
Jean Todt is in his new office as CEO of Ferrari Spa, in the same hallway where the office of chairman Luca Montezemolo and vice-chairman Piero Ferrari is located. From a large window behind him, you can see the factories where the world's most wanted cars are made. We are in the municipality of Maranello, a town that has become famous hand in hand with the history of Ferrari. Formula 1 racing cars, on the other hand, are born on the other side of the road leading to Abetone, in the municipality of Fiorano. Mr Todt, did you expect such a good result from a drunk driver like Räikkönen?
"Drunk? Have you seen him drinking? Have you seen him drunk? Not me. In Melbourne, I had dinner with both drivers and saw them drinking Coca-Cola. Then I flip through the press review and I see headlines and pictures in some of the tabloids from which it would appear... but you don't actually see anything. The fact is that today with these damn mobile phones that also take photos and videos, you can expect anything and everything. I have known Finnish drivers since I was involved in rallying, I was with them from 1966 to 1981, and I know they like a drink every now and then. So what? If Räikkönen gets a little tipsy or goes clubbing, that's fine with me, no complaints. But since a driver of that level is also an ambassador for himself, for Ferrari, for his country, for the sport, I told him: watch out for mobile phones, just behave yourself and everything will be fine. He's a serious professional, I know he doesn't get drunk".
Would you have bet on such a dazzling start to the championship?
"No, because I'm prudent and also superstitious. I knew the car was good but you never know. Look what happened to Massa: because of a small glitch in the gearbox program, he had to start last. Our fault, not his. Räikkönen also had some problems, a water pipe was leaking and the engine was no longer under pressure. You always have to be careful".
But in Melbourne there were also rumours of protests against you for some of your irregularities.
"There were no protests, but a lot of nastiness. You know how F1 is, it's always full of venom. When the others win I say congratulations, they were better than us. Instead, they attack, they do damage, and it's almost always the same people. I don't like this at all but I've been in F1 since 1993 and I'm no longer surprised. We have nothing to hide, I’ll make it clear".
You who know him well, tell us what Räikkönen is really like.
"I know him well... I've known him for six months. I've known Schumacher for eleven years so if you ask me that question again in another eleven years I can give you a fuller answer. Räikkönen is a great talent and a great professional. Of course, he speaks little. But he says a lot. He responds well. There are many people who talk a lot and say nothing. All of us at Ferrari are happy with him and he is happy with us because he has found a more welcoming environment here, a more receptive environment than the one he had before. He's at home with us, he can come whenever he wants".
Let us talk about Ferrari cars: Montezemolo says he wants to reach 6.000 units produced this year.
"Well, we will see, we will see. I have only been here two months as managing director. What is certain is that we have a lot of orders and our real problem is not producing but managing the waiting list. After all, a Ferrari is such an exclusive product, such luxury, such quality, that you have to desire it, wait for it. That's the price you have to pay".

But Porsche sells 50.000 cars a year.
"More, more. But we have a completely different strategy. A Ferrari is an exclusive thing. It's not for nothing that we have launched personalisation: every car is tailor-made for the customer. No four-door, no SUV, no luxury city car".
And how do you deal with new and expanding markets?
"We jump through hoops. In the US we sell a third of our production, 1800 cars a year, in China 150, but we got there in a few years from scratch. The US is a big market, and China will be in the future, but we don't give up investing there. We have opened a branch in Shanghai to which twelve local dealers report, plus spare parts, service, and a school for mechanics. We are also opening in Macau, in Abu Dhabi next month the foundation stone of the large theme park will be laid, but we are not forgetting Los Angeles and other places".
Is it true that the favourite colour for a Ferrari is always red?
"You caught me off guard, if you want we can make a phone call. So at a glance, I would say yes, that it is still red, but not as much as before. Yellow is very popular, while now the colour that many people are asking for is the new metallic black. After all, look at this collection of models in my office: they are all red. Red is a constant in time, in our history, born and due to the genius of Enzo Ferrari, the founder".
Will Ferrari do well in the post-Schumacher era?
