Ferrari head to Belgium in high spirits with both its drivers expecting a strong weekend.
With victory in Germany followed by a second place in Hungary, Fernando Alonso has clawed his way back in to this year’s drivers’ championship and is hoping to continue his good form in Spa.
“I really want to get back on track, but in a positive sense, without any feeling of anxiety, but in a very calm way.” Alonso wrote in his diary for Ferrari’s official website. “I am happy that the return to racing means going to two particularly special venues which host the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix.”
“The Belgian track is possibly the most appealing of the entire season, while Monza will be something special for me, given that it will be my race debut as a Ferrari driver in front of the Italian crowd, in addition to the circuit itself having played such an important role in the history of motor sport.
“I have a good feeling following on from the positive results obtained in Germany and Hungary. As the saying goes, we have to keep the momentum and that should be our aim in Spa, to ensure we carry on the way we started just before the holidays. The Hockenheim and Budapest results were important not just in terms of the classification in both championships, but also for the confidence it has given us. We have to keep pushing on this way.”
Team-mate Felipe Massa is also well prepared for this year’s event and expects the F10 to shine around the notorious 4.4 mile circuit.
“We look in good shape, with some new parts coming as part of our constant development programme on the F10.” he said. “The last time I raced here was in 2008 and it’s not just because I won the race that I love this track.
“I think all the drivers look forward to racing on this fabulous circuit.It is high speed, requiring less downforce than at many of the other tracks and fortunately, in the last few races, we showed that we have returned to being very competitive, even better than we had expected.
“But it is very hard to predict what could happen, as the small differences between the top teams means that performance has been very much track specific in terms of who had the slight advantage over the rest. As usual we need to wait and see how free practice goes before knowing what to expect.”