"It was not the Belgian
Grand Prix we were expecting, that’s for sure," says
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso after a no points showing at
Spa last weekend dented his title hopes. "I think the
key moment in my race came on the very first lap. I had
made a good start and made up a few places. The car was
responding well and there was every chance of finishing
up on the podium. Unfortunately, I had to come back to
the pits almost immediately and that changed everything.
Even though I climbed up the order, I only found myself
back in the points because a handful of cars ahead of me
retired: that explains what a difficult race it was. I
could have done without going off the track, but it did
not make a great difference: the rain meant that any
chance I had of making up some places through our
strategy evaporated.
"It seems that this year,
the opening laps have not gone too well for me: in five
races out of thirteen, I have found myself slipping to
the back, either because of our own mistakes or because
of circumstances beyond our control, as was the case two
days ago in Belgium. I have always said – and I repeat
it now – that in the course of the season, good luck and
bad luck tend to balance one another out, so let’s hope
that from now on it’s payback time.
"The first final went badly, but there are still six to
go. Going into these seven races, I had said that
whoever did the best job in them would take the title:
clearly, there are now three of us who need to make up
for ground lost in Spa. With this points system and the
way races swing one way or another, I am convinced we
still have a significant chance. There are 150 points up
for grabs, enough to turn the situation around. We must
remain calm and concentrate, to try and make up the
difference as soon as possible. There is no denying that
the Monza race will be very important. At our home
circuit we will have to do everything to avoid losing
any more points: a good result here would be a great
boost. If things go badly, it won’t be over but it would
be a hard knock for team morale.
"Racing at Monza for the first time as a Ferrari driver
will definitely be a nice feeling. Our team is made up
of 95 percent Italians and you can feel the passion and
the will to do well for this special event. I can’t wait
to be there and look forward to seeing the grandstands
packed with fans: we need their support."
