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Alonso on … F1 Health, WEC, IndyCar and Dakar


Alonso on... F1

The highlights were his two triumphs at Le Mans as part of a Toyota crew, the super season crown of the endurance world championship – also alongside Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima – and the 24-hour triumph of Daytona 2019 with Wayne Taylor Racing. And of course there were his failed offers to win the Indianapolis 500 and a trip to the Dakar Rally.

When his return with what was then Renault was announced in July 2020, Alonso made it clear that he had been lured back into Formula 1 because he felt that Renault / Alpine would give him the chance to reach the highest level of the championship to return – with the rules reset in 2022.

At the moment, that goal is his only focus, unlike 2018 when his first WEC Super Season entries were combined with his final year of his return to McLaren. Alonso suggests that besides Formula 1 in 2021 he had a lot of options to compete in other categories, but decided against it.

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Here’s the versatility star of modern day motorsport explaining exactly why he decided to return to Grand Prix racing, as well as his thoughts on the categories he left behind:

“At the moment I think, especially after the pandemic, [F1] is the series more capable of producing a good show and competition. When I left in 2018, I was very honest with everyone who said, “I had better feelings or ideas elsewhere than in Formula 1”. And I had more attractive challenges in the WEC, in Indy or in Dakar than what Formula 1 offered me back then.

“Now it’s exactly the same point. When I made the decision to come back in 2020, all the other series were on the table and I thought Formula 1 was the best challenge at that moment. And the best competition.

“Despite the pandemic, the teams are still very strong economically and in terms of performance and in good health to produce fantastic cars and a good show. During some other series, they may have been more affected by the pandemic and sponsorship [loss] and of everything. That is my feeling.

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“Obviously IndyCar only drove one race [Barber, when Alonso was speaking ahead of the Portuguese GP] or two races now with St. Petersburg. It felt good and it will always be a nice championship. But maybe Formula 1 attracted me more.

“Dakar is still one thing I can do in the future and I have no problem spending more years in other categories.

“And WEC. I think it’s in a transition phase at the moment. With the hypercar to all manufacturers [arrive]and they don’t come [until] 2023, I think it’s in a transition phase.

“So I thought Formula 1 was the best thing on the table. Like it wasn’t in 2018. But obviously this is just a personal opinion and a personal motivation that drives you to choose the next challenge. “

The full interview with Alonso will be published in the May 20th issue of Autosport magazine, which is available in stores and can be subscribed to online here: https://www.autosportmedia.com.

The post Alonso on … F1 Health, WEC, IndyCar and Dakar first appeared on monter-une-startup.
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