Alonso: Monza like nowhere else

Fernando Alonso could not hide his excitement when describing the atmosphere which surrounds the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, saying performing there is like performing "nowhere else" because of the heritage of the circuit and the passion of the fans in attendance.

Alonso announced during the month-long summer break that he would be leaving Formula One at the conclusion of the 2018 season to focus on the World Endurance Championship, but still has a few races left to impress with McLaren before the departure.

It could be an emotional Grand Prix weekend for the two-time world champion, who clearly loves Monza.

“Monza is a very special circuit for me and I have a lot of very happy memories there," Alonso told Formula1.com

"It has a different feeling to many tracks – maybe because of the heritage or the fans, I’m not sure, but the emotions you feel when the fans invade the track after the race is like nowhere else in the world – there’s so much passion there.

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“For us we know this weekend will be difficult, like in Spa. Better tracks are coming for us, that’s for sure, but Monza has all the characteristics that expose the weaknesses of our package. We just have to work as hard as possible and see what we can get out of it.

“After the accident in Spa last Sunday I know the team has been working very hard to make sure we have enough parts for this back-to-back race. I’m very grateful for their efforts and I’ll still be giving it maximum attack even if it will be a challenging weekend.”

Alonso's comments were echoed by McLaren sporting director, Gil De Ferran, who described the circuit as "legendary".

“The whole team loves returning to Italy each year – the location is legendary, the fans are incredible and as racers at heart, we appreciate just how special this Grand Prix is on the calendar," said De Ferran.