Alonso believes he's leading a "motorsport revolution” https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alonso-happy-to-be-leading-a-motorsport-revolution-1047201/
Fernando Alonso sets himself a very challenging goal: to compete in F1 and do the whole season in WEC, and aim at Indy at the same time. The only driver to have achieved the Triple Crown was Graham Hill, WDC in 1972 and 78, Indy winner in 1966, and Le Mans winner in 1972. When Hill went to Indianapolis, back in 1966, there were only 9 GPs on the calendar. He didn't do any other USSAC race. He won Le Mans in 1972, when there were only 10GPs that year, but didn't do the whole endurance series . Today, the F1 calendar has 20/21 GPs per season, leaving far less opportunity to race anywhere else, but it still can be done. Nico Hulkenberg did it a couple of years ago with success at Le Mans, and Alonso has already ticked that box last Sunday. Alonso has to repeat this success at Indy, although there is no indication that he intends to do that soon. If a "revolution" has to come, it will be from the team managers and sponsors to allow their drivers to race outside F1. Bernie Ecclestone was dead against participation in "rival" series for example. Liberty doesn't seem to mind. F1 contracts tend to restrict the drivers activities, sports they engage, etc... Last year, and this year, Zak Brown lifted any restriction for Alonso to race at Indy and Le Mans. By his initiative, Alonso may open the floodgate and we may see more F1 drivers partaking in other forms of racing. As an aside, that may reduce their financial pretentions. If they are able to receive income from different series, and not dedicate themselves solely to their F1 team, managers won't be long to realise they have a leverage to reduce their money in future contracts. Maybe ...
I have no problem with Alonso racing outside F1. More entertainment. Andretti has done this all before, so not exactly a revolution.
My point was that it was a different era, when the calendar wasn't so full, and drivers contracts were not so restrictive. Now F1 is 20/21 GPs per season, and WEC at least 10 races: that is 30 weekends in different locations all over the world per year. It's a gruelling schedule.
You cannot have 2 "number one" priorities in your life You can have your family as your number one priority but not your job at the same time. Something has to give either way. You can have your health as your number one priority and but not your love of smoking or eating the wrong foods. You cannot have F1 be your number one priority and also your race career in other series. THAT'S why this isn't done very often in modern times. F1 just has too much money involved to have drivers working on other series while trying to improve their teams in F1. If you think the driver is just a robot plugged into the seat every 2 weeks, sure. But they are an integral part of the team and it's marketing campaign.
If I read you correctly, Alonso took to racing at Indy and Le Mans, because he has more or less given up on his F1 career. He should announce that soon. Zak Brown promoted the Indy foray last year, because he has lost focus that he is the principal of a F1 team. For him it's a marketing ploy, to give some shine to an ailing McLaren team.
You don't have to be a hater to acknowledge Toyota didn't have any competition and Alonso didn't have any competition. It's a pure marketing event for everybody involved.
McLaren is offering Ricciardo $20 M to join them next year. That means 2 things. 1) Alonso is already gone 2) McLaren saves $20 M a year.
No way in the world. I think he would rather be at Ferrari but Leclerc is going to take Kimi's seat. I bet is he stays at RB another year. The bigger question is really what McLaren does after Alonso. Ricciardo is one of the few experienced winning drivers up for a move.
Did I read Ricciardo had an offer from Renault too? Christian Horner had a dig at Ricciardo, saying he would be brave to join either of them (McLaren or Renault), when he regularly lap their cars during a race! That was harsh, I thought. So, I suppose Ricciardo has to stay at Red Bull, where Verstappen is the blue eyes boy.
Hahaha You know, Max has Marko on his side. Horner is more circumspect but the Austrian carries more weight in team decisions.
This I agree with and believe to be true. He can be a big star in the WEC or Indy Car but getting another WDC in F1 is not likely. Hard to stay in a form of racing you can't/won't be competitive. Especially with the love he is shown else where. And yes McLaren the F1 team seems to have moved on already.
Alonso just says anything he has to in order to try to remain relevant. I’m the greatest I’m the best blah blah blah yet his legacy is more one of cheating scandals and pissing off the teams he has driven for. He has driving skill but he drives for a team of one. I think it’s fair to say all drivers have an ego to a certain degree. His though is just off the chart and he doesn’t have the record to back it up. Not hating. Those are just facts.
That's just like the southern belle way of hating "Her hair is a mess, bless her heart"......................Maybe a fact but it's still hating.
Well done and I wish him good luck. Apart from that, I´ll adhere to the first rule of Italian driving: what´s behind is not important.
He can win at Indy. It's not like it's that competitive of a series and he's not an idiot at driving...just bad at picking teams as said earlier. He should try to win the Daytona 500. That would be pretty tough given how easy it is for someone to bump you out and it's all over. At least (most) open wheel racers avoid doing that to you.
