Alonso: “In the right direction”

Fernando, was the Bahrain race tough for you and you still scored a point?
“Yes, the water supply pump did not work during the race; so I was a little dehydrated when I got out of the car. A point scored is good, but we expected better after all the efforts made over the last two weeks. I didn't get a good start and lost quite a few places, which was decisive for my race because all the cars around me had a similar strategy to mine. I think it's fair to say we were the eighth fastest car in the field. Finishing the race in eighth place is therefore quite representative of our current performance. »

You are preparing to compete in your national Grand Prix. Is this a special moment for you?
“The Spanish Grand Prix is ​​always a very special event for me. I'm lucky, two races are organized in my country this year, in Barcelona and Valencia. The support of the fans who come in large numbers is of course very motivating, and I hope to be able to offer them a great show with a great performance. Qualifying will once again be crucial, you will have to position yourself well and then try to make the most of the race to score points, as big as possible. »

What do you think of the Barcelona circuit and what level of performance do you expect from the R29 on this track?
“All the teams know this circuit very well due to the numerous winter tests that take place there. We drove there last February, but the car has been developed a lot since then. We will therefore have to work quite a bit on the settings during free practice. We still lack performance, even if the team has already really improved the R29 this season. So we are moving in the right direction. I hope we take another step forward this weekend. »