Problem with Simoncelli 'can be solved'

MANY riders seem to explode onto the scene with an incredible raw speed only to catapult themselves into the gravel trap - sometimes collecting other riders in the ensuing carnage - and the latest seems to be Marco Simoncelli.

The chairman of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo, in attendance at Mugello and speaking to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, believes that the answer is easy to find: "In racing, the important thing is to be fast. After that, if there are problems, they can be solved. This applies to both cars and motorcycles," the typical solution is teaching a rider the adage of 'go-slow to go-fast', "If you are slow, it's much harder to catch up. Eventually he will learn to avoid crashing, he just needs more experience and patience."

One recent example of a racer who silenced the reputation of being a crasher is Casey Stoner demonstrating his raw talent by winning the championship in 2007 on a Ducati and continuing to win with Honda. The Australian would also be a choice of di Montezemolo should he hire MotoGP riders for Fomula 1, “One would be Stoner, a good guy and mentally strong, I’ve always liked him. The other would be Simoncelli, who reminds me a little of Villeneuve in the early years."

Sharing the colour red with Ducati, the fortunes of Ferrari's F1 effort somewhat mirror the struggles of the MotoGP team. “We started the year badly, I'm happy with my drivers but we need improve the car. I hope that Ducati can recover also.”