As we approach mid-season, Fernando Alonso admits that there are three areas in which he and Ferrari can improve.

Facing another unrewarding season with Ferrari, the Spaniard is continually linked with other teams, particularly McLaren, which welcomes back Honda next season. However, speaking to reporters at Silverstone today the two-time champion said it is this season on which he needs to concentrate.

"I am not thinking too much about the longer term, because there are bigger priorities at the moment," he said. "I want to help the team and score as many points as possible this weekend and this year, because the interesting mix in the constructors' means you could finish second or sixth by the smallest of margins.

"We need to improve for next year and there are three things we must do: one is we must score points this year, because if we finish sixth or seventh that will hurt the team for next year, for example on the economical side, second is to test this year, especially on Fridays, some parts we can learn about for next year and third is to spend time with the team: on Sunday night I will go back to Maranello and spend all week in the simulator. There is no time to relax. This is a time to work, the team expect things from me and I need to deliver.

"In Austria we were in a group with McLaren, Force India and Toro Rosso," her continued, "so we need to keep improving to get a margin on those teams. McLaren and Red Bull are a bit ahead of us now. We need maximum effort and maximum concentration to do well in the constructors'.

"Here at Silverstone, I expect Red Bull to return to form as this is a circuit where aerodynamics is important and they show potential in high speed corners. Williams will also be strong, as I don't think it was just Austria that suited them."

Asked about talk of Monza being dropped from the calendar, the Spaniard, who is a two-time (F1) winner there, said: "I think we need to wait and see what happens officially. I think Bernie just answered a question but it's not official. As drivers, we don't have an input on where we race, we just try and put on a good show. Of course, it's nice to go to circuits where the grandstands are full, and full of passion and atmosphere, like Monza, like Austria, like Spa and Barcelona. Let's hope the best for Monza."

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Chris Balfe