"I think so because we have a team that has learned from him and many others over the years. A team that works well. And two very good drivers. Since 1993, that is, since I arrived at Ferrari, I have done 228 Grands Prix under my responsibility and won 90 of them. Let's take the average: one win every two and a half Grands Prix or so. In second place is Williams with 48 victories, almost half of ours, then McLaren with 46, then Benetton Renault with 38. I mean: for more than ten years we have been the car to beat, we are a benchmark. We have only failed once, in 2005 when we went wrong: we only won one Grand Prix compared to fifteen in 2004. I don't know if in the coming years the numbers will prove me right, but I do know that we have created a team capable of working well".
Can you explain why you did so badly in 2005?
"We studied a car with a certain type of tyres, then the tyres changed and we went into a tailspin. Because of the tyres, but also because of our own fault. We got lost in a thousand attempts and by the time we realised it was too late. But the lesson served us well".
He wears his watch on his right wrist, as did the lawyer Agnelli, although in the case of Kimi Räikkönen, it must be a driver's habit, as Fernando Alonso also behaves this way. As he speaks, the watch cannot go unnoticed, because it is topped by a gigantic Maori tattoo, a legacy of the triumph in Melbourne, a gift he gave himself on his forearm on the Monday after the victory, a tattoo that has no meaning, that may not even be permanent:
"You will understand in a few weeks".

Kimi Räikkönen replies, with his usual reticence, but he has to give it plenty of strength and aggression in Malaysia, as his race is in danger of being tremendously uphill. All the fault of a hydraulic leak in the last Australian laps, the engine that did not betray but still took him to the finish line, but now, with this tremendous heat, the asphalt has exceeded 50 °C several times, in the race it could not withstand the stress and would leave him stranded. The whole of Ferrari's day is spent on its engine, with a tangle of admissions and denials, the engine that could be replaced as early as Friday, April 6, 2007, after the three hours of free practice, or on Saturday, before the battle for pole position, with the unfortunate consequence of a starting grid worsened by ten places. Ferrari swears they have not decided anything yet, and behind this reserve, there is probably a subtle tactical game, the desire to see (the free practice times will be eloquent) if the margin over the rivals is really as wide as they all say the pits, or if Alonso with his McLaren runs more or less at the same pace. That is not a small difference, because this is one of the rare tracks where you can overtake, and a Räikkönen from another planet could easily make a comeback in the race and make it all the way to the podium, without running the risk of a retirement and a Sunday with no championship points. On the other hand, if the advantage is not there or is minimal, Ferrari could also decide to grit their teeth and cross their fingers, leaving the Finnish driver up front, perhaps in pole position, and hope that the engine does not break down. A dilemma that does not seem to distress Kimi Räikkönen all that much. He, taking refuge in the classic let us wait and see, seems to want to say: I can do it anyway, perhaps reminding himself that he was the only one in the past, since the ten-place grid rule, to have won a race despite replacing the engine. He was seventeenth in Japan in 2005, a further drama after the seventh time in qualifying, he started to push like crazy with his McLaren and in the last few corners he even managed to overtake Fisichella. Not only that, in the same year, at Magny Cours, another Mercedes engine up in smoke, third place in qualifying, thirteenth on the grid and second at the end, a marvellous podium, conquered to the sound of overtaking. Feats that he has well in mind and that now makes him say.
"I am not the least bit worried. If the engine has to be changed, we will replace it. It’s not true what Alonso says, we aren't uncatchable, but we have great speed, and a very good pace, and everything is there to be optimistic. My real rival is Massa, my teammate. In terms of times, we are very close, it will be a close battle, all year long".
One of those duels that Michael Schumacher liked so much, which Kimi Räikkönen is increasingly trying to resemble. He has been on holiday in a secret location in Malaysia, it could be Langkawi, one of the German's favourite destinations. Did Michael Schumacher always have his wife Corinna by his side? In Kuala Lumpur Jenni, Mrs Räikkönen, will come. And if you ask the Fin how he celebrated his first Ferrari success, he replies:
"Let's say soberly, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be telling you at all".
