Alonso motivated at home

He had already earned a pole position (Malaysia) before last year's Spanish Grand Prix, but the race at Barcelona was perhaps the first real indication of the depth of Fernando Alonso's emerging talent. The Spaniard shone on home ground as he chased Michael Schumacher's superior Ferrari all the way to the flag.

"The attention adds motivation not pressure," said Alonso. "Obviously, I need to make sure it doesn't disrupt my preparations, but the attention from the fans is definitely a big boost for me. When I am driving, it gives me something extra: somehow, you concentrate more, you focus more.

"I remember from last year on the last lap, how everybody was stood in the stands cheering - they are fantastic supporters in Barcelona, and the crowd definitely gives me a boost.

"To see the grandstands full of 100,000 people and know that 95% of them are supporting Renault is a unique sight, and something it's hard to forget. It is a special feeling to be at my home race, in front of my people, and I am looking forward to that.

Although this has been Alonso's best start to an F1 season, the Renault, even with the new B-spec engine introduced at Imola is not currently a match for the WilliamsF1 FW26 or the BAR 006: "We need to be careful talking about performance because, in their own way, each one of the first races has been a surprise for us, and we have had different levels of competitiveness at each track.

"We will be doing our maximum, both me and the team, and we think a strong result may be possible. But let's wait and see."

Alonso's team-mate Jarno Trulli is more confident. "I go to every race feeling optimistic, but especially Barcelona," said the Italian. "I didn't get past the first corner last year, but the car was very strong, and we know the R24 is very competitive there too.

"I have had my strongest start to the season since I joined Renault, and we know this is historically a good circuit for our car. Our rivals are very strong at the moment, and the battle is very close, but we will keep pushing to improve our performance."

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