Ferrari engine ‘no problem’

FERRARI’S technical director Ross Brawn says there are no concerns about Michael Schumacher’s engine despite teammate Felipe Massa’s problems in practice for tomorrow’s crucial Chinese Grand Prix.

With Schumacher just two points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso with three races left in the title race, Brawn said Ferrari were partly stripping Massa’s engine to get a clearer picture of the problem although first impressions were positive.

“We need to understand it, because it’s an engine specification that we’ve run a lot of and not had a problem,” he told reporters.

“There’s a chance that the type of failure we had could be caused by something dropping into the inlets, something going through the engine, which is a peculiar failure.

“So if that is the case ... then we shouldn’t have concerns.”

Seven-time world champion Schumacher, two points behind Fernando Alonso in the championship, has yet to score a single point in China despite two visits to the Shanghai circuit.

Sunday’s race will be his last chance before retirement at the end of the season.

Massa’s problem will cost the Brazilian 10 places on the starting grid, denting the team’s hopes of stretching their three-point lead over champions Renault in the constructors’ standings.

He had sat out the day’s opening practice session before the problem in the afternoon that led to an unscheduled change and the penalty.

“It’s a shame as the car seemed to be well balanced right from the start and I had been able to do some good times,” said the Brazilian, a first-time winner in Turkey last month.

“Of course dropping 10 places on the grid will make my race much tougher, but I believe I can still put in a good performance.”

Elsewhere, Renault boss Flavio Briatore believes Formula One will not be adversely affected by Schumacher’s retirement.

But, despite the loss of the most successful driver in the history of the sport, the Italian feels Formula One will continue to prosper just as it did following the death of legendary Brazilian Ayrton Senna.

“It won’t change,” he said. “I believe Formula One, the sport, is so strong. Whatever actor you have in this movie, sooner or later the actor stops but the movie goes on.

“We remember Senna. I think Senna is the classic example. We are talking about (Nigel) Mansell, we talk about Senna, we talk about (Alain) Prost.

“At the time when what unfortunately happened to Senna, I remember every magazine and every newspaper said: ‘Formula One is finished.’ But we are still here.

“I don’t think anything will change. We can remember Michael, we can remember Prost and we can remember other drivers. Michael has won seven championships, so he should be remembered.”

Fernando Alonso broke Schumacher’s stranglehold on the world title last season but, with the German pushing to reclaim the title this year, the 37-year-old could bow out on a high with an unprecedented eighth drivers’ crown.

But despite Alonso’s success, Briatore thinks the sport needs an injection of star power in the aftermath of the Schumacher era.

“I don’t know who is going to be the next dominant driver but what is important now is the young drivers arriving in Formula One,” he said. “We need always new stars. It’s fundamental for Formula One.

“We have a lot of champions now, a lot of good drivers, quick drivers but we need another star in Formula One on the drivers’ side. This is something we are missing and we hope that in this group of young drivers right now in Formula One we will find the star for the future.”