Alonso not very optimistic

In 2008, Renault had been able to progress throughout the season and finish the year with a bang, notably with two victories of Fernando Alonso. The double world champion scored 48 points in the last eight races of the season, after only collecting 13 points in the first half of the year.

But, if he is going to start in pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso does not imagine Renault having such a celebration this year. “ It's clear, Renault has improved the car. It's clear, we have a solid team and we will get stronger and stronger as the races go on. But in this moment, Red Bull, Brawn, and McLaren now, are very, very strong teams. They won't help us and it will be very difficult to win a race this year »

Not giving an optimistic forecast, the Renault driver looks back at the end of 2008 where he was able to take advantage of a combination of circumstances. He therefore wishes to explain that we should not expect the same recovery in 2009 as that carried out in 2008. “ It's true that last year the second half of the season was very good, we scored more points than anyone. We benefited from the potential of the car, which was at a high performance level during the last races. But I also benefited from the mistakes of other drivers or their teams. In Singapore, Felipe (Massa) had a refueling problem. At Mount Fuji, at the start, the first four cars collided and ended up outside. There was always a combination of factors to put me at the front last year. » Before the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Spaniard will undoubtedly hope to benefit, once again, from a favorable combination of circumstances. Because the double world champion still has his motivation intact. And his start in pole position could give him a significant advantage, even if refueling will take place very quickly.