Fernando Alonso says the name is binding. He wants to prove himself to new fans who haven’t seen him on his successful run, and he wants to show that his comeback is different from that of Michael Schumacher or Kimi Räikkönen.
He will celebrate his 41st birthday at practice Friday for next week’s Hungarian Grand Prix, already knowing his age will be one of the main topics of conversation for the day. Today, field leader Fernando Alonso, as a true veteran, has to prove he still has a place in the Formula One field, and with his performances this year, he doesn’t give the doubters much credit.
“Now I will be forty-one years old in Hungary, and my age will certainly be a subject there.” . said Racelaughing at “I wouldn’t feel any different from how I felt at 39, but I’m aware of it.”
The Spaniard has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that he feels like he was at his best in 2012, and with his experience he may be in a better position. This shows that his opinion matters to him, and with such flashes as his second starting place in this year’s rainy Canadian time trial, he is doing his best to get the public to have a good opinion of him.
“The front row is not the top row and I’ve been there many times before. But it still means a lot, because when you decide to go back, you have to put aside a lot of things in life, family, friends, and fully commit to work, travel, physical preparation, and side mental.”
“There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders because you are Fernando Alonso and everyone is watching if you are doing well.”
Alonso returned to Formula 1 in 2021 after a two-year absence. In the past, champions like Michael Schumacher, who wore a crash helmet again in 2010 after a three-year hiatus, or Kimi Räikkönen, who finally wrote a longer chapter of his first in 2012 after two years of recovery, have also started. Second career in his forties. None of them could replicate their old successes – Alonso would like to be different.
“I know there have been some examples in the past when contestants have come back. Maybe it was Kimmy and Michael… we all feel like they weren’t the same people they were before. And I don’t want that from my comeback. And I think I pretty much made it. I am the way I was. Before, that’s important to me.”
“Even if I felt in my heart that I was the same, I have to prove it from time to time on weekends like Canada, which helps create that feeling in the ring.”
“You know things and also what people think. You do a hundred interviews and they constantly ask you how you feel after you’re over forty and if you’re the same as before. And what my goals are, whether going back to 40 is just a hobby, or really feeling fast.” I’m not saying I’d be pissed off about it, but of course I feel fast, otherwise I wouldn’t have come back.”
A superficial criticism of the “new fans”.
Therefore, the opinion of others is very important to Alonso, and in this regard, he is also aware that there are more and more fans who do not see him as the old champion or the star who almost turned the less competitive Ferrari into a champion. , rather as a competitor who feels homesick and cannot walk away from the midfield, or the returning veteran at the age of forty. It will prove to them too.
“There’s already a new generation of fans who weren’t here in 2006, when I became champion, or in 2012, when I was fighting for the title with Ferrari. Fifty percent of the spectators have never seen Alonso fight for podiums and victories.”
“So once you’re back, it’s not about who the guy is, it’s about how much he gives to the sport. And like the weekend in Canada, or after the second half of last season, I think they feel like I still give something to the sport.”
Fernando Alonso after the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix (Photo: XPB)He also formulated a subtle critique regarding the new generation. According to him, part of the new audience is not really aware of the past or background of the sport, they only judge on the basis of results. “The judgment of the outside world or their feelings towards me has changed a lot. In 2007, people might have seen him as a rival and a different character. Then that changed at Ferrari, when I was completely acclimating to the Latin team.”
“A lot of new fans today – and I don’t want to be disrespectful to them – don’t know much about Formula 1. They’re a bit like football fans who just watch the results and whoever wins is the best for them. Whoever is last is not in F1 level.” .
“They don’t know much about the performance of cars, and the package you need. So it’s kind of a rollercoaster about how they feel about you or how they see you. When you have a good weekend, you’re a god, when you’re a bad weekend, you’re old.” Or very young. We always go through periods like this. Today, the fans immediately turn on the competition, feel something, and then stop it until noon the following Sunday. Formula 1 no longer has a real culture.” – said the Spaniard.
He had a firm answer to the question of what he would like to be remembered as a competitor. “As a warrior. As someone who did not give up easily and always tried his best, he fought for every free practice, time trial, and competition, in all circumstances, for any position, whether it was first or twelfth place. It is important for me to note People that I love competition and I love sports.”
