Alonso: Winning is not an obligation

Like all sportsmen, Fernando Alonso loves to win, but he does not see it as an obligation. “Sport is not just about winning, but also about sacrifice, teamwork, determination and passion,” said the Spaniard during this morning’s Wrooom press conference. “However, the final result depends on a lot of other factors and that’s why one cannot say that Ferrari has to win. What is a fact is that we have a great desire to do well and to return to the role of being the dominant team, which is what the Scuderia was at the beginning of this century.”

Fernando said he was not bothered by the fact that the title has continued to escape him since 2006. “I have a lot of years of racing ahead of me and I am only thirty years old. There are some 43 year olds still around and I think I still have room to improve. I don’t know what it might feel like to win a title with Ferrari, but from what I can tell from just winning some races, I can be sure it would be something special.”

Fernando wanted to spare a thought and give some encouragement to his great friend, Robert Kubica. “Robert is the best driver around and he will prove that when he returns to racing, something I am sure he will do. Him as my team-mate? I am very happy to have Felipe alongside me.”

Alonso and privacy

Fernando Alonso’s press conference at Wrooom this morning was also an opportunity for him to defend his right to privacy.

Asked if the fact he spent so much time at Maranello might have been one of the reasons why he and wife Raquel had separated, the Spaniard replied thus: “I have never spoken in public about my private life and I don’t want to do so today either. I can read or hear things from so many sources for example that I am spending time in a place when in fact I am somewhere else. For example, it was written that during the end of year holidays I was in Oviedo, when in fact I was in Los Angeles di San Rafael, near Segovia, just to make it clear.”

Fernando spent much time on this during the conference, as many journalists noted. “It’s the first time that I find myself the subject of rumour and gossip at this level and I find it very disappointing,” he explained. “Raquel and I had asked for our private life to be respected, but just a few hours after the announcement of our separation, we began to read so many sad things and some of them were almost funny they were so absurd. I don’t think this type of persecution will last long because fashion changes and because I cannot believe there can be so much interest centred on my private life.”

Alonso and Massa meet the fans

Once again it was the Miramonti Canal that provided the backdrop to the meeting between fans and the Scuderia Ferrari drivers, who are in Madonna di Campiglio for the weeklong Wrooom event. At the end of the day in which they took part in the customary press conferences before tacklong the snow covered slopes, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa got up on the stage built up at the end of the 3-Tre piste that hosts one of the rounds of the Skiing World Cup.

In a short interview session arranged for the enthusiastic spectators at the event, both Ferrari men explained that, as yet, they knew little about their new car. “For now we have only got a rough idea of what it’s like, but we can definitely expect it to be competitive, because everyone at Maranello has been working very hard,” said Fernando. Felipe underlined the importance of getting off to a good start. “If we want to fight for the title we have to be competitive right from the start,” before joking that the only certainty was the car would be red!

The Spaniard went on to reveal how in the world of Formula 1, speed is even a factor when it comes to one’s feelings. “The disappointment after missing out in Abu Dhabi in 2010 passed quickly, as one also quickly forgets the joy of winning. In our work, everything goes quickly!” Asked about the simulator, Massa explained its importance, given the few test sessions available and then added with a smile that is favourite track is actually the demanding 3-Tre. “It’s the one I feel most comfortable with and I have no problems!”

Tomorrow is the final day of the event on the slopes of the Dolomites, which has brought together the Ferrari and Ducati teams and the specialist Formula 1 and MotoGP media. It will feature a race on the frozen lake when the four wheeled men will take on their two wheeled counterparts at the wheel of go-karts and Fiat Cinquecentos.