Ferrari’s technical director Pat Fry says the Italian outfit is wary of McLaren’s new found pace which has propelled them to victory in the last two races.
Fry, who moved to Ferrari from McLaren, is aware that his outfit must push if it’s to catch up with the Woking squad, despite the lead Fernando Alonso currently has to both Lewis Hamilton (47 behind) and Jenson Button (63 behind).
“From a technical point of view, the outcome of the race shows that the McLaren is very strong on very different circuits like Budapest and Spa, therefore we still have a lot of work to do to get to their level,” he admitted.
Whilst Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel came through the field from 10th to 2nd, Fry believes Alonso would have had the measure of the German had he not been taken out at the first corner.
“Red Bull too was competitive but I think that Fernando could have had the better of them if he’d raced.
“We now look forward to the special event that is Monza, both because it is the Scuderia’s home race and also because it is held on a track that is now unique on the current calendar in terms of its characteristics. It’s hard to say now if we will be competitive at the highest level, but clearly we will do all in our power to succeed.”
The team are currently working hard to repair Alonso’s F2012 which was heavily damaged during the Belgian GP crash.
“Unfortunately, incidents like the one that put Fernando out of the race are part of racing, even it’s not nice to see a driver have to retire after a few metres, when both he and his team are totally blameless. The relief obviously stems from the fact Fernando is fine: it was a very risky situation and seeing one car fly over his, a few centimetres above his helmet left us with our hearts in our mouths for a few tenths of a second.
“What is not looking so good is his car: there will be a lot of unexpected work to do for the guys in Maranello to get it prepared for Monza.”
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