Question: Fernando, three wins in the last four races. A real game changer of a day as far as the championship is concerned. You must be pretty delighted?
Fernando Alonso: Yeah, absolutely. One of the best races of the year for us, for the team, both cars on the podium, fantastic achievement for Ferrari. We were competitive all weekend. In qualifying yesterday we saw a very strong car, so we knew the race pace was there but with the weather conditions you never know. This morning was wet and we knew that it was a tricky race. A race to finish and winning the race, I think it is the first wet race that I have won, so I am even happier.
Question: Fernando, just two races left in this championship. You are 11 points clear of Mark Webber and 21 clear of Lewis. How are you feeling right now?
Fernando Alonso: Well, I think nothing changed really. We know that with the new points system anything can happen in one race. If you don’t score, you lose 25 points to one of your main opponents, so nothing has changed. Here it was bad luck for Mark and Sebastian (Vettel) but anything can happen in the next two races. There are still four or five contenders, so as we repeat many times, being on the podium, being consistent maybe is the key to winning the championship. We have been doing well, very concentrated, very focused in the last six or seven races but the last two we cannot forget we need to be on the podium and fighting for victory in the next two races.
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Formula 1: Fernando Alonso Wins Korean Grand Prix
Formula 1: Korean Grand Prix - Race Results
Question: Fernando, that was a phenomenal win in extraordinary conditions. Was it just a matter of hanging on in there and, as you say, just finishing and getting the thing to the end?
Fernando Alonso: Well, obviously we know these types of races are very difficult. New track, so no reference for driving in wet conditions in this Korean circuit, so everything to discover in the first couple of laps. I think it is better to lose four or five seconds in the first 10 laps of the race and then build up the pace slowly. We knew that, so try to remain calm. Conditions were extremely difficult, no visibility at all for the first 10 laps of the race plus the safety car laps, so not easy but then the car was performing well with both tyres, the extreme and the inters. Maybe not as good as Sebastian in some parts of the race but when Mark had the problem and we saw the retirement it changed the picture of the race and finishing on the podium was enough for us.
Question: What about the tyres at the end as you were still setting… well, you set a 1min 51 when the next closest was a 1m 54.
Fernando Alonso: They were getting into slicks, so there were some corners with dry line and the tyres were very good and you felt a lot of grip and still some corners with a little bit more standing water, so those corners were a little bit trickier. Easy to lock the tyres, easy to have too much wheel spin but they were in better condition than some other cars because I was able to run a few seconds quicker.
Question: At the pit stop there seemed to be a slight problem with the front right?
Fernando Alonso: Yes, it was my mistake.
Question: What happened?
Fernando Alonso: I locked the tyres and I arrived sideways, so I think it was difficult for the mechanic in the position I stopped.
Question: Can you explain the biggest change in Scuderia Ferrari since the summer?
Fernando Alonso: Luck. I think we’ve been competitive from Silverstone onwards. At Silverstone we had a problem with a manoeuvre on Kubica and a drive-through losing 14 positions. In Valencia we had a very poor result and bad luck as well. Of course, I think the car improved a lot and the team is doing a fantastic job every race in bringing new parts but as I said, from Silverstone onwards I think we had a car to always be on the podium. We struggled to be on the podium for one part of the season, as I said, maybe because of the luck factor. And now we are achieving more wins than expected because of the luck factor as well, because today we were third and one Red Bull crashed, one Red Bull blew up, so as we said many times, luck at the end of the year is compensated.
Question: Fernando, now you are leading the championship and in normal conditions you don’t need to attack. How much will your approach to races change and your driving and racing strategy?
Fernando Alonso: Nothing really, I think. One result and one race doesn’t change the picture of the championship. There are still four contenders now, I guess, or five. We knew before coming here that it’s important to finish every race. As we said many times, finishing on the podium is something that secures you a lot of points every weekend and more or less certainly puts you in a position to fight for the championship in Abu Dhabi. So we need to keep this consistency in the next two races. Obviously winning races is fantastic and every weekend we go with the aim of winning, but sometimes we know it’s not possible, so we need to maximise our potential every weekend.
Question: Fernando, you said that on some parts of the circuit Sebastian was faster, on other parts you were. Do you think you could have caught him in the end; did you see the condition of his tyres versus yours?
Fernando Alonso: I didn’t see the condition of his tyres. On the extreme wet I think he was a little bit quicker but when we fitted intermediates, it seems that we were able to maintain the pace a little bit closer to him, just around a second, a second and a half behind. And then, for sure, the last part of the race, the last six or seven laps, were extremely difficult with nearly slick intermediate tyres and whichever of the two cars had the better tyres there was maybe the one winning the race because we saw a difference of between three and four seconds a lap, depending on the condition of the tyres. So it’s difficult to guess how it was for Sebastian.
Question: Fernando, when the red flag was out, were you worried that there might not be a race at all?
Fernando Alonso: I was not thinking anything special, to be honest. I was preparing the race with my engineers. I was talking about the tyres, about the pressures, brake temperatures etc, so I didn’t have time to think whether the race was on or off.
Question: Fernando, considering all the incidents, is this the most difficult victory and probably the most tasty victory of the year?
Fernando Alonso: Yes, no doubt. I think it’s one of the most tricky conditions’ victories I’ve ever had, probably, because we started with very extreme conditions, red flag, then a couple of laps behind the safety car. Then we switched to intermediates with no reference from this circuit from previous years or no reference on Friday or Saturday because we ran in dry conditions, and then on the last couple of laps it was very dark and with slick tyres in the wet. So overall, all conditions were difficult, so victory tastes very good.
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