F. Massa: 1st 1.12.368 6 laps chassis 269
K. Raikkonen: 3rd 1.12.825 6 laps chassis 271
Weather: air temperature 24/25 C, track temperature 36 C, sunny.
Eighth pole position of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the sixth
courtesy of Felipe Massa. For the third year in a row, the Brazilian will
start his home race from the top slot, bringing his career total to fifteen
poles. For Ferrari, this is pole number 203, the seventh in the Brazilian
Grand Prix. The Scuderia's qualifying result is rounded off with a third
place for Kimi Raikkonen. "This is definitely a great result, which puts us
in a good position for tomorrow's race," commented Stefano Domenicali, Team
Principal of the Gestione Sportiva. "However, we are well aware it's the
race that counts and so there is still a long way to go. I am very happy for
Felipe, who put in very strong qualifying performance. This result, along
with the incredible enthusiasm of the Brazilian crowd will give him even
more motivation for tomorrow, if indeed any more is needed. It will be a
tough race with a further unknown hanging on the weather. Our aim is very
simple: get both our cars ahead of the rest and then do the maths in both
championships. It will be very tough, but we will give it our best shot."
Felipe Massa: "It's fantastic to have taken a third consecutive pole on this
track and it's an incredible emotion to see everyone celebrating in the
grandstands. I got a great lap on my first run in Q3 and I could have even
not bothered to finish the second one, but you never know what might happen:
I was the first to take the chequered flag and I would have looked stupid if
someone had improved on my time. Anyway, I know I can count on a good
strategy for tomorrow. The car is working very well and now I'm in the best
possible position for the start. I will try and win: that is my aim. I'm not
thinking about the rest, because it doesn't just depend on me or even on the
team. I feel calm: there is so much expectation around me, but all this
attention gives me a very positive energy which I will try and exploit
tomorrow."
Kimi Raikkonen: "It wasn't a perfect qualifying but I am satisfied with my
grid position, which puts me in a good position for the race. Starting from
third is better than being second on this track. I am very confident for the
race: we have a great car and the understeer that I suffered with today in
Q3 should not be a problem tomorrow. We are well aware of what we have to do
so that the team can reach its goals. We will try and get away in the lead
and then run our race, as we did in 2007 and then we'll see where we are. Of
course, we will need a bit of luck. The tyres are on the limit here in
Interlagos and it will be important to manage them well: from this aspect we
are in good shape."
Luca Baldisserri: "A great qualifying with a fantastic performance from
Felipe. We have taken a step in the right direction but the most important
part of the job comes tomorrow and we know how this track can produce a
difficult and incident packed race. On top of that, there's the threat of a
sudden worsening of the weather, which would introduce another variable in
terms of managing such a crucial race. Today, the F2008 showed itself to be
very competitive, even in decidedly higher temperatures compared to
yesterday's free practice."
-credit: ferrari
