By role
September 24 2004

Spanish Driver Fernando Alonso was asked at today's press conference in China his though on Trulli's departure from te team. The Spaniard wanted to leave clear that he has a great relationship with Trulli and hopes to continue to have it. Asked for his thougts on the changes that have taken place at Renault during last week the Spaniard was quite careful not to say too much:

"It was not an easy solution. For me, I think I had to concentrate on my job, to get the maximum out of myself and to help the team and to help myself. It doesn't really matter who is with you in the garage. But obviously, as you know I have a very good relationship with Jarno. We still have, as if nothing happened outside the races, we can be normal friends. For the team, it is a team decision. I think Jarno was not completely happy with the team, the team was not completely happy as well and they agreed to stop now for these races to improve the atmosphere for both of them and if they are happy with this I am happy as well. With Jacques, I have a good relationship as well, we've been working only two weeks at Silverstone and here, but so far it has been fantastic." He said.

Alonso was complimentary on Villeneuve's showing today:

" I think Jacques did a good job today. The timed lap is very close to what I did today, so it means he could go well in the car. It should be difficult for him, it is only his second time in the car and even without that he's performing well, so I am sure tomorrow he will do a good job and hopefully both Renaults are in the top of the cut." He said.

Alonso is working hard to learn the new Shangai track as soon as possible:

"It’s a unique circuit, and the corners are very different to what we are used to. It is easy to make mistakes, and to get overtaken. The first corner and number 13 are completely unique – and some of the corners are slightly banked as well. The circuit has been designed to help overtaking, with long straights followed by tight corners. The safety levels are good, and the mechanics and engineers have excellent conditions to work in. The track wasn’t perfect today – it was quite dirty, but the grip levels are improving with every lap." He said.

Alonso is determined to retake the second place on the Constructor Championship:

"BAR scored a lot of points at the last race, and they moved ahead of us. On our side, we are quick enough… but we have not had the luck. Our job is to get second place back, we think we can do it – and we are pushing 100%. I think it will be a good spectacle for the fans!" He said.