Ferrari Upbeat about Alonso's 5th Place

You might think that FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
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would be upset with Fernando Alonso going from first to fifth in the last seven laps of the Canadian Grand Prix over the weekend. However, the team is celebrating because it proved that the car is still competitive. Alonso went from qualifying third to first during the race and falling down to fifth for the last laps. 

Ferrari worried that its F2012Ferrari F2012Italy, 2012 > 201214 photos
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would not be competitive before the season began. Now the team is fourth in the constructors' championship, and Alonso is still second in the drivers' championship. 

“Look, if we had not tried all the way to the very end, today when we had a car capable of winning, then we would have felt bad. But we gave it our all, the team and the driver, to try and win. Take it from someone who’s been here a long time, this is the right attitude," said a Ferrari mechanic.

Ferrari feels that it made the right decision with its tire strategy because Grosjean and Perez used the same tire strategy as Alonso. Ferrari admits that looking with hindsight it should have pitted around the time when Vettel did, but the team thought it would sacrifice too many positions during the heat of competition.

“We must continue like this: more updates will arrive in Valencia and then again in Silverstone. The key to the season is to continue to push on the development of the car and, at the same time, understand how best to manage tire behavior,” said Team Principal Stefano Domenicali.   

The team thinks that Felipe Massa would have done better if he had not spun and lost several places on the fifth lap. Ferrari is still happy that both drivers finished in the points.