The Maranello team's anxiety is all about the engine, Friday will tell. And it is anxiety (without malice) also for Felipe Massa, who in Melbourne suffered with the gearbox and here would like to even the score straight away.
"Mine was a random and unrepeatable issue, now I dream of redemption. We are faster than the others, this time it's my turn to win".
But we will have to watch out for the Federation, which on the eve of the Malaysian Grand Prix said:
"From Malaysia, we will be stricter".
This is the diktat of the FIA, which aims to close the first case of the season, with Ferrari's flat floor that rivals claim is too flexible.

Stricter controls, say the stewards, which translated means no more aids in the anchoring system, the floor should not flex more than 5 millimetres at a vertical load of 500 kg, if Ferrari had a spring that counteracted the flexibility, it cannot use it anymore. Ferrari's men let it be known that they readily adapted and feared nothing, even the other teams (if they resorted to any help) had to remove springs and tie rods. Fernando Alonso insinuates:
"Now we are all in the same condition, we start on an equal footing".
But Felipe Massa replies:
"Nothing will change, we proved it in testing here in Malaysia last week".
To beat Ferrari, Fernando Alonso has been training on the simulator:
"They are so sophisticated now, it's like driving on the track".
While Lewis Hamilton sweated it out in Sepang testing, the Spanish driver prepared for the challenge in Woking, at McLaren’s headquarters.
"Ferrari in Melbourne was seven tenths faster than us, I don't think there can be a revolution in Malaysia. But if the Ferraris break down, the battle for the title becomes easier. They won't cheer for me out of loyalty, but you don't throw away certain gifts".
Friday, April 6, 2007, the announced dominance is there. Felipe Massa first in the morning, 0.2 seconds ahead of one McLaren (Alonso) and 0.7 seconds ahead of the other (Hamilton). Leader also in the afternoon, with the rivals changing, the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella at 0.130 seconds, that of Heikki Kovalainen at 0.3 seconds, while the McLarens disappear, sinking to one second with Lewis Hamilton and 0.02 seconds further back with Fernando Alonso. The ruler always remains him, the various revolutions in the standings do not affect him in the slightest, just as they do not affect his teammate, Kimi Räikkönen, who should be disappointed by the double fourth place and instead is refreshed by an engine that will not be touched, with the nightmare vanished of the grid penalty. The domination, which had already manifested itself in Melbourne, also materialised in the torrid Malaysia, where thunderstorms were announced every day, but the rain was not to be seen and the temperature continued to touch 40 °C. The Ferraris are flying, they are marching at an impressive pace, you can understand this when you analyse the long runs, not the single lap at full throttle, but the various consecutive laps, devoured with consistent times and always with a good margin over their rivals. But the unknown is right there, in the extent of that advantage. A covered card that perhaps conditioned Ferrari's decision to not change the engine on Kimi Räikkönen's car. Aside from the fact that Fernando Alonso finds it hard to believe it ("They will check it for a long time before qualifying and in any case if I manage to put pressure on him, to stay at five seconds, instead of twenty as in Melbourne, maybe it will break in the race"), the impression is that the men from the team in Maranello do not feel they are from another planet, otherwise they would have avoided even the slightest risk. They know they are ahead. Aldo Costa, the design chief, observes smugly:
"With the restriction of testing during the season, eight in total, and with only one car available for every single day, with a ban on testing more than 300 sets of tyres, and some teams having already wasted several, it won't be easy to make up ground".
But they admit, with strategist Luca Baldisserri:

"That ten places on the grid aren't willingly given to anyone".
It could have been done, if Kimi Räikkönen had gone wide and sucked everyone in easily, but what if the Renaults get in the way and certain overtakes (including McLarens, of course) become impossible? Agreed, there is Felipe Massa who even in Malaysia, as in Australia before breaking the gearbox, is indicated by everyone as the announced winner, he does not knock on wood and with his peremptory phrases, he supports this thesis, but what if the tears of the adversaries were a sneaky way to throw the impregnable Ferrari (all the other drivers call them that) a terrifying cheat? Not to mention that Fernando Alonso is not so resigned with the Spanish press:
"I want to start in the top five, at which point anything is possible. If Ferraris have reliability problems, I have to take advantage of their gift. I can’t waste such an opportunity".
