Formula 1: Alonso's opinion on the 2011 news

In his first press conference of the year, Fernando Alonso also spoke about the technical and regulatory innovations that will characterize the 2011 single-seaters.

“They will certainly be more complex to manage by the pilot because we will have more operations to carry out” – explained the Spaniard – “There will be the return of the KERS and the novelty of the mobile rear wing, even if there will no longer be the front one. We will need to find a way to adapt and find the right automatic mechanisms for the buttons in order to try not to lose the right concentration on driving. The simulator gives us a big hand: there we can train intensely on this aspect. Will these innovations encourage overtaking? I hope so. Changes to the regulations have been introduced for years with this objective but it is not always possible: fingers crossed but I think that between KERS and the mobile rear wing it will be possible to have a difference in speed sufficient to allow you to overtake a car with which you find yourself in struggle. These changes were established after careful work by the Technical Working Group and I believe they will work. Will we need to be more aggressive? It depends on the situation: if you need a placing to win the title then there is no need."

Another new feature will be the Pirelli tyres, already tested for two days in Abu Dhabi last November. “The first feeling is positive” – said Fernando – “But we will know more starting from the next tests, which will be very interesting. My riding style will definitely have to change a bit. There remains the unknown of the wet tyres, which we have not yet been able to test."

In 2009 the introduction of KERS pushed many drivers to undertake very intensive winter preparation, characterized by physical weight loss, but this year the minimum weight of the car has been increased to 640 kilos, making the driver's weight less restrictive for use more effective than ballast. “I haven't lost a lot of weight so far, also because in the last week I had to stop training due to a small muscle contracture in one leg” – explained Fernando – “For the start of the championship, perhaps the difference in weight will be seen more . This year we will need to be even more focused in both physical and mental preparation, also depending on the calendar. For example, we will have a very demanding cycle from a physical point of view like the Australia-Malaysia-China one, with the last two races consecutive: if you arrive in Malaysia at 80% a week later you run the risk of being at 50%. ”

Regarding the fact that the regulatory changes could make the result of qualifying less decisive for that of the race, Fernando was very cautious: "It's possible, because overtaking should be less difficult but qualifying, as well as the start and the first corner, they will remain decisive moments. But it's too early to make a real prediction: we'll have to see how things go in the first races to get a more precise idea.”