Alonso aims for qualifying

Only 7th at the Nürburgring despite a very fast car, Fernando Alonso regrets his position on the starting grid. The Renault driver hopes to rectify the situation in Hungary.

Published on 17/07/2009 à 14:59

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Fernando, despite the fact that you only scored two points in Germany, the R29 seems to have taken a step forward?
We have, for sure, improved our competitiveness thanks to the latest new solutions brought to the car. It's a real shame to have missed a good opportunity in qualifying because by starting the race 12th on the grid, I was not able to demonstrate the real speed of the car in the first part of the race. When the track was clear in front of me, the R29 was really fast and I set the best time eleven times. So I think we had the potential to get on the podium. I know, it's always a bit easy to talk about what could have happened, but only scoring two points was disappointing.

The next race will take place in Budapest, on the circuit where you won your first Grand Prix. Do you always like to return to where it all began?
The memories of my victory in 2003 are very dear to me, especially since it was the first victory for Renault since the return of the brand in Formula 1. This really motivated the whole team and boosted everyone's confidence. I have always liked Budapest, it is a very beautiful city and the people are friendly. The atmosphere in the paddock is quite relaxed as everyone is looking forward to being on vacation after the Grand Prix.

Tell us about the circuit and the tuning of the car?
It's one of the slowest circuits of the season and you're almost constantly in a corner. The race is quite mentally and physically demanding, especially because of the high temperatures. With so many slow corners, it is important that the front of the car is very stable because in the event of excessive understeer, you can lose a lot of time. Good traction and mechanical grip are also important when exiting slow corners. It is very difficult to overtake on this circuit and the only real opportunity is in turn 1, at the end of the main straight. It will therefore be important to maximize our performance during the qualifying session in order to start the race in the first ten on the grid.