Alonso aiming for the podium at Nürburgring!

By role
May 26 2004

After the win at Monaco the Renault F1 team has now it sights on the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Alonso could not finish the race at Monaco but was geniously happy for the victory of his teammate and friend Jarno Trulli.

“Since last year, Jarno and I have often said that the team comes first, and we have proved that on numerous occasions. When I won in Budapest last year, Jarno was one of the first people to congratulate me, and he was genuinely happy for me. Last Sunday, it was the other way round. He completely deserved it.” Said Alonso

The Nürburgring is a track in which a good set-up is key to push hard and find the best times:

“Unlike Monaco, where the driver can make a big difference, the Nürburgring is a track where you can only start to be really quick when you have set the car up and feel comfortable with it - there are not many places where the driver can add something extra. However, we need to work hard with the engineers because it is not easy to get the maximum out of the car there, especially when the weather conditions and temperatures change so much, and you need a consistent car balance in lots of different types of corners: very low speed and also the quick parts. The changes two years ago definitely improved the overtaking opportunities which means you can hope to make up positions during the race.” He added.

Renault has to capitalize on the good form they had shown before and Alonso is aiming for the podium at this Grand Prix:

“We think the R24 will be competitive at the Nürburgring, and we hope to have a trouble-free weekend so that we can achieve the performances we know we are capable of. I don't know if we can fight for a win again, it will be very tough. But we will be aiming for the podium, definitely, and the cars were very reliable again in Monaco. Everybody is just so motivated right now at Renault, I think there will be a very good spirit in the team this weekend.” He concluded.