"I don’t think it is over at all," he insisted, "Until the final lap, when you know you are champion, anything can still happen and we are taking nothing for granted. So we know that there is still a job to do, and we are focused on it. I think our aim has to be to do a normal weekend, to get the maximum from the car without any big risks, and to finish the job. If we have our usual performance, fighting at the front, then we will achieve our targets."
Interlagos, of course, is Alonso's final race with the
regie ahead of a much-publicised switch to
McLaren for 2007, and he is determined to go out on a high at an event that already holds memories - good and bad - for him.
"I think it makes this a very special weekend for me, and gives me extra motivation to do the maximum for all my friends and team-mates," he said of his impending exit, "It is also the last race for Michelin in this period, and both
Renault and Michelin have done so much for me in the six seasons since I started in
F1. I think it is impossible to give back to them everything they have given to me since 2001. The only way I can try is to have a fantastic final race and to win the title so we can finish our relationship in the right way, with a celebration.
"Of course, Brazil will always hold unique memories from winning the championship there in 2005 – and the fact we are fighting for it again in 2006 makes it even more important. It is a fantastic place, where you can really feel the emotion and the passion of F1. Brazil has a long tradition in the sport with many famous drivers, so you have the history too. It is great to be racing in this country, and especially with so much at stake at the end of the season."
Team-mate
Giancarlo Fisichella heads to Brazil - the scene of his first F1 win - chasing third in the drivers' standings and also hoping to propel Renault to a second straight constructors' cup.
