Interview with Fernando Alonso in Jerez
Happy New Year Fernando. What have you been up to
since announcing that you will be driving with Renault in
2008?
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.
What training have you been doing over the winter
to prepare for the new season?
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.
If you could have three wishes for 2008, what would
they be and why?
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.
2007 was a controversial year in many ways, for Formula
1 and for you personally. What will be your approach to 2008?
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.
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?
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!
What are your expectations and objectives for this
first test with the R27?
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.
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?
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.
A lot was written about your relationship with your
team-mate in 2007. What are your first impressions of working
with Nelsinho and how do you think the relationship will be
in 2008?
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
1: 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.
What have you seen of the R28, and what are your
expectations for the new car?
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.
How did your first day go? What were your impressions
of the car?
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.
What are your first feelings about driving the car
without driver aids? What does it change for the drivers?
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.
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