Fernando Alonso Quotations

I have always been very calm on the outside. I'm not too stressed now just because I'm in formula one. For me, tomorrow will be another day whether I finish first or last. I have to do the maximum and I cannot ask any more from myself.

I am very proud of what we have built in Spain, because it is not a traditional Formula 1 country. I think we have found passionate fans, and built up a strong culture for the sport - and things are improving every day, with more and more people getting interested.

For me, it was not destiny to make it to where I am now - I thought for a long- time I would become a go-kart mechanic, or a job like this, not an F1 driver.

I like to race, not to do laps alone.

I look at myself as someone who has been very lucky - my job is also what I enjoy most in the world, and I can make my life doing it.

When I race in Australia or Korea or Japan I know it will be a big change for me because Ferrari fans are worldwide.

If you're in the best team in the world, you or your teammate have to win.

In Spain there were no TV rights for Formula One.

For me it's a simple sport and a simple way to live these seven or eight years of maximum sport.

Creating a top team and being in a position to win the Tour de France will give me a nice feeling. But I know it is not easy to create a top team from zero. You need good riders, good staff, a lot of preparation and, most important, a lot of sponsors.

I like America, and I think probably the American people like me.

There are four teams ready to win - Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault. It will be harder (to win the championship) than last year for sure. Last year, we fought only with McLaren. If you have a very bad weekend you finish fourth. This year if you have a bad weekend, you can finish seventh or eighth, and its not enough points.

There are four teams ready to win - Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault.

So far we have shown we are strong in all conditions on all tracks.

McLaren have the pressure to be perfect until China (the season's finale), and if they are not, we will be there to punish them.

People will talk about winning the championship there and I will try to do it if I can. But any of the races are good for it. Brazil, Japan or China. It doesn't matter to me.

If we can get on the podium, then it will be hard to lose my advantage. I can still afford some bad races and not lose the lead.

I have found a perfect place for me in England, and I enjoy my time there. The factory is close and the airports are close so I can go anywhere and from my little town in Spain it was impossible. My life is much more comfortable now.

I don't feel any more pressure, ... I have been leading from the second race. Now we are so close to the finish, with four races to go, I have the same confidence.

I am a little bit surprised to be on pole position but the car was perfect.

I am going to do all I can to win again next year.

I am extremely happy and it is a very emotional day for me,

I am extremely happy and it is a big day for me. I did a good race, I thought we would fight McLaren but it was not possible,

I am refreshed after the break, and ready to attack the final races of the year,

I have a special feeling for this circuit. It is a fantastic track and it has always been good to me.

I expect there will be a lot of attention, a lot of questions, a lot of cameras when we get there. But when I get in the car, then I will be working like normal.

For the team it has been a fantastic season. It was not crucial but quite important for the team for the motivation for next year.

Formula One is a strange world but if you have clear values, you can maintain the separation between truth and fiction. If people praise you, you cannot let it go to your head, because at the next race you could be criticized.

He never makes mistakes and competes in all circumstances.

He might get on the podium but I could do the same on bikes.

We have to be careful we don't do a lot of miles on Friday and Saturday and keep the engine safe for the race on Sunday,

This was a good, fighting win. I just concentrated on making no mistakes. The competition is closer than we thought but this is the perfect start for us. The start was good, the second stop perfect, allowing me to come out in front of Michael. Very nice.

This was a good, fighting win and I want to dedicate it to the mechanics and the team, for some fantastic pit stops and the right strategy.

I was lucky that I was not fighting with anyone so I took the race quite easy. But for us, second place is good. The target for the last six or seven races was to be on the podium.

Knowing what it takes to win a title, I think they need a year running at the top first. Next year is more realistic for them. They'll make a big step at some point.

It is a circuit with good memories for me,

I think that if we stay competitive like we are, and if we can avoid mechanical problems, then we will be hard to beat.

I thought the other one seemed a bit old. I am really happy with the result.

I thought overtaking him was not possible but he had damaged his car, went wide, and I overtook him, so it was a nice surprise at the end but it is a bit disappointing because we were a bit slower than them.

It gives me very good feelings and we are confident of repeating our success of 2005.

I think tomorrow we have a good chance to be on the podium and hopefully fighting for the win,

Last year I was leading the race when I retired, and I have won here in Formula 3000, so I am feeling quite confident,

I will not have a shower all weekend now.

It is an important race in that I can become champion, but if I don't win on Sunday it is not the end of the world. I will race many years to come.

It is a nice feeling to have those records but when you are on the track, they don't count for anything.

It is always important to score a lot of points at the start of the year. We know Renault is the team to beat at the moment.

I will try to win in Melbourne and conclude the first part of the championship in the best way possible.

I won the championship with maybe not the best car, so I am proud of what I did. The fact that I have taken over the title from Michael Schumacher is a bonus. I came from a country with no tradition in F1. I had to fight my way alone. I have only had the help of two or three people in my career, no more.

I was told that 50,000 people celebrated my win. They were dancing in the fountain in the city center, and even in Madrid as well.

I was hoping that it would feel like the R25 to drive, because that was such a nice car for the drivers. The good news is that it does. It is easy to drive, the long runs seem consistent and we didn't have any mechanical problems. This is only the first January test with a brand new car. Taking that into account, I think we are in a strong position.

