Motorsports
Alonso: “I won’t stop until someone beats me evenly”
In the face of talks with Alpine – over the summer – about extending his contract beyond 2022, Fernando Alonso explained that he feels better than any other rider and will only consider leaving if someone proves he is better may be.
At 41 this year, the Spaniard is proving he still has what it takes to make him a two-time world champion in 2005/06, plus the extra experience – and only a series of accidents kept him off the podium (most likely) at the Grand Prix of Australia with only 2 points this year.
Alonso was heading for a front two row spot at the Melbourne start before being halted by a gearbox problem, while at Imola he received an accidental hit from Mick Schumacher’s Haas that ruined his race.
At the end of 2021 in Qatar he achieved his first podium after the 2014 Hungarian GP and seems to be behind none of the sport’s new big stars. And, as he said, he wants to stay in Formula 1 until someone proves to be his equal.
When asked what still motivates him in Formula 1, the Spaniard replied: “Because I feel better than the others. If someone comes and I see that he only beats me with his driving skills, when I stop starting well, preparing the car, when the other driver is next to me in the garage, 1 second faster than me: “Maybe then I can raise your hand and say, ‘Maybe it’s time I think of something else.’ But right now I feel exactly the opposite. I love to fight.”
Alonso’s excellent performance this year prompted Alpine’s decision to offer this new A522 floor at Imola first. And that appears to be leading them to the decision to move super talent Oscar Piastri to another team in 2023 so the Australian can gain experience – so the French team can maintain Alonso’s services over time. That will probably be decided in the summer.
It would be great to have a driver like Fernando Alonso included in this year’s title fight against Charles Leclerc and Max Ferstappen, and even more impressive if Lewis Hamilton was included.
But neither Alonso nor Hamilton have fully competitive cars against Ferrari and Red Bull this year. Speaking about his old great rival at McLaren Hamilton, the Spaniard says the Brit is leading exceptionally this year.
“Formula 1 is too. And it always has been.” said Alonso. “When (Ayrton) Senna won races and championships, he had the fastest car. When I won the championship, I had the fastest car. Michael (Schumacher) also had the fastest car. Lewis broke all records because he had the fastest car “Lewis drives super well today and he’s only 13th. This is Formula 1.”
Source: sport 24
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.