Fernando Alonso’s engineer Andrea Stella says that hard work and a positive attitude has helped to ensure that Fernando Alonso is top of the World Championship table as the half way mark approaches.
Stella conceded that it the current scenario seemed very unlikely just a few months ago.
“At the start of the season it would have required one to be extremely optimistic to imagine such a situation,” he told the Ferrari website. “But in this sport, things can change very quickly and we have always maintained a positive attitude. The current situation is the result of this attitude combined with a lot of hard work.
“We simply adapted the aerodynamic development of the car and progress also came as we gained a better understanding of the tyres. In fact, the tyres have been a major challenge this year, as well as optimising the aerodynamics, the latter because of the change of rules in this area compared to last year.
“However, another important challenge we all face this year is not so much a technical one, but stems from the fact that the performance level of many of the cars is extremely close.”
Stella sees no reason why the F2012 should not be competitive in Hockenheim.
“The car was good in Valencia, it was also good in Silverstone. And as Hockenheim is a mix of the slow speed of Valencia and high speed of Silverstone, I would expect Ferrari to be competitive in Germany.
“In the past in Hockenheim, managing the tyres was difficult, especially the front left and sometimes we also saw blistering on the rear tyres. So it could be an interesting weekend from the tyre point of view.”
He also said that he now has a good understanding with Alonso.
“The relationship is more solid and we know each other much better. From my point of view and that of the other engineers, it is important that we know what the driver wants and what he requires to go fast and this aspect has improved in the two and a half years I have been working with Fernando. At the moment, things are going well, so let’s hope it stays like this.”
Adam Cooper F1 