Alonso: “The best season of my life”

Just eight days after the end of the longest season in the history of Formula 1, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are back on track. However, the commitment on the “Ricardo Tormo” circuit in Cheste, just outside Valencia, was very different in intensity and tension compared to that of Interlagos. In Brazil, the chances of winning what would have been a well-deserved third world title for Fernando and of achieving an excellent second place for the Scuderia in the Constructors' classification were at stake down to the last metre. Today was a celebration, to be enjoyed together to the hundreds of Ferrari customers who flocked to Spain for the traditional event of the Finali Mondiali.

The Cheste event was also the first opportunity for Alonso to take a cold assessment of the championship that had just ended. “I'm happy with how things went” – said the Spanish champion – “In the end we lost the title by three points but I had the best season of my life and now I only think about the year to come. It was a miracle to see, race after race, what we managed to achieve: we certainly didn't lose the title in Brazil but in Spa and Suzuka. Next year we will try to improve the car, trying to start further up the grid and thus avoid risking accidents. Let's also hope to have a little more luck..."

“I believe that in terms of strategy, pit stops, starts, reliability it was a perfect year” – continued Fernando – “We all agree that the only thing we were missing was the car, which didn't allow us to be at the level of the best during most of the year. It's the only thing we need to improve but it's also true that it's the most difficult. With all the difficulties we had, I think for example of the delay we had in the winter tests, being able to fight for the title until the end means that we are a great team.”

Alonso obviously also spoke about the story of Vettel's overtaking on Vergne which filled the pages of the newspapers in the days immediately following the Brazilian Grand Prix: "There were a lot of videos on the Internet and we knew that our fans were asking us for an explanation and it is It was right that Ferrari turned to the Federation: we received a response and I think everyone is calmer now. I didn't give much importance to the outcry that this story caused but we felt it was our fans' duty to ask for clarification. Frankly, I don't care much about the opinion people may have about me in Germany or elsewhere. What I see is that there are people on the street who hug me, call me gladiator or samurai; For me, the 1200 people of the Ferrari family who stand up to cheer me at a dinner matter more. This has been a spectacular year, difficult to forget, with unrepeatable moments such as the victory here in Valencia or the one in Malaysia. Since I've been at Ferrari I think I've grown a lot, especially in the last year. Before people had a more or less good opinion of me but now I notice a different type of respect. And then to be a Formula 1 great it's not just enough to win titles but you also need to compete in seasons like the one that has just ended. Next year? We hope to score three or four more points."