He is the driver who has participated in the most Grand Prix races in Formula 1. But he has also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Daytona 500. He has also participated in the Indianapolis 500 and Paris-Dakar. This man is of course Fernando Alonso.
Fernando Alonso, the world's most experienced driver currently competing, continues to delight his fans and the Aston Martin F1 Team at the track.
His happiest fans? As happened at the last Brazilian Grand Prix, last year…the Spaniard beat Sergio Perez's Red Bull in the end, taking third place and his last podium finish. Chico passed him on the penultimate lap, and passed him again on the final loop to finish 53 thousandths ahead of him!
Lane changes, the position of the car in corners, the braking, tire wear… Fernando Alonso, with an inferior car, provided a masterclass. But how do you find the perfect balance between defense and attack? The Spaniard confided his secrets to us…
“During your karting years you learn how to defend and explore all the possibilities and strengths of your car. This could be top speed, traction, performance in fast or slow corners. Then you choose different parts of the track where you have to go very fast to avoid any attack from the car behind you.” And other parts where you have to save a little money.
“There are always things that if you play more carefully at the beginning, you will get the advantage later in the round or the relay. You have to process those thoughts and make those decisions very quickly in the race, because the car is not the same – it is not the same weight, there is less fuel and the tires are old. Constantly thinking in the car about methods of attack and defence.
“It's as if your mind is a hard drive. Everything you know is on this hard drive and you can access it when you need it in those moments.”
Fernando Alonso's hard drive is full! There is clearly room in the Spaniard's living memory.
During last year's Miami Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso surprised everyone by commenting on… Lance Stroll overtaking Alexander Albon, which he saw on the giant screens! But how can he watch the race on a giant screen while navigating the tight turns of the Florida Circuit?
“Well, we're trying to drive fast!” There are times in racing when you get into a state of mind where everything comes automatically and you are able to drive the car 99% without using your full mental capacity. You start by asking about other cars and your teammate. »
“Sometimes, on the big screens, you can see a direct competitor stopping and going for the hard frame, so you immediately think, ‘Well, they're going for the hard frame, so they're planning to go all the way.'” Or are they planning to stop again, as Was it expected in our simulation?
“You're sharing this information with the team because you might have a feeling in the car that matches what other people are doing – you're trying to understand whether or not what you planned in strategy meetings matches reality. It's about making sure everything still makes sense in the moment of truth.” When you race »
But Fernando Alonso could also lose control… On lap 48 of last year's Chinese Grand Prix, the Aston Martin F1 car was chasing Lewis Hamilton for eighth place, but he almost sent his car into the scene, going slightly off on the gravel at the exit of the turn The last. However, he was able to avoid the terrifying spin…
“Every time you're in a race car, you learn something. It may be more or less useful at that moment, but later you may encounter the same conditions, the same level of grip, the same level of pressure, the same balance of the car.”
“At that moment of oversteer or when you have a lock in the front, your memory, which is muscle memory, activates based on what you have already experienced and you immediately react in the necessary way. »
“It's as if your mind is a hard drive. Everything you know is on this hard drive and you can access it when you need it in those moments.”
“The more laps you do in a race car – the more experience you have with different cars, different tracks and different conditions – that can be an advantage.”
