Ferrari has to be 'more clever' - Alonso

[vcs316]

Fernando Alonso says Ferrari needs to outsmart its rivals to catch up this season, but is confident he will still be in the title race come the end of the season.

Alonso has made a solid if unspectacular start to the season with two fourth place finishes at the opening two races. He believes there is a lot more to come with each step forward Ferrari makes and is sure he will be fighting for the title at the final race in Abu Dhabi.

"Definitely, yes, I still think we can do a good job," he said. "It is a very young car. All the things we find on the wind tunnel or the power area are not steps we used to see in the last years, half a tenth, half a tenth. Now you see a couple of tenths in any step. So there is very good room to improve in all areas, to become more competitive.

"At the same time, it is the same for everybody so we just need to be a little more clever than the other teams and find this little extra. Unfortunately we start with a deficit so we need to close this gap but the potential is there and there is no question that we think that in Abu Dhabi we will be in the fight. That's for sure."

Ferrari is clearly down on power compared to Mercedes, but Alonso said the deficit to the front it was not all down to the new power unit.

"Difficult to split the area they are stronger. We all know the power-unit is very efficient and it is quite strong because we see other cars are very competitive with the Mercedes engine. But the McLaren finished 84 seconds behind the Mercedes, the Mercedes is obviously also good. It is not only the engine. So we just need to improve the package. We need to improve in all areas.

"Red Bull, for example, after a tough winter and some difficulties they managed to change the situation and become competitive very quickly. We will try to do better and only the second race, long way to go and we are ready to fight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

[The Hajj]

Let's keep chanting the same phrases over and over and over....

SD must have the whole team drinking the Jim Jones Kool-Aid.

"We need to be more clever" - Really? Boy, that's new. Who would have thought of that strategy?

"I think we can do a good job" - Doesn't that just drip with confidence? Just what you want to hear from a WC driver.

"McLaren isn't fast either" - Who cares? We fans want FERRARI TO BE FAST AND WINNING!!!

"Red Bull recovered quickly" - No kidding. We know their team is competent. How about showing us that Ferrari can still build a winning F1 car.

[Stormsearcher]

@ the hajj---- Chill man. Its not like the team is trying to be non competitive. Am sure they are trying their best. And if Fernando says there is hope, trust me there is. He doesnt BS and calls a spade a spade.

[Hornet]

Let's keep chanting the same phrases over and over and over....

SD must have the whole team drinking the Jim Jones Kool-Aid.

"We need to be more clever" - Really? Boy, that's new. Who would have thought of that strategy?

"I think we can do a good job" - Doesn't that just drip with confidence? Just what you want to hear from a WC driver.

"McLaren isn't fast either" - Who cares? We fans want FERRARI TO BE FAST AND WINNING!!!

"Red Bull recovered quickly" - No kidding. We know their team is competent. How about showing us that Ferrari can still build a winning F1 car.

What would you want the team to say instead? Stefano, Fry, etc and the drivers are asked questions by the media all the time, and they have to say something as part of their PR obligations.

[Laferrari]

It s just political what fernando said , because he knows that everywhere Ferrari is considering like a joke.Who said in januari that we need to start in front because we create the chassis and the engine...blablabla after first 2 races we are in compétition with Force india .Now we are focusing to upgrade the car as soon as possible....YESSS...first upgrade after 4 or 5 races....Our Team principal is playing a game JUST to keep his place..(last interview was a joke!).
Fernando was right to be upset about Ferrari last year...about to not give him a car to compete in front .What does Lucas? ask fernando to shut is mouth, to not be critical with the team.So now Fernando is playing a game , he said positive things but he never believe in ONE words.Ferrari will never be in mercedes level this year and they will be never on developping a car like redbull .I am angry with all this bulls***

[scuderia_nano]

I guess Stephano will find a solution sooner or later. LUCA HAS HAD faoth in him since years.

[Alonso14]

Let's keep chanting the same phrases over and over and over....

SD must have the whole team drinking the Jim Jones Kool-Aid.

"We need to be more clever" - Really? Boy, that's new. Who would have thought of that strategy?

"I think we can do a good job" - Doesn't that just drip with confidence? Just what you want to hear from a WC driver.

"McLaren isn't fast either" - Who cares? We fans want FERRARI TO BE FAST AND WINNING!!!

"Red Bull recovered quickly" - No kidding. We know their team is competent. How about showing us that Ferrari can still build a winning F1 car.

Chill, man. What do you want him to say? And do you think he called a press conference to say all this? He was giving an interview, journalists asked him questions and he gave politically correct answers. No big deal.

[fratelliferrari]

It s just political what fernando said , because he knows that everywhere Ferrari is considering like a joke.Who said in januari that we need to start in front because we create the chassis and the engine...blablabla after first 2 races we are in compétition with Force india .Now we are focusing to upgrade the car as soon as possible....YESSS...first upgrade after 4 or 5 races....Our Team principal is playing a game JUST to keep his place..(last interview was a joke!).
Fernando was right to be upset about Ferrari last year...about to not give him a car to compete in front .What does Lucas? ask fernando to shut is mouth, to not be critical with the team.So now Fernando is playing a game , he said positive things but he never believe in ONE words.Ferrari will never be in mercedes level this year and they will be never on developping a car like redbull .I am angry with all this bulls***

Relax man! The season isn't over yet. Nobody on TSN is happy with the results so far but giving up hope after two races is unbelievable! We are Ferrari we can overcome this.

[abbottcostello]

I'm almost at a loss for words here!
Almost, but ones that come to mind are "fair-weather". You know it can be hazardous, all that jumping on & off the bandwagon! :lol

[The Hajj]

What's with all the "Chill out", "Relax" and "Fair weather" stuff?

We have all been chilling, relaxing, praying, meditating, etc. for the last several years. I'm tired of it. If you want to sit back and fool yourself into believing the team is beyond criticism and makes no mistakes, go ahead and put your head right back in the sand. Obviously something is very wrong within the Ferrari organization. They have not unveiled a top tier car in over five years.

How can anyone make accusations of us being fair weather or bandwagon fans? If those labels applied, we would not be frustrated with the current situation, we would simply become Mercedes fans. If they slip, we could join the Red Bull bandwagon. The fact that we continue to concern ourselves with Ferrari's situation is evidence of our loyalty.