de HAD RF1 » Sam 9 Mai 2009 12:09
Q. How did Friday practice go?
Fernando Alonso: It was a normal Friday for us. All the teams introduced some new parts and we tried to evaluate how it's working in the car. We are happy with our improvements, the car is better than Bahrain and we are confident for tomorrow. It's difficult to know how competitive we are because you never know what fuel load everyone is running. Twenty minutes before the end we were P17 and then at the last minute we are P3, so maybe something in the middle is the right position for us.
You're not running KERS this weekend?
No.
Do you prefer the car without KERS?
Maybe.
When do you expect KERS to be back.
Don't know.
How do you feel in the car?
It's better than Bahrain. There is more grip in the car and it's more consistent to drive so it's a little bit easier because you always have the same grip in the corners. So we gain a bit of performance and also some consistency. This is good news. I feel good in the car, racing at home with the support of the people. The whole team, not only me, want to do 100 per cent this weekend to give a good result for the grandstands.
Can you fight for the podium?
It is difficult to change from night to day and there are no magic solutions to performance so the gap we saw in the first four races will be quite similar to what we see in qualifying. Brawn is still the reference car, Red Bull did very good long runs and I expect Toyota as well. We will be in more or less the same positions - we were seventh in Bahrain in qualifying and eighth in the race. Unfortunately I don't think it will change too much for this race. Podiums are too optimistic.
How did the tyres perform?
The soft tyre was clearly better, not only for one lap but also for the long runs. The soft tyre will be the preferred tyre for qualifying and the race.
Are your title chances over?
It's still open. Every race, the challenge is more and more difficult because you are continually losing points. But we've only done four races and the championship is still very open. In the next three or four races, half of the grid will have no chance at all and we will see only three or four contenders. Hopefully in two or three races, we can be one of these three or four if we score many points.
Can you catch up with the leaders?
You need to pass the chequered flag. Sometimes you have the fastest car but you don't score enough points. It happened last year as well, we saw McLaren and Ferrari having an advantage, then in the second half of the championship I scored more points than anyone. It's not enough to have the fastest car. Brawn and Red Bull are doing well, they have finished all the races, but one little problem here, a mistake in Monaco and they don't score points and the championship is over again. We will never give up.
How does this compare to the position you were in this time last year?
We are definitely better than last year. We had a car that was very difficult to drive and we didn't understand why. We were a little bit confused and there was no sign of improvement until the last part of the championship. The team really did a good job. This year, the car was better straight away, and we know the direction to go. There are many things to improve, and with the new regulations you have a new window to improve the car and to be creative. I have plenty of confidence in the team and we will improve.
When can you win ?
It's difficult to know, but hopefully soon. In the next three or four races we need points, if not the championship will become a dream. Last year, even if you don't fight for the championship it's nice to win races. We will keep working and hopefully I can win races this year as well.
What's the difference in the handling of the car between running with KERS and without KERS?
The handling of the car is the same. It's just, when you arrive to the main straight with KERS, you hit the button and you feel the push. When you don't have KERS, you are maybe more concentrating on driving because when you have KERS it's a little bit distracting to think always about pressing the button as quickly as possible.