Montezemolo: “We haven’t won yet”

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Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo urged his team not to take success for granted after Fernando Alonso took the lead of the drivers’ championship in the Korean Grand Prix.

Montezemolo told Ferrari staff, “Let’s keep our feet on the ground, because we have not actually won anything yet.”

Alonso is 11 points ahead of Mark Webber in the drivers’ championship with two races remaining.

Ferrari are 25 points behind McLaren and 52 behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Montezemolo congratulated the team on their success so far:

First of all, I want to congratulate and thank you all, because this great fight-back is down to you. In these last few races, we have seen Ferrari working perfectly, both at the track and at home. This is the image of the team I like to see projected to the outside world, one of a team of competent and capable people, proud to represent a winning side of Italy, which was clearly visible in the faces of those you who stood beneath the podium on Sunday.

I was happy to see Fernando once again proving to be very strong and focussed, not putting a foot wrong and I was also pleased to see Felipe back on the podium, going into his home race, where I have no doubt, he will enjoy a great weekend.

We were not useless before and we have not become genii now: we are just a team that never surrenders. However, we have not actually won anything yet. I have said this to all of you before: each one of us must aim for pole in our own roles, going about our business in a level headed fashion, with concentration and determination, then we can add up the figures in Abu Dhabi.
Luca di Montezemolo

Team principal Stefano Domenicali added:

Now comes the hard part and that’s something we must bear in mind. Over the next three weeks, we have to do everything perfectly: reliability, the work at the track and at home and preparation for the race.

These are things we are well used to, but it still merits repetition. I have always said that this year, keeping a cool head is what will make the difference and we must not get carried away with the words of praise, just as we did not get downhearted by the criticism in the most difficult moments: we should leave unguarded enthusiasm at the door.
Stefano Domenicali

2010 Korean Grand Prix

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    34 comments on “Montezemolo: “We haven’t won yet””

    1. Monty’s gone all Churchill on us!

      1. My thoughts exactly :).

        Well, Monty knows basic maths. Good for him.

      2. Ha! The Horse Whisper becomes Nodding Dog?!

      3. Lou´s quote for posterity

    2. Nice to hear it. Otherwise they can loose alot

    3. I have to say it really is Alonso’s title to lose, the fact he doesn’t have to win is HUGE. If he keeps his head he will be champion

      1. I wish it was that simple, another HUGE fact is htat the Red Bull should finish 1-2 in the next two races if nothing out of the ordinary happens and two 3rds for Alonso wouldn’t be good enough.

        1. another HUGE fact is htat the Red Bull should finish 1-2 in the next two races if nothing out of the ordinary happens

          The key word there is should. Red Bull has shown time and again this year that if they can screw it up either through reliability or some stupid mistake, they’ll certain try to.

        2. Red Bull have finished 1-2 only three times in seventeen races (that’s 17%), so if nothing out of the ordinary (ie, other 83%) happens they won’t finish 1-2 in the next two races, especially not in both of them. A double 1-2 would really be extraordinary given their record so far.

    4. “Ferrari shall go on to the end, we shall fight in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, we shall fight on the tracks and the run-offs, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the tarmac, we shall defend our WDC, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on free practice, we shall fight on the qualis, we shall fight from the lights to the flags, we shall fight for the poles, the flaps and the wins; The Scuderia shall never surrender”

      Winston Monty

      1. That really made me laugh :D

        1. Yeah, me too, espesially this part:
          “we shall fight on the run-offs”

          1. Yeah that’s my favourite bit as well :D

        2. thks Steph, Icthyes gave me the idea anyway

          Fame has it that after the famous speech, WC commented: “We shall fight’em with broken beer bottles. ‘Cuz that’s about all we have”

      2. you forgot “we shall fight with the FIA”

        1. And “we shall fight on the wet kerbs”!

        2. “we shall fight with the FIA”

          the FIA’s on their side…

          1. Ferrari’s International Assistant is more Fernando’s Irritating Adversary?

      3. We shall never surrender( a place to our team mates again this year)!!

    5. They know that they are in good form but nice to see that Montezemolo telling himself that ‘ nothing is over until it is over’

    6. What we need in Brazil is for Alonso to DNF and Webber to score low, now THAT would make for an awesome finale.

      1. Vettel winning, Hamilton in second, Webber in fifth, and Alonso DNF would result in a pretty tight four way battle headed to Abu Dhabi:
        Alonso – 231
        Vettel – 231
        Webber – 230
        Hamilton – 228

        I don’t think it’s that far fetched.

