Spanish F1 fans are not racist, claims Alonso
Thursday, 21 Feb 2008 20:37
Alonso has defended Spanish Formula One fans
Fernando Alonso has denied formula one fans in Spain are racist after Lewis Hamilton was subjected to abuse in Barcelona earlier this month.
Speaking for the first time on the abuse, Alonso has defended the Spanish supporters, describing the problem as an "isolated incident".
"I don't think this is a racist country and the fans aren't either. Whoever says there's racism in Spain is talking about isolated cases," Alonso told Spanish newspaper AS.
He added: "The less we talk about what happened 15 days ago, the better, because that's a completely isolated case from someone who was celebrating a carnival."
Hamilton is F1's first black driver and was abused by fans at the Circuit de Catalunya. A group shouted insults, painted their faces black and wore wigs with T-shirts saying "Hamilton's family".
Alonso went on to speak about his chances in the upcoming F1 season, playing down his chances in the championship race following his move to Renault.
"We are pretty far behind. We are not in a position to fight for anything important right now. Thinking about a podium would be too optimistic... it is a dream," Alonso said.
Alonso was speaking after the second day of testing at the Montmelo circuit, which was cut short due to rain.