Never give up, especially in Formula 1

It's been decades since we have witnessed such a closely matched start to the season. Not since 1983 have the first five races been won by five different drivers in five different cars. Back then too, one of the winners was a Ferrari, driven by Patrick Tambay in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, whereas today it is Fernando Alonso who is part of the quintet. This Sunday just gone is the closest the Spaniard has come to repeating his home win of 2006: Fernando was in a fight right to the very last remaining laps with Pastor Maldonaldo in the Williams, without giving up in the slightest. Indeed, this is the required mentality for a season like this when even a single point could make a difference in the final classification. 'You always have to believe you can do it, even when the evidence has you believe the contrary. There are so many incidents in sport which prove this, the most recent being the final outcome of the English Football Premier League,' said Stefano Domenicali to www.ferrarif1.com. 'Last night I watched the replay of the football matches involving the two Manchester sides and saw the determination with which Roberto Mancini continued to exhort his guys even when the situation seemed lost. It was an example for everyone involved in sport and I would like to add my personal congratulations to him for this important win. 'It is even more true in a sport like ours where there are many factors in play,' continued the Scuderia's Team Principal. 'It takes very little to change the hierarchy among the teams and this rule is even more true when the differences are just a few tenths or even hundredths. This year, the winner will be whoever manages to bring the best technical updates to the track in the shortest time possible: staying still for just a handful of races could mean finishing out of the points, given that so many teams have proved capable of fighting for the top places. We achieved our goal of making a step forward in Spain, but we must continue down this path, especially as the gap to the time that gave Hamilton his pole position is still too big.' With everyone so close the distribution of points is much wider and consequently the leaders have fewer points. Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, the joint leaders of the Drivers' championship, have 61 points from the first five races, the lowest figure since the new points system was introduced: Button had 70 in 2010, with Vettel even on 118 last year. The same goes for the Constructors' championship: in 2010, McLaren led with 119 points, last year Red Bull had a dominant 185, while today it has 76 less. As for an analysis of the Scuderia's performance and its two drivers, Fernando has always maintained a very high level (67 points and second place in 2010, 51 and fifth place last year) while Felipe's drop off has made itself felt. The Brazilian had picked up 49 points two years ago and 24 the following year, while so far this season he has just 2. In Montmelo, Felipe was very unlucky, both in the race and in qualifying, but everyone, he more than anyone, is expecting a change of gear starting right away with the Monaco Grand Prix, his second home race, given that he lives just a few hundred metres from what, as from next Sunday, will be transformed into the paddock for the sixth round of the 2012 championship.

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