Tweet tweet: Fernando Alonso answers!

The pace with which methods of communication have developed over the past ten years is close to the speed of a Formula 1 car. We are in the digital era and the ways to transfer information are going through a continual shift – with the internet’s arrival accelerating development and extending this process even further. There is no longer any limit to space and time. Among the latest platforms, social media is certainly one of the most important and meaningful examples. In these ‘virtual town squares’, on Twitter to be precise, the Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso has earned a leading position within the world of Formula 1. The number of his ‘followers’ is growing with every day that passes: admirers and fans who follow the professional exploits, stories and moments from the personal life of the two-time world champion. Fernando decided to start his official Twitter account, called @alo_oficial, with the simple intent of entering into direct contact with all his fans and recounting the experiences and the anecdotes from his daily life – in the first person. The birth of the Spaniard’s virtual profile dates back to last year: from the very first day it was welcomed with extraordinary enthusiasm by his fans. Ever since that moment there has been an exponential growth that has brought the number of Alonso’s ‘followers’ to 1,573,427 – with people scattered all over the world. And who knows how many there will be tomorrow! Another factor that marks out the active interest of Fernando’s ‘followers’ is the amount of views and comments that greet the Asturian driver’s customary virtual press conferences.

These are published under the now famous label – it would be better to say ‘hashtag’ – of #askAlo and #preguntaAlo. On this occasion, the chance for Fernando’s fans to pose questions lasted a few days. In the first hour of the ‘Twitter-conference’ the driver had already received 3,450 questions of a total of almost 11,000 that came through in just under two days in Italian, Spanish, English and Portuguese. Following a vital and painstaking selection process in collaboration with the Ferrari driver’s personal website, www.fernandoalonso.com, the questions and answers will be published in two interviews: the first, with queries linked to Fernando’s professional life, follows here. The second, with questions pertaining more to the driver’s personal life, will be published in the coming days on both the websites. For anyone who wants to know our Fernando better... happy reading!

@LukeWormald: Have you ever been afraid/scared while racing?

FA: Yes. Sometimes, when it’s raining a lot and you’re racing behind someone…you have no visibility! In those moments, you have a sense of inevitable respect and concern.

@ally_cu: What’s the worst accident you’ve ever had?

FA: Without a doubt my crash in Brazil in 2003. I was very lucky to come away unscathed from Interlagos, I didn’t even brake a bone. It was the biggest accident of my career. I remember there were loads of pieces of the car scattered on the track. I was unable to dodge a tyre and then the rest happened very quickly. After impacting the tyre, the car flew into the barriers on the left, then crossed the track and crashed into the wall on the right. I was a little bit groggy when I got out of the car and in pain but I knew nothing was broken. My only concern was calming down my family with a gesture reassuring that all was well.

@Ste_chan_ : If you could choose any driver from the past to race against who would you pick? And why? Thanks Fer :)))

FA: I would pick Senna. He was the best. Thank you Ste_chan!

@WhosCeejayReyes: Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna?

FA: Ayrton, without a doubt.

@thanksfernando: Which #Ferrari do you prefer? #f60 #f150 #f2012 #f138? And which Ferrari of the past would you want to drive?

FA: The F10 is the best car I have driven. If we’re talking about trying them out…I think that the Ferrari F2004 would be the chosen one.

@gordo_l: If you could choose a winning car from another F1 era, which one would you pick?

FA: I would pick a Ferrari. The best cars which have won have mostly been Ferraris.

@ngtvk: What has changed the most from your first years in F1 to now?

FA: There’s an area which has gained more and more importance: aerodynamics. The horsepower of the cars also…

@ChChCharli : Throughout your entire life and career, who have you enjoyed racing against most?

FA: The best duels have always been in my karting races. Very, very fun!!!

@Sirius_spa: Has anything changed now that there are 3 Spanish drivers in the team? Have you imported anything typically Spanish?

FA: Hahaha, no! Nothing has changed, we’re still clearly a minority. It’s us who have to adapt…;)

@Paula_fanAlo: What virtue of Pedro, Marc Gené, Felipe Massa, Vettel, Hamilton and Kimi would you highlight?

FA: They’re all drivers with great talent, who are capable of making the most of cars that aren’t quite perfect.

@jamie_wigg93: If you could include one circuit that isn’t currently on the F1 calendar, which would it be?

FA: I would love to race at Mugello. I know the circuit well and it’s more than prepared, in every aspect, to be on the calendar.

@ChefBlake_F1: What did you really think of the Austin circuit and did you really like the city?

FA: I think the track at Austin is fantastic. The Circuit of the Americas is full of great challenges, especially in the first sector. The atmosphere during the Grand Prix week, the city and the weekend in general is one of the best in the whole year. I think it was a great move for Formula 1 to return to the United States.

@Patricklanuit: This morning I asked myself how and when you test the car. We only see the official tests. Thank you GENIUS!!!

FA: Thank you @Patricklanuit! That´s all the testing we do! During the season we don’t do any more testing than what you see because we’re not allowed.

@ConsuCalero: What is the average fuel consumption of your car per race? Best regards and all the best!

FA: Thanks ConsuCalero! Close to 200 litres per race. For 315 km…

@gabiolivaresb: If in a non-DRS area you press the DRS button does it activate?

FA: No, it doesn’t activate. The DRS is programmed only for the straights where it is allowed to be used.

@Pablo_I_Torrado: What’s the secret to being quick in the rain?

FA: The secret?...Train a lot in karting! ;) And that the sensations you get from the car give you the confidence to increase your speed every lap.

@z3n0mal4: How do you feel about next year’s engines? How’s the Ferrari engine looking so far?

FA: The truth is I have no idea. I don’t think we’ll know much until January of 2014. They will be small engines, with less power…quite a task for the technicians!

