Ferrari see red after Montreal disaster
MONTREAL: Ferrari licked their wounds on Sunday after a Canadian Grand Prix that turned out to be worse than they had feared.
While McLaren rookie Lewis Hamilton romped to the first win of his Formula One career to take an eight point lead over double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso, Ferrari left Montreal with just four points.
Brazilian Felipe Massa was disqualified for leaving the pit lane under a red light while Kimi Raikkonen limped home in fifth place after hitting his team mate's car at the start.
"We expected a tough race, but given the outcome that was just a euphemism," said team principal Jean Todt in a statement.
"Of course, this is not a happy moment for us. Now we have to study everything about this weekend, to understand how to move on," he added.
Ferrari are now 28 points adrift of McLaren after six races, with Massa third overall but 15 behind Hamilton while Raikkonen is a further six points back.
The Italian team have been eclipsed by their Mercedes-powered rivals in the last two races and Sunday's defeat was all the more painful at a circuit that has favoured Ferrari more than anyone in the last decade.
Raikkonen said he damaged his front wing in the first lap collision and then collected debris from Robert Kubica's crashed BMW Sauber.
"At the end of the day, I picked up some points," he said. "It could have been better but it could also have been worse."
Massa could not find such comfort.
"It is true that today the McLaren was very strong, but this was not the result we should have had," he said. "We should have been able to finish on the podium."
Agencies
(China Daily 06/12/2007 page24)
