02/10/2006
NEWS STORY
Renault's Spanish star knows the team had the car to win in Shanghai.
Fernando, how was your race?
Fernando Alonso: As expected, we were very quick in the wet and showed it in the first stint. I built a comfortable lead of nearly 20 seconds and started to manage the gap. Then the track started drying…
Why did you lose performance after your first stop?
FA: We decided to change the front tyres and in hindsight, that was a mistake. In fact, the track had almost completely dried and it would have been better to use worn tyres which had very little tread in order to have more grip. Schumacher and Giancarlo kept the same set of tyres, and caught me up. They got past without any problems. My tyres finally started working after eight or nine laps, and my lap-times were competitive again.
Do you regret the decision to change the tyres?
FA: We cannot say that. The left front was very worn so we decided not to take too many risks with it.
After that, did you change to dry tyres at the right time?
FA: Yes I think so. We were among the first people to do it and it was a gamble to try and catch up Schumacher. But we didn't have the miracle today.
Was it tough at the end of the race?
FA: Yes. The line was only two metres wide, so as soon as you went a bit wide it was very easy to make a mistake… So I had to be very careful.
So all in all, a weekend to forget for you?
FA: No, not at all. I think we have to be positive. We were the quickest car in the wet and the dry. We lost the win only because of the special conditions today. So I am still very confident for the next races.