SAO PAULO, Brazil - Fernando Alonso believes becoming
Formula One champion last year stiffened his resolve for this
season's title fight.
In recent months, Alonso occasionally has expressed
dissatisfaction with how events have unfolded within his Renault
team. The 25-year-old Spaniard has complained of feeling
"alone" as his battle with Michael Schumacher has ebbed and
flowed.
It is likely if Alonso did not carry the No. 1 on his car, he
would not be in the position he finds himself - on the verge of
his second straight F1 title. A single point is all he needs to
defend the championship he won with comparative ease in 2005.
As it was a year ago, Alonso has a chance to clinch the crown in
Brazil, the venue for Sunday's Grand Prix. But this year's
race at Interlagos is the last on the calendar, ensuring the
battle goes down to the wire.
"I know how to find the right effort, the right motivation,"
Alonso said. "I remember how I enjoyed last year, the feeling
of winning and how to repeat that, how to defend the No. 1 on my
car, to do the best for the sport and the team.
"The experience you have in one important year, like you have
with your first championship, you never forget it and you are
able to use it for the rest of your career."
While Alonso can draw on that experience, he again alluded to
the frustrating situation he finds himself in at Renault. This
year's head-to-head with Schumacher is "completely different"
compared to his scrap last year with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen -
both on and off the track.
That is partly due to the fact the Spaniard is replacing
Raikkonen, who in turn is filling the significantly sized shoes
of Schumacher at Ferrari.
"Last year we built up an advantage of around 20 to 25 points in
the first part of the year and we were able to maintain that,"
Alonso said. "That was due to McLaren occasionally struggling
with mechanical problems because generally they were quicker
than us and it was impossible to fight with them. When they had
their problems, we were able to regain our advantage.
"This year with Ferrari, sometimes we can fight with them and we
can win and we can lose. But for sure, I had a much better
feeling last year about the championship, the sport, about
everything."
This will be the final race for Schumacher, arguably the best
Formula One driver in history. The only way he can claim his
eighth title is by winning the race while Alonso finishes
outside the top eight - something the Spaniard has done just
twice this year.
The last thing Alonso needs is the kind of shenanigans in 1994
and 1997, when Schumacher was involved in final-race collisions
with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, respectively. The
37-year-old German escaped punishment for the first incident but
not the second.
Given the dynamics of the championship race, it has sparked
debate and speculation regarding a potential repeat. Alonso,
however, is confident the race will be clean.
"I have no worries at all," he said. "I think all the drivers
in this last race will want a good result because the motivation
is not the same as for the first race. Everyone wants a good
result to prepare for the winter, so I feel it will be a
completely normal race."