Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro News

Ferrari celebrates in Valencia

Cheste (Valencia), 15 November 2009 – Today the whole world of Ferrari went onto Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit to celebrate the end of the motorsport season together with the fans of the Prancing Horse. At its debut on the Spanish track, the 16th edition of this traditional event usually connected to the home race tracks, the F430 taking part in the Italian, European and North American series of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli went onto the track to fight for the world title, while the historical cars from the Shell Historic Challenge held this season’s conclusive race. Apart from the exciting final stages of the motorsport season the spectators could follow the free practice sessions of the historical cars maintained by the F1 Clienti department in Maranello and the Ferrari FXX part of the development programme bearing the same name.

The unforeseeable race held by the Trofeo Pirelli drivers crowned champion Lorenzo Casé: behind the driver from the Motor/Piacenza team Marco Mapelli (Rossocorsa) and the Austrian Philipp Baron (Baron Service) crossed the line, while amongst the gentlemen drivers in the Coppa Shell it was Vincenzo Sauto, with Erich Prinoth and the Ferrari started by the Ineco/MP dealership, who won the title. The Italian crossed the line ahead of Gianluca Carboni (Rossocorsa/Pellin) and Massimo Mantovani (Motor/Malucelli).

In its fourth and final race even the Shell Historic Challenge found its 2009 champion: the Mexican driver Nicolas Zapata, who has been taking part in the extraordinary series dedicated to the jewels from the history of the Prancing Horse for more than ten year, won the overall classification behind the wheel of a magnificent 1956 Ferrari 625 TR. Victory in the race for grid A, for the cars with drum brakes, went to Sean Danaher with the 1938 Maserati 6CM, ahead of Gigi Baulino, behind the wheel of a 1954 Maserati 250F and the new champion Nicolas Zapata. The race for grid B, with cars with disc brakes, was won by Dieter Roschmann with the 1970 Ferrari 512 M, ahead of Darius Ahrabian, behind the wheel of a 1992 F40 LM and Mister John of B with a 1980 Ferrari 512 BB LM.

After the intense racing it was time for an extraordinary show with the protagonists from the Gran Turismo championships: in front of the more than 17,000 spectators Gimmi Bruni, Toni Vilander, Niki Cadei and Alvaro Barba Lopez took turns behind the wheels of two F430 GT2 from AF Corse, the team which won the constructors’ and teams’ titles in the FIA GT Championship, next to the Ferrari, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by the Risi Competizione team drivers Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer. The spectators gave Felipe Massa an enthusiastic welcome: the Brazilian driver, accompanied by Giancarlo Fisichella, Marc Gené and Luca Badoer, performed behind the wheel of a F60 at the traditional Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro show, while he was joined on the track by the local hero and future Ferrari driver

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Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro News

Montezemolo: "Felipe and Fernando, the best couple in F1"

Cheste, 15 November 2009 – A satisfied Luca di Montezemolo left the Ricardo Tormo di Cheste circuit near Valencia at the end of the show by the Formula 1 single-seaters, the final act at the Finali Mondiali. "I am very satisfied by this day. We were warmheartedly received by the fans and there were numerous clients, who didn’t want to miss this event, coming here from all over the world,” the Ferrari Chairman said. “Things like this make us proud to be part of the Ferrari family, a group of incredible people, who build dream cars and who never give up.”

Naturally Montezemolo made some reference to the next Formula 1 season: “For me Felipe and Fernando are the best drivers couple in Formula 1. I am convinced that they both will be very motivated and will want to win. I am not worried about having two Latin drivers, which may be for the first time in our history. They both know very well that first of all they are racing for Ferrari and not for themselves. I enjoy reminding you that here we have a real team spirit; not just in words but in reality: an example is the relationship we have with a person like Michael Schumacher, who this year didn’t hesitate to be available to help the team in a difficult moment.”

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Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro News

Special day for Felipe

Cheste, 15 November 2009 – If it was Fernando Alonso’s first participation in the Finali Mondiali Ferrari, it wasn’t Felipe Massa’s debut, but it definitely was a special day for him. The Brazilian driver, was back behind the wheel of “his” single-seater, the F60 he had to leave after his accident in Budapest on 25 July. It wasn’t the first time Felipe sat behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car since his accident. He drove several laps in Fiorano on 12 October, but this was just an appetiser. Today he was driving in front of the Ferrari fans, which had a special flair to it. “I am very happy to be here, that I can work with the team,” Felipe. "It’s true that I’ve been with them in Sao Paulo and in Abu Dhabi, but driving is really extraordinary! Today I also want to thank all the fans, who were really close to me over the last months. The messages I received were wonderful. Lets hope that we can give our fans some satisfaction in 2010: Fernando and I rally want to be the best couple in Formula 1."