A clear message, better to be diffident, and to keep a low profile, Kimi Räikkönen always succeeds in his voice, and feet on the ground, as Felipe Massa guarantees. On a day where more than the doubts (the one about the Ferrari engine seems to have been resolved) the slips live on air made one smile, Briatore guaranteeing maximum help for Fernando's world comeback (Alonso is no longer his, he was referring to Fisichella) and Jean Todt calling Michael Schumacher, his heir Kimi Räikkönen. Hard to forget. Even if the French manager recovers immediately, with an unconditional certificate of esteem for the Finn:
"If he laughs or not, I don't care, it's how he does his job that counts. The tattoo on his arm? He can also get it on his face, as long as he's fast on the track. If one of our sponsors complains? Let's change the sponsor".
In the hands of the endoscope. It was this sophisticated instrument that convinced the Ferrari engineers not to change the engine of Räikkönen's car.
"An engine must be listened to like a sick person".
Gilles Simon, Maranello's engine manager, jokingly, but not too much, comments; the probe, entering through a valve, triggered a series of operations that led to the decision to keep the car that triumphed on Sunday, March 18, 2007, in Melbourne unaltered. To fully understand how the Maranello team's engineers worked, it should first be pointed out that the engine that suffered the hydraulic leak could not be dismantled, it had to remain sealed, so as not to force Räikkönen to move back ten places on the grid. The endoscope thus became an essential tool. Composed of three pieces, a lamp with 200 watts of power, a two-meter metal tube, flexible and with a thickness of 8 millimetres, in which an optical fibre is inserted, and a borescope, where the eye rests and allows a 180-degree view, it was inserted inside and allowed all the components to be checked, adding to the analysis of the various parameters also a visual examination. So it was not difficult to reproduce the same issue affecting Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari engine in another guinea pig engine, used for several kilometres last week in testing in Malaysia. Same track, same heat, same stress, and same anomalies, the test became a true photocopy of reality. The engine could have broken down, but instead, it resisted. At the end of practice, it was disassembled and the Ferrari engineers realised that a similar risk could be taken in the race. Hence the decision announced by Kimi Räikkönen:
"I will not change the engine".
With Jean Todt's approval:

"There was no need".
A theory shared by Gilles Simon.
"Everything is OK, we can afford a normal race, without excessive caution".
This time the distinction is clear, as the rules demand, as the FIA demanded. The spectator (in front of the TV or in the grandstands) can clearly understand whether at that moment a car is using a soft or hard compound tyre, simply by observing whether there is a white stripe, located on the second groove (starting from the inside) of the tyre. If the stripe is there, the tyre is Soft, and never mind if the opponents find out too, in spite of the secrets so much in vogue in Formula 1 and the strategies. Now everyone will realise it, unlike the first race in Melbourne, when the distinction was down to a measly three centimetres of white marking on the tyre sidewall. It was a failed experiment, just as other attempts had all gone in vain in last week's tests in Malaysia: red dot or stripe in other places on the tyre. This one prevailed, on the second groove, because there the wear on the tyre is minimal and the stripe is not in danger of being worn off. Now the drivers cannot hide any more. Times in hand, strip in front of their eyes, they can see which compound they go fastest with, and above all, since this is often the softest, whether it can last for so many laps, whether it holds up to wear, whether it keeps performance constant over time or makes it drop suddenly. Telling the truth is inevitable and someone has already started. Fernando Alonso:
"Ferrari makes the tyres work better than us. With the soft tyres they manage to have a stable car, while we lose balance and grip".
Thesis confirmed by Felipe Massa:
"The softs make you go faster and on stability I have no complaints. They hold up well to wear, it can be a winning choice".
And by Kimi Räikkönen:
"Here it’s the opposite of Melbourne".
