Age but a number, enthuses returning Alonso
TWO-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso says that age is not the issue after securing a comeback deal with Renault to race into his 40s.
The Spaniard turns 39 this month and after two seasons out, will be returning next year with the team that took him to his titles in 2005 and 2006.
“In Formula One for many years the time watch (stopwatch) is the only thing that matters, not the age,” Alonso said yesterday.
“I never had a race classification based on the passport, date of birth – always on the time watch.”
Alonso will be the oldest driver next year if his former Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, already 40 and now with Alfa Romeo, decides to stop.
While 40-year-old racers were relatively common in the sport’s early days, they are a rarity in modern Formula One with an increasing emphasis on youth.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, third in Austria last weekend, was only one when Alonso started racing at nowdefunct Minardi in 2001.
Alonso’s future teammate Esteban Ocon is 23 and said last week that the Spaniard’s success “gave me the love for the sport”.
Team principal Cyril Abiteboul recognised some would question Renault’s choice of a veteran over an emerging young talent.
“I can already expect that our decision ... could be seen as a lack of interest or loyalty towards our project of the Renault Sport Academy. And it’s not,” he said.
Abiteboul said the Covid-19 pandemic that delayed the season had made it hard to evaluate China’s Guanyu Zhou and Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard, the leading academy candidates.
“We are very serious about the academy, very serious about those two people in particular,” added the Frenchman.
“I’m sure Fernando, like
Esteban, has lots to bring to their development.”
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis
500, and the possibility of taking the Triple Crown of Motorsport, remains Alonso’s top priority for this year.
The Spaniard is a double F1 world champion and Monaco Grand Prix winner as well as two-time Le Mans 24 Hours endurance champion.
Victory at Indianapolis next month would make him only the second driver, after the late Briton Graham Hill, to complete the Triple Crown.
Alonso led Indianapolis for 27 laps on his 2017 debut before his car’s engine expired, and failed to qualify in 2019. He will line up for Arrow McLaren SP in a race rescheduled from May 24 to August 23 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This year is the highest priority, I only have that race,” he said when asked about Indianapolis and the triple.
“It’s 100 percent. I’m committed to that. I would love to achieve that one day.”