FERNANDO ALONSO INTERVIEW January 14, 2008

(from autosport)

(Notice FA's answer to question #8, about his prior teammate. He does not mention Hamilton)

Conducted and provided by Renault's press office.

Q. Happy New Year Fernando. What have you been up to since announcing that you will be driving with Renault in 2008?

Fernando Alonso: I spent Christmas relaxing with family and friends in Spain. For the rest of the time, I have been in Switzerland starting to work on my physical training. At this time of the year, we follow quite an intensive programme.

Q. What training have you been doing over the winter to prepare for the new season?

FA: During the winter, the important thing is to develop solid basic fitness so that you can always perform to your maximum. Of course, we continue lighter training between the races as well, but the work we do at the start of year is much more intensive. The main areas I work on are running, swimming and training in the gym.

Q. If you could have three wishes for 2008, what would they be and why?

FA: 1. Good health for everybody, and especially for those close to me, because I think this is the most important thing. 2. Happiness, because it is the second most important. 3. To have a good year in my job so that my hopes, and those of many others on my behalf, are achieved in 2008.

Q. 2007 was a controversial year in many ways, for Formula One and for you personally. What will be your approach to 2008?

FA: It will be the same as I have always had. At the start of any season, the only thing I want to do is work hard, and to give maximum effort to achieve my potential. I know I can do this successfully with ING Renault F1 Team, because we have managed it in the past. I want to give everything I can, and I know the team will do everything to win; this is always our approach to the sport.

Q. Today, you put on Renault overalls for the first time since winning the world championship in 2006. What were your feelings meeting up with the team again?

FA: There were a lot of good feelings, good memories and plenty of optimism. There are new colours for me, a new helmet that I designed for the new season... the only thing we are missing is the new car!

Q. What are your expectations and objectives for this first test with the R27?

FA: I haven't got any concrete goals for this test. On a personal level, it is an opportunity to get used to driving the car without electronic aids, so I am approaching these two days in the car simply as practice adapting to the change in rules.

Q. Do you see 2008 as the start of a new adventure with Renault - or is it like picking up an old story for another chapter?

FA: I think both things are true. The team is completely different to the one I left in 2006. There have been some big changes, they have improved a lot of things and strengthened many areas, so in one sense it is a new adventure with a new team. At the same time, it is impossible to forget the six years I spent as a Renault driver, and my memories of that time are still strong.

(8) Q. A lot was written about your relationship with your teammate in 2007. What are your first impressions of working with Nelsinho and how do you think the relationship will be in 2008?

FA: I said last year that too many false things were written, but I understand that is what sells newspapers. I haven't really got to know Nelsinho yet, but he seems to me to be a normal, nice guy who wants to enjoy his time in Formula One: no different to Marques, Button, Trulli, Fisi, Montagny or McNish, all of whom were my team- mates, all of whom I got on well with and who are still friends. For 2008, I don't anticipate problems with anybody, and Flavio has always demonstrated that he can manage these situations very well.

Q. What have you seen of the R28, and what are your expectations for the new car?

FA: I have seen some of the data for how we hope the R28 will perform but nothing more at this time. When you launch a new car, expectations are always high and you put a lot of hope and a year's work into the car. As always, though, you have to wait for the car to run for the first time.

Q. How did your first day go? What were your impressions of the car?

FA: I was a bit tentative to begin with because it has been along time since I have driven an F1 car, but I could not wait to start working with the team. Of course, this was the first time that I have driven without traction control, but towards the end of my runs I started to gradually take a few more risks with the car. In all, the first day of work was very positive.

Q. What are your first feelings about driving the car without driver aids? What does it change for the drivers?

FA: The car is not radically different. It's about the driver finding his limits and adapting his driving style. That is what you are going to have to do at the beginning of the season, but I am convinced that after two or three races, we will have completely forgotten how it was to drive with driver aids. With the new regulations, we will work in the same way and I believe it will be down to the driver to adapt accordingly.

