Fernando Alonso Q&A: My reputation is intact

They say you can recognise a champion in the way he handles a crisis - and many would say the aftermath of the German Grand Prix constituted a crisis for Ferrari. Perhaps no surprise then that the team’s double world champion, Fernando Alonso, seems completely unflustered by the continuing media attention in Hungary. All that matters to him is that his 2010 title campaign is back on track. Only in Abu Dhabi will we know just how critical his Hockenheim pass on Felipe Massa was…

Q: Fernando, how much have you been affected by what was written about you and Ferrari after the result of the German Grand Prix?
Fernando Alonso: Of course it doesn't affect me, not at all. If we lost only one percent of our concentration because of things that have been said in the media we'd be totally lost. Not only because of Germany, but because there's always a small anecdote to every race - one time it is the crash between the Red Bulls in Turkey, the next time it is the overtaking in the pit lane between Massa and myself. There is always something to talk about the week after a race, so we cannot pay too much attention to it. There are many opinions on things anyway, and many things have been said in the last couple of days. The opinion of some of the drivers or team principals is their opinion and we respect that, but we have to concentrate on our job. For us the only important thing is that the car is competitive and we can do well here in Hungary as well.

Q: What do you think the fans are making of what happened and what has been written in the media?
FA: For sure some of them are unhappy with some races and not only the one in Germany. There were also some other races this year. Some other fans don't care.Today when I arrived in Hungary, the airport was full, also the hotel was full of people cheering for us, and these are the fans I saw so far. Maybe I will see some others that are unhappy, but for now I only saw the ones that were happy.

Q: What’s your comment on Felipe Massa saying that he is not a number-two driver?
FA: I think there is no number-two driver, and also no number-one driver. I think it is more about the respect for each other, and moreover respect for racing for the Scuderia - which means a lot. I think we are happy with the performance of the car in the last couple of races and in Germany finally there was the point were we arrived with both cars to the chequered flag without any problems and we were both able to score points. But also in Silverstone and Valencia the car was good, so our aim here is to continue this line. There is nothing to add to this conversation - it is the past and we said everything in Germany already.

Q: Do you think because of what happened in Germany, your personal reputation has been affected?
FA: I don't think anything has changed for me or that anything will come back to me. I am still the same and I will always fight for the best things possible, for my team, for the sport and hopefully I can do well my entire career. So I do not think at all that my reputation has taken any bad affect because of this.

Q: Do you have any concerns that the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) meeting on this topic will bring any further sanctions to you or the team?
FA: I am not wasting any time thinking of the verdict with the WMSC meeting.We drivers have to fully concentrate on the races ahead now, and especially this one, as we have some good possibilities of delivering a good performance. Anything that happens in the future of the WMSC is not in our hands.

Source: Formula1.com

LIKE A CHATTERBOX: Kimi Räikkönen is a prisoner of his own reputation

Distant, ice-cold and uninterested or funny, laid-back and social?

A little distant perhaps, but in no way ice-cold.

Definitely funny and talkative.

After several calls Kimi Räikkönen's persona starts taking shape.

We got an unusually truthful picture of Kimi Räikkönen in the latest DNA-commercial where a man wearing a hoodie makes fun of himself, smiles a lot - and talks only after the press conference is over.

He really talks like a pot full of beans.

- The media image isn't right in his case. He is in no way a quiet guy, Kimi's co-driver Kaj Lindström assures.

Calm

According to friends, Räikkönen is happy and laid-back but also deliberative. When he was younger there was maybe more fooling around, but these days the man is level-headed.

- In the group of friends others are noisier, but Kimi also babbles all the time and tells stories, Räikkönen's friend tells.

Does it sound like the Räikkönen in TV?

No it doesn't.

The reputation is formed through the stuff reporters create. After trasferring to rally, Kimi's media image has softened. Manager Steve Robertson reminds that Räikkönen has been himself all the time.

- I don't see that he would be any different in rally. In Formula One you reporters don't have access to places where you are allowed to go in rally. They have more time for you here. In F1 it is only a few questions or five minutes.

Two worlds

- There are two different worlds. Those who know him talk about a completely different Kimi than those who don't know him, Heikki Kulta from Turun sanomat says.

- You get a totally different picture of him through media, or you could say that you get several different pictures of him. He concentrates on racing and shuts off other things so fully that he seems ice-cold and distant, says Kikka Kuosmanen who took care of Kimi's arrangements from his junior-years until last year.

Räikkönen himself admits that you must be careful around reporters and other people around you.

- You usually see in what business each of them are there for. However, it hasn't never really concerned me. Of course there are things that don't go as they should but that happens to everyone. Someone can always make a crappy article if they want to, Räikkönen says to Iltalehti.

A shy boy from Espoo

Along the years Räikkönen has of course changed. In the background there is still the same young man who sensationally rised to Sauber's F1-driver 2001 after only one Formula Renault-season - and who is excited about nearly every sport and motorgadget.

- He has changed of course. He is no longer the shy fellow who ran away from reporters. He was loaded with pressure for his first F1-race. When he got a good result from it, he clearly let go more, Kulta says.

Anette Latva-Piikkilä, who used to race with Räikkönen and these days works as MTV3's rallyreporter, agrees with Kulta.

- When Kimi transferred to F1, he got a lot more confidence. The shy little boy was stepped aside and was replaced by a confident racing driver. Trasferring to rally in turn brought his true personality more to light. He is a funny and sociable man, and nearly always in a good mood, Latva-Piikkilä says.

- Time has left some marks. It hasn't changed the big picture. The sport has just changed a little, Räikkönen characterizes his growth.

JUSSI OJALA

Source: Iltalehti
Courtesy: Leijona