Fernando Alonso: Ferrari Must Not Get Carried Away
Ferrari’s dip in form following the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this year witnessed Fernando Alonso plummet nearly 50 points behind the championship leader in the drivers’ standings. Now the Spaniard has made up for the losses as he stands just 20 points adrift of championship leader Mark Webber, and hot on the heels of his second successive podium finish in Hungary, Alonso feels confident he can mount a successful bid for the title.
In a statement on Ferrari’s official website, Alonso said his team had reason to be pleased with their championship campaign so far. The Spaniard remarked that the 2010 season had produced mixed fortunes for his side, yet overall, the Italian team is in the hunt for Formula One’s ultimate trophy. Alonso stated it was a five horse race for the drivers’ title and the next seven events would be decisive in determining who bagged the trophy. Alonso elaborated that what happened during these races was highly unpredictable, and therefore Ferrari would have to be at the top of their game to steal the title from their competitors.
To grab the title, Alonso believes the Scuderia side must stay completely focused and composed, but considering both Alonso and his team are well acquainted with the challenges of clinching the championship titles, the Spaniard feels optimistic they can remain fully concentrated. Alonso said he knew that all five of the championship leading drivers would be putting up a real fight for the trophy till the very end, but it heartened him to know that Ferrari boasted the experience of triumphing at many championships. The Spaniard reasoned that consistency would be the key to mounting a realistic challenge, and that the Scuderia needed to seize as many podiums as they could in the last seven runs of the season.
Interestingly, Alonso felt none of the five contenders for the title had an edge over the other. He said that the championship leader would be under pressure to maintain his position at the top of the standings and fear losing points to rivals, so that wasn’t too much of an advantage, whereas those close behind him would be stressed with the knowledge that there was a heavy price to pay for any lapse of judgment. In a situation like this, Alonso insisted, there would be a need to grasp every opportunity and exploit any gaps available to maximize one’s gains. As matters stood now, however, Alonso emphasized that none of the top five title contenders felt they were the championship leader and none felt particularly apprehensive about his chances for the trophy as the race was still very wide open.
Although the Ferrari protagonist booked second place for himself at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the Red Bull cars speed, which witnessed Sebastian Vettel grab pole position by a margin in excess of 1.2 seconds from Alonso’s third-place finish, gave the Scuderia cause for apprehension. Alonso, however, remains resolved to take a long term view of matters. The Spaniard said it was important for his team to approach every Grand Prix with a winning mentality. Although it had not been possible for his side to be victorious in Hungary as the Red Bulls clearly outpaced the Ferrari F10s, and it had been a source of some disappointment and frustration for them. Yet, Alonso elaborated, it was common knowledge that the RB6 was particularly suited to the high-speed turns and dearth of straights at the Hungaroring and therefore Ferrari had not panicked.
The Spaniard said that the championship was decided by 19 races, and taking that holistic view, Ferrari had been reasonably as competitive so far this season. Alonso revealed there were certain tracks that were better suited to the F10s performance than others, and the Scuderia would focus on capitalizing on those frontiers just as they did at the German Grand Prix where Alonso controversially took pole after team mate Felipe Massa was ordered to pave the way for Alonso’s lead.
Alonso and the rest of the Formula One community will be back in action on the circuit at Spa-Francorchamps in late August.
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