A 'full throttle' return to work for the Scuderia Ferrari

The short Formula 1 holiday is already over. The two weeks of total shutdown, as agreed with all the other teams, officially came to an end at midnight yesterday and this morning everyone was working again at full throttle. Indeed, there is no time to lose given that the Belgian Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the 2010 World Championship is looming.

The two F10s which will be used by Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso are currently in the car assembly area at the Gestione Sportiva, where they are being built up in the initial configuration that will be used in free practice. There are also some new aerodynamic components being introduced for this race, most significantly an updated version of the diffuser: these will be tested on track on Friday and then the data will be evaluated and a final decision taken regarding their use in qualifying and the race.

Within the factory one can instantly sense the feeling that everyone wants to carry on with the fight-back that began at Hockenheim and continued in Budapest. The 73 points picked up in these two races have seen the gap in both classifications come down, even if there is still a very steep mountain to climb, especially as the pack features so many other strong teams equally determined to succeed. The past two weeks served to recharge the batteries before tackling the final part of the season which looks like being very intense.

After the Spa event comes Monza, the home race which always has such a special atmosphere. It also marks the end of the European season, after which comes a long run of five races far away from the Old Continent, ending up in Abu Dhabi on 14 November. It means a lot of work for the people at the track, but even more for the designers because, not only will they be firing the final shots on the F10 development front, but more importantly, working ever harder on the new car for the 2011 season: a double challenge that always characterises this key time of year.

Enjoying the last moments of this short summer break are the drivers: Felipe Massa spent it in Brazil, while Fernando Alonso shuttled between Switzerland and Spain. Make no mistake, they too will arrive in Spa with the same desire as the rest of the team to carry on with the positive streak.