Alonso’s future depends on F1’s direction

Editor

Disappointed F1 has become a Constructors’ battle and not a Drivers’ Championship, Fernando Alonso concedes he is at a crossroads as he looks to the future.

The double World Champion has yet to decide where he will race next season; Formula 1, World Endurance Championship or even IndyCar.

This is some suggestion that Sunday’s victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans could push him towards IndyCar as he now has two parts, the other being Monaco, of the triple crown. He needs the Indianapolis 500 to complete the set.

Asked about his future, the Spaniard says he wants to see in what direction Formula 1 and new owners Liberty Media are wanting to move before making the call.

“I think it has been up and down,” Alonso said of his years in F1.

“I think the last possibility of the last championship car we had was 2007. The rest has been always quite far off from the performance of the top and the winning team of that season.

“We’re now 11 years after that moment, so I don’t think it’s a problem [for me to be off the pace] but I think the biggest thing for me is to think about the direction Formula One is going and I don’t think too much about how competitive we’ll be next year as it is impossible to predict. It is just about the sport.

“When you see again the grid in Canada there were two Mercedes, two Ferraris, two Red Bulls, two Force Indias and two Renaults in Q3. It is a Constructors’ World Championship and not a Drivers’ World Championship so it is something I need to decide.”

And while Alonso has just 32 races wins to his tally and two World titles, some feeling he deserved more, he says it is a “privilege” to have even achieved those as there are other good drivers who haven’t even bagged a single podium.

“No not really I think there are opportunities missed in the past, and we could have won probably four or five championships by I think seven points one time, and then three or something like that.

“But at the same time I feel extremely privileged to have this 18 years in F1 and I know there are drivers here that I race against, I see them on the track, I see their talent, I see their previous categories, and they’ve never even reached a podium.

“I see my team-mate now [Stoffel Vandoorne], I see Nico [Hulkenberg], I see Carlos [Sainz]. I see a lot of talented drivers that they didn’t score a podium. At the same time, we missed some opportunities as I said but I’m happy with the things that I’ve done.”