Fernando Alonso saluted his Renault team and
departing Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher on Sunday after winning his second
Formula One championship in a row in Brazil. "I think it was good to fight with
him," the Spaniard said of seven times champion Schumacher, who finished fourth
in the last race of his career.
Renault Formula One driver Fernando
Alonso of Spain kisses his trophy after finishing second in the Brazilian
Grand Prix, the last F1 race of the season, at the Interlagos track in Sao
Paulo, October 22, 2006. Alonso won his second successive Formula One
world championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday. The 25-year-old
Spaniard, needing only one point to secure the title, finished second in
the season-ending race at Interlagos. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, who
had to win to have any hope of a record eighth title in his last race
before retirement, was fourth.[Reuters] |
"I
always said that to become champion when Michael was still on the track has
maybe more value than when he retired, and I was extremely lucky to win the last
two championships he raced in.
"I think all the drivers wish him the best for his new life with his family.
It has been a pleasure for us to race with him," said Alonso.
Sunday was also Alonso's last race for Renault before joining
Mercedes-powered McLaren in 2007 and the 25-year-old thanked the Anglo-French
team for everything.
He had needed to secure just one point to guarantee the championship at
Interlagos and ultimately that was never in doubt as he finished second behind
Schumacher's Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa.
"It has been a fantastic weekend and now I probably need some time to believe
that I'm champion again," he told a news conference.
"I'm 25-years old, two championships now, and two constructors' as well. It's
my last race for Renault after five years' relationship, a fantastic way to
finish the relationship with this success.
"I will have these memories with them all my life and to finish the last race
like this is something that you never dream of, you never even try to dream of,
because it's always more than what you expected," he said.
Alonso won seven grands prix this year, the same as last season, while
Renault retained their constructors' title despite Ferrari winning more races.
The Spaniard triumphed in his home Spanish Grand Prix and at Monaco, the
glamour highlight to the season.
"To all the people in the team, who did a fantastic job, I want to say thanks
again to all of them," he said. "They were completely my family in Formula One."
With Schumacher departed, Alonso will be the only champion in Formula One
next season but he joins a team that has not won since 2005.
He left no doubt that he was looking forward to that challenge.
"I knew that 2006 would be a good season for us and Renault should be on top,
fighting for the championship and I knew that this year there would be the
possibility to become champion and we were ready to take it," he said.
"I feel that for the next three years also at McLaren I will have the
opportunity to have a good car.
"Renault, for sure, will have a good car but hopefully I will find new
motivation with McLaren, a new challenge, new people, a new way to work and this
is really very important for me and I'm looking forward to this new thing."