@HelenGates6661: Don’t you think that with the new engines for next season, Formula 1 is becoming less Formula 1?

FA: Well, the rules always lead towards a reduction in the speed of the cars. It’s a bit strange, yes. But on the other hand, it brings Formula 1’s technology closer to everyday cars on the street.

@Manurocks87: V10, V8 or V6 Turbo?

FA: I choose V10.

@Joorgitoro: How do you know if the lap you’re doing is a good one?

FA: We know thanks to some indicators on the steering wheel. They show you the time difference with regards to the quickest lap you’ve done until then. With every corner you take, you get an update on the new time you’re going to set, therefore you know how you’re doing throughout the entire lap…

@DavidAguilera25: Fer, in competition cars, when you brake and reduce gear why do you also give the throttle a quick tap? THANK YOU

FA: Thank you @DavidAguilera25! This is to avoid blocking the rear tyres. In a race car, a lot is asked of the engine brake and the rear tyres tend to block. You try and compensate by tapping the throttle.

@Artu_Code: Don’t you think it’s better to drive slowly in extreme wet conditions and please the spectators than not run at all?

FA: Hehehe, driving slowly in qualifying for Formula 1, I can tell you right now, is impossible. Slow and qualifying can’t go in the same sentence. Formula 1 cars nowadays, with current aerodynamics and tyres, aren’t prepared for certain amounts of water on a rainy day; that’s been the problem the last few times in races or practice sessions that have been stopped. It’s simply impossible to complete a lap. If, as you say to please spectators, the price to pay is that the 22 drivers on the grid put their lives at stake…then I think it’s not worth it. The only possible option, as much as it may affect everyone, is to restart an hour later or even a day later.

@Manuelmd17 : Why do some drivers get dizzy on simulators?

FA: It’s a reaction of the mind. When a driver is working on the simulator, the image he sees on the screen doesn’t correspond, by a little bit, with the view or force that the memory recalls in a situation where you’re really driving the car. Therefore, the mind receives a stimulation that it isn’t expecting and it reacts by protecting itself. In this case, its protection comes in the form of dizziness and nausea.

@charlessultana: What is your normal routine on race day? i.e. time of arrival at track, any meals/exercise, meetings with engineers etc.

FA: Supposing we’re talking about a race starting at 14:00h, this would be the agenda (up until the race, afterwards we attend the media, have meetings with the engineers…):

— Breakfast: 08:30h
— Circuit: 09:00h
— Sponsors/events: 09:30h
— Lunch: 10:30h
— Strategy reunion: 11:00h
— Greet the fans: 12:20h
— Stretching/changing clothes: 13:00h
— Warm up laps: 13:30h
— Race: 14:00h

@Express91: How do you see the year after your bad luck in the last race? Are your options intact?

FA: It’s looking good; my options, of course, are still intact. Also, the stats show that there are between two and three retirements per season, therefore it would be logical for us to not finish on another Sunday. That would be logical and expected. The season is very long, we’ve only completed two Grands Prix! It happened to Rosberg in Australia, me in Malaysia…This happens to everyone.

@Ath0506: Do you believe you have a car that is able of winning races without a need for extraordinary performances like last year?

FA: Any victory requires an extraordinary performance. Hopefully this year I’ll have the chance to win Grands Prix again.

@xisu_99 : Why did you think it was better to stay on track than come in for a pit-stop?

FA: Once you’ve seen the result, in hindsight, it’s easy to say it would’ve been better to come in for a pit-stop. But it’s a decision that has to be made in a matter of seconds, during which we thought that I could hold on for another lap to make the most of the pit-stop and also switch to dry tyres. In any case, the race simulations state that if I would have stopped to change the nose, I would have finished ninth or tenth, so we didn’t lose anything. The problem wasn’t not coming in; the damage was done in the collision and it’s something that we will try to avoid in the future…;)

@davidgg92: What were you thinking when you were going down the straight at 300 km/h with the nose falling off?

FA: I was thinking about not crashing into Webber. My front tyres weren’t in contact with the ground, I was going at 280 km/h and was running the risk of wiping Mark out, which would have been very dangerous. Luckily the car went straight on.

@tomeu_bover : Have you spoken to Webber after he remembered you on the podium?

FA: I talk to Mark frequently. I thank him for remembering me on the podium. Hopefully we will share many podiums in the future.

@nkmadrid: Was it as special to win in Monza with Ferrari as it was in Valencia, given how you did it and the support you received from everyone?

FA: Yes, they were two very special victories. I remember them with special emotion. When you race at home, and in this case I consider them both my “home”, the support you receive makes it unique.

@MoleroPhoto: What was your hardest moment in F1? McLaren 2007, Minardi 2001 or Benetton 2002?

FA: My hardest “moment” came in 2002, when I was the test driver at Renault. Occupying that test role and seeing the races from the outside, on TV, made it the hardest season by far.

@hanc0502: What is your biggest target in your F1 career? That one that when you retire you can say I DID IT! (YOU’RE THE BEST)

FA: Thanks @hanc0502! Well when I started, I wanted to be World Champion and I’ve achieved that. Therefore when I retire I’ll be able to say: I did it!! ;)

@lapolemista: Would you like to finish your career in F1 or would you like to race in other competitions before you retire?

FA: That’s something I haven’t decided on yet. It depends on how I feel when the moment comes, my personal situation…What I am sure about is that if I continue racing, it will be more for fun than for anything else. But we’ll see about that! There’s plenty of F1 life still in me!

@jodieparker_ : Would you like to end your career at Ferrari?

FA: Yes, that’s what I’m going to do. It’s the best team in the world, there’s nothing above Ferrari.