Fernando Alonso has denied that Ferrari is yet to 'turn its engine up' in the 2014 season. Lewis Hamilton, a title favourite with the dominant team Mercedes, downplayed the German squad's superiority when he said at Sepang: "I'm sure Renault have not turned their engine up to max. It's the same with Ferrari. If you look at their apex speed, they have a good car."
According to Spaniard Alonso, however, that's not right. "As far as the electrical side, yes, we are using the full power. But in the early laps in Melbourne we had a problem that we were blocked and so it didn't work fully," he is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo.
Alonso is referring to the energy-recovery side of the new 'power unit' that, in the opening phase of a grand prix, is automatically 'blocked' by the FIA. But the Ferrari-powered cars in Melbourne were without up to 100 horse power for the entire first stint until the pitstop, due to an FIA glitch.
It is also clear that Ferrari's 'power unit' is up to 13 kilograms overweight. "Yes," Ferrari-powered Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez confirmed to Spain's Marca, "but the positive thing is that this is a new world (in F1) and the possibilities for development are vast."
Alonso has won at Sepang in a Renault, a McLaren and a Ferrari, but he effectively ruled out a repeat of his surprise 2012 win this weekend. "This is formula one and anything can happen," he is quoted by the EFE news agency, "but I think what we saw in 2012 was once in a lifetime."
Beyond that, he is not willing to talk too much about his 2014 prospects. "If I say I am happy with fourth place, someone will say that I am no longer hungry for results," said Alonso. "And if I say that I am not happy, someone will have something to say about that too." (GMM)
Ferrari lost power because of FIA engine glitch in Melbourne
- Published on 28 Mar 2014 13:09
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
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Spain
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Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
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Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 631
- Podiums 9
- Grand Prix 204
- Country ES
- Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (45)
- Place of b. Oviedo, ES
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 188,072 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
Team profile
- Team name Renault
- Base Enstone, France
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 7
- Romain Grosjean 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Pastor Maldonado 13
- Jenson Button 15
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Jolyon Palmer 30
- Esteban Ocon 31
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- 236,941 comments on Renault
- 26 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Renault
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