Q & A with Stefano Domenicali

Stefano Domenicali: For sure today was a great day. After such a difficult season, up to now, and what happened to Felipe just one month ago, I think it was really what the team deserved. We Ferrari, we never give up, we always push. But sometimes when you work to win races, you are then really happy.

It is a special day for us and we thank all the people that are working hard in Maranello, at the track, our suppliers. And this is a gift to our president, whose birthday is tomorrow, and for Felipe - who has cheered with us from Brazil. And also for the entire Ferrari family and tifosi who have suffered with us, so today was an important day.

But we don't have to underestimate one thing, since Germany we have always been on the podium. And, we scored a lot of points compared to the others - together with McLaren we were very close together and more than maybe Brawn. So in the last part of the season, up to now, we have achieved a lot. We have scored a lot of points with only one car in the last few races, which is a very important factor.

The lesson that we can take back from today's race is that this season it is very difficult to understand what is going on from a technical point of view. We have frozen the project for a month, as you know. So we need to make sure that this package will be maximised in terms of usage until the end. But it shows that the package will be competitive. So we need to push like hell again.

Q. We saw you celebrating quite heavily on the pit wall and podium. Can you explain what kind of personal feeling you have had?

SD: I think that first of all, I try always to be very calm. And calm because that is the right approach, but I am also happy as I am representing all the guys on the team. And I know how the guys are feeling after such a difficult year. I would say that everyone has something inside that they want to get out. Personally I feel very happy because it was a very special victory for us - so tonight we can celebrate a little bit more. Tomorrow we have to consider that there are things to do in the next few days, but at least it is good for Sunday night.

Q. You thanked a lot of people, but what about the safety car. Do you think you would not have won the race without it?

SD: I don't think so. I think that first of all, if there is an accident happening then we cannot avoid it. It is something out of the discussion, and the safety car is something that can go in your direction or another direction. It is something that you have to try to react to depending on what is happening. Today we were competitive in any case, and honestly I don't think from our perspective the safety car would have made a lot of difference.

Q. You were about six kilogrammes heavier that Giancarlo Fisichella on fuel, but you stopped on the same lap. Can you explain a little about that?

SD: This is a point where we need to understand how different teams are doing with fuel consumption. Other teams are maybe doing a better job and we need to understand exactly that. It is a point that has made a difference or could make a difference for the future. Looking ahead for next year, you could say fuel consumption is one of the most important elements because that kind of difference in terms of kilogrammes can be a big difference at the start of a race. That is something we need to understand.

Q. Speaking to Kimi Raikkonen afterwards, he said he still wanted to be a Ferrari driver but the team would decide what it wants to decide. So, what are your thoughts for next year, and how much is Felipe's recovery making your driver choice difficult for next season?

SD: No one has said anything different from the team point of view. This is a lot of speculation. I really hope that you people keep writing that, because if this is Kimi's reaction then please do it day and night. It is important to understand the situation and I don't think it is a point of discussion that we need to start today. That is the answer.

Q. What about your other driver. What will you be doing for Monza? Has Luca Badoer done enough to be a Ferrari driver at Monza?

SD: First of all, I think Luca has to cheer with us today because he is part of the team. What he did for the team, he deserves this victory together with us. With regard to what we are going to do for the next races, we will tell you in the next three days. We will use all our consideration following the medical check that Felipe will do tomorrow, and then we will put on the table all the different things that are correct and have been considered - and then we will make a decision.

Q. In various areas of the international media, Luca Badoer has picked up the cruel nickname 'Look How Bad You Are'. How embarrassing is that for the Ferrari brand and also for yourself?

SD: I didn't know about that. On our side, I think the most important thing is to consider what is the best for our side. For sure Ferrari does not want to be last in the race, that is for sure. But as we said, we need to put on the table all the considerations and then as soon as we have taken the decision we will keep you informed. We want to be strong as a team, as a driver and as a brand.

Q. There was a report in an Italian newspaper shortly before the race that Fernando Alonso had agreed a deal to race at Monza. Can you clarify 100 percent that he will not be competing for you?

SD: I was just told about that now.

Q. Can you rule it out?

SD: Yes.

Q. Have you heard from Felipe Massa today?

SD: Yes. He was very happy. He cheered with us and he is already in Miami as tomorrow he will have his medical check.

Q. KERS was critical in today's victory. Will you continue development now?

SD: The development has been frozen, and that is basically the situation that we have. Today for sure it was important for keeping the position, especially considering the performance of the cars behind. But, it is frozen.

Q. What did you think about Giancarlo Fisichella's performance today and is he on the list to replace Luca?

SD: I think Giancarlo did a great race today. He was performing fantastically, and he was pushing Kimi from the back very strongly. Sure, he is a driver that seems to be very fast. I cannot say that following the speculation whether it is true or not, but sure today he did a great race.

Q. Kimi's performance today was very good, but how would you describe it yourself?

SD: Very good. Very quick. We always said that there are certain moments on the race that are crucial, and we discuss before. We knew that the start is crucial and with KERS it was important to be on that position on the first lap. He did a great race. He was fantastic and he was pushing like hell every lap and I think he deserved it. I am very happy for him.

Q. Everyone is speculation about Fernando's future here, but today he gave you a hard time. He was on a one-stop strategy and you seemed to be not pulling away from him. Was he a threat today?

SD: To be honest, we were controlling it in terms of gap. And considering the pace we were quite safe because the crucial moment was for us to be in front of him at the first stop. We were controlling the pace of him, but today we were more worried about Vettel's performance because you saw him going very fast at the end with the hard tyres, and also in the second one he was very strong. We were concentrating, apart from keeping Giancarlo behind, to consider what was the gain that Sebastian was having on our car. In the second sector he was really impressive.