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Fans were certainly not thrilled with Fernando Alonso's remarks about killing the strengths that other drivers have. They pointed out that the Alpine driver cannot even beat his team-mate Esteban Ocon.
Before announcing his shocking move to Aston Martin instead of extending his contract with Alpine, Fernando Alonso told Motorsport.com:
“Yeah, I mean, I'm that type of guy. I need to make 100% of my thing, and I need to kill whatever strengths other people have. But this I do in everything I practice, when I play anything.
"I used to play tennis, and when I play with someone good, I would put the ball very high. Because, like this, you stop the rhythm of them because they are used to hitting the ball very hard. Playing with professionals, the ball arrives very strong for them so they are used to that kind of shot.”
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“But when you put the ball high, they make mistakes, because the ball arrives very soft. So I can play better tennis when putting the ball high. Putting the ball high is my only chance to beat them.
"So I do that automatically. It's not only on racing I just need to destroy the strengths of the others, and try to maximize mine.”
Fernando Alonso currently stands tenth in the drivers' standings, while the Frenchman is in eighth, with seventeen points separating the two.
Fans react to Fernando Alonso's remarks
Fernando Alonso was "exhausted mentally" by the 2018 season
Fernando Alonso retired from F1 at the end of the 2018 season, with the exhaustion of all the "marketing and traveling" playing a significant role in his decision. While he soon returned to the sport two years later, he admits that it was a much-needed break. At 41, the Spaniard is the oldest driver on the grid but remains one of the fittest in the lot.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, while answering a question about the downsides of racing and competing at his age, the two-time world champion said:
“In terms of the downsides, it's difficult to say anything because I don't feel that I'm missing anything that I had when I was younger. Maybe in 2018, I felt that I was exhausted mentally by all the marketing and traveling and things like that.
"And I needed those two years out. Now I feel okay. So I don't know if it is just those two years that helped me out. Or it's just a different approach that I have now.”
He added:
“I think watching races from the outside, you don't understand sometimes different things and different behaviours of the race, looking from the outside and looking at 360 degrees.
"It’s not only your own cockpit and your own strategy, so maybe I have a better understanding of how the race develops. And also the different categories that I drove: I think they teach me different things.”
Fernando Alonso took his first podium in seven years last season at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, a testament to his drive and hunger for more.
