Sunday: Alonso and Ferrari Focus on the Positive

Fernando Alonso – 5th:

« It’s a positive result, no doubt about it. We knew it would be a challenging weekend because we weren’t fast enough, but despite everything, we managed to increase our lead over Webber. As far as the championship is concerned, it was a good weekend. Finishing ahead of one Red Bull and just behind the other in these circumstances is very important because on paper, we expected to finish in 7th position.

Hamilton was out of reach this weekend, but we haven’t lost too much ground to Vettel, who I believe is the strongest of the group behind me in the championship. We made the right strategic choices: it’s true that I lost a bit of time behind Pérez, which cost me a place compared to Räikkönen, but the Finn was probably out of reach this afternoon. We have a forty-point lead with a car that hasn’t always been the best in this first half of the season.

We must now make a leap forward in terms of performance to maintain our leading position in the championship, because in the long term, we know it won’t be enough. If we are where we are, it’s because we’ve always been able to make the most of what we had, and it’s thanks to excellent reliability; it’s not by chance that you can finish in the points 23 consecutive times.

July was a complicated and stressful month, with three races and a lot of work at the factory. Now, I want to take some vacation and recharge my batteries, so I can be in perfect shape at Spa, hoping that the second half of the season will be as positive and productive as the first. We have five weeks to rest and work, to look towards the future and prepare for the two challenging races at Spa and Monza.

Felipe Massa – 9th:

«My race was ruined at the start, when I slipped, possibly due to clutch overheating: it cost me two positions that I never managed to regain. Overtaking is really difficult on this circuit and, even though at times in my second stint, I was faster than Webber and Senna, I didn’t have the slightest chance to pass them. So it wasn’t a very good race for me, but at least I managed to score a few points. At Silverstone and Hockenheim, our pace was the same as the best, but it was no longer the case here, making this weekend challenging. The first part of the season hasn’t been very positive for me, even though today I feel better than at the beginning of the year and I’m convinced the second half will be better. My contract? As long as the situation is unclear, there’s nothing to say! I’m focusing on the upcoming races to deliver good performances and that’s my number one objective.»