2006 Brazilian GP, Sunday - 22 OCT 2006
Fernando Alonso, 2nd position, World Champion
What a wonderful feeling this is. We have done a fantastic
last part of the championship, scoring 26 points out of 30
possible, and that was enough to make us double champions.
It is such a special moment to win both titles on the same
day, and the atmosphere in the team is unbelievable right
now. I have to say thank you; thank you to everybody in the
team, to all the people at Enstone and Viry, to Michelin,
to my team-mate Giancarlo and to Heikki, who has done so much
good work this year. In 2006, they have taught me many lessons:
to always stay fair play, to put in the effort, to keep the
focus and the determination to win. It has been up and down
for us, but they never forgot the target, and we have done
it now. My memories from this season will be from the win
in Barcelona, and also these times now, celebrating with the
mechanics – and the celebrations to come in the next
weeks in Spain. This is the right time to enjoy what we have
done. I am proud to have been racing with Michael as well.
It is an honour to have won the final two championships of
his career, and I think they will mean more than any others
I can win in my career. He is retiring as the man with all
the records, and it has been big pressure to race against
him – and a big privilege as well.
Giancarlo Fisichella, 4th position
I am so happy this afternoon. Psychologically, this was a
tough race at the end of a very hard season. But we went out
there today, and did the job. For me, the key parts of the
race were with Michael Schumacher in the first laps and towards
the end as well. He was so quick today, that it was nearly
impossible to keep him behind. The first time, he overtook
me and we were side by side into the first corner –
then I saw him have big oversteer in the second corner and
got back past. But the key point in the race was towards the
end, when he was behind me for five or six laps. I knew I
had to keep him there for as long as possible, so he couldn't
make up more positions, and I did my best. Eventually, I braked
very late on the bumps, locked the front tyres and he got
past. But I did enough. For me personally, I am fourth in
the championship, which is my best ever result. It has been
an incredible season, and we will be celebrating this evening.
Alain Dassas, President
Renault's achievement in becoming double world champions,
twice in a row, has nothing to do with luck. We have done
it because we were quicker and more reliable than our rivals
– and because we were able to raise our game compared
to 2005 by scoring more points and finishing more races. One
of the greatest satisfactions was to feel the entire Renault
Group behind us at every stage, pushing us towards this victory.
We were determined not to let them down, and the team has
done Renault proud. As for our departing champion Fernando,
he deserves this second title like no other. He has been an
extraordinary part of our team, and we will miss him. However,
Formula 1 is all about reacting to change, and meeting new
challenges. We will begin a new adventure next year, and that
is the thrilling challenge of this sport.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director
It was an incredible fight with Ferrari this year, and first
of all I want to congratulate Michael on an amazing race this
afternoon. But we have done the job, and we deserve these
titles. The whole team, from Fernando to all our colleagues
in Enstone and Viry, have had a very difficult time this year.
There have been many ups and downs, but we have never backed
down, we never gave up and we are champions. As a team, we
made fewer mistakes than our rivals, and Fernando made fewer
mistakes than Michael. We must not forget Giancarlo, who has
had a very strong season, and his points have made the difference
between finishing first and second. Of course, none of this
could have been possible without our partners – Mild
Seven and Michelin, who will be leaving us this year as champions,
and every group that has been part of this success. Thank
you to them, to our supporters and to the Renault Group for
their commitment to this team. They are all worthy world champions.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
Today's race was an incredibly exciting end to a thrilling
championship, and probably one of the most stressful races
of my career! But in the end, the whole team is ecstatic with
the result, and it is a fitting end to our partnership with
Fernando. He is a thoroughly deserving world champion, and
we wish him all the best for the future; he will be a tough
competitor, but we relish competition! Congratulations also
to Michelin. The work they have done, particularly in the
last two months, has been exemplary and they retire with their
heads held high. We also wish all the best to Michael. He
has played an important part for me personally in my career,
and has been a worthy competitor to the team for many years.
We hope to see him again, and wish him the very best for the
future. The final word, though, goes to this amazing Renault
team. These world championships are for every member of our
organisation, from top to bottom. Those of us who travel get
to enjoy these moments at the track, but our team-mates in
Enstone and Viry have given us the tools to do the job this
season with their unstinting effort and commitment. This victory
belongs to each and every one of them.
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