Alonso: I’m in the best shape of my career

On an overcast day at Germany’s Hockenheim circuit, Fernando Alonso was in a bright mood as he met the press to discuss a season that has left him leading the drivers’ championship as we approach the mid-point. Asked about the balance of power heading into this weekend’s German Grand Prix, he nonetheless preferred to remain cautious: “It’s more or less the same as the last four or five grands prix. Whoever is leading the championship is not a big factor at the moment because everything is changing so quickly, positions in the weekends are never the same and it’s always a bit of a mix. So I’m approaching this grand prix in the same way, trying to maximise what we have in our hands and trying to test some new updates on the car which we hope will work. It’s true that Red Bull have perhaps been quicker than everybody not just in the last two or three races but ever since Bahrain. They missed pole position in Barcelona and Silverstone but the rest of the poles have all been Red Bull. So they are definitely a bit ahead in terms of performance and we need to catch up.”

When asked if he was driving better than ever, Fernando revealed he is delighted with the season so far. He singled out one mistake he made during qualifying in Melbourne as the only thing he would change about his year: “In Formula 1 you are probably a better driver every year because you improve and you constantly learn from mistakes so I’m sure next year will be better. But it’s true that this championship has been good for us so far. I remember a mistake in Q2 in Australia where I touched the grass in Turn 1 and I spun. But apart from that mistake I probably wouldn’t change too many things about what I’ve done so far. This is good news because there are always mistakes here and there so I’m quite pleased with my performance.”

In terms of fitness, Fernando also revealed he is in the best shape of his Formula 1 career, adding: “Physically it’s my best year so far. In previous years I’ve had to race with pain, whether it’s in my leg or my shoulder, but so far this year it has been 100 percent in every race. Hopefully it will stay like this. Obviously a driver’s life is not normal as we don’t go to an office for eight hours so we wake up and have four or five hours of training. That’s something I enjoy but yes, so far I’ve been in the best condition of my career.”