Felipe drove around 20 laps, first with his teammates Gené, Fisichella and Badoer and later on, after a couple of pit stops, alone, before finishing with a parade together with the other Formula 1 single-seaters and the F430 GTs from the AF Corse and Risi Competizione team, the winners of the Constructor’s and Teams’ titles in the FIA GT and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans respectively

"It was fantastic and I am so happy. Although I could drive just a little, I really enjoyed being here," the Brazilian driver said at the end of the show. "I am very motivated: this today for me is like victory. It was just like before the accident at the Hungaroring."

"Felipe has an incredible taste for victory," Rob Smedley, his track engineer, who today was in charge at the symbolic Scuderia pitwall, added. “This is another small step ahead in the preparations for his return to racing. The lap times? I didn’t pay attention to them.”

Felipe immediately ran off to the airport, where he got on of a plane taking him back to Sao Paulo, where his wife Raffaela is waiting for him, while engaged in her very own Grand Prix, which will end very soon - this or next week – with the birth of a son, who will bear his father’s name.

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Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro News

Show with an extra: Alonso’s debut at Ferrari

Cheste, 15 November 2009 - Fernando Alonso’s first time at a Ferrari event was carried by the great enthusiasm from the fans present at the Ricardo Tormo di Cheste circuit near Valencia. Under an almost summery sun more than 17,000 spectators came on the conclusive day to watch the Finali Mondiali, the traditional event of the Prancing Horse held since 1994 at the end of the motorsport season.

Today was the first day when the whole 2010 Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro came together: next to Alonso there were Felipe Massa, Giancarlo Fisichella, Marc Gené and Luca Badoer. Fernando’s public debut as a Ferrarista started with an entertaining episode. When the Spanish driver, on board of a Ferrari California with his future teammate Felipe and driven by Chairman Luca di Montezemolo, tried to get as close to the grandstands in turn 1 as possible, the car got stuck in the gravel of the run-off area. Therefore the spectators got a good view and enough time to greet their local hero. The trio was “rescued” by the second California on the track, driven by the President of the Comunità Valenciana, Fernando Camps, with Valencia’s mayor Rita Barberà on board. Once the three guests had been collected the light blue car drove back to the box and the passengers went for a walk onto the track along the main straight. “This is a very important day for me, because here I can understand what the world of Ferrari is really like,” Fernando told the spectators. "In 2010 I hope to fight for the World Title together with Felipe and that all the fans can be proud of us and our professionalism.”

2010 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar

1. 2010 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir) * 12 - 14 Mar

2. 2010 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne) * 25 - 28 Mar

3. 2010 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix (Kuala Lumpur) * 02 - 04 Apr

4. 2010 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai) * 16 - 18 Apr

5. Formula 1 Gran Premio de Espana 2010 (Catalunya) * 07 - 09 May

6. Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2010 (Monte Carlo) * 13 - 16 May

7. 2010 Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul) * 28 - 30 May

8. Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2010 (Montreal) * 11 - 13 Jun

9. 2010 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe (Valencia) * 25 - 27 Jun

10. 2010 Formula 1 British Grand Prix (Donington Park) * 09 - 11 Jul

11. Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 2010 (Hockenheim) * 23 - 25 Jul

12. Formula 1 ING Magyar Nagydij 2010 (Budapest) * 30 Jul - 01 Aug

13. 2010 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps) * 27 - 29 Aug

14. Formula 1 Gran Premio d'Italia 2010 (Monza) * 10 - 12 Sep

15. 2010 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore) * 24 - 26 Sep

16. 2010 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka) * 01 - 03 Oct

17. 2010 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix (Korea) * 15 - 17 Oct

18. 2010 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina Circuit) * 29 - 31 Oct

19. Formula 1 Grande Premio do Brasil 2010 (Sao Paulo) * 12 - 14 Nov

* Provisional

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2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Drivers

