Fernando Alonso stresses the importance of F1 drivers embracing their role model status, highlighting the responsibility they owe to their fans both on and off the track.
Fernando Alonso is fully aware of the responsibility he holds toward the Formula 1 public, as someone admired by many fans. The Aston Martin F1 driver has always paid attention to the image he projects to the public.
“What fans bring to drivers and athletes, I think, is a huge responsibility because you are a role model for many people,” Alonso stated. “You have to behave properly.”
“You must be ready to be a role model when you want to, and when you don’t want to, you still have to. When you want to say something that’s not right, you need to hold back and be politically correct.”
Alonso said the same discipline applies to how drivers prepare for competition on the track: “When you don’t feel like training or getting ready for the next Grand Prix, you still have to.”
“On the days you’re ready to do it, or even when you’re not, you still have to, because you have that responsibility toward your fans and the people who believe in you. I meet many fans around the world who obviously follow Formula 1.”
“But they will always tell me, ‘You’re my source of inspiration, you never give up, you’re a fighter.’ That kind of thing reminds you that many people are watching and observing how you handle things.”
“When you’re a driver or in the spotlight, you have to behave properly. I think fans give you a lot of love and motivation, but they also bring the huge responsibility to do what they expect of you.”
“I didn’t choose to be an F1 driver.”
Alonso has sacrificed many things to stay over 20 years in the top category, even though he reveals he wasn’t the one pushing to become a driver as a child, and he actually preferred football.
“I didn’t choose to be a driver. It was my father who chose it, I must admit. In my case, I did my first kart race at the age of three, and you can imagine I didn’t choose to race. My father was very happy that day, my mother less so.”
“I think it’s obvious that you love what you do, that you develop skills at a young age, and if you succeed, more opportunities come. You deliver, you win, you move from one category to the next, and eventually, you make it to F1.”
“When I was eight, nine, or ten, I remember racing on weekends, but during the week, I played football at school and I was a goalkeeper. And I remember enjoying playing football more than racing on the weekends.”
“But I couldn’t tell my father. And then, in football, there are hundreds, thousands of players. In Formula 1, there are only 20. So, it was more appealing, more exclusive!”
“But jokes aside, I think I missed a lot of things in life, I’m aware of that. I was 19 when I became a Formula 1 driver, and I was 29 when I went to a nightclub for the first time. I missed a lot of things.”
“I’m happy with my life, but there are things I’m missing. I don’t have children, and I want to have some in the coming years, hopefully not too far from now. And there are many things that didn’t go as I imagined when I was 15 or 16. I probably pictured a different life.”
Is it too late to win the Triple Crown?
Alonso could secure the Triple Crown if he wins the Indy 500, as he already has the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a Formula 1 title under his belt, according to the definition by its creator, Graham Hill.
The Spaniard replaces the F1 title with the Monaco Grand Prix, but he is still aiming for this achievement: “There is something very appealing about winning the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1, winning Le Mans, and winning the Indy 500, which is called the Triple Crown of motorsport.”
“I’ve tried the Indy 500 three times, without success. It’s the only one missing. But for now, it’s not in my plans. I’m very, very focused on Formula 1 for the next two or three years. I want to win the third world title.”
“That is my only priority right now. And after that, since I’ll be 45 or 46 years old, I think the commitment needed to go for the Indy 500, the amount of relearning I would need to do, would be a bit too much. As I’ve said, I also have other goals in life. I think my next challenge will be the Dakar Rally.”
“If I can win Dakar, I think it will be extremely rewarding for me personally because I can win in Formula 1, I can win in endurance racing, win Le Mans and Daytona, and if I can win in rallying as well, it would mean a lot to me as a driver.”
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Alonso: ‘F1 Drivers Bear Responsibility to Their Fans’ Alonso: ‘F1 Drivers Bear Responsibility to Their Fans’
