On holiday, but without switching off completely - Alonso
Just like everyone else at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Fernando Alonso is also on holiday as from tomorrow. Fernando spent Monday to Thursday at Maranello, to work alongside the team, both in preparing for the final part of the 2010 season and in defining the guidelines for the design of the 2011 car.
The Spanish driver also wanted to be in Madonna di Campiglio today for the presentation of Ercole Colombo’s book on Wrooom’s twentieth anniversary.
“It won’t be possible to switch off my mind completely over these two weeks: I will try and relax and do a bit of sport, but at least once a day, maybe just for ten minutes, I will inevitably think about the next race in Belgium,” said Fernando. “I think it will be the same for everyone and the timing of the break, does not make any difference. After a few unlucky races, which went badly for various reasons, we are now on the right road. The car is much improved and so that makes me more optimistic and has seen the whole team grow in confidence. In Spa, we will have a few more things and we hope they help us progress still more: the others will do the same, which means we will have to be better than them and quicker in terms of development work.”
As for the situation in the Drivers’ classification, Fernando was very open: “It only took us two normal races to be fully back in contention for the title. It’s true we are still behind in the classification and it is always better to be in front, but I am convinced that in the final sprint, by which I mean the last two or three races, we will be closer to the top than we are now. The important thing is to remain calm and concentrated and to do our job well. It’s hard to say who is my strongest rival: we are all almost equal. Maybe, Hamilton, Button and myself, who have already won a title, will tackle the final rush in a calmer way, having already experienced something similar. Percentage chance? I’d say 50%, which is the normal state of affairs…”
Fernando was asked how his relationship with Ferrari has changed over his first seven months: “It has not changed much since January. I immediately felt at ease, as if in a family. Wrooom was a great help in forging a team with my new colleagues and with my team-mate, with whom I always have a great relationship. There is an amazing atmosphere among us, one which I think is better than in any other team: I would really love to come back here next January with even more great feelings!”
Inevitably, there was a reference to the forthcoming FIA World Council meeting, where the German Grand Prix situation will be discussed. “We have to await the decision with confidence, hoping for a positive outcome,” said Fernando. “We drivers and the engineers have the task of staying focussed on the car and on our work, trying to get the results on track.”
Source: Ferrari
