A double FIA ETCC champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi returned to Alfa Romeo this year, after spending the 2003 with BMW Team Italy-Spain.

The Italian driver was able to score his only win of the current season in Valencia, but in the following rounds he suffered from a number of different problems. Therefore, he is virtually out of the title fight coming into this event in Imola.

Q: How do you see your return to Alfa Romeo, now that more than half of the season is over?

FG: "It's definitely a positive balance, because at least I've been able to score one win after an 18-month abstinence. Then I should say that I've been hit by a lot of bad luck in the following races, and most of the times I couldn't do anything to avoid these problems.

"I'm not saying that this is the only reason that I'm not fighting for the title now, but for sure it affected my results a lot."

Q: With three BMW drivers leading the championship, and the best Alfa Romeo driver (Tarquini) 20 points behind, do you think that Alfa Romeo has any chances of retaining the title?

FG: "Yes I do. Otherwise we could have better stayed home. I think we still have some margin. Maybe not to overturn the situation, but at least to keep fighting until the final round and make the BMW drivers' life harder.

"Imola is a good track for us, and I'm confident that we can score a couple of wins and steal some points from BMW. We've got something new on our car, something we have tested in Vallelunga, and that should help us."

Q: You drove for BMW last year, and you are driving for Alfa Romeo now. Do you have an idea of the reason why the Alfa 156 is less competitive than it was last year or at the beginning of this season?

FG: "It is quite clear that the BMW cars have fitted in with the new tyres better than the Alfas. This aside, we have suffered very much from the weather changes. Our car is quite competitive when is cool, and struggles with hot temperatures.

"It's not easy to say why, and probably there is more than only one reason. However, as I said, we will keep on working to improve, and we expect to make a significant step forward."