Alonso interview for Australian Grand Prix

The 2009 Formula 1 championship will hold its first round of the season in Melbourne this week-end, and double World Champion Fernando Alonso is eager to begin. Although his Renault R29 got off to a slow start during winter testing, recent improvements have brought the car up among the leading teams.

With the new regulations and technical modifications surely tightening up the field, Alonso believes the Australian Grand Prix might be an opportunity to start off his campaign by claiming good points.

Fernando, you ended the 2008 season strongly. Can you carry that form into 2009?

"That is certainly our intention! We finished in a strong position last year and this year our goal is to fight for the championship. But we have lots of new regulations this year and nobody really knows what will happen when we get to Melbourne. From what we have seen in testing it seems all the teams are very close and so we will certainly have a fight on our hands."

There has been less testing available this season, but are you pleased with the progress of the R29?

"The first test in Portimao was tough as we had some bad luck with the weather, but when we introduced updates at the later tests we quickly improved the car. We've learnt how to optimise the set-up and we now have a car that is easy to drive and consistent. What is important now is that we keep improving and developing the car throughout the year."

Are you excited about the new regulations introduced this season?

"Yes, with the KERS and moveable wings the drivers now have more work to do inside the cockpit. During testing I have been working hard to adapt to these new systems so that I can get the most from them in Melbourne. I'm really pleased with the KERS system that we have developed and hopefully this will give us an advantage at the start of the season. I'm not sure if it will make overtaking easier, but it will certainly improve lap times.

What are your expectations for Melbourne?

"In the past Albert Park has been a good track for Renault and so I hope we can have a strong weekend. I think the order of the teams will probably be different from the last few years as we have got used to Ferrari and McLaren dominating, but with the new rules I think there will be lots of cars fighting for the win. Hopefully we will be in that fight."