Alonso: Much too early to think of the championship

As the winner just four days ago of the last Grand Prix in Hockenheim, Fernando Alonso found himself on the panel for today’s FIA press conference at the Hungaroring circuit. His visit earlier this week to see those who had suffered in the earthquakes that hit part of Italy a few months back was the first topic on the agenda. “Felipe and I went to visit some of the camps, where the people living there are still not clear on when they can move back home, as some of the cities are damaged and the buildings need repair,” said the Ferrari man. “It’s a sad feeling and we tried to give them some support on behalf of the Ferrari team and the factory. When it first happened, their story was in the news every day, but months later people forget. I hope the situation will soon return to normality.”

On to the subject of racing and although, later in the conference, the other five drivers on the panel felt Fernando could win the title at the end of the year, the Spaniard himself was more measured in his response. “It’s a good position to be in at the end of the first half of the season, but there are still ten races to go and the gaps between the top five or six teams are very close. So one of them only needs to have two good races for the situation to change. We need to maximise what we have at every race; maybe sometimes that means a podium, or sometimes a fifth or seventh place. We can’t afford to make mistakes and it’s much too early to think of the championship, with Red Bull, McLaren, Lotus and Mercedes all in contention.”

Having explained that the biggest improvement on the F2012 came at the Spanish Grand Prix, Fernando revealed that this year, the stress levels are higher because of the closeness of the competition. “Every detail counts and every pit stop,” he maintained. “But we have still managed to finish all the races in the points.” As Hungary was the venue for Alonso’s maiden F1 win, the media were keen for some reminiscence, which Fernando duly provided: “when I won my first Grand Prix, there was a lot of emotion, a lot of satisfaction and pride and thoughts of the team and family. It is amazing to think that I have kept on winning, with different teams and under different rules, with V10s and V8s, with Bridgestone and Pirelli, with refuelling and no refuelling. I never thought when I won here in 2003 that I would also win two titles and now drive for Ferrari.” And the elusive third title? “Winning a third championship would be very important,” he said. “It would mean I have the same as Ayrton who was my idol and my reference point when I was in karts and also it would make me the same as other names such as Lauda. I hope it comes sooner rather than later!”