22/10/2006
NEWS STORY
Fernando Alonso: What a wonderful feeling this is. We have done a fantastic last part of the championship, scoring 26 points out of 30 possible, and that was enough to make us double champions. It is such a special moment to win both titles on the same day, and the atmosphere in the team is unbelievable right now. I have to say thank you; thank you to everybody in the team, to all the people at Enstone and Viry, to Michelin, to my team-mate Giancarlo and to Heikki, who has done so much good work this year. In 2006, they have taught me many lessons: to always stay fair play, to put in the effort, to keep the focus and the determination to win. It has been up and down for us, but they never forgot the target, and we have done it now. My memories from this season will be from the win in Barcelona, and also these times now, celebrating with the mechanics – and the celebrations to come in the next weeks in Spain. This is the right time to enjoy what we have done. I am proud
to have been racing with Michael as well. It is an honour to have won the final two championships of his career, and I think they will mean more than any others I can win in my career. He is retiring as the man with all the records, and it has been big pressure to race against him – and a big privilege as well.
Giancarlo Fisichella: I am so happy this afternoon. Psychologically, this was a tough race at the end of a very hard season. But we went out there today, and did the job. For me, the key parts of the race were with Michael Schumacher in the first laps and towards the end as well. He was so quick today, that it was nearly impossible to keep him behind. The first time, he overtook me and we were side by side into the first corner – then I saw him have big oversteer in the second corner and got back past. But the key point in the race was towards the end, when he was behind me for five or six laps. I knew I had to keep him there for as long as possible, so he couldn’t make up more positions, and I did my best. Eventually, I braked very late on the bumps, locked the front tyres and he got past. But I did enough. For me personally, I am fourth in the championship, which is my best ever result. It has been an incredible season, and we will be celebrating this evening.
Alain Dassas, President: Renault’s achievement in becoming double world champions, twice in a row, has nothing to do with luck. We have done it because we were quicker and more reliable than our rivals – and because we were able to raise our game compared to 2005 by scoring more points and finishing more races. One of the greatest satisfactions was to feel the entire Renault Group behind us at every stage, pushing us towards this victory. We were determined not to let them down, and the team has done Renault proud. As for our departing champion Fernando, he deserves this second title like no other. He has been an extraordinary part of our team, and we will miss him. However, Formula 1 is all about reacting to change, and meeting new challenges. We will begin a new adventure next year, and that is the thrilling challenge of this sport.
Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: It was an incredible fight with Ferrari this year, and first of all I want to congratulate Michael on an amazing race this afternoon. But we have done the job, and we deserve these titles. The whole team, from Fernando to all our colleagues in Enstone and Viry, have had a very difficult time this year. There have been many ups and downs, but we have never backed down, we never gave up and we are champions. As a team, we made fewer mistakes than our rivals, and Fernando made fewer mistakes than Michael. We must not forget Giancarlo, who has had a very strong season, and his points have made the difference between finishing first and second. Of course, none of this could have been possible without our partners – Mild Seven and Michelin, who will be leaving us this year as champions, and every group that has been part of this success. Thank you to them, to our supporters and to the Renault Group for their commitment to this team. They are all worthy world champions.
Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: Today’s race was an incredibly exciting end to a thrilling championship, and probably one of the most stressful races of my career! But in the end, the whole team is ecstatic with the result, and it is a fitting end to our partnership with Fernando. He is a thoroughly deserving world champion, and we wish him all the best for the future; he will be a tough competitor, but we relish competition! Congratulations also to Michelin. The work they have done, particularly in the last two months, has been exemplary and they retire with their heads held high. We also wish all the best to Michael. He has played an important part for me personally in my career, and has been a worthy competitor to the team for many years. We hope to see him again, and wish him the very best
for the future. The final word, though, goes to this amazing Renault team. These world championships are for every member of our organisation, from top to bottom. Those of us who travel get to enjoy these moments at the track, but our team-mates in Enstone and Viry have given us the tools to do the job this season with their
unstinting effort and commitment. This victory belongs to each and every one of them.
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