Alfa Romeo 'pushing like hell' to close gap with rivals

Alfa Romeo Racing boss Frédéric Vasseur says his team is "pushing like hell" to close the gap with its mid-field rivals and race among the top-ten.

After eight races, the Alfa outfit has little to show for its presence on the grid this season, scoring just two points so far, courtesy of Antonio Giovinazzi's P9 finish in the Austrian Grand Prix.

Despite the shortfall, Vasseur insists the Hinwil squad is making progress, and pulling out all the stops in its efforts to improve.

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"We are coming to the end of the third triple-header of the season, but we can’t let fatigue get in the way of our work," said Vasseur ahead of this week's Tuscany Grand Prix.

"We have been making some progress, although the standings don’t show it yet, and we have to keep pushing like hell to close the gap with the cars ahead and fight for the top ten consistently."

Vasseur says last weekend's Italian Grand Prix that turned on a whim was a reminder that opportunity can come knocking for a team out of the blue.

"We have seen last weekend that races can get turned upside down very quickly and we need to be ready to make the most of every opportunity," said the Frenchman.

"In Monza, circumstances went against us but next time a twist could work better for us and we’ll need to be sharp to make it count.

"Racing week after week doesn’t leave much time to catch up but everyone, both at the track and back home in Switzerland, is doing their best to improve."

Mugello, where teams will perform this week, is not only familiar territory for Alfa's Kimi Raikkonen but also a venue that holds a special place in his memory.

"The Mugello circuit is where I had my first ever test with Sauber, back in 2000, but I seriously doubt those days twenty years ago are going to give me that much of a competitive advantage," joked the Iceman.

"It’s going to be nice to be back on that track with the same team I was there with back in the day, but I don’t think we will have a lot of time to indulge in reminiscing about the past.

"We’re there to race and hopefully we can have a good weekend.

"The track is new to everybody and that could make things interesting, at least because nobody has any data about it and the drivers will need to get to grips with the circuit.

"We have been making some steps forward, both in qualifying and in the race but we haven’t been able to bring home some points yet, so that has to remain our objective for the weekend."

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