"I know that the team is doing its best to progress quickly, and I will continue to give my maximum this weekend," he insisted, "[Racing in Spain] is certainly a special feeling and, with two races in Spain this year, I am very lucky. I benefit from amazing support, which is very motivating. Some people see this as added pressure for me, but it's not. Instead, it gives me the determination to do even better. I hope to be in a position to give the Spanish people a beautiful show. .
"I think that, once again, it will be a very competitive race. All the teams and drivers know the track very well, so it is difficult for the driver to make a difference at this level. I hope that our hard work will pay us back and that our car will allow us to catch up with the other teams, although it will certainly not be easy. Qualifying once again will be essential, and we will have to be well placed to try and score the maximum points."
As for whether those fans will be wearing the familiar colours of the ING-backed
Renault team - or even waving the Asturia flag which coincided with the
regie's previous livery - or switching to something a little redder, Alonso refused to be drawn on his plans for next season, except for ruling out a return to
McLaren simply by leaving them off his list of potential racewinners.
"What I want is to race in a car that can give me victories," he told Spain's
El Pais newspaper, "There are some teams -
Williams,
Toyota,
BMW and
Ferrari - that are always on top, no matter what.
"Two years ago, when I won my second world title, [winning more races] wasn't a priority any more but, now, I have gone back and have the desire. Maybe 99 per cent of the time I think about winning again. My first option is to continue with Renault if it can build a winning car, but I do not want to keep fighting to make it into Q3.
"It is hard, but every weekend you have a new opportunity. I always think I am going to be able to be on the podium and, if it is not possible [to be there] in Barcelona, I will think about Monaco, and so on."
