By role
July 15 2003

Renault F1 driver, Fernando Alonso, believes there are no miracles in Formula 1 and that would have been impossible to challenge for the title in this season. In a lengthy interview on the Spanish sport newspaper “Marca” Alonso thinks that the team had made bigger progress than expected this year. Mike Gascoyne, Renault’s F1 Technical Director, recently declared that the goal of the team is go for the third sport on the Constructor Championship. However, Alonso is quite satisfied with what the tam has achieved so far:

“For us the goal was to finish races and to be close to the big teams, not fighting with them. Therefore, the result has been better than expected.” He added. “In Formula 1 there are no miracles. The team has done a great work this winter, a very competitive chassis and an engine, even with the lack of horse power, fits really well the chassis…a car that in some tracks has been up there with the big teams.”

Renault is planning two changes of engine in two years and that is seen by many insiders as a disadvantage for the Anglo-French squad:

“Everytime you have a change of engine you are worried of how things will be, but if they have put their trust in a more traditional engine, with a narrower V angle, we have to remain calm.”

Alonso remains confident on his team despite recognizing that a new engine is a tough change to shallow:

“To change the engine is quite a big change, since it affects the work in the chassis and the rest of things. It is a big change, but also needed, because with today’s engine with the rules of next season for one engine per weekend we could not have lasted the whole race.” He added.

Alonso is aware that sooner or later he will make a mistake and what now are praises will turn into criticism:

I am ready for criticism. I can imagine the front news: “Alonso, a failure.” He laughs. “Criticism will come, like in all sports, and as they came when I was in lower formulas and while at Minardi. Of course I will make mistakes; this year it has been 10 races, I have finished 8 and on the other two the engine broke, maybe on the next two I will go off track when I am leading or I go off while in the qualifying. It is normal and I am ready for the tough times.”