As soon as his return to Formula 1 was announced, Fernando Alonso did not hide what his biggest fear was, the calendar. And precisely against the calendar it has exploded after the Grand Prix of Mexico. The Asturian does not understand that the United States Grand Prix has been chained, with that of Mexico and with that of Brazil, so he has publicly asked for better solutions.
“Obviously for us, who are not fighting for the title like Hamilton and Verstappen, it is a long season in terms of travel during the year , so this triplet is not the most appropriate, ” declared Fernando Alonso.
“ Each race is separated by a 12-hour plane ride or something like that and we have to run three weekends in a row, so it ‘s important that the team and the mechanics save energy, ” the Alpine pilot noted.
Regarding the work that his team and the mechanics will face, he added after the race: “They are now in the garage packing everything, they are going to finish late today and they will have to catch a flight, arrive in Brazil and unpack everything and set up the garage ” .
Alonso asks for solutions
“It is something very limited for them and I hope we find better solutions for the calendar because Austin is an hour and a half from here and we were two weeks ago in Austin. So it is strange that some races are separated by two weeks and other races that are on another continent are consecutive ”, concluded Fernando Alonso .
Fortunately for the Spaniard, this will not be a problem in 2022. Although the United States Grand Prix and Mexico will be linked again, between the latter and Brazil there will be a bye week.
Fernando Alonso and the calendar
It was on December 17, shortly after the FIA confirmed the 2021 calendar, when Fernando Alonso confessed: ” I am not worried about anything on my return .” Adding: “I think I am more mature than ever. Psychophysical tests show that I am as fit as I was in 2010 . I have analyzed the way I was driving to correct any defects, my speed has remained intact and the experiences at Le Mans and Indy provided me with very useful data.
However, he admitted: “ What am I afraid of? Maybe from a calendar with 23 races . it gets heavy, heavy. It means having about 20 days off a year ”.
The neck, a handicap for Alonso
Heading back to Formula 1, the 40-year-old had to train his neck muscles to be able to withstand such a demanding schedule. He did it with the handicap that the run over he suffered in Switzerland meant for him. In addition, Fernando Alonso only had a day and a half of preseason to adapt to his new car.
It should also be noted that in his first year in Formula 1, the Spaniard played a total of seventeen Grand Prix. While in 2005 and 2006, seasons in which he was proclaimed world champion, he ran nineteen and eighteen races respectively. For his part, in 2018, Fernando Alonso’s last year at McLaren he played twenty-one; that is to say, one less than those that will be run this season. However, the calendar provided more breaks for the pilots and not like this one that has been marked by the coronavirus. In 2022 there will be one more Grand Prix but a greater break between race and race for the fortune of Fernando Alonso .
