Title foes eye battle of Germany

[davewilson]

Jul.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is hoping to land a psychological blow on championship rival Michael Schumacher on the German's home turf this Sunday. The title-reigning Spaniard is seventeen points ahead of Ferrari's Schumacher in the 2006 drivers' chase, but Renault has not won a race for a month. 24-year-old Alonso delivered an upbeat message on Monday, though, eyeing a crucial victory with an updated car over Schumacher at Hockenheim -- Schumacher's home event. ''I think that a win in Germany could be worth more than ten points because of the psychological aspect,'' he said. ''It would mean a lot to take the victory in Germany.'' Renault's director of engineering agrees that back to back wins at Indianapolis and Magny Cours do not mean that Ferrari is the favourite for this weekend. ''People sometimes have short memories,'' said Pat Symonds, acknowledging the importance of the tyre battle against Bridgestone. ''After all, Michelin dominated in Canada where track temperatures were at 48C.'' Schumacher, meanwhile, is not put off by the statistic that Alonso can simply settle for second place for the rest of the season and still beat him to the crown. ''Things can change quickly in formula one,'' he insisted, ''and this means that even a big lead can suddenly vanish.'' 
Article:
http://www.f1i.com/content/view/4746/1/
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