Alonso will come to the Valencia marina-based circuit eager to erase his performance last year, when he drove into a wall in the very first lap of the race. Now that his Renault R29 is showing a huge amount of progress as compared to the first part of the season, the 2-time world champion believes he can challenge for the top spots on Sunday.
“I think that the car can be just as competitive in Valencia. Last year my race there was very short – less than a lap – so I’m really determined to make up for that this weekend and hopefully we can fight for the podium,” said Alonso in a press preview for the European GP.
“I’ve always enjoyed racing on street circuits as they have a special atmosphere and the whole city gets involved in the race. Also, as it’s a home race for me I know that there will be amazing support from the fans and I really want to reward them with a good result. As I’ve said, I would love to fight for the podium, but the main priority is to score points this weekend,” added the Spaniard.
As confirmed by Renault's chief engineer Pat Symonds, the R29 will not feature any changes in Valencia, as the first upgrade on the team's 2009 challenger will only debut at Spa-Francorchamps, later this year. Those changes will aim to improve the R29's medium and low downforce configurations for the Spa and Monza races.
Back to Alonso however, the Spaniard admitted he is excited to team up with a new colleague for the European GP – Romain Grosjean – with whom he admits he already gets along pretty well.
“I also have a new teammate this weekend and I’m looking forward to working with Romain who I’m sure will do a good job for the team. I already have a good relationship with him and hopefully he can help us score some important points for the championship,” added Alonso.
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