The first appearance of Fernando Alonso after the confirmation of his signing by Aston Martin has shown us a pilot with things very clear and the illusion intact. The Spanish pilot affirms that “from the motor world, I think I will never retire”.
On August 1, Fernando Alonso was confirmed as the new Aston Martin F1 driver from the 2023 season. Since then, the earthquake that occurred in Alpine has starred in most of the news in the category, but the Spanish driver has remained silent.
Until today, since Fernando Alonso has appeared in a direct from the official Instagram account from one of your personal sponsors, RAW Drink Energy. Along with other veterans such as Aleix Espargaró, Alejandro Valverde and José Javier Hombrados, the two-time Formula 1 world champion has talked about various topics, including signing him for Aston Martin.
“‘The Plan’ was to return to Formula 1”, he began by saying when asked about the famous plan that has become so viral in recent months. The challenge was to get back to the maximum, and I feel good. Now I have signed for two more years for another team».
batteries charged
The Spanish driver did not want to say much more about Alpine and Aston Martin, focusing on the experiences that his time in the sport is giving him and how seniority and experience influence motivation and medium and long-term plans.
“I have nothing calculated,” he said regarding the possible date of his withdrawal. «We know that we do not have an expiration date, we are not going to work until we are 65 like in other jobs, so you try to enjoy and take advantage of it as much as you can. When I left Formula 1 in 2018 I was quite exhausted mentally and physically from travel, commitments and driving..
“Now I don’t have that mental and physical stress, I’m fresher. I also don’t know how long I’m going to be in Formula 1, but then there are other categories that are less demandingwith fewer trips and with a much easier schedule, “says the Spaniard.
«I always give the Dakar Rally as an example, it was a very nice experience for me and that I thoroughly enjoyed. And doing three or four rallies a year and some tests, you can prepare for the Dakar, and race until a very old age”, hinting at what his next step will be once he leaves Formula 1 behind.
«From the motor world, I think I will never retire. From sport at the highest level or from Formula 1, I will retire when I see that it does not make me happy. But right now it’s the opposite, “he concludes in relation to this topic.
The old man with the grill
Fernando Alonso is currently the oldest driver on the Formula 1 grid and, in addition to having already turned 41, he is the one who has covered the most kilometers in the competition and will soon be the one who has competed in the most Grand Prix.
This led JJ Hombrados, moderator of the talk, to ask him if his colleagues by profession called him old.
“They don’t dare, they think about it but they don’t dare”Fernando Alonso said between laughs. “Maybe in Formula 1, unfortunately, you don’t have the friendship that you have in other sports. There is a lot of distance between all the pilots, there is a bit of secrecy and also a lot of ego between all of them. There are no such jokes. No one would call you old because there is no such relationship », he admits.
The Spaniard, who made his Formula 1 debut in 2001, acknowledges that over the years he has learned to “enjoy everything that comes with being a pilot”including events and interviews, something I hated as a youngster.
What is clear is that Fernando Alonso has enough rope for a while. At least two more years with Aston Martin, as he himself has confirmed. Then the Dakar or more Formula 1?