This same week, Fernando Alonso unveiled a helmet with a special decoration for the United States Grand Prix as part of his action plan to support the victims of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. Now he has explained his intentions more fully.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano it woke up from its lethargy a month ago and, since then, has completely altered the lives of the inhabitants of La Palma, one of the eight Canary Islands. Last Monday, Fernando Alonso unveiled the new design that he will use in his helmet for the United States Grand Prix, set in the eruption of the volcano. In addition, he anticipated that there would be more news about it.
This Thursday, the Spanish pilot explained that he has organized a charity event that will include the auction of said helmet with the aim of raising funds for those affected by the volcano. «The Canary Islands are part of Spain and we love our island very much. My ex-wife is from the Canary Islands, so I have a great connection with the island.
“On Friday we will launch a platform to raise funds and the helmet will be at auction on November 4”
«There is not much international news about the volcano, but in Spain we see every day how the eruption evolves and all the things that the lava is destroying, houses, land, where a lot of people live ”, Alonso explained to the international press displaced to Austin.
“Bananas are the main business there. There are many things that have been destroyed and will continue to do so for many years. I will wear ‘La Palma’ in the helmet this weekend and on Friday we will launch a fundraising platform, the helmet will be up for auction, to be held on November 4, to raise more funds. This is how we can help, ”he reiterated.
Alpine and 2022
Already on a purely sports plane, Fernando Alonso He reflected on his expectations for 2022 and on how prepared he sees his team. “We will see, we go step by step, the first thing is to see how it will affect next year’s regulations, how competitive everyone will be.”
«We have put everything into this project so that Alpine reaches the top. I feel that the team is improving, since the beginning of the season I believe that we have been identifying our weaknesses and I believe that now the team is much stronger, we arrive at each weekend more prepared. I think we are the only team that has managed to score points in 14 races in a row (Editor’s note: Alpine has scored in 15 consecutive races, Red Bull in 16, all those run so far), that proves that we are getting stronger and stronger ”, reiterates the Asturian pilot.
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But before the 2022 season arrives, Alpine must continue to fight for fifth place in the constructors’ championship, and for this Alonso hopes that the team will maintain the good performance of the last races. “That is the goal, we have been a little more competitive these last races, P6 in qualifying in Russia, we started sixth in Turkey. We are definitely being more competitive, hopefully we can continue like this this weekend ».
What Alonso does not expect is that in 2022 the cars will allow the drivers to have a greater influence on the result. “I believe that Formula 1 will continue to be driven by teams, technology and different approaches. The pilot will still have very little impact, unfortunately, but we will see. Hopefully the races can be a bit more interesting than the ones we have now.
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“I don’t think 2022 cars are like IndyCar cars, unfortunately. IndyCar is much more unpredictable, in every race anything can happen. That is probably the most important thing that we lack in Formula 1, where everything is quite dictated before going to a Grand Prix. We can go to Austin or Abu Dhabi and we know more or less what the classification will be, and that is sad for a sport, “laments Alonso.
But this is also part of the DNA of F1, where the best teams, with the best technology, produce the fastest car. And we can’t miss this too, so 2022 tries a bit to mix those two concepts.
The IndyCar and Colton Herta
In Austin, the American press was interested in knowing the opinion of Fernando Alonso in relation to the American IndyCar, a championship and some drivers that sometimes are not valued adequately in Europe.
“I don’t think we riders underestimate them, I think we all respect each other a lot, all riders in all categories, they are the best in their disciplines and have techniques that are different in all categories. No matter what discipline you come from, you will never be able to beat those in Rally and the same thing happens in IndyCar, they are the best on their circuits and in their cars ».
The FIA, without going any further, does not consider that the level of IndyCar is sufficient to allow its leading drivers to obtain the necessary super-license to compete in Formula 1. “It is difficult to talk about regulations, it is more a question for the FIA and for anyone dealing with the licensing issue. But if you ask my opinion I’m sure there are categories like IndyCar that have a high enough level for you to get the necessary points ».
The latest driver to be the subject of rumors regarding a move from IndyCar to Formula 1 has been Colton Herta, a pilot highly valued by Fernando Alonso. «I think he’s a very good driver, very talented, very young, I think the youngest IndyCar winner, and I think he has a very good organization with Andretti. Yes, it will surely be a good option for Formula 1, but each of us has a different plan in his career and I don’t know what Colton has in his head at the moment, I am sure he is happy in IndyCar.
“Like Alex Palou, who won the championship this year, and is really committed to racing in the United States, he enjoys racing here in the United States. Sometimes there is no single goal, Formula 1. Motorsports is much more than Formula 1, even if within this bubble some people feel that this is the top-top-top, which is probably the top, but there are other super categories ”, concluded Alonso.