Written on February 3, 2010 at 2:38 pm by _GOGGS_

Ferrari’s Alonso Fires Off Warning Shot to Rivals

: Fernando Alonso Ferrari F10 in Valencia

With only a few laps under his belt in a Ferrari, former two time F1 Champion Fernando Alonso has not only clocked the fastest time of this morning’s session, but fastest of all thus far with a 1.11.470. While none of us know what configuration and setup or fuel load Alonso may have been running when he set that time, it must have struck fear into some of the rivals who have only seen Ferrari at the top of the timesheets since the beginning of the tests.

This was Alonso’s first drive in Ferrari’s new F10 challenger. He is quickly proving himself to have adapted to both the team environment and the car immediately. If the car remains quick and reliable, Fernando and Massa both are going to be serious contenders for the title.

As expected, the Valencia circuit was a popular place this morning, with tens of thousands of fans and media rushing to catch a glimpse of local hero Alonso at the wheel of “La Rossa”. On track this morning were former champion Schumacher posting a time of 1.12.438 (3) and reigning champion Button posting a time of 1.12.951 (5). The consistently quick Sauber in the hands of Pedro Del la Rosa posted a time of 1.12.034 (2). Toro Rosso, Williams and Renault are also testing today and running through various programs.

It was pointed out to me that this morning’s top five times feature 3 Ferrari powered cars.