Hours before the FIA heard from Alpine and Haas about the sanction that took away the points and 7th place achieved in Austin, Alonso spoke to the Mexican media at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Thursday.
Motorsport.com was present there, and although there was no chance to talk about that penalty that kept the F1 paddock on edge, the Asturian left good topics in his answers. In this Mexican GP he will contest his penultimate race with Alpine after three different stages with the Renault structure and, when asked about the general balance with the French manufacturer, he declared: “Very good, the balance with Renault will always be very good for me, we have won two world championships, we have made history together, and no one will be able to erase that”.
“So a little sad because these are the last races with them, but also excited about next year,” Fernando Alonso continued.
After the controversial Japanese GP, the FIA announced changes, including having a single race director again after having withdrawn Michael Masi for this 2022 and having replaced him with Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas . Asked directly by Motorsport.com if Masi was the problem, Alonso said: “No, I guess not, but we already knew at the beginning of the year. Last year was very mediatic at the end of the year, everything that happened there. … there is a British driver who loses the world championship in the last race and that creates much more repercussion than if it were another driver.
Later, at the FIA drivers’ press conference , Alonso did speak about the sanction, and although he showed hope in the current president of the highest body, he declared that he expected justice: “I hope a good decision for us and that we can maintain the Austin’s position, because if this goes forward a new scenario opens up, so I trust they will make the right decision. Japan was chaotic but they took responsibility, admitted mistakes for the first time”.
“The new FIA is changing many things, I believe a lot in the new president and I consider that we are following the right path. We all have to work together for the good of the sport”.
Continuing with the round table with the Mexican media, the Spaniard celebrated that Spain has always had great drivers in all disciplines of motor racing, but admits that there is no magic formula for countries to produce champions: “You have to have the car right, the right talent and everything for a whole year to be world champion”.
“In Spain we have been lucky to have great rally drivers, motorcyclists, and now in F1 there are two Spanish drivers, we have an IndyCar champion, Alex Palou, I think that as a country we cannot complain”.
Alonso signed for Aston Martin for 2023 and continues to show that he is at a very high level. His response to how he stays motivated to keep going is clear: “This is what I do best. I can do something else, but I wouldn’t do it well or have the talent to do it, so I try to do what I do best.”
And about how much time he has left in the top flight, he said: “At least two or three years.”
In this course he has achieved several records for his long career, and is already the driver with the most grand prizes in the history of F1. However, it is difficult for him to choose one as his best race: “It is difficult, because they were always different sensations, there is always something positive to get out of so many grand prix. But when you manage to win the world championship, I suppose that weekend you have in my memory. So Brazil 2005 and Brazil 2006 are the ones I remember the most”.
When asked to give advice to young drivers who are just starting out, Alonso admits that the country of origin is important, but invites them not to throw in the towel: “You always have to believe and dream. And you have to have your feet on the ground , which is not easy. Also, if we come from countries like ours, Spain, southern Europe, Central America or South America, we are going to have more difficulties than the English, who are always going to have something more”.
“But hey, you have to fight for your dreams, enjoy sports, which gives you many values for life in general, not just professional sports, playing sports is a gift.”
Lastly, he spoke about the track that F1 is facing this week, and about the peculiarities offered by the conditions in the Central American country: “It has a very long straight, it’s a very long straight. You feel the car very light, because There isn’t the grip, the density of other grand prixes.”
“What the drivers feel the most in Mexico is the lack of grip, we don’t have the downforce of other grand prix because we don’t have the density. So it’s like driving in the rain on other circuits and on the straight it’s like having 100 more horses than power, it goes by very quickly. It’s a fun circuit, the most special thing is the stadium area, with the fans, and that’s why Mexico has won the award for the best race of the season for several years,” he concluded.
