Alonso: It won't be over even with bad Monza result
Fernando Alonso insists that retiring from the Belgian Grand Prix does not spell the end of his 2010 championship hopes.
Despite the general sense of frustration and disappointment pervading the Ferrari camp after Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso insists that his late DNF has not brought the curtain down on his bid for a third world championship.
Indeed, the Spaniard, who joined Ferrari this year in order to chase the title, believes that he can even suffer another poor result on the Scuderia’s home turf at Monza next weekend and still be in the running along with the four drivers from Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
While the majority of the teams returned to the UK to a public holiday, the overriding sentiment at Ferrari’s regular debrief in Maranello was that the Spa weekend had been unsatisfactory.
The team arrived in Belgium expecting to continue the trend that had seen its performance move forward from Valencia and which, from Hockenheim, had also begun to deliver results, albeit controversially. However, the verdict from Spa, putting to one side all the external factors linked to the weather and incidents, was a negative one, especially in terms of the outcome of the race itself.
“It was not the Belgian Grand Prix we were expecting, that’s for sure,” Alonso admitted in his post-race diary on the Ferrari team website, “The car was responding well and there was every chance of finishing up on the podium, but the key moment in my race came on the very first lap.
“I had made a good start and made up a few places but, unfortunately, I had to come back to the pits almost immediately [after the hit from Barrichello] and that changed everything. Even though I climbed up the order, I only found myself back in the points because a handful of cars ahead of me retired – that explains what a difficult race it was.
“I could have done without going off the track, but it did not make a great difference, as the rain meant that any chance I had of making up some places through our strategy evaporated.
“It seems that this year, the opening laps have not gone too well for me – in five races out of 13, I have found myself slipping to the back, either because of our own mistakes or because of circumstances beyond our control, as was the case two days ago in Belgium. I have always said – and I repeat it now – that, in the course of the season, good luck and bad luck tend to balance one another out, so let’s hope that, from now on, it’s payback time!”
In the presence of team president Luca di Montezemolo, the Monday morning debrief centred on analysing the effects of new components introduced to the F10 – possibly including a revised front wing to meet tougher pre-race tests – and the reasons why it proved impossible to make full use of the package’s potential, even if there had been no chance to track test it prior to Spa.
On top of that, the changeable weather during Friday’s free practice did not make the job any easier for the engineers, even though Alonso proved fastest in all conditions. It is because of this, and the team’s subsequent struggle, however, that doubts were raised over internal claims that nothing had had to be done to make the F10’s front wing compliant with the new regulations.
Although Felipe Massa went on to take fourth place in the race, Alonso’s chase for points was hindered by an out-of-control Rubens Barrichello on lap one, a poor tyre choice thereafter, and the spin that ended his recovery just a handful of laps from the chequered flag. Now Monza looms and, if there is one place where the Prancing Horse will want to gallop, it is on home soil, where the Scuderia has not succeded since 2006.
In order to get more data on the latest package, as well as to test the aerodynamic configuration to be used in the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari will stage an aero test on the main straight at Vairano over the next few days.
“The first final went badly, but there are still six to go,” an optimistic Alonso continued, “Going into these seven races, I had said that whoever did the best job in them would take the title – and, clearly, there are now three of us who need to make up for ground lost in Spa.
“With this points system and the way races swing one way or another, however, I am convinced we still have a significant chance. There are 150 points up for grabs, enough to turn the situation around. We must remain calm and concentrate, to try and make up the difference as soon as possible.
“There is no denying that the Monza race will be very important. At our home circuit, we will have to do everything to avoid losing any more points: a good result here would be a great boost. If things go badly, it won’t be over but it would be a hard knock for team morale.
“Racing at Monza for the first time as a Ferrari driver will definitely be a nice feeling. Our team is made up of 95 per cent Italians and you can feel the passion and the will to do well for this special event.
“I can’t wait to be there and look forward to seeing the grandstands packed with fans – as we need their support.”
http://www.f1.co.uk/read-news/663/al...d-monza-result
Last edited by vcs316; 1st September 2010 at 12:33.
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