El Pais interview with Fernando Alonso from March 13th. The article and interview is in Spanish. I've posted a translation from a friend on another Forum (thanks Meiga).
“Most days my mother doesn’t know where I am”Next March 27th in Australia we will have a World Championship with five champions on the grid and a multitude of changes. For Fernando Alonso it is a great challenge. In his second year at Ferrari, and after losing the championship last year at the last race, the Spaniard comes to this first race as one of the main contenders according to the 'circus' and the top candidate to break the dominance of Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso (Oviedo, 1981) has been bitten by the golf bug and for some days now clubs have become part of his luggage. Last week he brought them to Montmelo, which hosted the last test of the pre-season, and on Tuesday he went to hit a few ball with a friend. The day before he was at the circuit to record an advertisement spot for a sponsor of Ferrari.
For months now the Spaniard has wanted to move on and forget last year’s fiasco in Abu Dhabi. But he also understands that many will ask him about what happened at Yas Marina no matter how painful it is for him to remember it. Logically, he prefers to talk of other things, his two world titles, in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, his 26 wins or his childhood. Then, as now, he had great fun at races.
Question. As a child, did you play Scalextric?Answer. Yes, but not much. I played more with the normal toy cars, the ones I had to push myself. But I had a Scalextric too. Although 20 years ago they were not like they are today. The did not always work, the tracks made bad contact and so I ended up getting bored.Q. Which cars did you like?A. Almost always I chose single seater cars, but I also had some rally cars. I had replicas of Carlos Sainz, the Toyota, the Lancia ... but mostly single seaters. They were not like now, with many details, They were plain, one-colour.Q. What stands out most from your experience at Renault and McLaren?A. From Renault I took with me almost all the experience I have now, I got to know Formula 1 at the highest level and to fight for victories and World Championships, which was new to me. You try to learn, to improve, but then the day comes when you have the opportunity to win a GP and everything is new. Then comes the pressure. That I lived in Renault. Then, the year of McLaren was technically very rewarding. I learned a new philosophy, a new way of working ... I met new engineers after many years with the Renault ones. And also a very different way to set up the car.Q. 10 years ago you had your Formula 1 debut with Minardi. You said then: "At Ferrari, the difficult thing is not to be on the podium. " If you could go back in time, what would you say to that young man?A. That he was right. Ferrari is always at the highest level. It is the most consistent team. Nobody offers more guarantees at the beginning of the year. Here you know that however badly things are going, you'll get the chance to be on the podium or win races. And that was even more so a decade ago. Between 1998 and 2008, Ferrari was the reference and the path we all tried to follow.Q. Did you confirm the ideas you had (about Ferrari) before joining (the team)?A. No, my perception was different. I had enthusiasm and I wanted to arrive here and I expected great things. From the outside, you know that this is a great team, with fans all over the world, that has a legend behind and a huge history. But when I arrived, everything was better than I expected. The people are extremely affectionate towards the drivers, they watch every detail and make you feel part of a big family. No one thinks he is better/more important than the others. The communication is great and people work in a much more open way. There is more (inter-personal) contact than at other teams, in which (people sitting on) these two chairs [points to the ones next to him] prefer to send an e-mail to each other rather than to start talking.Q. But in the past you had issues/arguments with Ferrari. Has anyone from the team reminded you of that?A. Not directly, but there is some of it. For example, after dinner this Christmas, we were talking about the 2005 and 2006 World Championships. About how my DNF at Monza [2006], which helped Michael Schumacher to get the lead (on the WDC), was celebrated. I told them that they probably celebrated it as much as I did celebrate it when (their engine) broke down in Japan, in the penultimate race. There are some who still remember my face.Q. In 2010 you arrived to Abu Dhabi after getting three wins and five podiums in five races. You looked more optimistic than the team with regard to the chances of winning the title. Why where you so confident?A. I guess they were very confident too, but they always prefer to be cautious. Above all, because they know the impact that anything that comes from Ferrari has. Normally, I say what I think. From Silverstone or Valencia onwards, the car (development) achieved a qualitative step, we started to go really fast and I felt we had a lot of potential. I knew that were at a disadvantage (in terms of points), but also that, if we could have a number of good races, we would be able to recover. Maybe I said it more openly, but they thought the same.Q. Although you did not win the championship, you were very happy with your first season at Ferrari. Is that no longer an acceptable result?A. Sometimes you have very good feelings but do not achieve the expected results, and other times you have average feelings but bag the results. It is better to win, yes, but you have to play well too. If we were to apply it to football, we could say that we finished second, but the game was good and we were satisfied in that regard. But this year we accept to play poorly and win.Q. What make you so optimistic about the addition of Pat Fry (to the team)?A. I worked with him at McLaren. I knew him from many years before. Within the paddock he is well respected because of all his experience. When he arrived, he brought new ideas, a different way to work, fresh air. He has spent over 15 years in racing as either track engineer or chief engineer and, when making a decision from the pit wall, nothing will take him by surprise. He is what we needed.Q. What role did you play in his recruitment?A. None. I was told the day before it was announced.Q. Will his task be to avoid making the same mistakes as last year?A. He will have to do a bit of everything. All engineers have a specific role in strategy, but Pat will also play an important role in the development of the car, in the weekend program. He will have to program everything that the track engineers will do to the car.Q. During a GP, do you know exactly what the situation of the race is?A. Yes, more or less.Q. Did you know in Abu Dhabi?A. Yes Q. You insist that the decision to pit immediately after Mark Webber, which damned you, was a consensual one. Although there are some who think that you say that to protect the team.A. We all have responsibility. Surely the driver's role is to drive, but there are also times when we feel that the car is losing a lot of power or that the tires are not in good condition, and we request via radio to investigate a bit to see what competitors are doing. Or to tell us whether it's time to come in. But the drivers also have room to give an opinion. The team calls you in and you obey because they handle a lot of data and huge simulations. Usually, they are right.Q. What did you think when you were fighting for the title in the last race and your engineer told you over the radio: Use all your skill to get out of this situation?A. That I was going to do it. I knew the car ahead of me was not going to stop. They tell you once, twice ... and they repeat it. At that time I did not reply, but I was aware of the mess I was in.Q. What would you highlight of the new car?A. Now I only worry about it being reliable, about it not breaking down. After two or three races, I hope I can say that it is fast too, but that I still do not know.Q. Historically, Ferrari had always been a leader on the technical side, however, now it seems that there are others, McLaren with the F-duct and Red Bull with the blown diffuser, leading the way. Are you worried?A. No, because we have not seen anything yet. The rules are strict this year and they are trying to cover all loopholes in the regulation. I think it will be kept more under control. If there is a striking idea, it won’t be so important.
