Back in the hunt after Italian GP – Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo
After a strong finish at their home grand prix at Monza, Italy, Ferrari insists that they are in a very good position of winning the title and many experts predict that they may be correct.
Their leading driver Fernando Alonso is currently in 3rd place in the drivers’ standings, 21 points behind the championship leader Mark Webber while Ferrari’s gap with Red Bull in the constructors’ title is just 60 points.
A disappointing finish at the Belgian Grand Prix after crashing out of the race, Fernando’s victory has resurrected the team’s hopes for this year’s championship. Ferrari Team boss Stefano Domenicali stated that the team will be forced to shift its resources to the 2011 season if the Spaniard is not able to secure good points at the Italian Grand Prix. However, that is not the case as Alonso’s win confirmed the teams support for this year.
“The win has come at just the right time and at the right place. This season continues to throw up surprises: after the knock back in Spa, it might have looked as though we had had it, but we were not ready to think that way,” Domenicali said.
He added that Ferrari never quits and fights till the very end. The Championship is still open for the top five drivers now and it will get even more competitive in the coming races. Ferrari claims that they will enjoy this victory but not for long as they have to get back to work the next day and prepare for every challenge that comes their way in the final 5 races of the season.
However, the Spaniard explained that it is not easy for the team to focus entirely on this season with so many rules and regulation changes for 2011. The team has some updates coming for Singapore but it will not be an easy task to continue to improve the car at this rate. Ferrari must focus on the car for 2011 as well in order to ensure that the team maintains its performance in the following year.
“We have to stay focused and do our best. We cannot allow ourselves the slightest mistake, because we are still behind, but we have definitely taken a good step forward today”, he said.
Fernando Alonso became a part of Formula 1 in 2001 after joining Minardi. The Spaniard was not able to score any points in his debut year. However, his performance was quite impressive which grabbed Renault’s attention. The team offered him a place in the team as a full-time driver for the year 2003. After joining Renault, Fernando was able to give the team their best results to date. Alonso won his first race in the Formula 1 in 2003 with Renault along with 4 podium positions and 2 pole positions.
The 29-year-old’s performance was highly appreciated, while keeping in mind that he was not running in the best of cars. The Spaniard proceeded with the team and gave them their first championship in 2005. Fernando secured the drivers’ title with 133 points with the help of 7 wins, 15 podiums and 6 pole positions. Alonso maintained his dominance in the following year and secured the title once again. He achieved the honour of beating Michael Schumacher after his record-breaking 4 year championship streak. Alonso decided to join McLaren for the 2007 season and finished the championship in 3rd place after struggling to come to good terms with his team. Fernando had to return to Renault for 2more years before joining Ferrari in 2010. The Spaniard is going strong and is in 3rd place in the drivers’ standings at present. He is just 21 points behind leader Mark Webber.
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo was thrilled with his team’s result after he enjoyed the victory with his team at Monza. He was very proud of what the team did - both on track and in the factory. He believed that the team did an extraordinary job and delivered perfectly, proving that they are the best in the business who would never give up.
“For this, I wish to thank Stefano Domenicali and all his colleagues and the drivers - Fernando was brilliant, taking pole yesterday and now the win today while Felipe got a very nice podium finish”, he added.
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