        1. If we all just close our eyes and think on it.. very very very hard… it might just make the difference!

          I’d love a final race showdown. But Alonso / Ferrari have played the game best with what they have been given. Red Bull have more waste than the US in the 70’s. McLaren have been the luck scavengers, but still lost good results, especially Hamilton.

          In all fairness, if Alonso wins at this point ( and I’m a McL fan ), it would be a fair result.

          Poor Adrian Newey though. Pencil and paper genius!! He would be the biggest loser I think.

          1. I suppose Neweys desings do have something to do with the unreliability as well.

            Not for the first time though, just think
            about all those superbly fast McLarens blowing their engines, not to forget last years reliability problems, or think back to Leyton House (that was them suddenly leading in france, wasn’t it)!

    7. Ferrari will be strong in Brazil and i pet Massa will help Alonso a lot there.

      1. So your pet is called Massa? ;)

        If Felipe will be fast enough, which he hopefully will. perhaps he coult steal the win from Webber if Massa leads from Webber with Alonso 3:rd. That’s what I hope anyway (or maybe with Vettel in front of Alonso as well, as I want Webber to win the title).

    8. anybody wanna bet brazil is ferrari 1-2?

      1. I wish Massa-Alonso-Hamilton finish although I’m a big fan of Alonso.

        1. Yes but would the Scuderia allow that?

          I would love Massa to win in Brazil. But a safe Massa win – Fernando 2nd would be safe only with Webber 9th (or worse)and Hamilton 4th (or worse).

          With Webber sandwiched between Massa and Alonso it would be quite different, Massa would take the win and it would make a much more exciting Abu-Dhabi. I look forward to it.

    9. Will Alonso’s engine be able to win the next 2 races?

      1. Lets see.. it’s all on the line :)

      2. I hope so. Korea must not have been very hard on the engine with the wet setting. And Alonso would still have a pretty good chance to clinch the WDC with a DNF and a win. Webber would need the other win and a podium to beat him.

    10. I am sorry to say this and i know that alonso is winning the championship by more than 7 points (at the moment) but if alonso wins the championship by 7 points or under, i will not see him as the world champion he was (in his renult days), as he blatently would not deserve it. alonso is one of the best drivers i have seen in second only to senna in his driving style in my eyes but i feel let down by him this year.

      I HOPE SOME ONE PUTS HIM AND THE TEAM IN THERE PLACE

      My Money is on WEBBER!!!!

    11. Ferrari’s downfall is the situation concerning engines, but their strength is the knowledge that most observers wrote them off too early in the season. Red Bull have dominated this season in terms of pole positions, but as Alonso himself remarked after an earlier pole position victory in the summer, finishing first on Sunday matters more. Or words to that affect.
      I think Red Bull are a little rattled, and to an extent McLaren. The Red Bull has been the chassis to beat in 2010, and nine times out of ten in these situations it is the dominant chassis that wins championships. But that may not be the case this year.
      Maybe Red Bull as a team became comfortable too early, too wastefull. Perhaps? The irony for me is that Ferrari became alot more like themselves after the furore over Hockenheim. McLaren it must be said, have gone cold in comparison.
      Montezemolo, despite myself not exactly being a fan of his, is right. Ferrari have not won a thing in 2010, but they have the others on the ropes and at the right time. Ofcourse getting 25 points for a victory helps, but some of the five contenders cannot even rely on that to become champion.
      Martin Brundle was correct to suggest that Hamilton missed a great chance of victory in Korea. In reality, he needs not only victories but other drivers not finishing to give him the crown. Button is in an even worse position still.
      So I don’t think Ferrari are so much in the wrong for feeling optomistic. Alonso knows what he has to do, and I am sure the team does aswell. Victories or at worst podiums will do just nicely.

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