thus giving great help to the Maranello team in the Constructors' World Championship. And so he tries in every way to get reconfirmed for next season too. We will see. Fifth position for Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus, ahead of Michael Schumacher's Mercedes. Nico Rosberg's other Anglo-German car was seventh, ahead of Paul di Resta's Force India and Kamui Kobajashi's Sauber. Bruno Senna's Williams finishes in tenth position. In any case, right from the start it was clear that Ferrari was very strong. In fact, Felipe Massa had the luxury of immediately passing Jenson Button at the start, while Fernando Alonso immediately began a furious comeback that made us forget his start from tenth position. The gigantic roundabout vibrates above the crazy crowd present on the Monza circuit. It is not just any podium, given that it has a view of the public that has no equal in the rest of the world, and throbs with emotion, with the happiness of the Ferrari fans who enjoyed Fernando Alonso's comeback and admire him on the third step of the podium, beaming at the importance of the result. Because it's true, Lewis Hamilton won, it's true that Sergio Perez is second with Sauber, who only has the Ferrari engine and in the final he overtook both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber retired, so like Jenson Button, betrayed by the petrol pump. Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner, comments on what happened to Sebastian Vettel in the race:
"For Vettel there was an alternator failure, something sudden, we had to stop the car. The same thing happened yesterday during free practice and also in Valencia".
On Webber, however, the British manager says:
"He wore out his tyres, then he spun, there were strong vibrations and he had to stop".
Regarding the penalty that was imposed on Sebastian Vettel, the Red Bull Racing team principal explains that, in his opinion:
"It was too hard, he had enough space, Fernando used all his Kers at that point, Vettel probably didn't think he could emerge from there. Excessive penalty, it was a normal racing incident".
Regarding the possibility of winning the World Championship, Christian Horner says:
"It's tough, but there are still many races, we will continue to fight, in two weeks we will be back on track to try to reduce the gap".
Thus, Fernando Alonso allows the Ferrari team to dream - for five years - of winning the World Championship again.

It's not over, okay, there are still seven races to go and this McLaren, which has won in three Grands Prix, twice with Lewis Hamilton and once with Jenson Button, is scary; but for Fernando Alonso, after the disaster on Saturday, it was difficult to imagine a Sunday more beautiful than this, more special, a dream day, perfect, as he defines it. Sebastian Vettel seems increasingly disappointed, as if he was predicting the end of Red Bull Racing's cycle, with a car that is no longer competitive, an increasingly tiring drive, a reliability that no longer leaves one at peace (the retirement is due to the breakdown of the alternator, had also failed on Saturday morning and at the end of June in Valencia) and above all risky and counterproductive maneuvers, such as the one which, to defend the provisional fourth place from Fernando Alonso's assault, led him to push the Spaniard onto the gravel. He shouldn't have done it according to the judges and the resulting drive through was the disturbing prologue to the definitive decline, with the German falling back, finding himself almost outside the top ten, starting to run again at high speeds and bringing the car to failure and forced parking on the edge of the track. Nothing is decided yet, in the opinion of Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. To really hope to win the World Championship we need two more victories:
"Only in this way could we feel safe".
But the fact that the competition is starting to lose pieces is certainly a good sign for the Maranello team. That leaves Lewis Hamilton, a driver who absolutely cannot be underestimated. The Briton had never won in Monza: he did it in the best way, remaining in the lead practically from start to finish and shaking only a little at the end, when Sergio Perez, the only one of the leading drivers to have the Soft tyres, was overtaking and humiliating opponents. Even in this phase, however, the Briton showed his skills as a World Champion: without getting upset, the McLaren driver increased the pace and there was nothing left to do for the Mexican's ambitions. Hamilton knew he had one last chance, and he made the best of it.
"An exceptional victory, which puts me back in the running for the title. A success that was practically problem-free, almost easy, thanks to my team, who worked fantastically. It's great to win here, in front of this fantastic crowd. I have to say that it was a smooth race, and having a good start was important for the rest of the Grand Prix. Button's retirement? He was unlucky, I don't know what happened to his car but it was a shame, it would have been fantastic for the team to get first and second place".
That team, so to speak, which he had harshly criticized in Belgium, for a wrong winger in qualifying, with attached (secret) telemetry revealed on Twitter and evident anger in McLaren's response. The situation seemed to be going badly but if you dream of a comeback, you need everyone and now, with Fernando Alonso on the run, you can't get lost in unnecessary problems. It wouldn't hurt to have Jenson Button's help either. The Englishman had been mocked at the start by Felipe Massa, but then made up for it, overtaking him on lap 19. He was second, during lap 33, everything for McLaren seemed to be moving towards the exhilarating one-two, when the engine fell silent . Now Jenson Button is really out of the picture. Sergio Perez took advantage of this, managing to get on the podium and enjoying the momentary glory. To think that before the race, in the Ferrari corridors, bad thoughts were circulating about him, of a driver who perhaps, after second place in Malaysia and third in Canada, had gone to his head, who did not follow Driver's instructions to the letter Academy of which Luca Baldisserri is responsible, and for this reason he would have been called up to Maranello on Tuesday evening. Now they will see him anyway and maybe they will tell him something different than what they initially wanted to tell him. However, he also added compliments for the best race of his still short career. The old product, and perhaps not expired, is the one to come. Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez, stories compared, on a track, the historic Monza circuit, which could have saved the Brazilian's job and opened the doors to a future prestigious job for the Mexican.

