by VALERIO BARRETTA
Alonso, the future is an unknown
L'highlander of Formula 1 is heading towards its 21st season in the Circus. But also the highlander they have age limits: Fernando Alonso he knows it and is testing his body, mind and motivation to understand whether he should continue. The two-time world champion, in the press conference for the Bahrain GP, admitted that he will take the first weekends of 2024 to decide his future, knowing that for 2025 there could be a more competitive team (Mercedes) and that in 2026 new engine regulations would await him which could upset the current hierarchies.
Alonso's words
The 2026 scenario is not scary for Alonso, who will be 45 years old for that season: “First of all, I have to decide if I want to continue racing, and I will have to do that in a few races. I feel good now but the schedule is demanding. In 2026 there will be different regulations that may or may not be attractive. I'll wait a few races to decide“, these are the words of the Spaniard.
Liquid hierarchies
“I believe that Bahrain is a unique place, especially due to the asphalt and the characteristics of the race, which are very limited in terms of degradation. Also, we've done a lot of testing here and it's the only track we test on. I think we will have to wait a few races to establish a hierarchy between the teams: perhaps Melbourne or even Suzuka. If I were you, I wouldn't pay too much attention to the results of this first race“, he continued.
The pace of Aston Martin
“I think the car has made a step forward, it was the first goal of the pre-season. We will see if this step forward is sufficient in the next races. What I see within the team is a different approach compared to 2023, where we started with a good base and it was a surprise to see how good we were at the start. Then we were unable to develop the car. We learned a lot of lessons and, if we want to become title contenders, it was a vital season“, he concluded. “In 2024 we are off to a good start, It will be interesting to see if we can maintain the pace of team development this season. Last year we weren't up to par and obviously we want to improve“.
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