Alonso: “We have to close the gap”

With an ambitious vision about to Ferrari F2012 reinvigorated after a sluggish start, Fernando Alonso can now aim for the podium without any problem, his talent even allowing him to finish even higher in the rankings. At the head of the Championship, he will want to confirm his leadership this Sunday at Silverstone, on a circuit which should, according to him, be his car. “Given the specifics of the track, Silverstone should better suit the characteristics of our car, He explains. We have been able to see since the start of the season as well as at Mugello that these fast-curving tracks suited our car well. But it all depends on the weather.”

But who would have thought that heading into this British Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso would be in control of the championship as his F2012 seemed incapable of keeping up with the pace of its rivals until recently? Certainly not the Spaniard himself. “We are obviously delighted with where we are in terms of points, he admits. When it comes to performance, there are a few cars that are faster than ours. We are therefore not 100% satisfied, but the work done by the team over the last three to four months is impressive, managing to fill the second and a half that we were missing to be on the pace in Australia. We are heading in the right direction. There is still a lot to come in terms of performance for the races to come.”

So are all the lights green for the Scuderia? A perfectionist, Alonso refuses to get excited. The season is still long. “Looking at the points, we are not in a situation that we expected, underlines the double Spanish world champion. Leading the championship is good news, but we are also very honest with ourselves. Some cars are faster than us, and we need to close the gap in the upcoming races if we want to fight for the world crown. If we don't succeed, we know that sooner or later they will be ahead. We are only at the ninth of the 20 races on the calendar. At the moment, points and championship positions, although important, are not our priority. The first thing to do is improve the car”.