Alonso certain new Ferrari will be strong 28 Jan 2010
After two years of lacklustre results at Renault, Fernando Alonso is impatient to get back to his front-running ways with new team Ferrari this season. Speaking at the launch of the Italian team’s 2010 challenger, the F10, Alonso was very optimistic he’s got a machine that could put him right back into contention.
“I’m very calm regarding the work done by all the technicians at Ferrari,” he said during a press conference at Thursday’s event. “We have the best technicians in the world. We have a team that is able to set up the best possible car for you in a very short time. What raises confidence is the technicians, the data from the wind tunnel, the suspension, the mechanics and the engine.”
Although the Spaniard is yet to drive his new car, he’s feeling so positive about the team’s progress after making several trips to the Maranello factory over the winter. Now, he can’t wait to start his on-track work, alongside new team mate Felipe Massa, and improve the F10 even more, ahead of March’s season-opener in Bahrain.
“The work we’ll do in February, with Felipe’s and my suggestions about the car, makes me really confident as far as the first race is concerned. We have a team that is able to set up the best possible car for you in a very short time. It might even happen that the data on the track will be even more encouraging."
One thing of special interest to Alonso will be how this season’s heavier fuel loads - a direct consequence of the ban on refuelling - will affect his driving style and the performance of the car itself.
“The new rules will also lead to some changes in our driving styles,” he explained. “We’ll have a more precise idea after the first test. With the petrol load we can put into the tank we’ll all have a different load on board. We’ll concentrate on our work during the tests, without considering the lap times; we’ll see if we’ll be satisfied with the car or not.”
Massa spoke at the launch with equal enthusiasm about the season ahead, and was especially excited to start work alongside two-time world champion Alonso.
“When there’s a new driver at Ferrari there are great expectations and the goal is to work well as a team, to be complete,” said the Brazilian. “I’ll have a very strong team mate. I’ve always done good work, learned a lot and shown many times that I’m able to win and fight, whoever my teammate was.”
Although poor weather stopped him shaking down the car on Thursday afternoon, Massa is expected to get behind the wheel of the F10 on Friday at the team’s Fiorano test track.
