We are now clearly the third fastest team - Alonso
The ING Renault F1 Team prepares for the penultimate round of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship: the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Fresh from his victory at the Fuji Speedway, Fernando Alonso hopes to score some big points at China as well to defend Renault's 4th place in the standings.
"I am gradually realising what we have achieved because a few weeks ago winning a Grand Prix seemed totally out of the question. In Singapore, we were very disappointed with our qualifying, but in the race we had some luck and won the race. In Fuji, it was a completely different story. We totally deserved this victory; we were quick and our strategy played out perfectly. It’s simply unbelievable and I am extremely happy. The team has done an amazing job these last few weeks to get to this level of performance and we are now clearly the third fastest team."
After Japan last week we remain in Asia for the Chinese Grand Prix. Is it a race that you enjoy?"Formula 1 is still a relatively new sport in China but the fans are very enthusiastic and very welcoming, just as they are in Japan. It’s a real change of surroundings and the infrastructure here is enormous. I can’t wait to get back in the car this weekend as it’s an interesting place to drive a Formula 1 car."
What do you think of the circuit?"I think the circuit provides several interesting challenges for both the drivers and the engineers. It’s made up of long straights, high-speed corners, but also some slow corners. So again it will be a case of compromising with the set-up to find the right balance with a car that is stable in the corners with plenty of downforce and which still has enough straight-line speed to be able to defend or overtake on the straights. That is what we will concentrate on during Friday practice."
With two consecutive victories, do you think you will be able to win again this weekend in Shanghai?"It’s difficult to say. I would tend to say no, but then again I want to say yes! We saw in Fuji that our level of performance was reasonable compared to Ferrari and McLaren, so you have to feel that once again anything is possible this weekend – a podium or a victory. The whole team is very motivated after our two wins in Singapore and Fuji and we will do everything possible to have another strong race."
