PlanetF1

Domenicali: Fast start needed

Friday 01-February-2013 13:09

Stefano Domenicali says Ferrari need to be quick out of the blocks if they hope to bring an end to Red Bull's reign this season.

Ferrari suffered heart break last season when Fernando Alonso narrowly missed out on the Drivers' title, losing to Sebastian Vettel by just three points.

At the time, Ferrari were quick to point out that the title was not lost in Brazil, rather they were paying the price for earlier shortfalls.

One of those shortfalls was the team's slow start to the campaign, which resulted in a drastic overhaul of their car.

However, still lacking the pace of the front-running Red Bulls and McLarens - especially on Saturday afternoons - Alonso had to settle for second place in the standings.

This year, Ferrari are intent on ending their title drought with Domenicali highlighting a quick start to the Championship as one of the key areas.

"The key objective is to immediately deliver a competitive car to the drivers," he said during the launch of the F138 at Maranello on Friday.

"Unfortunately in recent seasons we have not been able to get to the start of the season right on top of what we are doing like our competitors.

"We need to be competitive from the start of the season."

The team boss, though, is confident that Ferrari have moved on from last season's disappointment and won't let it affect their mindset this year.

"We have come from a season which was very difficult from an emotional point of view. To come second at the last race is always difficult.

"But we have already forgotten those things which left us with regret last year and we have started improving on the positive aspects of 2012 such as reliability and strategy during the races.

"There are plenty of things that allow us to look forward to the new season."

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