It doesn't happen very often but I did it. McLaren are much stronger so I'm more than happy, ... I don't care about seven wins. I hope to win many championships with no wins at all.

I think he did a good race, and if he started from the front it would have been a close fight again, between two or three cars, so we'll wait for the next (race) and the opportunity to see him in a more competitive start.

That was my Tomba moment ... Come on!

I was not worried even if Michael passed me because I knew we would be strongest at the end of the race.

We are the champions, we are the champions,

We'll try to win even though in the tests McLaren was faster.

We have had an important and productive week. We made good progress for the first race, and now I want to see how we will perform in race conditions against the competition. I am feeling confident, the car is performing well and the team is more motivated than ever.

We can be competitive there. I need six points. I am very confident it will be possible.

To become part of a team with such a desire to succeed and passion for performance is a dream come true for any Formula One driver. Obviously I will be sad to leave Renault but sometimes possibilities come along which are just too good to miss.

To beat Michael this year was really an extra happiness for me.

We don't have the quickest car but we're taking the opportunities McLaren is giving to us. Tomorrow I hope to have a good start and can even think to win the race.

We are ready to fight a bit less conservatively in the last two races, ... I will be more aggressive with how I use the engine, the tires, every part of the car.

We did the right thing. We didn't need to take the gamble and played it safe.

We don't need the risks at this point of the championships.

To be on the podium will be the target again, ... I am very confident it will be possible.

With every red flag there is completely panic in the garage. Outside it is nice to see, but inside it is quite complex.

We had some people in front and sometimes they slow me down.

We seem to be in good shape. The Renault feels nice to drive and our pace is good. I think we are in a similar position to the other races this season - aiming for the top position.

We seem to be in good shape. The grip levels will improve as more rubber goes down on the track, but at the moment the Renault feels nice to drive and our pace is good.

Well, I am still young and every year experience teaches you more,

The race was a little bit crazy, I didn't understand. I was 20 seconds ahead and the gap disappeared. But there was no risk to lose the victory anytime.

The race was a bit crazy. Some moments I didn't understand. I was 20 seconds ahead and the gap disappeared after three or four safety cars in 10 laps.

This was a very different race to the other two so far this season. In Bahrain, I was fighting with Michael Schumacher all the way and in Malaysia it was Jenson Button and I battling for second place, but in Melbourne it was quite comfortable. There were no fights and I was very relaxed for a lot of the race.

We have to concentrate and not do any mistakes and finish the race. We have a clear circuit in front of us to pull away and try to get to the podium.

We do not know how reliable Ferrari will be this year.

Everything here has been very positive all weekend and I'm full of confidence for all the team,

Everyone wants to beat Michael on the track because it is the same as beating (Lance) Armstrong in the Tour de France,

At the beginning I had a better car, in the middle of the season he had a better car with more mechanical problems than me, so I won the drivers championship a little bit before the end.

Fernando is at Renault another year. In 2007 he would want to stay - as long as Renault are competitive. But if by then, or 2008, Ferrari are above our level then anything is possible. This year the tyre was a big factor for Ferrari. But there was a lot else wrong with their car. They need a lot of work to catch up.

There's nothing new on our car since Australia.

Things seem closer between us and McLaren than they have been in the last few races, and although it will be very difficult to beat them, maybe it's not impossible.

It would be fantastic for the spectators. I don't really like the current procedure, which I think is boring.

It was the perfect way to begin the year. We had a very exciting race for the spectators. As we thought from testing, there are four teams fighting to win at any type of circuit - Honda, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault. We can all win races, so it will be a fun time in the coming weeks.

It was the perfect way to begin the year I think. We had a very exciting race for the spectators, and I think we can expect a very interesting start to the season.

These eight points are like a victory to me.

The tenacity and desire to win which he has worked with since he was a child have carried him to the top in a sporting discipline of enormous difficulty.

I waited for an opportunity and it didn't come. We were still the quickest on the track today, so it looks good for the championship.

Thanks to luck and thanks to the mechanics who did a perfect stop again.

Sometimes possibilities come along which are just too good to miss. It will be a new beginning for me and a tremendous challenge.

The motivation is even higher than ever this year because we have the number one and two in the team and all the mechanics and engineers are working with much more interest than last year.

The one person I really like to beat is Michael Schumacher because it makes me feel better due to the fact that everyone knows him and what he has done.

Straight away I felt OK, good balance in the car and I was able to push straight away. It looks good for qualifying tomorrow and we'll just have to see how the competition do.

Spa is my favorite place to drive an F1 car,

Now I need to find new targets because this one is done. This is very important for me, my friends, my country and my family.

A pretty disappointing result for me really. I made a mistake on my first timed lap at the end of the session and that meant I had to do another one.

And then from 2003 to now I developed myself, my driving style, and I grew up with the team to be in this position.

This is probably the best of the three that I've had so far, ... It was difficult, but at the end I managed to be fast.

This is a fantastic feeling, ... I didn't think anything could equal winning the Drivers' Championship, but seeing our people celebrating, it's just as good! I am really so happy today.

Although it will be very difficult to beat them, maybe it's not impossible.

This is the maximum I can achieve in my life and my career,