 

nice to see him back on the track!!! Hope he has a good year, not expecting him to be WDC, but a few podiums wouldn't be bad

 

That's beacuse Alonso is only friends with the teammates he beats

I won't be surprised if Alonso and Hamilton try to run each other off the track now that they are in different teams...

 

You can bet on it

 

I bet Alonso will enjoy fncking with Hamiltons qualifying laps ... get a taste of his own medicine

MS used to say that he was always really good to the other guys on the track when circulating because you never know when you need them to give you a clear path (up to the infamous Monaco stunt) ... LH has already demonstrated his immaturity (or superiority complex) by pissing off a competitor during qualifying.

What goes around comes around ...
Pete

 

As Pete says, I hope Alonso fcks with Hamilton!

 

Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

This is a guy who forced his own brother off the road at 200 mph. If there was one driver on the grid who would intentionally put another driver in harms way to ensure his own victory, it was Schumacher. It is amazing that he didn't kill someone with his driving antics.

 

I think it is likely that they will have some on-track confrontations, they will both be running at the front and challenging for victories.

 

Gee, the king of this aggressive driving was Senna.

 

wouldn't it be cool to see Schumi and Senna racing at the same time both at their peaks, they'd probably take each other every race, race after race.......

 

Taste of his own medicine.. Please!! Alonso ran out of toy's to chuck out of his pram with LH getting the better of him ON TRACK
and let's not forget The Belgian grand prix with FA's antics at the first corner sideswiping him off the track only seconds after they accelerated away from the starting grid. It's all fair game in my view, but to say LH was at fault for the fall out is ,well it starts with bull..

 

Nonsense, he was never even close to Schumacher for on-track antics.

Schumacher had an entire season disqualified for his dangerous acts.

 

Schumacher would have tried, that is for sure.

 

I wish both of you would learn to READ!

I was 100% talking about PRACTICE and QUALIFYING not the races.

MS never ran anybody off the road in a PRACTICE and QUALIFYING session, infact I have read lesser drivers commenting on how he goes out of his way to give them a clean track ... thus they do it back. But yes MS was a wild man in the races, as was Senna.

LH DID disobey team orders and fnck with Alonso during a QUALIFYING session ... silly boy IMO.
Pete

 

Senna did exactly the same thing to Prost at Suzuka ... infact he was successful and won a WDC because of it. The FIA should have given it to Prost and Ferrari and disqualified Senna's entire season.

So please lets look back honestly, both were occassionally over the line.
Pete

 

In retaliation for Prost doing it to him the year before. Get your facts straight.

Unlike Schumacher, Senna was very remorseful afterwards and went so far as to apologize to Prost before his death. Fat chance we would ever see such contrition from Schumacher.

The fact is that Schumacher ran off ANYONE who challenged him. Anyone. Even his own brother.

The ONE time Senna did that was to avenge the exact same move being done on him by Prost the year before. THAT"S IT. There's a huge difference between Senna and Schumacher's on-track behavior. Senna was relentless but fair. Do you remember him going wheel to wheel with Mansell at Estoril at over 200 mph? You think anyone would want to do that against Schumacher? You and I both know that under the exact same circumstances Schumacher would try to put the other guy into a wall. Just ask Hakkinan, Schumacher did exactly that manuever with Hakkinan in nearly identical circumstances. The difference is that Senna didn't try to run Mansell off the road. Schumacher did try to run Hakkinan off the road, which led to Mike caling him on it after the race.

Schumacher is very lucky he didn't kill somebody on the track. I really don't think he cared if he did, so long as he won.

 

Mate, calm down.

I never said no other driver didn't do it ... but also Prost did not smash somebody off the track he closed the door on an impossible passing attempt. Yes he could have avoided contact, but that passing attempt was never on.

In all the books I've read he was not remorseful ...

The point is Senna and MS and many others step over the line. Senna and MS were the worst.
Pete