Fernando Alonso spills the beans on ‘key factor’ behind his F1 longevity ahead of 400 career start
The two-time world champion Fernando Alonso would make a record-setting 400 Grand Prix weekend entry in Mexico.
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Fernando Alonso (via IMAGO)
Fernando Alonso has been one of the most fiercest drivers that has ever graced F1. With the Spaniard making his debut back in 2001, he is slated to make his 400th career start at the next race in Mexico, making him the first human to achieve this feat. Subsequently, such statistics have urged experts to commend his resilience, which led the 43-year-old to shed light on the key factor behind staying in the game for so long.
The two-time world champion made his debut with a backmarker in the form of Minardi and has never looked back since. He won his two world championships with Renault in his reign from 2005-06. However, since then, his career moves are known for their bad reputation as he had multiple feuds at McLaren and was never able to win a championship with Ferrari. On the other hand, a reunion with McLaren did not work out for him leading him to hang up his helmet after the end of the 2018 season.
However, Fernando Alonso could not be kept away from F1 for too long as he decided to make a comeback and get to racing again at the helm of motorsports in 2021. He recently explained how love and discipline for F1 have played a vital role in keeping him on the grid against all odds.
[It] shows my love for the sport and the discipline of trying to perform at a very high level for 20-plus years.
Fernando Alonso said in an interview as quoted by Autosport
Apart from this, Alonso would be hoping for a better race in Mexico. The Spaniard would run a special helmet to honor the achievement and would be delighted if he would be able to score some points on his 400th career start.
Fernando Alonso shares how a younger version of him would have reacted to 400 race starts
While Alonso is the most experienced driver in F1, he was never supposed to make such an achievement as the 43-year-old had recently revealed. Despite this, he pushed on for the love of the sport and reflected on how a younger version of him would have reacted to touching 400 race starts at the premier class of racing.
The Aston Martin driver explained that his 19-year-old version would not have been shocked by his longevity. But his older version would not have shared the same feelings.
I don’t think that the 19-year-old, Minardi 2001 Fernando will think something strange about the 400 Grands Prix, because I was not thinking too much in the future, but in 2007, for sure, this would be a surprise.
Fernando Alonso said on Beyong The Grid podcast
Apart from this, Alonso has been a strong contender for regular points in the midfield. He has scored 62 points, while his teammate, Lance Stroll, has struggled to make even half of his total. Thus, the 43-year-old still has the racing factor in him which has helped him go up against much younger drivers even beat them in head-to-head comparisons.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(740 Articles Published)