Alonso and Renault, a difficult breakup during an exclusive interview

Renault has a hard time parting with its good drivers, but when it comes to Fernando Alonso, the emotion is even greater. The team will let Alonso go for the 2010 season and is looking for a replacement for next year.

To prove that Fernando Alonso will always be part of the Renault family, the team unveils an exclusive statement from the Spanish driver. Everything and nothing, to be read carefully by fans of the double world champion.

Your life has literally been a high-speed train: always at maximum speed with only a few stops. Have the nine years spent in Formula 1 gone by quickly?

Yes, these nine years have gone by very quickly. Years go by quickly under normal circumstances, and when you’re a driver, they go by even faster because we’re constantly traveling and our schedule is always very full with races, partner events, etc. In fact, I feel like I started just yesterday!

Are you happy to have made so many sacrifices?

Yes. It’s my life and it’s what I love to do. I’ve always been like this: sitting in a single-seater, hands on the steering wheel.

Could you live without Formula 1?

I think so, yes. It’s my job for now and my passion, but it won’t last forever. I have other dreams that I will be ready to pursue when the time comes.

You once said that no matter how long you stay in Formula 1, you want to end your driving career by winning a world championship. Is that still how you feel?

Yes, it’s something I think about but it’s not easy to imagine. In fact, the danger is that when you win and everything is going well, you’re always tempted to want to continue without necessarily realizing that winning a title is something very complicated. That’s why I tell myself that in a few years, if I have the chance to win a title, it might be the best opportunity to retire from Formula 1.

Will you miss what you leave behind? Renault is your life, the people you know so well, your family…

Yes, throughout my entire life in F1, I have walked with Renault, hand in hand. There are people I will never forget and, thanks to them, I have achieved what I have today. I will be eternally grateful to them. I will stay in touch with all the good friends I made during all these years at Renault. It is a team and a group of people that I will always keep in my heart.

How many people don’t actually know you?

A lot. In truth, they wouldn’t need to know who I am. I think they should only be interested in me when I’m behind the wheel of the car.

You are 28 years old, you have won two world championship titles, you earn a good living… what remains of the 19-year-old young man who made his debut in Australia in 2001?

I am the same man today as I was on that day in March 2001 when I arrived in Australia. I haven’t changed. The things that have changed are around me. When I arrived at Minardi, nobody knew me and nobody was interested in me in the paddock. Today people have more respect, they admire me, and maybe that’s what has changed. Fernando, the person, has remained the same. Perhaps it’s thanks to my upbringing and I owe it to my family, who are humble and who, today as yesterday, have the same activities and it will always be like that.

You are not the typical driver who sees themselves as a superstar…

I am a normal person. People who know me well know that I have never changed.

Many people think you are the best…

The only thing I know is that I can get 100% performance out of the car they give me… no, I don’t think I can say that I’m the best.

You are very honest. Sometimes it’s a virtue. Do you think it can also be a disadvantage?

I don’t think it’s a disadvantage. We need to say things face to face when things are going well. When things aren’t going as well, we talk face to face to make improvements but never to criticize.

How do you wish to say goodbye to Renault?

With good races. After the first podium of the season, and it was a great joy for everyone, I hope to score as many points as possible for the team in the last three races of the season. And, of course, I will say goodbye to all the people who are dear to me and I hope we will be good rivals in the future. I will miss them a lot. I wish them much success.

You are the eleventh driver in history with as many victories. You are one victory away from entering the top ten, two away from tying with Nelson Piquet, three victories from tying with Juan Manuel Fangio, four from tying with Niki Lauda and Jim Clark, and six victories from Jackie Stewart. How does that make you feel?

I don’t follow statistics. It’s good to know, and now that you’re telling me, I have hope. When I stop, I can think back and tell myself that I’m at the same level as the greatest in this sport, among all these legends, and I will be very proud.

You fought to get to where you are today, but as a person, who has helped you in life?

My family

After a significant number of victories, have you learned to lose?

Yes, I have learned to lose because as we age, we learn to understand the rules of life, that destinies exist, and the nature of sports itself. It’s a very simple rule of life. But there are moments when we feel ready to win and we must seize these opportunities, and the only thing to do in these situations is to try to improve as quickly as possible.

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team