Briatore: Alonso just the same
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has not seen a change in Fernando Alonso after he became world champion – or since the Spaniard announced his defection to McLaren for 2007.
Briatore is also Alonso’s long-time manager and has more reason than most to be concerned that his charge’s focus may have drifted since he made history as Formula One’s youngest champion last autumn.
But with an impressive season-opening win in Bahrain behind him, the 24-year-old showed he was determined to leave the team he has raced for since 2003 as the world’s best again.
“He’s one year older and one year more experienced, but other than that I have not seen Fernando change at all,” said the flamboyant Italian.
“He is always hungry to win, he has 100% commitment with the team. Look at Bahrain – it was fantastic the way he controlled the race.
“Fernando is maybe more mature, but he is the same guy from last year. He is under pressure, if you have world championship potential that is always like that. But every driver on the starting grid is under pressure.
“Last year he made one mistake in Canada, but after that nothing. He finished almost all the races in the points.
“How he feels inside, I don’t know, that is difficult to check. From what I see he is the same. For the team, mechanics, everybody – nothing has changed.”
The fact remains, though, that there is one drive going at Renault next year, and possibly two if Giancarlo Fisichella’s services are not retained for a third season.
Speculation has linked Kimi Raikkonen with a move from McLaren, where he has been since 2002, to Ferrari for next season, but Michael Schumacher re-signing would most probably scupper that.
Briatore would not be drawn on whether Raikkonen, whose future at McLaren would appear to depend on his car’s competitiveness and reliability, is a target for the Anglo-French outfit in their bid to remain at the top of the tree into 2007.
“I think that Renault must make sure it is strong and if the team is strong, then you can attract the good drivers,” he reasoned.
“Kimi Raikkonen is at McLaren and Fernando is at Renault. There are still 16 races to go after this one and every weekend we are talking about it.
“I don’t want to be talking about this, at the moment I have no idea who will take the place of Fernando. The next time I talk about this is when I announce the driver for Renault for the future.”
Alonso was the fastest of Sunday’s race drivers in second practice at Sepang on Friday.
