Alonso: Bahrain victory was result of hard work and luck
Alonso said having a large points tally haul before the start of the European season is crucial
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Tuesday, 16, Mar 2010 10:15
By Adam Leveridge.
Fernando Alonso said his win at the Bahrain grand prix was down to the hard work of the Ferrari team over the winter, however, he admits that luck also played a part.
The double-world champion made the switch to Ferrari at the end of 2009, following two fruitless years with Renault, with whom he won both his world titles in 2005 and 2006.
The Spaniard has made no secret of his wish to race for Ferrari and he kicked off his relationship with the Maranello-based outfit on the highest note by clinching victory in the opening grand prix of the year in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with team-mate Felipe Massa completing a Ferrari one-two, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third and Sebastien Vettel in fourth.
"I want to dedicate this victory to president Luca di Montezemolo, who believed in me and to our mechanics who did a really great job, especially this morning, when they changed the engine on my car in a very short time," said Alonso.
"Jumping onto the top step of the podium was a special feeling and I hope I have matched the expectations of the whole team.
"We worked so much this winter and now we are beginning to see the results of that."
Alonso believes the opening flyaway races of the season are crucial for the championship fight and the Spaniard hopes to arrive at the start of the European season with a lot of points on the board and a better understanding of how to manage the tyres under the heavy fuel loads.
"The key to winning will be to continue to develop the car race by race," said Alonso.
"On the harder tyres, we went very well, but with the softer ones, I was struggling a bit to stay close to Vettel.
"I was planning to attack in the final ten laps, but luck gave me a hand: you always need a bit in every race.
"At the start, I got away well, making the most of being on the clean side of the track and I managed to pass Felipe, going for a space that was big enough to pull off the move without any risk.
"Then I was lucky not to have any problems with the car, while my team-mate had a more difficult time and had to ease up a bit.
"Now it's time to think about Australia. We will see who has the best car at that track, but I think the four top teams will all be in the fight."
Massa, in the second of the scarlet cars, who made his return to his race-seat for the first time since his near fatal accident during qualifying for last year's Hungarian grand prix, made it a Ferrari one-two in Bahrain, despite having to manage his engine temperatures for the most part.