Fernando Alonso says he is not leaving F1 until someone beats him for his position; he claims he is feeling better than the others.
In 2021, Fernando Alonso marked his return to F1. The veteran race driver in 2022 is the oldest F1 driver on the grid, and certainly, the questions of retirement are thrown around him every time.
But the Spaniard is not ready to stop. Even at the age of 40, he is ready to continue his stay in F1. He thinks he still got some steam in him to compete in the grid, and take Alpine to a better place.
Talking about leaving space for someone younger. Alonso replied that he will leave F1 when another guy beats him for his position. He argues that he feels better than others currently.
“I feel better than the others,” said the 40-year-old two-times world champion in response to a question from RaceFans. “When someone comes and I see that he’s beating me on pure ability.”
“I see that I’m not good anymore at the starts, I’m not good at preparing the car or the other side of the garage is one second faster than me, and I cannot match those times et cetera, maybe I raise my hand and I say ‘this is time for me to think [about] something else.’”
“But at the moment I feel the opposite, so I love racing,” he added.
Will Fernando Alonso leave the way for Oscar Piastri?
Ahead of 2022, Alpine received a proven talent in its setup by hiring 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri. Many were even outraged including Mark Webber over the Australian not getting an F1 seat in 2022.
The 21-year-old driver won the F2 championship in his rookie season, and that described his potential. Currently, Piastri is serving as a reserve driver for Alpine.
He even claimed that he is willing to sacrifice his 2021 season for his development. But for how long can he remain patient? Is Alpine ready to pass on the talent like him to stay committed with Alonso?
As there is no doubt that sooner another F1 team would be knocking on Piastri’s door. So, the question remains whether Alonso will leave a gateway for a younger talent like Piastri. The statements by the Spanish legend don’t seem like so.
Also read: Alpine boss determined to give Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon the car they need
