Alonso explains age gap "advantages"

Fernando Alonso has insisted he can only see "advantages" from his age difference to the rest of the field.

The Alpine driver becomes by far the most experienced driver in F1 this year after Kimi Raikkonen's retirement, with the 40-year-old three years older than Lewis Hamilton.

Most drivers would be long retired by now yet Alonso is only at the start of his new dawn having returned to the sport last season, taking his first podium in seven years at the Qatar Grand Prix as results began to come more consistently as his readaptation continued.

Asked in a media briefing including GPFans how he felt about the age disparity, Alonso replied: "I feel good. Honestly, I feel an advantage when I come to a circuit. I know the circuits.

“Even now, everyone is testing this 18-inch tire and I know very well, these tyres from the WEC.

“There is exactly the same behaviour on the tyres and the same way you have to drive the tyre which is very different. All the things that I'm facing for other people are like for the first time, and for me, it's the second or third time, so this is good.

“The only problem to being older is that you have to have the motivation to go into a season, that you will be 300 days per year away.

"You have to have that decided, you have to have that lifestyle that allows you to dedicate yourself to the sport.

"Apart from that, all the other things are advantages. Because I'm in a moment in life that I want to dedicate my moment in time to Formula 1. It is fantastic, I think I only see advantages."

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