Fernando Alonso insists he will be a worthy Champion this season should he take his third title despite the manner of his victory at the German GP.
As expected, Alonso played a straight bat to the majority of questions he faced in light of the decision made onn Wednesday by the World Motor Sport Council.
The Council opted not to punish Ferrari further following the team orders controversy that erupted after Alonso's win at Hockenheim on July 25, handed to him after team-mate Felipe Massa ceded first place via coded messages.
Instead the 26-man panel merely upheld the 100,000 US dollars fine handed out to Ferrari by the race stewards, leaving Alonso free to fight for the c]Championship in which he trails leader Lewis Hamilton by 41 points.
The Spaniard's critics, however, believe that should he claim the title by seven points or less - the difference between second and first - any triumph will be tainted given Ferrari deliberately broke the rules.
Naturally, Alonso disagrees with such sentiment, even at a venue where he once decried Formula One was no longer a sport.
That followed qualifying for the 2006 Italian Grand Prix when, then with Renault, he was demoted 10 places after claiming pole position as the stewards upheld a complaint from Massa that he had blocked the Brazilian.
Alonso was outraged, as was then Renault team boss Flavio Briatore who claimed the title was being decided around a table and not on the race track.
Dismissing suggestions the WMSC did likewise by opting not to further penalise Ferrari, Alonso was asked whether winning the title this year would feel as good as his previous successes in 2005 and 2006.
"Yes," was Alonso's succinct response.
When asked why, he replied: "You win the title, you win the title."
Pressed further as to whether he would feel he had won it fairly, again Alonso's answer was to the point as he said: "Yes."
Alonso's inquisitors, though, were not going to let him off lightly as he was asked as to what he felt made a worthy Champion.
"Whoever is first at the end it is because he has more points than the others," countered Alonso.
"This is the way it has been in the history of Formula One, and in other sports as well - the Premier League, tennis etcetera, so it is not too difficult."
When it was put to the 29-year-old that surely points are not the only ingredient, Alonso was wise to the interrogation.
In a bid to put the team orders furore behind him, with a smile he said: "If you are talking about the decision of yesterday, then you have to respect it guys. Be calm.
"Respect everything as we do. Don't worry."
According to Alonso there was no sense of relief with the verdict, although there was a degree of contentment that the regulation Ferrari broke in Germany has been referred to the Formula One Sporting Working Group for clarification.
"I've no special feeling," added Alonso.
"We have already talked too much about the Germany incident during the August break, but the answer will not change.
"At Spa (for the Belgium Grand Prix) we were focusing on improving the performance of the car, and it is the same here.
"The decision was something we were waiting on and ready to respect whatever it was, so yesterday we had a hearing, we're aware of the decision of the FIA, so we have to respect it.
"We keep everything as it was, the points etcetera, so nothing has changed.
"What happened is in the past, and now we need to concentrate on this race, although I'm happy to see the FIA will look deep into the rules and try to clarify something that might not be clear."
That was the general feeling amongst the drivers in the paddock, with McLaren's Jenson Button agreeing that the rule needs clarifying.
"It's not down to us. Our opinion doesn't really matter in this situation, it's down to the FIA," said Button.
"The important thing is we get a clarification of the rule so we all understand and work to the same regulations, work with the same regulations. That's key."
