You are here: ninemsn > Ralph > stuff

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

What I know about...

Inspiration: I used to watch Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost driving with McLaren and want to be where they were. I can remember watching them when I was a kid and playing in front of the TV with a toy McLaren car.

Family: I could not have achieved what I have in my career without the support of my whole family. My father has been the biggest influence on my life, and has always instilled good values and education into me. I knew how to value what I had, the effort they had to make at home, because we are just a normal family. My parents both worked, and I spent a good part of their wages on karting; the only way to “pay” for their effort was to win races and make the sport worthwhile. Seeing my father’s face after every win was the best reward he could give me.

Winning the 2005 F1 Championship: After the race and the celebrations that took place with my team, I spent the week with my family and friends, just taking in what had happened. I had a great time. The celebrations in Oviedo [Spain, his hometown] were just amazing. As I was in Brazil I could not be there, but I’ve seen footage and it was fantastic. There were thousands of people in the main square and the atmosphere looked incredible. Because of the rest of the season, I didn’t have a chance to go home until late October. All the fans had gathered in the square again and I spoke to them from the town hall. It was quite a feeling.

The drive to succeed: Every time I achieve something I need to set myself a new target – that’s just how I am. When I became the youngest Formula 1 World Champion in 2005, I needed a new target, which was to become double World Champion. Now I have new motivation with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. You never know what might happen in Formula 1. There are new rules, new cars, new tyres this year. I needed the challenge, and I needed motivation – both in my career and in my life. It was making me feel old at 25. I wanted to feel young again. Now I do because it’s a new job, with new people and a new car. I’m lucky, though, because I’ve gone from one good team to another.

Fame: I sometimes find the fame side of being a Formula 1 driver difficult, but I think that’s just human nature. Everyone wants to be able to switch off sometimes and just chill with your family and friends. I’ve achieved my dreams by becoming a driver, winning the World Championship and now joining Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I have from my home country and across the world. The response I get from people is amazing and it makes me feel really proud to be racing for them. You just have to make sure you can find a good balance.

Spare time: I spend as much time as possible with my family and friends doing normal things like playing computer games, going to a restaurant; relaxing, basically.

Is Fernando Alonso the world's best ever FI driver? Leave your comment below.