Saturday, April 7, 2007, in the first few minutes the best times were set by Nico Rosberg, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Kimi Räikkönen. The Finnish driver is then overtaken in the standings by Lewis Hamilton, who is on hard tyres. The same choice was also made by teammate Fernando Alonso, who managed to overtake him shortly afterwards. In the end, the best times were set by Fernando Alonso (1' 34"942) and Felipe Massa (1' 35"340). The first eliminated were Adrian Sutil, Christijan Albers, Alexander Wurz, the increasingly disappointing Rubens Barrichello, Anthony Davidson and Scott Speed. A good result for the Super Aguri which took Vitantonio Liuzzi to the second round. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton opened the second quarter-hour, followed by the rest of the group. This time almost everyone was on soft tyres. Fernando Alonso immediately set the best time of the weekend at the first attempt (1'34"057). There was a tight battle between the leaders, while Vitantonio Liuzzi, Jenson Button, Takuma Satō, David Coulthard, Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen were eliminated. In the last 15 minutes, Kimi Räikkönen attempted to qualify on Hard tyres, while Felipe Massa preferred Softs. The rest of the drivers, except Lewis Hamilton, chose Soft tyres. But in the last few minutes, everyone put on Soft tyres to make one last attempt. And Felipe Massa, with a great final lap, took pole position, stealing it from Fernando Alonso. The Brazilian had dominated Friday's two free practice sessions, then set the second fastest time in front of Lewis Hamilton in Saturday's free practice to complete the job with an excellent qualifying that allowed him to take the fourth pole position of his career.

Felipe Massa hit the winning lap right in the final seconds, taking the lead from World Champion Fernando Alonso by 0.267 seconds.
"This time I don't have to catch up".
Says a satisfied Felipe Massa. The Brazilian driver had been forced to start at the back of the group after the engine change:
"I am very happy, I had no problems and this time I can aim for a top race. In Melbourne I had to make a big effort to recover. Here, instead, I have to confirm what I did in qualifying".
The McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton showed signs of great growth in terms of competitiveness compared to the first race, so the Grand Prix promises to be quite interesting. Felipe Massa confirmed:
"The McLarens are competitive, which means we have to keep working to do even better. I can also do more: pole came at the end of a smooth but not perfect lap. I lost something in the final part but it didn't cost me anything".
Unless there is a resounding reversal, therefore, it will be the Maranello team and Ron Dennis's team that will race for the win, also because the other Ferrari, that of Kimi Räikkönen, victorious in Australia, will start in third position. The Finn did not encounter any problems with the engine that had previously given him some trouble. The BMWs also made considerable progress, with Nick Heidfeld fifth and Robert Kubica seventh, and the Williams only with Nico Rosberg sixth (his teammate Alexander Wurz will start from P20). A good eighth place for Jarno Trulli's Toyota. Ninth his teammate Ralf Schumacher. Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing completed the top ten. A very negative day, instead, at Renault. Flavio Briatore will be rather disappointed as both Heikki Kovalainen (P11) and Giancarlo Fisichella (P12) were knocked out after the second qualifying session. The temperature that accompanied the drivers to Sepang was 34 °C, 50 °C on the asphalt. Sunday, April 8, 2007, in contrast to the rain-affected practice and qualifying sessions, the track was dry for the duration of the race. All of the drivers except Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli and the two Red Bull drivers started on the softer compound tyre. The first lap was eventful: Alonso started better than polesitter Massa and was able to take the inside line into turn one and gain the lead. Hamilton passed Räikkönen for third into the first corner, then drove round the outside of Massa into turn two to take second place. Meanwhile, the suspension on Adrian Sutil's Spyker failed at turn four, causing it to collide with Button's Honda and retire from the race. Button continued after making an early pitstop to repair the damage.
