Ferrari boss unhappy about tyre confusion

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has criticised the Japanese Grand Prix stewards over the misunderstanding that led to the Italian squad not knowing they had to start the race with extreme weather tyres.

Ferrari's drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were forced to pit while the safety car was on track after having started the race with intermediate tyres when the FIA had instructed all teams they had to start with extremes.

The Maranello-based squad blamed a late e-mail for the confusion, saying they hadn't received the notification from the stewards until after the race had started.

Di Montezemolo criticised the stewards' behaviour as unprofessional and said he was expecting an apology from them.

"It was unprofessional behaviour for which I expect them to apologize," di Montezemolo was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Our drivers, in difficult conditions, did a really fine race. Let's see how it goes. Logically I'm not happy about yesterday's result, but I spoke at length with (Jean) Todt: the choice of tyres was a gamble, but it was taken with the premise that Ferrari weren't aware of FIA's decision.

"This is a negative aspect and I expect an apology from the stewards, who acted very badly. Without this order from the FIA, other teams would have started on intermediate tyres.

"I would have preferred a different solution, I'm not happy about this result, but I have the greatest faith in the (Ferrari) men that took those decisions at that point."

Lewis Hamilton will have to thank Ferrari if he wins the Formula One title in China this weekend, according to the Italian team's president Luca di Montezemolo.

"I still think that in the spying affair it was a big mistake not to disqualify the McLaren drivers as well," the Gazzetta dello Sport web site quoted him as saying after Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

"It means that if Hamilton wins the championship, he will also win it thanks to Ferrari because there is a lot of Ferrari in his car."

McLaren were fined $100 million and stripped of all their constructors' points by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) last month for having Ferrari technical information in their possession.

However, the drivers escaped sanctions because the FIA said they had been granted an amnesty in exchange for providing evidence.

Hamilton, 22, can become the first rookie to win the championship as well as the youngest world champion if he wins this Sunday's penultimate race of the season in Shanghai.

The Briton leads teammate and double world champion Fernando Alonso by 12 points after the Spaniard crashed in Fuji.

Ferrari have won the constructors' championship.

Source - http://www.autosport.com

Felipe Massa: Ferrari fully deserves title

Felipe Massa has played down accusations that Ferrari's triumph in the Constructors' Championship is tainted by McLaren's exclusion.

The Brazilian driver does not believe that the punishment meted out to the British team detracts from the Prancing Horse's achievements.

He wrote in his official Ferrari blog: "If we have won the championship because another team has not followed the rules, then we can say that at least we did follow those rules and we won," he said.

"I feel the whole team deserves this for the job they have done so far this year. As part of the Scuderia, I am pleased with this result, even if it would have been better to win in a different way, but the final outcome is another constructors' title.

"The team, at the track and in the factory, has done a fantastic job, fighting hard all through the year and so they deserve this success."

The 26-year-old also believes that McLaren were wise not to appeal, while claiming that this also amounted to something like an admission of guilt.

"My personal feeling is that the others probably realised it would not be a good idea to appeal," he said.

"Usually, in any sport, if you do something wrong you have to pay the penalty and I think the decision that they did do something wrong is reinforced as being correct exactly by the fact they did not appeal.

"Ask me if it is a fair punishment, if it is enough, then that is difficult to say, but at least they are paying for their mistakes."

Source - http://autosport.com

Scuderia Ferrari has won Constructors World Championship

Ferrari say they will focus all their efforts in winning the drivers' championship after being confirmed as constructors' champions on Friday.

Rivals McLaren announced today their decision to not appeal their exclusion from this year's constructors' championship, meaning Ferrari were automatically crowned as champions.

The Maranello squad acknowledged McLaren's decision and said they will concentrate on the drivers' title now.

"Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro has won the 2007 Formula One Constructors' World Championship, taking its tally in this competition to fifteen, seven of them in the last nine years," the Italian squad said in a statement.

"Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has actually chosen not to appeal against the decision of the FIA World Council taken on 13th September last, thus accepting the sentence handed out for violation of article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

"Ferrari will now invest all its efforts over the final three races of this championship in trying to also win the Drivers' world title."

Source - www.autosport.com