Q. Is Ferrari keeping something (sandbagging)?A. Everyone tries to find chinks in the regulation.Q. What about the McLaren?A. It is better than it looks. Winter testing does not clarify anything. Maybe, from what they say, they did expect a bit more. Perhaps they are at a level similar to that of the best and expected to be far ahead. When we get to Australia, we'll see. McLaren is not going to be fighting for tenth place. They’ll be close to the podium..Q. Could having two drivers with styles as different as Jenson Button’s and Lewis Hamilton’s complicate the design of the car?A. I don’t think so. Formula 1 is dominated by aerodynamics. For example, if you get a new little wing and the wind tunnel predicts a gain of one tenth of a second, that is valid for Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Button and all others, regardless of each one’s driving style. Maybe the tires are the only thing that may force you to adapt your way of driving.Q. What aspects of your driving have you had to change with the change from Bridgestone to Pirelli?A. With Pirelli you cannot brake as hard. Before, I would arrive at the end of the straight and step on the brake as hard as I could. If I do that now, most likely the wheels will lock, particularly the rear ones, as if I pulled the handbrake. It is more complicated. You have to control the strength applied a bit more. Traction has worsened quite a bit too. Before, when I got out of a turn and stepped on the accelerator, I did so aggressively, but this year you have to tune it down. I only go full throttle from third or fourth gear. You have to be much more sensitive.Q. How many buttons does the steering wheel of the F150 º Italy have?A. 47, I think. Surely we are near the limit. But this is more a responsibility of the teams, which must seek a formula to facilitate the work of the driver. The FIA introduces KERS and the (movable rear) wing, but I don’t think that is their problem. If we now have 47 or 50 buttons in total, there are maybe 20 that are not needed at every turn. Maybe they can go somewhere else because they are not used that much. Between drivers and teams we will look for ways to make driving a little more comfortable.Q. After criticism for what happened in the German Grand Prix [Ferrari asked Felipe Massa to let Alonso through and he did so in an obvious way] What did you think when it was announced that team orders would again be legitimate?
A. Nothing, I knew it was a tantrum of a few. If the time comes when one must help the team, one is happy to do so. As always.Q. You broke Schumacher’s hegemony. Do you now feel threatened by Sebastian Vettel?A. Whenever there is a new champion there is much talk about him. With Button, there were people who said that if he stayed with Brawn, he could take several titles in a row. When Hamilton won, it seemed as if he would win for 10 years and he is about to start his third year in blank. Now it is Vettel. The important thing is to be consistent. I fought for the title until the end in four of the last six World Championships. I'm at Ferrari and that gives me the best assurances to repeat the feat. Others may have two or three very good years, but then go down again. At Ferrari there is a constant cycle.Q. Hamilton says that he envies your "raw speed. " What is that?A. I think it refers to the qualifying. Raw speed is when you have the car set up to make the best lap, with no fuel and new tires, and you give the maximum.A. Is there something (a quality) from your rivals that you would like to have?A. I'd choose something from each one. For example, I would get that speed of Trulli’s. With the car in those conditions, nobody gets out as much as he does. Q. What did the bosses say when you told them that you wanted a white Ferrari?A. They had a hard time accepting it. First, to try to make me change my mind, they showed me many shades of red and yellow, but they did not succeed.Q. You say you like discretion (being low key). Are you not overwhelmed by the noise that always surrounds Ferrari?A. It doesn’t have a big impact on me. When I take this [points to the red cap he's wearing] off and I go to the airport, I do want to go unnoticed, like when I play tennis or football with my friends. But if I am going to race, to open a dealership or to any other event, I am proud to wear red.Q. When you are not driving an F1 car, you are piloting a plane or going for a ride on your Harley. Your mother is happy, right?A. My mother, most days, does not know where I am. In any case, I'm not doing anything dangerous.Q. Do you know how much money you have?A. More or less.Q. The documentary on Ayrton Senna was a success ...A. Yes, I know, but I have only seen the trailer.Q. What made Senna special?A. His way of racing. He was aggressive. And his driving in the wet made the difference. He had a very strong temperament, with very clear ideas. If he had to leave a driver’s meeting, he did. If he had to take someone by the neck, he did. Nowadays he would be a too controversial driver, but at that time, without so much public impact, with no Internet, he was very much liked.Q. How would you prefer to be remembered?A. As hard working and as a winner. And, if possible, also for a few more titles.Q. How many cars do you have in your garage?A. Enough.Q. Any you can mention?A. The three Ferraris: an Enzo, a 458 Italia and a California.Q. What is the last thing you went to buy and thought expensive?A. What was it? Let me think about it and I will come back to you later. 
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