Alonso

One driver who will be attracting his fair share of attention at next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix won't drive a single lap. Not this year, anyway. But next year, Fernando Alonso will be back in the saddle. And because of that his life is already changing as he is being sought by journalists, television crews and, of course, ESPN.com.

Alonso has been a regular visitor to Formula One races this year, but he has been in the background as the test driver for Renault while the team's stars Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli got all the limelight. The news last month that Alonso would replace Button in 2003 altered all that. Alonso's life suddenly changed, because even though he won't race until the season-opener in Australia next March, he is already being sought for interviews.

"It is good," Alonso told ESPN.com of his new popularity. "I had this feeling last year when I drove for Minardi, so I have come back to the race life. I enjoy the interviews and the pressure because testing is okay but it's a little bit frustrating to be at the races. It was very difficult. On the race weekends it is a little bit boring. To watch the practice and race on TV is really a different feeling."

Last year, Alonso wasn't watching the races on TV but competing as one of the hot new rookies in F1. The Spanish driver's talent shown through even though he was in the uncompetitive Minardi. He had won the Spanish Go-kart championship in 1994, '96 and '97 and the world karting title in '97, too. He switched to cars in 1999, finished fourth in the Formula 3000 championship in 2000 and was only 19 when he made his F1 debut last year.

This year, however, he had to follow the wishes of his masters and not race. He is under contract to Renault, and also to manager Flavio Briatore, who runs the team. And Renault wanted Alonso to spend this year working and maturing as a test driver for the team. Renault's engineers rate Alonso's technical feedback highly.

The crew loves his laid-back personality. It's rumored that Alonso was picked two years ago for a seat in 2003. Whatever happened behind the scenes, Renault waited until last month to publicly confirm that he would actually graduate to that post in 2003.

In the meantime, he was -- and is -- a test driver.

"I did a lot of kilometers and this was very, very good for me because I need kilometers," Alonso said. "I need the experience. I did a lot of things with Renault and I think this will be crucial for next year."

Alonso is definitely more relaxed and chatty with the media than he was a year ago. His shyness has given way to relaxed confidence. He's obviously a faster driver, too, but naturally Button fans think the team made a big mistake by dumping Button in favor of Alonso. Button has said he thought he had a shot of staying with Renault and was shocked to learn his services wouldn't be needed.

There are still five races to go this season, plus a number of test sessions. And there are still two months remaining where Button must race while his replacement looks over his shoulder.

"The situation has changed compared to what it was," Alonso said of his relationship with Button. "Obviously now when we talk it is not the same conversation. But we are good friends in the team because we train a lot together, we travel together and at the end of the day you are friends with your teammate. Now we are in a situation that is normal -- one driver leaves the team and one guy enters the team. These things happen in this sport and I hope for the best for Jenson next year."

Looking ahead
As for his teammate in 2003, Trulli, Alonso doesn't know how close they will be on car setup, even though they have been testing together for seven months.

"It is difficult to say because at the tests we are trying different things and have completely different cars," Alonso said. "Maybe one guy tests with low fuel and one guy with hard tires, so it is difficult to know exactly which setup is the best for me and which is the best for Jarno."

What Alonso does know is Renault (and the Benetton team it absorbed) has the history and background to be world champions. Renault-powered cars won six Constructors and five Drivers titles between 1992 and '97 with the Williams and Benetton teams.

"It is better to drive like this because you know that you have a very strong team behind you and they put all their effort into winning the championship again," Alonso said. "It is a good feeling because you know that all the people in the team are working at the top level and at their maximum. Next year will be a very interesting year for me."

Renault is currently leading the battle to be "the best of the rest," behind Ferrari, Williams and McLaren.

"At the moment fourth is the maximum that the team can do, but maybe next year things can change," Alonso said. "The team has a very good program for next year. The car will be much better and the engine has a lot of potential. So you never know; you try to close the gap on the top teams and we will see what happens next year."

On the driver front, Michael Schumacher is and has been king of the hill for quite some time. And that's who Alonso has his sights on.

"Michael is a fantastic driver," Alonso said. "Everybody knows that. He is a good person as well, very friendly. At the moment he is the best on the grid, and all of us drivers are trying to improve to arrive at his level."

As Alonso said, he has "come back to the race life" and now he can't wait to get behind the wheel of the Renault and be racing again.

"I am really looking forward to next season," he said. "I will try to catch my opportunity because it is a great opportunity for me racing at Renault, and I hope for the best for next season. I have a long-term contract with Renault. They have confidence in me for the future, and I will try to come up with them and put Renault on top again."

Dan Knutson covers Formula One for National Speed Sport News.