Inside the mind of a champion

In 2010, two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso accepted the challenge of life in red. A year later biking superstar Valentino Rossi waved goodbye to the Japanese machinery that had delivered his seven MotoGP titles (his two 'junior' crowns were won on Aprilias) to join Ducati.

So it was during the 21st edition of 'Wrooom', the annual media ski event sponsored by Philip Morris, the chief commercial partner of both Ferrari F1 and Ducati MotoGP (with additional support from Fiat, Shell and Puma) that the two champions met for the first time, and proceeded to, literally, paint the beautiful resort that familiar scarlet a year ago.

In celebration of the milestone event, ace snapper Ercole Colombo, one of the prime movers behind Wrooom - now as much part of the F1 calendar as a grand prix - collated a number of photographs into a superb 200-page softback book, with each chapter supplemented by interviews with the two champions during which they were asked identical questions, with the idea being to "conduct a parallel look at their lives in red and their encounter in Campiglio".

What follows are selected excerpts from the resulting publication Wrooom 2011. As could be expected from two highly individual sportsmen, in many instances their answers could not stand in greater contrast; equally, the book reveals a host of startling similarities. What follows is not a book review, but rather a dive into the fascinating mindsets of two of motorsport's greatest champions.

On each other...

Fernando Alonso: "Valentino made a very good impression on me right from the beginning. I didn't have any preconceived ideas and I didn't know what to expect, because I didn't want my opinion to be too influenced by what I already knew about him. I found him to be a really nice guy, and a very normal kind of person."

Valentino Rossi: "Getting to know Fernando reaffirmed my conviction that he's 'simpatico'. There is undoubtedly something very special about him. I mean let's face it... he's incredibly quick!"

On life in red...

Alonso says racing for Ferrari is living a dream every day © Sutton

FA: "Racing for Ferrari means living a dream every single day. It's something that lives with me from the moment I wake up in the morning and it stays with me right up to the evening. I don't really know how to describe this feeling."

VR: "I never really realised racing for Ducati would generate so much passion. I must admit that when I first sat on that red machine, I felt that this must surely be the most Italian sensation I could ever experience. I think that nobody anywhere else in the world manages to inspire such passion like the way we seem to."

On tifosi...

FA: "To become involved with such a vast army of fans, to feel their unfailing passion, means becoming part of Ferrari. What I mean is that I never really feel as if I'm facing my own personal fans, but that I'm being confronted with this vast sea of people that just simply love my team. They were there before I joined and they'll be there after I've left."

VR: "In bike racing it's a bit different. The fans are more linked to the rider than they are to the machine. Even so, Ducati manages to distinguish itself from the other brands because it does have its own fan base. So I reckon that with this 'marriage', I've now gained new fans and this for me is always very important - well, I'd say almost fundamental."

On pre-start rituals...

FA: "[I have] a kind of personal start procedure. I get changed at the very last moment, putting on my race overalls, balaclava, helmet and gloves and then get into the car ready to head for the starting grid. Then I climb out of the car [and do] two or three interviews before walking back to the pits. I stay there for a bit, relaxing and checking the weather forecast until 13:49. Then I go back to my car, and start to concentrate on the start. I don't know why I've chosen this exact time of 13:49. There's no particular reason, but this rule is never breached."

VR: "I can't really claim to be superstitious. On the other hand I do have a few rituals that help me build up my concentration. I go through them to reach my objective. I kneel down next to my bike so as to be just with myself for a few seconds. I also always have on me a cloth tortoise that my mother once gave me. She's a loyal friend, a symbol of affection."

Rossi has never gone to the extent of giving his bike - Ducati or otherwise - a name

On secret relationships...

FA: "I know some of my fellow drivers have some rather curious relationships with their cars. Some of them out of superstition; others just for fun. Some drivers even give their cars a name, while others almost talk to them. I don't. My car is just my car and that's all."

VR: "I've never given my bike a name, but the feeling one has with the machine is fundamental. It's about how one interacts with it that determines whether a rider can extract performance and results. It has a soul of its own; has its own way of behaving that needs to be compatible with mine. This is not always easy, but it's a bit like trying to get along with one's girlfriend."

On intra-team relationships

FA: "I have a very close and intense relationship with the people who work with me at the racetrack. As far as the mechanics are concerned, it's definitely not just a professional relationship. Quite the opposite. In my own group of mechanics there are three or four very special people. When we're under pressure it just needs a glance, one word or just a way of looking at each other and we're immediately able to express that sense of reassurance."

VR: "Our sport is undoubtedly the most individualistic one that exists, but for me one of the most enjoyable aspects is the relationship that's built up within the team. Once I've established this, then I always try to keep it that way because reciprocal trust in each other is fundamental. Anyone can make a mistake, but when we're all focused on the same objective one also needs to be able and forgive. I'm utterly convinced that the right atmosphere is absolutely critical."

On speed...

FA: "I love speed. I search for it; it's part of my life but in a very natural and rather profound way. If you want to send me into a real crisis mode, then force me to stay put for half a day. I'm a mover and if I can I move quickly. I become invariably annoyed when I'm obliged to become involved in long drawn out processes, like for example when I'm in the car stuck in a queue of traffic."

Alonso and Rossi have differing thoughts on their relationships with speed © LAT

VR: "My relationship with speed is inextricably linked to concentration. This is the only way one can approach this sport, and the only way one could ever think of practicing it as a professional. Speed forces you to think quickly, to make snap decisions and to take care of yourself. For a few hours every week, speed is my travel companion for whom I do everything. She's like a friend to whom I must always bear respect."

