Alonso: title has not changed me

Despite becoming the youngest champion in the sport's history - and the first ever from his home country of Spain - the Renault driver says that life is still no different to how it was before he was crowned.

"It hasn't changed anything for me," he said during a Renault celebratory event in Paris on Wednesday.

"I still think in the same way, that I want to beat the other people, the other competitors.

"I won the championship and I was World Champion of 2005, but 2006 is a new experience and I want to do the best for 2006, 2007, 2008 and whatever.

"I want to beat the competitors in whatever I do - whether it is F1 or beating people playing tennis tomorrow. I will have the same motivation I do with my life, so next year is a new challenge for me."

Alonso's determination to keep his life the same as before has even extended to not allowing himself the luxury of buying a present to celebrate his achievements.

"A lot of people have asked me what I bought after the championship to celebrate, but I didn't buy anything," he explained. "I come from a modest family and I don't like the life of the rich people so I didn't want to buy anything expensive because I don't know how to use it."

The switch to 2.4-litre V8 engines next year and the return of tyre changes has left the formbook for the 2006 season wide open, and Alonso believes that there is no guarantee he will start the campaign as the pace-setter.

"I will have number one on my car so probably I will be one of the three or four drivers at the start of the season who will be the favourite ones to win I think," he added.

"There will be the McLaren drivers, Michael Schumacher, probably Honda if they are good enough in winter tests and Renault - all of us could be champions at the end of 2006. It is up to us to repeat the success we had this year."

Renault are not due to run their 2006 car or their new V8 engine until January. They will continue testing with the 2005 machine at Barcelona this week, fitted with a V10 engine that simulates the power output of a V8.