I hope that we will see the podium again on Sunday - Alonso
Fernando Alonso, the winner of the opening race of the season in Bahrain a fortnight ago was the centre of attention for the local Australian media in the Albert Park circuit this afternoon, who started by asking the double world champion how he was fitting in at Ferrari.
“I think the Spanish and Italian people are very similar in terms of their character so I feel comfortable here,” began Alonso. “I like the philosophy of the way the team works, always being very flexible and having an open mind to everything, tackling all situations with great precision. In a way there is more pressure driving for Ferrari, because everyone has very high expectations of a team that is so famous on a world wide basis. That fact is always with you and it is motivating, so I am happy to have to deal with it. I believe every driver wants to drive for Ferrari at some point in their career which is why I am so pleased to be here and I feel that moving to this team was the best choice for me.”
Asked how he felt about the championship with one win under his belt, Fernando reiterated the facts that were clear from Bahrain: “It is a very interesting championship and unlike last year, there seem to be at least four teams who are very close at the top: Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari are at the moment all capable of winning. Also Michael Schumacher’s comeback is good for our sport and the media attention is higher than ever. Actually, I am very happy that Michael is back, because I have not won any championship titles since he retired!”
The new rules were also a subject for press questions, starting with the feeling when driving a car with a full fuel load. “In a way it is hard to take, because, as a racing driver you always want the fastest car and when you find it is five or six seconds slower than its maximum performance it is not ideal, but it is the same for everybody, so you just have to deal with it and it certainly made for an interesting first corner in Bahrain,” said Fernando. As for the lack of overtaking, the Ferrari man had no miracle solution. “For the past fifteen years, it has been a characteristic of F1 that it is very hard to follow cars and overtake and it is hard to know what to do to improve the situation. Maybe because the main factor on these cars is the aerodynamics, we should look at reducing the aero effect, but that would be a very long term project. It is inevitable that some races will be boring, because that is bound to happen from time to time. It is the same in other sports, for example in tennis you only see one or two truly great matches in one year. As for this weekend, I think it will be great, as I like this circuit, the race is usually interesting and the Melbourne atmosphere is exciting with so many very enthusiastic fans. I hope it can be a good weekend for us and that we see the podium again on Sunday.”
Source Ferrari