Liuzzi and Satō also collided at turn four, causing Liuzzi to pit for a new front wing. After the race, the drivers blamed each other for the incident. During the early laps, Massa appeared to have a faster car than Hamilton and repeatedly tried to pass the McLaren on the inside of turn four. His first attempt was on lap three, but Hamilton braked late and kept ahead of Massa into the following corner. Massa tried again at the same place on the next two laps. He passed Hamilton briefly into the turn on lap five, but overshot the corner and ran wide onto the grass. He dropped to fifth, behind teammate Räikkönen and BMW's Nick Heidfeld. Hamilton apologised after the race for 'tricking' Massa into the move. Albers, in the sole remaining Spyker, retired on lap nine with a gearbox fire. While the two Ferraris were stuck behind Hamilton, Alonso was pulling away at the front, setting the fastest laps on laps seven and fifteen. On lap 12, Robert Kubica was the first man to pit for fuel and fresh tyres, however he reported traction control problems four laps later and lost places. Alonso had extended his lead over Hamilton to 15 seconds by the first round of pit stops. He had experienced radio problems before refuelling, but these were fixed during the stop. The Renaults were running in eighth and tenth by the pit stops, with Fisichella ahead of Kovalainen. Button was one of the few drivers who started on the slower harder tyre and was dropping down the field, as Takuma Satō passed the Brit. All of the front runners were on the same tyre strategy, with Räikkönen being the first front runner to pit.

He found himself behind Fisichella as he came back on track. A short pit stop by Hamilton enabled him to come out of the pits ahead of the Renault, leaving a car between himself and Räikkönen during the pit window. Heidfeld's late stop on lap 22 helped him stay ahead of Massa. The top five positions remained unchanged, however Hamilton's different strategy enabled him to escape Räikkönen and close in on leader Alonso at a second per lap. Despite pitting on lap 20, he set the fastest lap of the race on lap 22 in 1'36"701. Kubica dropped to 13th as his traction control fault worsened, and a train of cars that wanted to pass started to line up behind him. Kovalainen's performance was much better than at the previous round in Melbourne, and he attempted to pass Jarno Trulli for eighth. The top five again remained the same after the second round of stops. However, Hamilton's short first stop necessitated a relatively early second stop, allowing Räikkönen to reduce the gap and Alonso to extend his lead to 18 seconds. Nico Rosberg, running in sixth place after the stops, was forced to retire with hydraulic problems on lap 43. David Coulthard also retired after problems with his brake pedal, the same problem that he experienced in the Friday practice session. Alonso was able to extend his advantage in the closing stages, winning the race by 17 seconds. Although experiencing pressure from Räikkönen who was faster on the harder tyres, Hamilton was able to maintain second place behind Alonso, with Räikkönen claiming the final podium position. Nick Heidfeld was fourth, followed by Felipe Massa, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. A beast on the track, a subtle strategist off. Fernando Alonso was perfect in the race.
"I want to thank the mechanics who worked until three in the morning, every day, to give me a fantastic car, I put in the rest, a few tenths that I can always pull out of my pocket on this circuit, an extraordinary start, the ability to overtake Massa straight away, because that was the only chance to win the race. It went well and now I'm leading the World Championship. I've only been at McLaren a few months, we've done a huge job. I feel like I'm dreaming".
During the Grand Prix he proved to be irresistible, the driver who more than any other right now has the right to feel like Michael Schumacher's heir. But he was also astonished by the analysis of the race carried out on Saturday, the fact that he had got everything right, the opponent's moves, the right moment at which to unleash his own.
"Massa's time amazes me, he must have less fuel than me".
He had stated on the eve of the race and the race confirmed his prediction.
"The Ferrari has great pace in the race, if I let it get away, it can make the gap. I have to block it immediately, try to be in the lead at the first corner".
The move succeeded and it was the irrepressible Spanish who got away. But it was not over. There is also another victory for Felipe Massa:
"If I put pressure on him, he can make mistakes. If I'm at 20 seconds, it's useless, at five it can all be different".
Nor did the Malaysian hero believe Ferrari's broad smiles about Kimi Räikkönen's engine.
"They say it has no problems? I am convinced they will check it until the last moment".
They did, so much so that they lowered its power. As Fernando Alonso says:

"From lap 10 my radio wasn't working, but I knew I would have to stop on lap 19. So I went into the pits anyway, wondering: will I find the mechanics? Luckily they were there".
