Michael returned home on Sunday evening after a race that had gone particularly well. He will relax after a demanding weekend and before the upcoming tests: “To be honest, I did not think things would go as they did”, declared the seven-time world champion today.

His eighth win at the Grand Prix of France had put him in a good mood. “These are the best wins”. Despite the fact that his car caught fire during Saturday’s free practice and that Felipe had clutch problems, the Ferraris performed well even though they did not have any information on how the tires would have coped over a long distance.

“We were worried. First, you can never be certain of anything and, second, things did not look particularly hopeful”, explained Michael. “In the end though, everything turned out okay. I have to pay thanks to all the mechanics and engineers who, with very little data, set the car up superbly”.

This second consecutive win is a further step forward in the chase after overall leader, Alonso. “It is tough”, smiled Michael. “From now on, we are focused on the 17 points we have to make up. It will be hard as Alonso and his team have the edge but one thing is clear: nothing is certain in Formula 1. This means that we will not develop a false sense of security; this very race demonstrated that, this year, details can make all the difference.

We can be proud of the fact that we are doing well and we will continue heading in this direction”.

Michael will be at Le Castellet from Wednesday and, on Thursday and Friday, he will be involved in new test sessions. “These are important tests as we have to select the tires for the next three races”.

Then will come a break from the testing. We would like to prepare for the next race and do well in Germany. We will see how things go. I need the extra motivation; we are all motivated and each member of the Ferrari team wants the Prancing Horse to win the title race”.

[Ferrari]

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