‘I thought the other one seemed a bit old’
World Champion Fernando Alonso has spiced up his helmet livery for 2006. At the official FIA portrait photographs on Thursday, Renault`s 24-year-old Spaniard clutched at a mostly yellow design, after five years in formula one with his familiar red-yellow-blue paint-job.
The Spanish flag, and the light blue of his home region, is still represented, but the new design is more modern.

“I thought the other one seemed a bit old. I am really happy with the result,” said Alonso, who reported that he is not superstitious about changing a successful design.

His main rivals in 2006 are likely to be Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren), but the pair sported a familiar look at the official FIA photo session.


However, in Bahrain, Schumacher is still getting used to deposed champion Ferrari`s new position in the pitlane. “Now I have to walk a little bit further,” the German smiled.

Raikkonen, too, is remarkably unchanged, managing in one answer at the Thursday press conference to be brusque, aloof and cool.

Asked what advice he had for F1 rookies Yuji Ide, Scott Speed and Nico Rosberg, the Finn replied: “Let us past if we`re behind (you).”

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