Ferrari is the latest F1 team to be dragged into the Pirelli tire "'test-gate' row which escalated at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix," according to Dan Hawkins of RACE DEPARTMENT. Mercedes is under investigation by motorsports governing body FIA after it was discovered it had "taken part in a three-day testing session with Pirelli following the Spanish Grand Prix this year." Despite Ferrari joining Red Bull in leading the protests against Mercedes, the Italian manufacturer has "now been dragged into the controversy, having themselves allegedly been part of a test with Pirelli between the Bahrain and Spanish Grand Prix." Ferrari is now also facing disciplinary action, pending an FIA investigation, although it does not believe it breached any rules, "having used a two-year-old car during the tests," unlike Mercedes, which is thought to have used this year’s model (RACE DEPARTMENT, 6/3).
MONACO 'ISOLATED': ESPN reported Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali said that his team "is determined to regard what happened in Monaco as an isolated incident" ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa "had a difficult weekend which ended when a front left suspension failure caused a big crash" at Monte Carlo's first turn -- an incident that has led to him getting a new chassis -- while Fernando Alonso was an uncompetitive seventh in the race." Domenicali said he wanted to put Monaco behind him as quickly as possible. Domenicali: "Of course we also focused on the problems we had with reliability, which absolutely had to be resolved. What is sure is that the team is completely motivated and we are determined to regard what happened in Monaco as an isolated incident" (ESPN, 6/4).
