Zoom Advantage shifts from Raikkonen to Massa

Ferrari scored its third one-two finish of the season, but maybe not the one that was expected as the win went to Felipe Massa, who started from second on the grid, with pole man Kimi Raikkonen in the runner-up spot.

This maximum score result means that the team strengthens its position at the top of the constructors' classification, leading BMW Sauber by 91 to 74. Massa's third win of the season promotes him to the lead in the Drivers' Championship, with 48 points; two more than Robert Kubica and five more than Raikkonen.

Felipe Massa
"A great race, a fantastic result. The win came my way because Kimi had a problem with his car and at the pace he was running, it would have been hard for me to beat him on the track. I would have been happy with second place but of course, the win makes me even happier. I want to thank the whole team and our partners, especially Shell.”

“I am leading the championship and that's a nice feeling, but I am well aware it means nothing because I am aiming for the title and to do that, there is still a long way to go. In the first part of the race I was struggling a bit to stay in touch with Kimi, then when his exhaust broke, I managed to get by. In the second part, I thought of managing the situation, making sure I made no mistakes, especially when there were a few drops of rain. We have to continue working this way, race after race, right to the end of the championship."

Kimi Raikkonen
"Obviously I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped to win. Unfortunately, the right exhaust pipe broke just before half-distance and the engine lost a lot of power, especially on the straight after the slow corners. After a few laps, the situation seemed better, but towards the end of the race, I ran the risk of stopping. This sort of thing can happen in racing and I have to try and look on the bright side: eight points are still a good amount and the one-two finish is a great result for the team.”

“Luckily, I had built up quite a good lead in the first part thanks to a car that was really very competitive. The F2008 is definitely very strong because usually, when you have this sort of problem, retirement is almost inevitable. There is still a long way to go in the championship and I am in a better position than I was at this stage last year: let's see what I can do in the next part of the series."

Stefano Domenicali