Fernando Alonso spent five years at Ferrari which promised so much but, in terms of world titles, left the Spaniard empty handed and now he is enduring a frustrating and win-less spell at McLaren which inevitably has had him thinking about life beyond Formula 1.
Speaking to l’Equipe the 34 year old Spaniard said, “When the time comes, I will leave Formula 1. When you’re not fast enough, when you no longer enjoy it and when you cannot meet the demands, you know that it is time to leave. I feel right now as if I’m approaching the end of my dream.”
McLaren looks set to be Alonso’s final team at the pinnacle of the sport, “When I was a little boy, my father built me a kart with a design inspired by McLaren-Honda and now I am a driver for McLaren-Honda. I feel like I can come full circle in a romantic way.”
Approaching 35, Alonso is only too aware of his peers who have carried on into their late thirties, “You look at drivers like [Kimi] Raikkonen, [Jenson] Button or [Felipe] Massa and it seems like they could carry on forever, but I probably won’t be like them,” he admitted.
Alonso is contracted to McLaren at least until the end of 2017, beyond that it appears that the double F1 world champion is keen to dabble in other forms of the sport.
“When I retire from the sport I think I’ll start by enjoying the return to a more normal life. I’m sure I’ll miss competing and the adrenaline rush.”
“It’s likely I’ll keep racing in other categories, but one which takes up less time. Le Mans would be perfect, as you don’t have to be away for the full year.”
“It’s still too early to discuss what I’ll do after Formula 1. The life of a Grand Prix driver is very demanding,” added Alonso the winner of two F1 world titles (2005 and 2006) and 32 grands prix victories.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
No comments:
Post a Comment