Fernando Alonso dismissed suggestions that he might step down from the sport as his contract with Alpine comes to an end in 2022.
Despite being the oldest driver on the grid, Fernando Alonso has no intention to leave the sport. There has been a lot of speculation about Alonso not continuing in the sport as his contract with Alpine comes to an end at the end of 2022.
But the Spaniard says that he wants to continue racing for another couple of years. His teammate Esteban Ocon has a contract until 2024 and with Alonso’s coming to an end, it seemed as though the team might promote Oscar Piastri next year.
But Alonso has dismissed suggestions over his departure from the sport by saying that his motivation and driving ability remain at their very best.
“Next year or the next two years I would love to continue and keep driving because I feel at my best right now and it would be wrong to watch F1 from home while I still feel 100 per cent of my abilities,” he said.
“When I feel it is not that way, I will be the first to raise my hand and stop because F1 is very demanding; you have to sacrifice a lot of things in life to keep racing. But at the moment it is still worth doing it.”
Fernando Alonso says age is not a factor
The Spaniard will soon be 41 and is the oldest driver on the grid followed by Lewis Hamilton who is 37. But Alonso said that age is not a factor in his performance.
“Age is not a factor in motorsport,” said Alonso.
“In other sports it is different. You have to rely on your physical condition and things like that, but in motorsport, I would [rather] have one new front or rear wing than three years less than I have. That would give me more performance for sure.
“The two years out of the sport was enough to completely reset my mind and also the physical condition and be happy training and preparing for the races.
“I am as good as when I was 25 or 30.”
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