Two destinies that curiously intertwine, on a happy Sunday for both, with Felipe Massa acting as his team imposes and lets Fernando Alonso pass, but first he starts off great, slips between Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and for a long time even dreams the victory, and with Perez having the race of his life, on the podium even forces Niki Lauda to take off his hat in a sign of admiration, and is consecrated as the true revelation of the day. Felipe Massa redeems himself and after a very long series of anonymous races, he can finally smile. The triumph requested the day before by president Montezemolo did not arrive, but the test was nevertheless passed. Of course, there was the political move, the Brazilian stepping aside without even having to be solicited by the radio:
"I always said I would behave like a professional, I always have, the team first".
A maneuver that will be useful tomorrow:
"The team evaluates everything and my approach to certain situations is very important".
But it would be reductive to summarize everything in this team gesture. Felipe Massa has produced other good things and rightly highlights them:
"I started well, with more luck I could have even passed Hamilton, I was very keen on the podium, I'm sorry I only came close to it. The car was almost perfect, unfortunately I hadn't calculated such marked wear on the tyres, a degradation that at a certain point made us lose performance. I warned on the radio, the rear was going away, I couldn't control the car well anymore and it was at that moment that Button overtook me".
However, it was not the Englishman from McLaren who was the cause of the loss of the podium. Felipe Massa would have had access to the awards ceremony if it hadn't been for Sergio Perez. Here, it's him, the Mexican from the Driver Academy in Maranello, who started acting crazy, first completing 29 laps with the Hard tyres, and then starting to run quickly in the last 24 with the Soft tyres. On lap 43 he passed Felipe Massa and on lap 46 he also passed Fernando Alonso.
"A fantastic race, the best of my life, even better than Malaysia and Canada, the other two times I finished on the podium. I did everything to win. It was a beautiful race for me and for the team also from a strategy point of view. I did everything I could to recover and try to win but the gap was too wide".
He knows that Ferrari will be his destiny, and some joke: hasn't he lost the chance to join the Maranello team by overtaking Fernando Alonso?
"I fight with everyone, I had Fernando in front, I was faster, I didn't have any problems".
The Mexican has instead made himself known to Ferrari fans, who now will not be surprised if in a few seasons they see him in the Maranello team. Not now. Stefano Domenicali is clear:
"It's ours, but we don't want to accelerate its growth process too much".

In 2013 he will gain further experience elsewhere, then who knows. Because everyone, since 2014, has taken Sebastian Vettel's arrival in Maranello as a given, except those who are very close to Fernando Alonso, and remember his fighting spirit and little desire for cumbersome teammates. But what if Sergio Perez was Felipe Massa's surprise heir?
"It was a difficult race starting from tenth position, but we knew we had the fastest car of the whole weekend and today I had the pace to make up positions. Let's not give up, let's continue like this".
Acclaimed by the crowd on the podium in Monza, Fernando Alonso admits:
"It was a perfect day for us. The victory was not within my reach, starting from tenth and since it was not possible to win, the next objective was the podium, the forecasts were not favorable so third place is ultimately a result that goes beyond the most optimistic predictions. . The start was good. It wasn't perhaps the best of the season but I managed to climb two positions and after the first two-three laps I found myself sixth, this made the difference, at that point the race prospects were better".
Regarding the battle with Sebastian Vettel, later punished with a drive-through, the Spaniard prefers not to comment. Fernando Alonso prefers to enjoy the lead in the World Drivers' Championship.
"After a disappointing day for us and especially for the fans who supported us throughout the weekend, this race was like a movie, like a dream for me. As for the championship, we always said that we had to focus on second, yesterday it was Vettel, today it's Hamilton".
He had foreseen everything on Saturday evening. And this is perhaps why Fernando Alonso's smile is different from usual, more intense and full of mystery. On Saturday evening, in the general despondency, the Spanish driver said more or less like this:
"What happened to me today could happen to anyone else tomorrow, with much worse consequences, and in any case in the end I am sure that if someone recovers a few points on me, I will gain the same number on many others".
And so it was. Fortune?
"No. On the contrary. I think we were unlucky on Saturday. Just as others were unlucky on Sunday. It happened to us in Spa when, through no fault of our own, a car decided to take off above ours... No, really, I wouldn't say we're lucky. For this reason I think we need to try to improve the car's performance a little further to be on par with our rivals. I'm not talking about this weekend - in which perhaps we were the strongest together with McLaren - I'm talking about the rest of the season".
Tell us about the race. He started tenth. Was it very difficult?
"Yes, but I knew we had the fastest car on the grid. And we were in the ideal condition to recover positions. And in the end it turned out to be a perfect Sunday. We did a lot of race simulations on Saturday night. The computer said victory was out of the question. And even the podium seemed impossible... And instead not only did the podium arrive but also problems with the two Red Bulls and Button's McLaren".
It became clear immediately after departure that things were going well.

