Greenbkk.com Fernando Alonso | Alonso promises speed in Monza

Alonso promises speed in Monza

14/9/2011

After an opening day of free practice with the emphasis on aerodynamics and getting to grips with the tyres, the Spanish driver remarked that on Saturday "we will need to be more competitive". And he will need to be if he is to achieve his goal of second place in the championship.

Good vibrations on the first day of practice for the Italian Grand Prix, the most memorable of what remains of the season for Alonso. With expectations high, the Spaniard did not focus in particular on setting lap times, but rather on improving the aerodynamic performance of his Ferrari.

The morning began with his car yellow with flow viz, and all eyes in the team were trained on the rear end. Monza is a fast and demanding circuit, forcing the teams to work hard on their final set-up, Alonso being no exception. Sebastian Vettel was the pacesetter, 102 thousandths of a second faster than the Spaniard, although Alonso is in with a chance of his twenty-eighth F1 victory. The two-time champion ultimately clocked the seventh-fastest lap. Ahead overall, though, was Lewis Hamilton.

In the second free practice session the soft and intermediate tyres proved a real headache for Fernando Alonso. He spent the first part of evening practice on the medium tyres, and a long final stretch on soft, the two compounds prescribed by the sole supplier, Pirelli, for a Grand Prix weekend which began in hot, humid conditions. This rise in temperatures will be a boost for the Italian team, given the problems they have had in warming up their tyres. Their major rivals, Red Bull and McLaren, were the truly dominant force during the day.

Alonso aims to be championship runner-up

Far from throwing in the towel, Fernando Alonso declared after free practice that his main aim is to finish second in the world championship this year, behind the all-powerful Vettel.

With regard to practice in Monza, the Spaniard stressed the need to "understand the tyres we will be using, and when, and how long they will then last in the race". As for qualifying, Alonso promises more speed.

"An intense Friday, and once we have built on all the positive aspects of what we have tried out, we will aim to be more competitive, because both Red Bull and McLaren were faster than us," he concluded.

Credit: Fernando Alonso (www.fernandoalonso.com)