TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Pressure to win won't affect Alonso in Singapore
In the lead up to the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso feels the biggest challenge is dealing with the pressure to win
Change Size
I
n the lead up to the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso feels the biggest challenge is dealing with the pressure to win.
'You need to be ready and confident to deal with the pressure and stress of racing for your sponsors or for the media,' Alonso commented during a live webcast from Singapore on Thursday.
'It's important to prepare yourself physically and mentally to handle the big responsibility on your shoulders in driving for these big brands.'
Alonso's team, Ferrari, is supported by numerous sponsors including Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell, British lender Santander and Internet security firm Kaspersky Lab.
The challenges that Alonso faces in the lead up to the Singapore Grand Prix are the need to adjust to the warmer climate of Singapore, as the humidity is different from the climate that he is used to in Europe. The Spanish-born driver elaborated that with such conditions, temperatures in the F1 vehicle cockpit could reach up to 55 degrees Celsius.
'The only difference [when racing in Asia], compared with racing in Europe, is trying to race with our European-oriented body clocks. Essentially, I will do the [free practice] Night Race while my body is still running on European time, which can be tiring,' Alonso said.
During the Asia-Pacific-wide live webcast, Alonso also praised the passionate response of racing fans in Asia, speaking of the thrill of racing in Asia and stepping onto a new circuit in a new country.
Alonso's appearance at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix will be his seventh, following his consecutive appearances since 2008. He won the race in 2008 and 2010 under different teams, Renault and Ferrari, respectively.
Alonso, who was born on July 29, 1981, has won 32 F1 races since 2003, making him one of six racers who have won more than 30 races. He is ranked fifth in the current championship race. The 2014 Singapore Grand Prix will be held on Sunday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Free practice is on Friday and qualifying on Saturday.
Other racers taking part are Alonso's Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, who are currently ranked first and second, respectively. (dyl)