And the heat was terrifying.
"I had water in my car, but after a few laps I said to myself: what am I drinking for? This is hot tea".
Yet never a letdown.
"With Hamilton behind, life was easier. The gap to Ferrari increased, and halfway through the race I realised that there was nothing left for anyone".
So space for new stimuli. The self-motivator does not think of himself:
"I always have a tremendous desire to win".
But to the team.
"I never imagined we could be so strong after two races, we caught up with Ferrari. If I think about the first test in Valencia, it's unbelievable. I've never seen work like this, I'm in an extraordinary team".
On the other hand, Felipe Massa says:
"It's my fault, but I don't regret anything. I had to take risks and overtake Hamilton because Alonso was getting away and I would never catch him again. I had to overtake the McLaren driver, and in Formula One that is now almost always an impossible manoeuvre. But I had to try. I made a mistake, it went wrong, and I ended up on the grass, but I had no other choice. I tried today, I would try again tomorrow".
The trial of Felipe Massa, announced the winner on the eve of the race, ahead of everyone on the grid and sadly fifth at the finish line, begins with his admission of responsibility. The Brazilian, by being mocked at the first corner by Fernando Alonso and at the second by Lewis Hamilton, and then making a mistake on lap six in an attempt to overtake, ruined his race and that of Ferrari. Maranello's team thought they would have it easy in Malaysia, their cars were judged uncatchable by all the other drivers, the sad awakening was to see that it was the McLarens, first and second at the finish, that flew in the second race of the season, while the two Maranello cars had to be content with a third (with Kimi Räikkönen) and fifth place (with Felipe Massa), disappointing placings and well below their potential, made even more bitter by the intrusion on the fourth step of a BMW, the one driven by Nick Heidfeld, a car that had always remained distant in free practice. Ferrari did a lot wrong in Malaysia and Jean Todt is the first to admit it:
"We are disappointed, we didn’t expect such a result, we have no excuse. We bring home ten points, they are too few, we were aiming for many more".

Mistakes call into question a driver, Felipe Massa, and certain choices, such as that of saving at all costs the engine of Kimi Räikkönen, victim of a hydraulic leak in the first race in Australia, so as not to force him to start in the last positions of the grid. The substitution would have moved the Finn back ten places at the start:
"And we couldn’t give our opponents such a gift".
Luca Baldisserri, the man in charge of track activities, explains, that Ferrari preferred to grit their teeth and hold out, but this decision forced the mechanics to lower the engine power of Kimi Räikkönen's car, which resulted in making it slower, especially on the straights. Admits Kimi Räikkönen:
"I didn't have the speed of my teammate Massa nor that of the two McLarens. In these conditions I couldn't do more".
With a new engine, given the race pace shown in Friday's free practice, perhaps Kimi Räikkönen could have made a great comeback, but instead, he had to race with a handicap. On the fact that this strategy did not pay off, however, Ferrari disagrees. The meeting after the race is long, and intense, as Jean Todt calls it, but on this point, there is no doubt. Luca Baldisserri affirms:
"By doing that with Räikkönen, we gained him at least three positions. True, we had to compromise with his engine, but if he had started at the back of the grid, he still wouldn't have caught up with the two McLarens, a Ferrari, a BMW and maybe even the two Renaults and Trulli's Toyota. We didn't have such a big advantage to be able to catch up with everyone. Not to mention, Massa proved that overtaking is also very difficult on this track".
The analysis of the race on the other car is different. There was a team mistake.
"On Saturday we had to use all the sets of soft tyres for Massa's car, it was necessary for him to take pole, and the race showed that with the used tyres (by regulation from this year during a Grand Prix you have to fit both compounds for at least one lap) our car is slower".
But then Massa put his own twist on it.
"We had set the whole tactic on the start".
Which translated means you start at the front and stay there, perhaps trying to make the gap. Instead, Massa was mocked by both Alonso and Hamilton.
"We had no technical problems on the grid".
