The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : `Alonso Mania' grips Spanish Grand Prix

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Saturday, May 07, 2005

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Sport - Racing : Motor

`Alonso Mania' grips Spanish Grand Prix

Barcelona: Just call it `Fernando Hysteria,' or `Alonso Mania.' By any name, Fernando Alonso's homecoming in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix should be unforgettable.

About 10,000 fans from his birthplace in Spain's northern region of Asturias are expected to arrive in about 50 buses and 3,000 cars, guaranteeing a frantic sellout of 115,000 at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Going for a fourth straight victory, Fernando Alonso played it low-key before his home crowd in Friday's practice, sitting out one session and just making the top 10 in the other. Yet he remains the man to beat.

The Renault driver opted to sit out the first practice session and was ninth in the second. He still has two runs before Saturday's first qualifying session.

McLaren-Mercedes test driver Pedro de la Rosa of Spain led both practices. He clocked 1m15.675s in the first session on the 4.627-kilometer (2.876-mile) Circuit de Catalunya. In the afternoon practice, he posted a time of 1:15.62s.

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher was fourth in his Ferrari with 1:17.574 in the morning and 13th in the afternoon at 1:18.802.

Christian Klien of Austria in a Red Bull-Cosworth was next with 1:16.821 in first practice, followed by Germany's Nick Heidfeld in a Williams-BMW with 1:17.047.

Spain's superstar

After winning the last three races, the 23-year-old Alonso is Spain's first Formula One superstar. He's the first Spaniard to win a GP, and the first to lead the season standings. If he wins Sunday, he'll be the first Spaniard to win the Spanish GP — which was first contested 54 years ago.

"The reaction in Spain has been great. It's more motivation," the softly-spoken Alonso said on Thursday, dressed in the blue and yellow of Renault — the same colours as the regional flag of his native Asturias.

Thursday is usually a dead day, leading to the Sunday race. But not this time.

Packed 10-deep in a line that stretched 300 yards down the pit lane, blue-and yellow-clad fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Alonso waved prorammes, caps and cameras. Men hoisted women on their shoulders to sneak a peak. Others used their tiptoes.

Chanting: ``Al-lon-so, Al-lon-so'' during the F-1 ``open house,'' they outnumbered red-wearing Ferrari fans by 10 to 1. That's how the weekend is shaping up.

If Alonso wins on Sunday, it will be four straight. No driver in F-1 history who has won four in a row has failed to win the series title in the same season.

Alonso already leads the season standings with 36 points, twice as many as Jarno Trulli of Toyota, and a whopping 26 ahead of seven-time series champion Michael Schumacher and Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.

``The feeling is obviously great,'' Alonso said. ``For me, it's a very special weekend, and I would like to race in Spain every 15 days because the atmosphere is fantastic. You see the blue colour in the grandstands, and that's motivating you at every corner.

``At the same time, it's more difficult to go out on the street, to go to the hotel, to be in traffic and have the buses stop and ask for autographs,'' added Alonso, who lives in Oxford, England, to avoid the crunch of celebrity.

``It's difficult to move around here.'' The 36-year-old Schumacher has a record 83 victories, but he hasn't won since the penultimate race of last season.

He came close two weeks ago at San Marino, but was held off on the final 12 laps by Alonso who, despite a slower car, artfully braked and outwitted Schumacher to win by inches. McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya, returning to Formula One after missing two races due to injury, crashed heavily in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix on Friday.

The Colombian clambered from his wrecked car after crashing at turn nine some 30 seconds from the end of the day's second session. He appeared to be suffering some pain in his left arm as he climbed over the tyre wall.

Narain spins

India's Narain Karthikeyan had to muscle his Jordan Toyota EJ15 to post the 17th fastest time after two practice sessions.

After finishing behind his teammate Tiago Monteiro and third driver Robert Doornbos in the first session, the Indian ace pushed hard to finish fractions of seconds ahead of the two drivers in the second.

From a timing of 1:21.628, Narain improved nearly three seconds to come in at 1:18.858, this despite the EJ15 slipping and swerving on the Catalunya circuit.

Narain was happy that he brought in the car without damage. "We are continuing the set-up of the car today in preparation of the race," Narain, the first Indian to drive in Formula One, said.

"Up to now, things have developed well despite my small spin on the dirty and slippery surface of the Barcelona track that gives a lot of understeer to the car."

The Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth of the season, will be telecast live on STAR Sports on Sunday from 5.15 p.m. onwards.

The top ten: Second practice: 1. Pedro de la Rosa 1m15.62s; 2. Ricardo Zonta 1:16.220; 3. Nick Heidfeld 1:26.527; 4. Kimi Raikkonen 1:16.586; 5. Jarno Trulli 1:16.553; 6. David Coulthard 1:17.797; 7. Giancarlo Fisichella 1:17.200; 8. Ralf Schumacher 1:17.264; 9. Fernando Alonso 1:17.356; 10. Juan Pablo Montoya 1:17.555; 17. Narain Karthikeyan 1:18.858. — Agencies

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