Spa-Francorchamps, 26 August – There was a back-to-school atmosphere in the Spa paddock today, as everyone discussed what they had done during the break, but it did not take long for the old routine to resume, starting with Fernando Alonso’s traditional meeting with the media. And the first question went straight to the heart of the matter, could Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro’s Spanish driver win the World Championship? “I think we improved the car over the last three grands prix, which means we now have a very competitive package,” began the man from Oviedo. “However, we know it will be a very tough competition and that Red Bull will be strong everywhere and McLaren will be strong at certain circuits like this one and Monza. But I think we have the speed to fight for the world championship and as for this weekend, it is nice to know Ferrari has enjoyed great success at this circuit. Therefore there is no reason to be pessimistic, in fact it should be the opposite: we need to be very focussed, believe in ourselves and trust in the work we are doing. Then, hopefully we can continue down the line we saw in Hungary and Hockenheim.”

Apart from optimism and a good track record for the Scuderia here, Fernando explained the changes made to the F10 cars. “We have new aerodynamic improvements on the car, even if with the August break, the factory was not working, but we have these here and more coming for future races.” Asked to evaluate in numbers his chances of being World Champion driver this year, Fernando answered immediately: “Fifty percent. It can go either way. There is a chance that if we do better than the others in these seven remaining races, we win the championship, but if someone does better than us, they will take the title, because we are starting again almost from zero now, with a very small difference between the top drivers. We are basically starting a mini seven week championship. Of course, luck will be a factor, as you always need to be lucky. For example, it could rain for this race and then you need to make the right choice in terms of the decisions you make and when you make them. After that, you also need to bring the most developments to the car, which means that apart from the race on the track there is a race at the factory to make improvements on the car quicker than the other teams.”

Alonso still tipped Red Bull to be favourites this weekend. “I don’t see how they would lose a one second advantage since Hungary, but this race and in fact the next one at Monza, requires special low downforce with small wings for less drag and it will be interesting to see who makes the best job of running this configuration.”