So the mistake was human:
"Massa found Alonso on his side between fifth and seventh gear before the braking and didn't feel like closing the corner, blocking his way".
The two McLarens went by, the wrong manoeuvre on lap six did the rest. Says Jean Todt:

"In that case, he tried what the team asked of him".
Trying to overtake Hamilton, a failed move that must have left its mark, as from that moment on Massa was no longer even able to overtake Heidfeld's BMW. The blow is hard, Ferrari is disappointed, but now in a hurry to get going again. Even in Bahrain, they are the favourites, in light of the winter tests. Says Jean Todt, with a message that smacks more of hope than conviction:
"We compliment McLaren, they will compliment us in Bahrain".
Alonso is proving to be a tough opponent. Ferrari is fast. But to beat him, it has to become perfect again immediately.
"We have no excuses. We are disappointed, we expected a different result".
The blow was violent. And unexpected. Felipe Massa, the announced winner, drifting away, Kimi Räikkönen who has little speed, runs slowly and settles for third place, the enemy McLaren who monopolises the podium and takes home an exciting one-two. In the words of Jean Todt, the team principal, there is all the bitterness for Ferrari's unexpected collapse in Malaysia. He would not want excessive trials:
"We were not phenomenal before, we don't deserve to be bitten by dogs now".
But he acknowledges:
"Ten points are too few, we never imagined we would collect a third and a fifth place, we had to do much more".
A defeat that was not on the cards. One that frightens, because Ferrari felt strong and now could begin to fear losing their third World Championship in a row, one that makes you realise how difficult the legacy left by Michael Schumacher is, and one that calls into question certain choices that were decidedly wrong. Felipe Massa was the first to take the blame:
"I made a mistake, I had to start better and above all I had to get past Hamilton on lap six. I tried, but in Formula 1 overtaking is almost impossible now, on all tracks, and it went badly. I ended up on the grass and that was the end of the race. I took risks and it didn't pay off, but I don't regret anything. It was the only way to catch Alonso, I would do it all again. I tried on Sunday, I will try next time".
Even if that means slipping to fifth place and then not even managing to overtake Nick Heidfeld's BMW, which in free practice was always light years behind the two Ferraris. Felipe Massa made a mistake, he ruined his race and that of the team, and was rightly accused, also because Ferrari had staked everything on the start, there was less fuel on his car than on Fernando Alonso's, the Brazilian had to take the lead at the first corner and get away. But to place all the responsibility on Massa alone, who has Todt's son as his manager and was strenuously defended by the young Nicolas on Sunday, would not be fair. There were other indecisions that ended up weighing heavily on the economy of the race. Luca Baldisserri, the track manager, was honest after the race in acknowledging certain errors of judgment. On his own car:
"With used tyres, we struggle more than with new ones, we shouldn't have run out of soft tyre sets for Massa's car already on Saturday, it cost us a lot in the race".

And talking about McLaren:
"Looking at the free practice times on Friday, we thought we had a bigger advantage, but maybe they ran with more fuel than us".
Usually, it is Ferrari who mocks the others with their strategy, this time it was they who were caught off guard. It was understood, however, that the margin was not so stratospheric, so much so that the team decided against having Kimi Räikkönen change the engine.
"Starting at the bottom of the grid he wouldn’t have been able to overtake everyone, better to compromise and get him at least three more points".
But the impression is that these compromises (taking power away from the engine) did not excite Kimi Räikkönen.
"I didn't have Massa's speed, I couldn't do more".
With a new engine, his pace would have been different, but Ferrari does not compromise on that: there would have been no podium, which was snatched instead with force. The feeling remains, however, that the new era (two drivers on an equal footing) could be dangerous, with McLaren betting everything on Fernando Alonso, and that the moment of choice could soon come, with Kimi Räikkönen favoured over Felipe Massa.
"We give compliments to our opponents, on Sunday in Bahrain they will give them to us".
It is Jean Todt's act of faith. A realistic assumption, Ferrari has a great car. But beating Fernando Alonso is not enough: everything else has to be perfect too.