For a fortnight in August Formula One racing comes to a shuddering halt as the teams enforce their self-imposed summer shutdown. For Ferrari, who only recently rediscovered their early season form at the German and Hungarian Grands Prix, the two-week holiday could be considered costly, but team principal Stefano Domenicali is hoping a spell away from the factory could prove productive.
“We will be on holiday, but that does not mean our brains will stop working,” Domenicali told Ferrari’s official website. “Maybe one can even find fresh inspiration when outside the normal working environment and I expect this time to be a fertile one for ideas, which when all is said and done, are what make the difference.”
Although hopeful of returning from the shutdown with a few bright ideas packed into his suitcase, Domenicali believes the Italian team are already on the right track thanks to their hard work in July and he is optimistic the F10 will only get better when they resume racing at the end of this month.
“I have to say I was very pleased with the way our team reacted at a point in the season when the results were just not coming,” he added. “The second half of July went very well and I hope it has given the right impetus for the final part of the season. We know there is much to do, because we still do not have the best car, but this should simply be a further incentive.”
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who won in Germany and took second place in Hungary, isn’t expecting to completely escape Formula One either on his break. He is currently 20 points adrift of standings’ leader Mark Webber and is targeting more strong results when he returns to racing.
“It won’t be possible to switch off my mind completely over these two weeks,” Alonso said. “I will try and relax and do a bit of sport, but at least once a day, maybe just for ten minutes, I will inevitably think about the next race in Belgium. I think it will be the same for everyone. After a few unlucky races, which went badly for various reasons, we are now on the right road.
“The car is much improved and so that makes me more optimistic and has seen the whole team grow in confidence. It only took us two normal races to be fully back in contention for the title. The important thing is to remain calm and concentrated and to do our job well. The percentage chance (of winning the title)? I’d say 50 percent, which is the normal state of affairs.”
Ferrari are expected back in the factory from August 23, ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps from August 27-29.
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