The German Grand Prix was not the most exciting of races, but it serves as proof that Ferrari has not lost its edge just yet. With only an 11 point advantage in the driver’s championship race, Alonso will need to show that he can cope with the increasing pressure.

Remember that Alonso had a relatively easy walk to the title last season, when the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen kept breaking down while in the lead. In fact, Alonso inherited half of his six victories last season from the luckless Finn.  

On his way onto the track during qualifying on Saturday, Alonso complained about Schumacher’s decision to leave his pit before he passed through. Video footage showed nothing unfair about the incident, but Alonso raised his fist in protest. I wouldn’t read too much into this incident, but for us as an audience, it shows weakness and anxiety. This is exactly what Ferrari is looking for, and be assured, they will capitalize on these signs of weakness.

Alonso has shown before that he can cope with pressure during a race, but it’s different a different story when the world championship crown could be at stake. With the ongoing tyre war and diversity of track surfaces and temperatures, it has become very difficult to pinpoint trends, let alone make accurate predictions.

What we do know is that the overall performance of Ferrari has improved considerably since the start of the season, particular over the past few races, while Renault appears to have difficulty keeping up. It should be noted however that the results of the German Grand Prix do not necessarily reflect the true performance of the Renaults. Although Renault officials continue to deny that the FIA’s decision to disallow its mass dampers had anything to do with the team’s showing at the German Grand Prix, the reality is that they play an important role in tyre usage throughout a race. There must have been a sigh of relief when the FIA announced yesterday that it has lifted its ban on mass dampers temporarily until a final decision is reached. Whether this will bring the Renaults back into the first two rows on the grid remains to be seen.

The qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix will be an extremely important starting point for a good finish on Sunday. The track offers little overtaking opportunities and is demanding on both the drivers and the cars. It will be interesting to find out which team masters this dusty circuit on Sunday and whether Alonso can keep his 11 point lead from shrinking even further.