Fernando Alonso returned to the F1 paddock last night when he met with the McLaren team and his other mates from the F1 world.
While the reason for his visit wasn’t quite known at the time, it seems he wanted one last meeting with McLaren before being announced as their racing ambassador.
McLaren have announced that Fernando Alonso will be closely working during development phases of their cars and will also be involved in testing for the same.
Alonso will be joining Mika Hakkinen in the role.
Zak Brown expressed his excitement over this new journey with Alonso, one that the McLaren team is looking forward to.
“Fernando is part of the McLaren family. He has set his place in the team’s history and continues to write his chapter of the McLaren story, so it is entirely appropriate that we formalise his status as a McLaren ambassador, joining another double champion, Mika Häkkinen.” Zak Brown said.
“For any race team, having someone of Fernando’s class on hand to provide support through his experience is of huge value. His insights and perspective will be welcomed by both our drivers and engineers alike, while his stature and character remain highly appealing to our partners and fans.” he added.
Fernando Alonso in his statement embraced the fact that McLaren had some tumultuous times in the past few years, but that despite all of that, he still holds the team very dear.
The Spaniard is looking forward to nurturing young talent in the sport and working with McLaren to win Indianapolis 500 in May.
“Becoming a McLaren ambassador is a true honour. It is a special team, and despite the challenges we have endured recently, it remains so.” Alonso said.
“I said before I stopped racing in Formula 1 last year that I see myself with McLaren for a long-time to come, so I am delighted at this new role and the ability to stay closely involved with the team I feel is my spiritual home.
“We have the Indianapolis 500 in May of course, which I am looking forward to immensely, but this is just the beginning of many things we can do together.
“I am particularly passionate about nurturing young talent, whether that’s with my own team or helping the new generation of Formula 1 drivers at McLaren unlock their true potential. This is important to both the team and myself, so will be an especially rewarding part of my role.” he added.
How excited are you to see Fernando Alonso in this new role for McLaren