"Yes, the start was good. Maybe not the best of the season, but fast enough to overtake two or three cars between the first corner and the first laps. Which I think was the moment that made the difference in our race. I passed di Resta, Raikkonen and Schumacher very quickly, and this put me in a position to chase Vettel from the start".
Speaking of Vettel, you took a risk at the Curva Grande. Was he surprised by Sebastian's move?
"More than anything, the car was damaged with that off-track. A lot of. The bottom, the suspensions, some aerodynamic parts... after all, if you go out at 330 km/h...".
What did he think while he was running on the grass?
"Nothing. That I wanted to stay on track and continue the race. More or less the same thing I thought shortly after, when Perez came from behind a second per lap faster than me. I tried to defend myself a little but without doing anything crazy".
And now? Strategy to win the World Championship?
"We continue to race second, whoever it is. Before Monza it was Vettel and we were happy to find ourselves with a strong McLaren that could annoy our pursuers. And the race went just as we dreamed".
Now enemy number one is Hamilton? Will it be him until the end?
"We will see. We will notice it in the next two races. Much will depend on how the teams develop the cars. Now they have won the last three Grands Prix and are in top form, and they also have the driver I respect the most. Whatever the case, it will be tough until the end".
The next Grand Prix will be held in Singapore: both Alonso and Hamilton consider it a Grand Prix very suited to their characteristics.
"Yes I like it a lot. Not just the race but the whole weekend. Personally, I hope that everything goes as best as possible, given that we will bring a lot of new things to Singapore".
However, there is a mystery in the extraordinary Sunday of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. In the most delicate moment of the race, when the team has to decide when to pit for a tire change, all the electrical equipment went off. A blackout, for which the two energy generators (the primary one and the back up one) were blamed. Suddenly the men of the Maranello team found themselves projected into the 1980s, when the only technical support was radio communications with the drivers. After the initial panic, the engineers took the situation into their own hands and, despite the difficulties, did everything in the best possible way, also thanks to the move of Pat Fry, who took his mobile phone and called the team in Maranello that every Sunday supports the choices of the engineers present in the pits. Once the emergency was resolved, the investigation began. Such damage could have caused serious consequences, no more and no less than an engine failure. It certainly seems curious that two Ferrari generators break down in the same afternoon. Someone even hypothesized sabotage, but they exclude him from the team. Although on Sunday evening a disturbing detail emerges, which had been kept secret all weekend. On Friday, someone had sabotaged (by putting a rag in the tank) the tow truck that had recovered Fernando Alonso's car which had remained stranded on the track after the engine failure.

Apparently the gesture was not aimed at Scuderia Ferrari, but it is clear that in recent days, in a racetrack besieged by criminal investigations, everything has happened.
"Another happy Sunday, racing at home gave us wings, the support from the fans was incredible, go Ferrari".
Fernando Alonso, as can be understood from the message via Twitter, falls asleep happy after the great comeback in Monza. It remains to be understood whether in the nocturnal thought there is an allusion to Red Bull Racing, which didn't exactly gain wings in Monza. Perhaps the Spaniard wanted to make fun of his downsized opponents. Certainly, the Ferrari driver is aware that he is in a good position. Fernando Alonso, an inveterate superstitious person, refuses to think that it is done. But if the next stage, the treacherous race in Singapore, in theory unfavorable for Ferrari due to the high downforce characteristics of the circuit, also goes well, the world championship dream would come very close to reality. In fact, many think that this Grand Prix could have a decisive impact. First of all for Red Bull Racing, which dominated on that track in 2011. The cars of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber towered over their opponents. Now however, as seen in Monza, they are struggling and forcing the drivers to perform true miracles of skill. This shouldn't be the case in Singapore, or at least that's what Sebastian Vettel hopes, forced to win at all costs. Lewis Hamilton was at last call, in Monza, and he didn't waste it. The German, who upon leaving Italy vows to continue fighting to defend the World Championship victory achieved in the 2010-2011 two-year period, must behave in the same way, otherwise the 37 points he is behind Fernando Alonso risk to become an unbearable burden. The race could also be fundamental for McLaren, which with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button has won the last three races. Competitive on three completely different tracks. Singapore's street circuit may be reminiscent of Budapest, and Lewis Hamilton has a chance to win at Marina Bay too. Regarding the bad mood arising from relations with the team, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh responded in Monza:
"With us you can win, with others I don't know".
And Alonso? On Singapore it has been said for some time:
"It's the crossroads of the season, we could be in difficulty. If this were not the case, it means that the gap with the rivals has been definitively closed".
To achieve this, a load of aerodynamic innovations have been announced. Always a question of wings. The ones that must make the final triumph glide.