Despite Spending 21 Seasons in F1, Fernando Alonso Claims What Makes Him Keep Going

It’s been 21 years since Fernando Alonso made his debut in F1. He started his career in 2001, as a debutant for Minardi and went on to win two consecutive titles for Renault in 2005 and 2006. Since then, he has team hopped with little to no success, but even all these years later, his motivation remains unaffected.

In a video uploaded by his team Aston Martin, Alonso described why he was still motivated to give it all despite doing things on repeat for 21 years now. Soymotor.com quoted him,

“Even if it is the 21st season in F1, it is still the same adrenaline. It’s a unique feeling at this time of year, with the first weeks of January, and it’s not at all different from other seasons, you continue to have those butterflies.”

At the age of 42, the Spaniard’s determination is an inspiration for all of his rivals. And his mojo is directly translated into his on-track results. Alonso took a break from F1 at the end of 2018. When he returned in 2o21, many wrote him off but he shut them all up. His brilliant performances in his first campaign back were topped off with a podium finish in Qatar, which no one expected.

Now, embarking on his second season with Aston Martin, the Spaniard is ready to do his talking on the track again. And seeing how he’s overseen the turnaround in the Silverstone-based team’s fortunes, the team will rely on him to deliver yet another milestone in 2024.

Aston Martin riding high on retaining Fernando Alonso for 2024

For Aston Martin, having a driver of Alonso’s caliber is surely a spring in the step for their morale. But more importantly, he will play a huge role for their chances of moving up the ladder in F1. Since his arrival, Alonso has single-handedly uplifted the team, not only in terms of results but also in their championship rank.

The AMR23, arguably influenced by Alonso’s inputs in the off-season, was a regular podium contender in the first-half of the 2023 campaign. Eventually, despite a drop in form later on in the year, the team clinched a respectable 5th in the Constructors’ championship last year.

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Alonso has already started working on the team’s 2024 project. Whilst relaying the leaps in technology the modern simulator has made, Alonso revealed,

“It’s been good to get up to speed and try different settings on the model.” 

That being said, in 2024, Aston Martin will probably not become title contenders. With the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren making monumental strides in terms of development in 2023, Aston Martin have a bit of catch-up to do. Nonetheless, Alonso will hope to be in the mix for podiums on the regular and even vie for that elusive 33rd Grand Prix win sometime this season.

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• Aston Martin
• Fernando Alonso