Alonso seriously considered quitting F1 last year
Alonso seriously considered quitting F1 last year
Fernando Alonso has admitted that he considered quitting Formula One altogether in 2017 in order to pursue his dream of winning the motorsport 'triple crown' as he was involved in yet another season without success with McLaren, who once again suffered engine problems.
The Spaniard is a two-time world champion and is considered one of the greatest ever drivers in F1, but these championship wins came over a decade ago, with his recent years with McLaren not even mustering up as much as a race win.
He has not hid his desire to win the triple crown which includes wins at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans, and has now admitted that he thought about quitting F1 to achieve the feat.
"Yes, I did think about the possibility of changing series and stopping Formula 1," Alonso told F1 Racing.
"After I did the Indy 500 last year, when I came back there were a couple of races in Austria, Silverstone, when I thought, 'Maybe next year I could try a different series; I could do full commitment to the triple crown and do Indy and Le Mans and maybe that's the best thing'.
"But I felt it was not the time for me to step out - not right now, not after these results, not with this feeling. I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life and that I would have this bad taste for the rest of my racing career.
"So definitely I still want to succeed. There is unfinished business for me and McLaren together.
"And I think this year is the time all these things will change. I feel pretty sure about that."
McLaren are the second-most successful team in the history of F1, but finished ninth last season - something which Alonso insists must not happen again this campaign.
"A bad year for McLaren is third or fourth in the constructors' championship, never ninth."
When asked if this season would be a return to normality for McLaren, Alonso said: "Yes - back to normality, back to this normal feeling of getting to every grand prix and preparing through practice and qualifying and knowing that you should be in the top five - and if you do well you could be on the podium.
"And if you do something really special, you could even be a winner."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Verstappen in exit THREAT as Newey rules out move to rival team
- 52 minutes ago
Newey's desired Ferrari role revealed as Red Bull chief submits RESIGNATION - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Leclerc pictured with new love as post hits 3 MILLION likes
- Yesterday 22:57
Spice Girl 'rock of support' for Geri Horner amid Red Bull 'NIGHTMARE'
- Yesterday 21:57
Newey move to F1 rivals RULED OUT
- Yesterday 20:57
Jos Verstappen hints at Red Bull EXIT for champion son
- Yesterday 19:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860