Alonso Cites Lack of Track Action as Reason to Quit

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso announced earlier this week that he would not be competing in F1 in 2019. However, he has not ruled out a return in the long-term if the right opportunity arose.

According to the Spanish veteran, the predictability of grand prix racing and the lack of excitement proved to be major turn offs for him.

“The action on track is not the one I dreamed of when I joined F1, or when I was in different series, or the action on track that I experienced in other years,” said Alonso.

“I stopped because the action on track in my opinion I feel is very poor. In fact, what we talk about more in F1, is off track. We talk about polemics. We talk about radio messages. We talk about all these things, and when we talk so many times about those things, it is a bad sign. 

“It is because the on-track action was very poor on that weekend, and that is what I feel in F1 now, and I think there are other series that maybe offer better action, more joy and more happiness, so that is what I try to find.”

He did admit that a realistic prospect of winning a third world title in 2019 could have convinced him to stay. But it is clear to him that F1 has become something that no longer excites him.

“When I was in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011, I was not winning any single race in those years. But it was difficult to predict [then] what could happen in Spa and Monza. 

“Now, we can write down what is going to happen at Spa and Monza. We can put the first 15 positions with maybe one or two mistakes. So how predictable everything became is tough. 

“We go to Barcelona and we test the first day of winter testing and you know what you will do until November in Abu Dhabi and it is tough. For me, it is not too much of a problem because after 18 years, as I said before, I achieved more than what I dreamed of. 

“But for young drivers or different drivers, it is tough because they just hope that next year the team does an unbelievable step or they receive a call from one or two teams. It became difficult for ambitious drivers.”

Alonso is currently weighing his options in IndyCar as well as his WEC commitments with Toyota. Interestingly, he suggested that he is open to a return in 2020. He thinks that it would be stupid to close off the opportunity now’.

“I think the door open is more because I think I am driving at the best level of my career now,” he explained. “And why to close doors if anything could happen in the future? 

“I am still young. I am not 45 years old. I feel strong and I am doing this year 27 races, so my thinking is to stop. And that is why I stop. But who knows? That is the reason why.”