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Fernando Alonso Follows in Lewis Hamilton’s Footsteps as New Diet Leads to “Surprising Results” at 42 Years of Age

Published 02/17/2024, 8:00 AM EST

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Lewis Hamilton wasn’t supposed to win any championships since 2017. You see, when Lewis switched over to a completely vegan diet in 2017, many, including some doctors, claimed that his body wouldn’t get the required amount of protein from a vegan diet to support the physical demands of Formula 1 racing. However, Hamilton’s performance on the track has only improved since embracing a plant-based lifestyle. With four more world championships for Mercedes under his belt post-diet change, Hamilton has silenced the doubters for good. And now it looks like his old rival Fernando Alonso is getting similar results with a change in his diet.

If there’s anyone who’s proving age is just a number, it’s Fernando Alonso. At 42, he’s still going strong and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. As he gets ready for his 21st season in F1, the Spaniard has been boasting about feeling in his peak physical condition for many years. He has achieved some of the best results in the pre-season physical tests that he has to go through at his time of the year. What’s the reason behind this sudden physical fitness? It’s an almost vegan diet.

Fernando Alonso says the new diet is compensating for the age factor

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According to a recent report from Diario AS, the 42-year-old shared insights into the extensive physical tests he has to undergo, including a test of his cardiovascular endurance, muscle composition, reaction times, and maximum gym performances. He had suffered a decline in muscle performance after the age of 35 compared to his previous years. However, this year, he has managed to reach peak levels of muscle mass again with a focus on nutrition and diet.

Alonso explained that he has shifted towards the vegetarian route, although it is not completely strict, to extract more energy from the food we eat and from the body’s reserves, and thus have more resistance.” He seemed quite satisfied with the results, noting surprising improvements in muscle gain while maintaining reaction speed and cardio endurance.

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We have tried to gain muscle to compensate for the age factor and without losing the ability to react or endurance in cardio. These are surprising, very positive results, I have trained more calmly and longer. The season ended in November and I had more time to train. It’s been a winter with more time for me, in the last few years I had marketing activities, I changed teams, [and] I had to do a lot of things in the factory… This year I’ve had time for myself, to drive other cars, and this has helped me to arrive at pre-season in the best condition of my life, he added.

READ MORE: “F1 Needs Fernando Alonso”: Amid Rumored Mercedes Move, Aston Martin Insider Pleads 2X Champ to Stay

It’s not just Fernando Alonso who has produced good results, he believes his team has also done a great job over the winter break.

Alonso can sleep peacefully knowing his engineers have done a good job

When Aston Martin fell off the competitive ladder in 2023 after mid-season, Fernando Alonso pinpointed key areas for Aston Martin to improve in the 2024 car. These included improving top speed, achieving better balance, and refining the aerodynamic package for stability in high-speed corners. After driving the the new AMR24 in the simulator he believes that the engineers have fixed the issues that plagued last season’s car.

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According to Auto Motor und Sport, Alonso credited his peaceful sleep to the fact that they can now take the fight to Red Bull. “If I had any doubts about it, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep peacefully for the last two months,” said the double world champion.

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Watch This StoryDoes Fernando Alonso Believe He Can Be a 3-time World Champion?

Fernando Alonso is looking forward to claiming his 33rd and Aston Martin’s 1st victory in Formula 1. Can he do it in 2024? Share your thoughts in the comments down below.

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Written by:

Veerendra Vikram Singh

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Veerendra Singh is a Motorsport writer at EssentiallySports who specializes in F1 coverage. Having followed the sport for more than 12 years, Veerendra excels in covering trend-setting articles and has covered Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff, and Charles Leclerc extensively during the 2023 F1 season. His Dale Earnhardt Jr post regarding the North Wilkesboro Speedway was shared by Save The Speedway Twitter account.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare