Formula One News: Formula One bosses Stir Up 2010 Title Talk
Ferrari principal Stefano Domenicali has appealed for a cool, composed attitude from his squad with just four races to go before the thrilling 2010 season comes to a conclusion. Two back-to-back victories by Spain’s Fernando
Alonso have moved the Ferrari driver to the second spot in the championship standings. Just 11 points adrift of championship leader Mark Webber, Alonso is optimistic he can bridge the dwindling gap the Red Bull driver currently holds over him.
Domenicali emphasized the need for Ferrari to be, “cool, to keep our feet on the ground and to work hard.”
Ferrari have made an impressive comeback into title contention after winning 3 out of the past five races. The Italian side suffered a significant dip in form as the 2010 season hit the midway mark. Two times world champion
Fernando Alonso looked very much out of sorts in his first season with the most coveted team in Formula One. The Spaniard lost his trademark cool on more than one occasion; at one point leaving many to question whether his championship battle was over even
before the season had proceeded beyond the midway mark.
Yet, like a true world champion, Alonso silenced his critics with style. The Spaniard gave the Tifosi the perfect gift after winning at Monza. Hot on the heels of his sensational success at Monza, the Scuderia star stamped
his authority further after winning in Singapore only days later. After qualifying on pole, Alonso led the proceedings from start to finish and stole the top spot on the podium that humid Singapore night.
However, in spite of Alonso’s apparently unstoppable ascent to the top of the championship rankings, Stefano Domenicali is determined not to get carried away.
“I’m never down when things are bad, and I never declare ‘fantastic’ when things are going well.”
The Scuderia boss highlighted Alonso’s team mate, Felipe Massa’s, fate to explain how swiftly matters could take a turn for the worse in a sport as unpredictable as motor racing. The Brazilian driver had to begin the race
from the bottom end of the grid, after a gearbox complication during the early qualifying stages left him bereft of a timed lap. Regardless, Massa managed to collect four points after snatching the 8th place in the race. The reliability
issues with Massa’s F10 have seen Ferrari fall further behind Red Bull Racing in the constructor’s standings.
Meanwhile McLaren manager, Martin Whitmarsh, has tipped his drivers - Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - to mount a successful comeback after experiencing a disheartening Singapore campaign. Hamilton’s campaign ended in bitter
disappointment after an accident with Red Bull’s Mark Webber during Lap 36 made it impossible for him to continue in the race. The fact that this was the Englishman’s second DNF in a row certainly compounded his misery.
Disappointment was evident in the McLaren garage after Hamilton left his accident-ravaged MP4-25 to make the mournful journey back to the paddocks in Singapore. But in the past few days it seems the McLaren camp has come
to terms with the disappointment, and is determined to make up for the loss.
Whitmarsh is well aware the championship battle might not be decided until the season’s very last run in Abu Dhabi. A mere 25 points separate the top five drivers and there are a maximum of 100 points available from the remaining
4 campaigns of the season.
The McLaren boss believes his side will bounce back in style in the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix after the disappointment in Singapore. However, Whitmarsh admitted a resurgent Ferrari and Red Bull would be difficult to contain.
“We have to make our car quicker”, said Whitmarsh.
Indeed, McLaren will be looking to match the ever-increasing pace of the Ferrari F10s and the Red Bull RB6s. The team boss conceded his side would be bringing some crucial updates to Japan, which would hopefully enable them
to bridge the technological gap between their main title rivals.
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