1. Jenson Button (British) Brawn-Mercedes Pts 95

2. Sebastian Vettel (German) RBR-Renault Pts 84

3. Rubens Barrichello (Brazilian) Brawn-Mercedes Pts 77

4. Mark Webber (Australian) RBR-Renault Pts 69.5

5. Lewis Hamilton (British) McLaren-Mercedes Pts 49

6. Kimi Räikkönen (Finnish) Ferrari Pts 48

7. Nico Rosberg (German) Williams-Toyota Pts 34.5

8. Jarno Trulli (Italian) Toyota Pts 32.5

9. Fernando Alonso (Spanish) Renault Pts 26

10. Timo Glock (German) Toyota Pts 24

11. Felipe Massa (Brazilian) Ferrari Pts 22

12. Heikki Kovalainen (Finnish) McLaren-Mercedes Pts 22

13. Nick Heidfeld (German) BMW Sauber Pts 19

14. Robert Kubica (Polish) BMW Sauber Pts 17

15. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italian) Ferrari Pts 8

16. Sebastien Buemi (Swiss) STR-Ferrari Pts 6

17. Adrian Sutil (German) Force India-Mercedes Pts 5

18. Kamui Kobayashi (Japanese) Toyota Pts 3

19. Sebastien Bourdais (French) STR-Ferrari Pts 2

20. Kazuki Nakajima (Japanese) Williams-Toyota Pts 0

21. Nelsinho Piquet (Brazilian) Renault Pts 0

22. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italian) Force India-Mercedes Pts 0

23. Romain Grosjean (French) Renault Pts 0

24. Jaime Alguersuari (Spanish) STR-Ferrari Pts 0

25. Luca Badoer (Italian) Ferrari Pts 0 _____________________________________________________

2009 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Constructors

1. Brawn-Mercedes Pts 172

2. RBR-Renault Pts 153.5

3. McLaren-Mercedes Pts 71

4. Ferrari Pts 70

5. Toyota Pts 59.5

6. BMW Sauber Pts 36

7. Williams-Toyota Pts 34.5

8. Renault Pts 26

9. Force India-Mercedes Pts 13

10. STR-Ferrari Pts 8 _____________________________________________________

2009 FIA Formula One World Championship

1. Australia Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)

2. Malaysia Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)

3. China Sebastian Vettel (RBR-Renault)

4. Bahrain Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)

5. Spain Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)

6. Monaco Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)

7. Turkey Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)

8. Great Britain Sebastian Vettel (RBR-Renault)

9. Germany Mark Webber (RBR-Renault)

10. Hungary Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)

11. Europe Rubens Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes)

12. Belgium Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari)

13. Italy Rubens Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes)

14. Singapore Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)

15. Japan Sebastian Vettel (RBR-Renault)

16. Brazil Mark Webber (RBR-Renault)

17. Abu Dhabi Sebastian Vettel (RBR-Renault)

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HALL OF FAME

FIA Formula One World Drivers Champions 1950 – 2009

Jenson Button (British) Brawn-Mercedes 2009

Lewis Hamilton (British) McLaren-Mercedes 2008

Kimi Räikkönen (Finnish) 2007

Fernando Alonso (Spanish) Renault 2005-2006

Michael Schumacher (German) Benetton-Ford, Benetton-Renault, Ferrari 1994-1995, 2000-2004

Mika Hakkinen (Finnish) McLaren-Mercedes 1998-1999

Jacques Villeneuve (Canadian) Williams-Renault 1997

Damon Hill (British) Williams-Renault 1996

Alain Prost (French) McLaren-TAG, McLaren- Honda, Williams-Renault 1985-1986, 1989, 1993

Nigel Mansell (British) Williams-Renault 1992

Ayrton Senna (Brazilian) McLaren-Honda, 1988, 1990-1991

Nelson Piquet (Brazilian) Brabham-Ford, Brabham-BMW, Williams-Honda 1981, 1983, 1987

Niki Lauda (Austrian) Ferrari, McLaren-TAG 1975, 1977, 1984

Keke Rosberg (Finnish) Williams-Ford 1982

Alan Jones (Australian) Williams-Ford 1980

Jody Scheckter (South African) (Ferrari) 1979

Mario Andretti (American) Lotus-Ford 1978

James Hunt (British) McLaren-Ford 1976

Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazilian) Lotus-Ford, McLaren-Ford 1972, 1974

Jackie Stewart (British) Matra-Ford, Tyrrell-Ford 1969, 1971, 1973

Jochen Rindt (Austrian) Lotus-Ford 1970

Graham Hill (British) BRM, Lotus-Ford 1962, 1968

Denny Hulme (New Zealander) Brabham-Repco 1967

Jack Brabham (Australian) Cooper-Climax, Brabham-Repco 1959-1960, 1966

Jim Clark (British) Lotus-Climax 1963, 1965

John Surtees (British) Ferrari 1964

Phil Hill (American) Ferrari 1961

Mike Hawthorn (British) Ferrari 1958

Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentinean) Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari 1951, 1954-1957

Alberto Ascari (Italian) Ferrari 1952-1953

Nino Farina (Italian) Alfa Romeo 1950