Alonso: Safety is the priority

Fernando Alonso’s German trip has begun in Hamburg, where he visited the Shell Technology Centre, prior to the championship round at the Nurburgring. Just three days on from Silverstone, the Scuderia Ferrari driver has flown to the historic city on the banks of the Elbe, to see the research centre where the Maranello team’s technical partner works on the development of products for use in the most technologically advanced engines. Along with a small group of local media, the Spaniard visited the laboratories and test beds where fuels and lubricants are created and he also took part in some of the demonstrations put on by the research staff.

“It’s extremely impressive to see at first hand how much work goes into these products. You read and hear a lot about it, but being able to get hands on with it is something else. To get the best results, it helps to have a winning team behind you and I believe that, with Shell, we are in good hands,” said the champion before continuing his journey to the venue for the ninth round of the Formula 1 World Championship.

When it came time to talk about the recent British Grand Prix, inevitably the topics of tyres and safety were raised. “After what we saw in Silverstone, we now go to the Nurburgring, confident we can see an improvement,” commented Fernando. “I know that various modifications have been applied and let’s hope that means all of us drivers can race in safe conditions. At the moment, we can’t make any predictions, because no one has tried them and we don’t know what and how many benefits they can bring, apart from trusting in the fact that it won’t be dangerous to race.”