On the perfect lap...

FA: "Very often people ask me 'Does it happen that sometimes you do that perfect lap?' The answer is 'very rarely'. I'd say once every two or three years. I know that this might sound a bit exaggerated, but it's true. The last time it happened was in Barcelona during the qualifying session for the 2011 Spanish GP. It was a long time indeed since I last experienced such a feeling. You go into a corner and for a split second one thinks that perhaps one won't be able to exit it correctly, losing control of the car... Then you realise that was the only line to reach perfection. It hardly ever materialises because one's target is set so high that to be able to charge through a whole sequence of corners right on the real defining limit is difficult even for us professionals who are looking for that elusive limit all the time."

VR: "The perfect lap is an objective; a liberation, an achievement, because at high speed it's one of the most difficult targets to reach. It's almost impossible. It's not a question of riding on the limit but reaching the limit. The perfect lap is not the one that one has enjoyed most. In our sport riding on the limit means that you're on the verge of falling over, and crashing means getting hurt. Nothing must be left to chance. Your eyes are glued to the track, your body and hands are searching for that extreme feeling with the bike and the tarmac. Inside the helmet you're not smiling because you're going really fast, your reactions are almost automatic, the last of which is to look at your lap time."

On travel...

FA: "Our world tour is almost the same every season. There are no places that I have any particularly strong feelings about, be it in a negative or a positive way. One of the places I enjoy going to most is Singapore, but I don't really know why. At the other end of the spectrum I never really feel at ease in England. I don't know why. It might be something to do with the way hotel rooms are furnished, or with some little accessory, something very small and insignificant."

Rossi says no travels can compare to racing in front of his home crowd

VR: "In general I prefer European races compared to flyaways, especially events in Italy and Spain. I relish the kind of atmosphere one has over here, the enthusiasm of the fans, and all that goes with it. I really get a kick out of seeing them all enjoying themselves, listening to the noise they make, knowing that they're there for you. I kind of feed off their presence."

On team-mates...

FA: "Felipe [Massa] is an excellent team-mate. He's gives it everything he has and works very hard. What's more, he's also a very natural person, correct, polite and very professional and dedicated to his work 365 days a year. He loves his family. His wife, his son, his parents, his brother, they're all very closely knit. When I think of my team-mate, I think about a person for whom I have a lot of respect."

VR: "Nicky [Hayden] is the ideal team-mate. I've known him for a very long time and the best way to describe him would be that he's a really nice guy. He's an honest person and someone who never gives up. He's modest and he has a pleasant way of approaching his job, which I think is the best way to work with the team and one's team-mate."

On opponents...

FA: "In the last few years I've had two main reference points in Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, but I have a different opinion about each one of them. I consider Hamilton to be a very quick driver, aggressive and totally focused. All he's interested in is winning. Nothing else. A really talented driver. In my opinion Sebastian hasn't quite got to that level yet. I know that he's world champion and that he'll win another championship in 2011, but that's the way it is. For me he's just slightly below Lewis' standard."

VR: "In the course of my career, I've come across all kinds of different riders. I guess at the moment my two main rivals are [Casey] Stoner and [Jorge] Lorenzo. When one's rivals are as fast as they are, they become your objective by also acting as a stimulus for one's own performance. They're very different from each other. One of them is very talented and very strong mentally; the other also very talented, very instinctive but still always very fast."

Alonso rates Hamilton above Vettel © LAT

On winning...

FA: "Winning means winning. It means giving a sense of achievement to all one's efforts and fatigue. It's what crowns our ambitions; it's the only gratification one can be totally satisfied with. As I've often said before, winning with Ferrari means sharing an experience, sharing the teamwork that is so real and celebrating it with parties in so many corners of the planet. It's quite priceless, and it compensates one for everything that's been invested by so many individuals and companies."

VR: "To win is to win. It's something that for a few hours or for a few days completely overpowers you; it gives you that kind of magical feeling of being better than yourself, better than the others. It pays you back for all the efforts one's made. Sometimes though a win can look very different because it depends on how one obtained it, and that shouldn't be underestimated."

...and losing...

FA: "Losing is always painful. By now though, after 10 years of racing, I think I've matured and improved myself. I've learnt how to handle it and how to turn it into a positive by looking to carefully analyse the situation so as to understand what didn't work and how to solve the problem."

VR: "Losing is something anyone in our job fears. Losing can mean either not winning or not obtaining the result one wanted. Losing can mean finishing second when one could have won. One is shrouded by feelings of irritation; it marks the start of a process that is unwanted but constant."

On 2011...

FA: "I think I can consider 2011 a fairly positive year. We worked very hard indeed; we learnt a lot and we're building for the future. Undoubtedly we've been up against very strong competition. Red Bull contested the championship with a car that was born better than ours. This is part of racing, part of competition. Nobody gave up, and everyone stayed calm, even in the face of criticism. As far as I'm concerned it was precisely this challenge that made me understand and measure the extent of this strength; the strength of the team that is Ferrari."

VR: "At the moment my 2011 season is more like my previous considerations on defeat. It's been something different, new and something that I'd never experienced before. I think about my nine world championships and about how I now have to work differently. There's quite a difference, but if I dig deep into our problems, I find a way of making sense out of them."