Monday 15 June 2009

Fernando Alonso: "We must do better"

Monday 8 June 2009 | RF1 Paddock Pass
| Fernando Alonso | Interview | Istanbul

The double world champion looks forward to the developments expected for Silverstone.



Fernando, talk us through your Turkish Grand Prix?
It was a difficult race. Starting eighth on the grid seemed ok, but I didn't have much fuel in the car and so I was lighter than the cars round me. Starting with the soft tyres was a good idea as I overtook a few cars, but by refuelling early we were at risk of rejoining in the middle of the pack, and that's exactly what happened. So we finished in tenth, which is a bit frustrating.

Would it have been possible to do any better?
I think that we did our maximum in the race. The car was not difficult to drive, but we just weren't quick enough. In terms of strategy, the two options were very similar: either to start high up the grid with little fuel and rejoin in the traffic, or qualify with a lot of fuel and start further back in the traffic.

What are your ambitions for the rest of the season?
The priority is to introduce new technical developments in order to find some more performance. We are missing around 0.5s per lap from the leaders. It's a small gap, but at the moment it counts for a lot. I know that the whole team is continuing to work hard to improve our situation. Some new developments are expected for Silverstone and I hope that they will allow us to aim for regular points and have a strong second half of the season.

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