Ferrari may have only won two races all year but Fernando Alonso believes they are the team to beat at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix and that he could even win the title.
The Spaniard, a mere 20 points adrift of championship leader Australian Mark Webber of Red Bull in fifth place, believes that Ferrari's frustrating times are over and it is now time for the Maranello outfit to shine.
"We have improved the car in the past three grand prix races and now have a very competitive package so we know we will be tough competition," he said.
"We know Red Bull will be strong everywhere, we know McLaren will be strong in some circuits such as this one and Monza, so we expect very tough competition. But I think we have the experience of fighting for a world championship.
"Ferrari has had great success on this circuit also, so there is no reason to be pessimistic at the moment. I think we should be the opposite. We need to be very focused and optimistic and believe in ourselves and trust our work - and hopefully repeat what we did in Hungary and Hockenheim."
Alonso is convinced that the title race is wide open and that he can win, providing lady luck is in his corner, and that the right decisions are made at the right time.
He said: "I have a 50 per cent chance of winning the world championship - 50 per cent I can win/50 per cent I cannot win. We are all the same.
"There is a chance if we do better than the others in these seven races we win the championship, if someone does better than us, they will be the champion. Twenty points is a very small difference, so we just need to do a short championship - a seven race championship.
"I think the championship will be decided over these seven races - and there will also be the luck factor because in any championship victory you need to be lucky. For example this weekend the weather is so/so, so you need to be right in your decisions at the right time in the right moment.
"Then you also need to have the most development on your car, so there is a race, not only at the weekend but a race in the factories to make improvements to the cars, quicker than the others.
"As I said it is a mini-championship, a seven-race championship. Whoever does better will be the champion. We will try as hard as we can."
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
