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Nothing has Changed, Says Alonso

Renault's Fernando Alonso says nothing has really changed in his life despite his new status as Formula One's youngest Champion

The 24-year-old Spaniard, who clinched the title with two races to spare in Brazil at the end of last month, said he had spent the time since Interlagos relaxing at home in Oxford, England with family and friends.

"It is a dream come true and I have enjoyed this week so much," he told a news conference on Thursday before Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.

"I have not done anything special but just remembered the great moments of this 2005 season and my career.

"Nothing's really changed," he added when asked how different he felt life would become. "We did a good job this season, we won the Championship but Formula One is different every year.

"Next year will be a new motivation, a new challenge with the new rules, so hopefully we can maintain this level and we can fight for the title again, or maybe not, who knows?" added the winner of six of 17 races so far this year.

"What we have done is fantastic for Renault and for me, and life keeps going."

While Alonso has an unassailable 23-point lead over McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, Renault and McLaren are still battling for the constructors' title with the latter team two points ahead of the French carmaker.

Alonso said he might be harder to overtake in the last two races, given that he no longer had any need to race conservatively, but he would also be more relaxed.

"For the drivers, the only important thing or the only thing that motivates you is the drivers' championship," he said. "The constructors' is good because you feel part of the team but at the end of the day it is not so important for you.

"It is true there is not the same motivation for the last two races but now in my case I will enjoy these two races because I have no pressure or anything to do specially.

"I will do my best, I will go as quickly as I can and this is what I like and I will feel happy in the car," said Alonso.

"It doesn't matter...whether it is rainy or dry, or if you have the wrong tyre on the car or the right tyre, it doesn't matter. You only enjoy." The Spaniard said he had learned one simple lesson from his history-making season.

"I learned that when you have a good car you can win, that is the only thing," he declared. "Last year the car was very difficult to drive and we had a lot of problems but I still finished fourth in the Championship.

"But I was missing something, I was missing something to win the championship and now I have the answer: you need a good car and a good team, and if you have everything together you can win," he said.

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