Ferrari to tread carefullyposted in F102 | 11 | 2010
DOUBLE WORLD CHAMP Fernando Alonso heads to Brazil this weekend leading the Formula One title race by 11 points from the Red Bull of Mark Webber, and Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali admits his team will have to be "very careful" both on Sunday and in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
"This weekend is unlikely to decide the outcome, but it will be a very important race," the Ferrari boss said. "If one were to lose valuable points here it would make Abu Dhabi a bigger call.
"The approach the team will adopt in these final weeks of the championship will be the right one, keeping in mind the strengths of our rivals, Red Bull and McLaren. We have seen how complicated the races have been throughout the season, which means we have to be very careful.
"As far as the Ferrari F10 is concerned, there will be a few small updates on the aerodynamic front, but nothing really significant, because the difference will come from reliability, from finishing the races without losing points and having the right mindset.
"However, I think the F10 can be competitive in Brazil and that, for better or for worse, the relative strengths are those we have seen in the last few races. We can expect to find that Red Bull is again very strong, while McLaren could have some more updates to be quicker still and we will be in the fight."
Alonso meanwhile insisted he will not be changing his approach in Brazil.
"We will tackle this round with the same spirit in which we went into the last few races, which means concentrating on our own work, determined to make the most of every opportunity, aware that the totting up will be done in Abu Dhabi after the final race," the world championship leader, who has won three of the last four grands prix, said.
"The track is very interesting and usually produces a spectacular race. The weather, which can be very changeable, could play an important role and we will have to be ready for any eventuality. With such a short and quick track, the gaps will be reduced and there will be a lot of drivers all within a few tenths."
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Jim McGill