Fernando Alonso has said he is not unduly concerned by the fact that he has yet to win the world championship with Ferrari.
Double world champion has "still got many years to come"
Fernando Alonso has said he is not unduly concerned by the fact that he has yet to win the world championship with Ferrari.
The Spaniard won with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before joining Ferrari two years ago. He narrowly missed out to Sebastian Vettel in 2010 but finished only fourth in the standings last season.
"Not really, I've still got many years to come," Alonso said on Thursday at Ferrari's annual winter retreat in the Italian Dolomites. "I'm 30 years old and there are guys racing at 42 or 43, so I guess every year I will improve a little bit.
"Maybe as you get older you lose some speed, but you gain experience so it compensates."
Ferrari's 2011 season was hampered by a car that struggled for both downforce and an inability to generate heat in its tyres.
Their new car will be revealed on February 3 but Alonso, who scored Ferrari's only victory last season in the British Grand Prix, refused to speculate about its potential.
"I saw it in the wind tunnel, I saw the development programmes, but those are only numbers and lines on a computer," he said. "I can't say anything about how it will perform yet. We probably won't know until the second or third race the real worth of the car."
The year's first test session starts at Jerez on February 7, with the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne on March 18.
Limited running
Alonso did, however, speak out against F1's testing limit. Teams are given just three sessions - each four days in length - to prepare their cars for the rigours of the season, with another held in May.
The domination Ferrari enjoyed when Michael Schumacher raced for them was due in part to unlimited testing at their private Fiorano track. Alonso said he now drives go-karts instead.
"It's like requiring (Lionel) Messi to train with a tennis ball instead of a football, or (Rafael) Nadal to train with a ping-pong racket," he complained. "I think they would have just as many problems when they get back out on the field as we do."
Alonso also said the impact of Pat Fry, who joined as technical director from McLaren midway through last season, would be felt more this year.
"When Pat arrived, he tried to change some things, and he was surprised by some of the ways Ferrari works. But by combining his different experience and approach, I think we can maximize our potential," he said. "The team has improved in all areas.
"The team is working more effectively and in a more efficient way the last couple months. Last year we had some problems with the wind tunnel, otherwise the car was very good. If we do a good job (with the car) we will be able to win races."
But Alonso remained tight-lipped as to whether Ferrari could challenge pacesetters Red Bull this season.
"If I had a crystal ball I would tell you," he added. "But now it's January 12 and I'm not optimistic or pessimistic but we're working every day."
Important year
Team-mate Felipe Massa was far more upbeat as he looked ahead to what could be his final season with the team.
The Brazilian's contract expires this year and he has struggled to match Alonso since the latter came on board.
"I know that this year is important because I have to start being competitive again, as I was in the past," Massa said.
"Obviously the first half of the season will be the most important for me."
Massa struggled more than Alonso in generating heat in his Pirelli tyres last year and, as such, warmly welcomed Ferrari's decision to hire former Bridgestone engineer Hirohide Hamashima.
"Hamashima is a great engineer and he knows everything about tyres, so it should be positive in general for the team and for me," he added.
"I have a less aggressive style of driving and it's harder to warm up the tyres and get grip right away, especially in the first lap."
