Alonso: we aim to give the fans a good show

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza inevitably means the Scuderia Ferrari drivers are called to the Thursday FIA press conference at the circuit and the other reason for Fernando Alonso’s attendance was that he is a two times winner here. “Racing at Monza is very special, because of the layout, the speed, the fans and even its location in the park,” began the Spaniard when asked to explain what makes this race special. “Coming here as a Ferrari driver last year for the first time was amazing, experiencing the passion in Italy for Ferrari. Our target, our aim for this weekend is to give the fans in the grandstands a good show. It is special for us, as so many Ferrari people will be in the crowd with their families. Even if we give one hundred percent at all races, everyone within the team will be taking extra care to ensure that everything is perfect here from Friday to Sunday.”

The fact that the 150◦ Italia has struggled in recent races because of cool conditions is something the fans hope will not affect performance on a weekend which is expected to be warm from start to finish. “It’s true we have struggled on cold tracks,” agreed Fernando. “We have had a difficult summer over the past four or five races, but I don’t know how much of a performance change we can expect here. As usual, we will be fighting McLaren and Red Bull, but I also expect Mercedes to be quick here with the long straights.”

Alonso’s name has been engraved on the winner’s trophy twice at this track: in 2007 when he was victorious in a McLaren and then last year’s famous win for the Prancing Horse. “They were very different wins,” he said. “It was much more emotional last year, not just on Sunday, because when you drive for Ferrari, you notice the difference when you arrive at the airport, in the hotel, the paddock and generally you are involved in more activities than at other races. It’s fantastic from the podium when you see how happy the tifosi are that an Italian car has won the race, however the win in 2007 was like any other win at any circuit.”

As for next year, the Spaniard stated the team’s clear aim: “we are working hard now to be competitive right from the very first race and we know that will be a hard job between now and when we start testing in the winter, through to the first race. However, it is impossible to be confident or sure of anything in F1, because this is a very complex sport and when you put the car on track in February, you can have surprises, good or bad. But I know that, at Ferrari, we have the right people to be competitive. For the rest of this year, we will just have minimal updates from now on, so how we do will vary from track to track. But for now, let’s concentrate and try and win at Monza again.”