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Ferrari diary - the last post

Blimey, that was eventful. I'm not really sure how to encapsulate the last entry now I'm back in Blighty, but I'll give it my best shot. What is clear, if nothing else, is what an enormous logistical effort the whole thing is, for what is essentially an hour-and-a-bit of racing.

Take the three storey, twin-structure that is the Ferrari and Philip Morris motorhome. This £3.5m edifice takes three days to put up or down and requires eight trucks to shift. If this was a normal GP week - as opposed to a four-week lay-off - then it would already be leaving for the next race. Quite what happens when the season restarts and a race in Valencia is followed a week later by a race in Belgium I don't quite know. Perhaps they'll end up with a portable building at Spa, complete with a small gas stove, a kettle and a microwave.

Notwithstanding the horrific accident sustained by Massa, the weekend was a successful one for Ferrari with a second place for Raikonnen. For the rest of the team however, they began to pack up as soon as the race had finished. Cars and kit were packed away and left the circuit by about 9 on Sunday night for the journey back to Maranello. The rest would follow as soon as possible afterwards. The drivers were different to those that had brought the cars as they had spent a gruelling day at the track as tyre techs or mechanics, plus loading the trailers for return too.

If that sounds too much like hard work then the last word should probably go to one of the drivers, Claudio Bersini. "I love the job. From the moment I start in the morning, to the end of the day I enjoy it. It honestly doesn't feel like work to me. I don't have a reason for change because I love it so much."

More pictures when I get a chance later.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on July 28, 2009 4:50 PM.

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