42 Year Old Fernando Alonso Believes F1 Will ‘Drain Out His Battery’ With Demands – “Not Driving”

42 Year Old Fernando Alonso Believes F1 Will ‘Drain Out His Battery’ With Demands - “Not Driving”

At 42 years old, Fernando Alonso stands as the oldest driver on the F1 grid, with many contemplating how close the Spanish driver is to calling his time with the sport. However, the two-time world champion revealed his age wouldn’t play a role in determining the length of his career. Instead, the hectic schedule and the unending demands of F1 will lead to Alonso stepping away from the sport, revealed in a report by Pit Debrief.

“A demanding and long (2024 F1 calendar) will drain my battery, not driving.”

Alonso stated how a 22-race season in 2023 was already very hectic for him and the rest of the grid. The next season will feature a full 24-race schedule with six sprint weekends. Furthermore, multiple triple headers will ask many more questions of these drivers than in 2023. As such, the 2024 season might be the most demanding yet.

 

This isn’t the first time Alonso blamed a hectic F1 schedule for leaving the sport that earned him his fame. After coming back to F1 in 2021, Alonso cited mental and physical exhaustion as his basis for leaving the sport after the 2018 season. Having made the comeback, Alonso detailed that his age wouldn’t be a factor in deciding his future in F1, but his exhaustion will.

A hectic but happy season for Fernando Alonso

Speaking of a hectic season, the Las Vegas GP posed a particularly tough challenge for the drivers on the grid, owing to its quirky timings and the delays that prolonged proceedings. Aided by the jet lag and the added tiredness from consistent inter-country travel, things went from bad to worse for the drivers in 2023.

Nonetheless, it was a season to remember for Alonso, who was one in the running for P2 in the drivers’ standings before settling for P4. The Asturian was more than happy with his performances and claims his decision to retire or not will depend on how well he can continue to perform.

 

A crucial aspect of Alonso’s performance will be the car he drives. While the start of the 2023 season saw Alonso drive a surprisingly good car, Aston Martin fell behind in the development race as the season went on. Given the same, the Silverstone outfit is working hard to come up with an even better car for the 2024 season

Running into problems in the second half of the season gone by, Aston Martin shifted focus on next season’s car earlier than expected, hoping to ensure they don’t face similar issues once racing begins next year.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Aston Martin F1 Fernando Alonso

About the author

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Naman Gopal Srivastava

Naman is an F1 writer at The SportsRush. Initially a football fanatic who worships Puyol and Leo Messi, Naman soon fell in love with the world of F1 upon reading about Jim Clarke. While the current era drivers do fascinate him, Naman still chooses to idolize Clarke and Ayrton Senna. When he is not busy watching the highlights of some of the greatest races of his idols, Naman can be found scribbling little snippets in his diary of poems or out in the town, exploring new places to eat.

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