Fernando Alonso reacts to Taylor Swift rumors and the new F1 sprint format this weekend

Fernando Alonso made waves during F1's four-week hiatus with rumors of the two-time world champion dating music icon Taylor Swift going viral on social media. Heading into the Azerbaijan GP, Alonso addressed the rumors in Thursday's media session.

Alonso was questioned about how he felt about grabbing worldwide attention in the past few weeks. The Spaniard cheekily smiled and quickly switched the topic of discussion to the new F1 weekend format in Azerbaijan.

The 41-year-old said:

"Yes, probably, but I'm just focused on Baku and racing and let's see. Obviously, the new format of the weekend is extremely complex for a driver. Especially on Saturday morning, the first time you go in the car, you tie the belts and you are into Q1. So that will be a new thing for all of us. Yeah, enough to think."

Keeping the rumors aside, the Aston Martin driver is focused on the weekend as F1 experiments with a new weekend format. Alonso is hoping to continue Aston Martin's stellar start to the season.

According to a tip, rumors of Fernando Alonso dating Taylor Swift first appeared in Spanish magazines. The news was then published by the gossip account DeuxMoi, which later went viral and made several rounds on social media.

Fernando Alonso further added fuel to the fire with his posts on social media. He had first commented 'Feeling 33', referencing a hit song from the singer. Later, fans went crazy when he uploaded a TikTok video featuring Swift's song 'Karma' with the caption 'Race week era', a subtle nod to Swift's 'Eras Tour'.

Both Alonso and Swift haven't yet confirmed or denied the rumors.

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Fernando Alonso keen on building no the early season momentum

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan

Aston Martin surprised the top three teams, emerging as the second-fastest team in Bahrain's season opener. They further backed up the results with strong outings in Jeddah and Australia.

Riding the wave of success at Aston Martin was Fernando Alonso, who scored three consecutive podiums in the first three races. After a four-week break, the Spaniard is now recharged as F1 reaches Baku for the first sprint race of the year.

The 41-year-old said in a press release:

"It's good to be back after a few weeks away from racing. I have recharged the batteries after a high-adrenaline start to the season, and I am now looking forward to Baku..."

He added:

"I'm excited to see the return of the Sprint this weekend too. We've seen some fun races in the past there and I'm sure it'll be no different, especially now with two qualifying sessions and two races. After three races we know our car better, but we need to pick up where we left off in Australia and keep up the development push over the next few races."

While Fernando Alonso has never stood on the podium in Baku, his current form suggests that he might do so this weekend.