Alfa's Vasseur: Double-points finish in Japan is 'realistic'

Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur says his team heads to Japan with the "realistic objective" of putting both its cars in the points at Suzuka.

Alfa Romeo Racing is currently P8 in the Constructors' standings, 17 points behind Racing Point and just 7 points ahead of Haas.

But a four-race pointless streak by Kimi Raikkonen has weighed on the Swiss outfit's track record of late.

• Raikkonen urges Alfa to 'clean up' after 'nightmare' race

"We head to Japan with the commitment and motivation to get back into the points immediately," said Vasseur ahead of next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

"We must not forget we have been scoring in two of the last three races, so putting both cars in the points is a realistic objective: but we still feel there is more we could have brought home from the last few races.

"The track layout in Suzuka is quite different from Sochi and Singapore, so hopefully it will suit the C38 better and put us back towards the front of the midfield.

"Both trackside and at HQ, we need to keep working hard to extract the most out of our car: marginal gains is all there is to go from P12 to P7 in a race at this stage in the season."

Raikkonen labeled his string if races since the end of the summer break "a nightmare", the Finn puzzled by his C38's depressed pace, at least in Singapore and at Sochi.

"The last four races have been disappointing for me and the team, but we shouldn’t forget we looked strong in Belgium and Italy despite the issues that prevented me from scoring," said the Iceman.

"The key is to recover the form we had before and immediately after the break: the gap from our rivals in the midfield is not big and hopefully a circuit like Suzuka can help us get the most out of our car.

"It’s a track I like and the fans are incredible, so I am looking forward to the weekend."

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