Q & A with Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso: Yes, it looks like they have something more than us and they took the advantage today for sure. Ferrari are too quick for us and Toyota are a little bit closer but not enough to beat them. So we are fifth and it was the maximum we could get to be the first Michelin team.

I think sometimes it goes on our side, sometimes on the other side. The same happens in China, in wet qualifying in the top ten cars there were nine Michelin runners and only Michael (Schumacher). This time it is against us, and we try to make the best from it.

Q. Do you think the situation will change tomorrow on the long runs, or do you think it will be the same picture?

FA: No, it will be better - I hope and we believe. Today in one lap performance it was a big difference in the tyres, we believe, and tomorrow it will be closer but still some advantage for them. It will be a very difficult race, as we knew this morning. But being best in qualifying or the race, we prefer the race because we will be close.

Q. What are the reasons that you believe it will be better tomorrow?

FA: Looking at the Bridgestone tyres today, after one lap or two laps they have quite a good amount of graining compared to ours, which looks okay. And secondly because it has been all season like this. I think that for months they have a very, very good first lap with the tyres, and things are more equal in the race. The type of tyres they brought here, and the ones we brought here, are the same characteristics. So we believe we will be closer in the race.

Q. Will it be a similar story to Turkey, where Felipe was ahead of Michael in practice but in the race you beat him?

FA: We hope so. I think it will be one of the good examples. In qualifying they looked super quick in Turkey. In Q2 Michael was 1.5 seconds in front of everything and in the race I finished second and Michael finished third. So the races are very long. We have to be realistic that we are not on the right pace maybe this weekend compared to the Bridgestone and if we finish on the podium, overtaking the Toyotas, it will be a super result for us. But we have to be realistic.

Q. What about the weather? How much will that change things for tomorrow?

FA: It will affect everything. It was so close today after the first practice it nearly started raining and then the clouds went away. The same in qualifying. If some of these clouds had put the rain on the track then the qualifying would be a completely different story for us.

Hopefully tomorrow it is raining for us; we know in dry conditions it will be very difficult. But in the wet we have a chance. So this will be one of the better things that can happen to us. If not, as I said in the dry, then the podium finish is the maximum that we could do.

Q. How frustrated were you by what Massa was doing?

FA: A little bit. I saw some drops of rain on Turn 11 and Turn 14, and I said it would be better to do a good timed lap now just in case it is raining, so we tried to set a time. I put all the revs in the engine, I tried to do my best in two laps but I had traffic in front. It was good because afterwards it didn't rain.

Q. Will you complain about what Massa did?

FA: No, we won't complain.

Q. Do you expect Massa to give Michael a free way tomorrow?

FA: Yes!

Q. Are you disappointed by today's result?

FA: Not exactly disappointment. I think in a way we are happy because we did the maximum of the Michelin and of the car. To be fifth and sixth is quite good for us. To be honest in the race we are still there. We are quite open, and with a good possibility.

As I said in China, everything looks so good for us. We were favourites and it looked like quite an easy race, but we lost the race. Ferrari looks like it is the same here - so easy and the favourites tomorrow. But there are 53 laps in front of us and you have to finish the 53 laps with no mechanical problems, with no pit-stop problems and no start problems. Anything can happen tomorrow and starting fifth the chances are still the same. They are very, very good.

Q. Do you think the tyre situation could change for Brazil again?

FA: Yes. Every race it changes and it is a surprise when we arrive to the track. You always find some good or some bad news, depending how is the tyre. I think for Brazil we cannot be looking at this race only. In the last four or five races we probably had better tyres than Bridgestone, so hopefully we can keep that situation.

Q. What feelings do you have with this being such an important race for the championship?

FA: For sure when you are equal on points to Ferrari and to Michael, and you have a disadvantage with the tyres it is frustrating. You do the maximum with the car and with the engineers; you see all the Bridgestone cars in front of you. But we have this big advantage a couple of times with the Michelin tyres and sometimes we took the opportunity, sometimes we lost it. It is always like that, with two manufacturers sometimes you are going to have an advantage, sometimes you are going to have a disadvantage.

Q. Do you prefer everyone having the same tyre like it will be next year?

FA: No, I prefer this battle.