As Fernando Alonso approaches the remarkable milestone of 400 Formula 1 grands prix, he admits there are many aspects of the sport's past that he misses.
Now 43 years old and committed to Aston Martin for 2025 and 2026, Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001 as a teenager. Since then, he has won two world championships and 32 grand prix victories, though many believe he could have achieved even more.
When asked about the upcoming 400th race, Alonso said: "I recognise the number, but I would love to do half of the 400 and win more races or one more championship.
"Those are the important statistics I want, but at the same time it shows my love for the sport and the discipline of trying to perform at a very high level for more than 20 years."
Alonso acknowledged that his lengthy career has taken a physical toll.
"It's not good for your back, your neck, your spine, but also the technology in Formula 1 has changed and I think the cars are more driver-friendly now.
"These ground effect cars are a bit stiffer, but seats, comfort, safety, equipment, helmets - everything - has been evolving to be a better place for the drivers. And then the pace of the cars on Sundays is very slow compared to the past," Alonso added.
"When you load it up with fuel, you have to save tyres, save energy, etc. The only physically stressful or demanding moment of the weekend now is usually qualifying, which is very short. So it's not a problem to stay in terms of physical condition, it's more mentally - the travelling, the events, the pressure.
"That's probably what affects you the most at the moment."
Alonso openly admits that he preferred the F1 of the past.
When asked what he misses about the earlier days of his career, Alonso replied: "Refuelling, fast on Sundays, the sound of the engine, big sponsors, grid girls, grid boys - we had it all," Alonso laughed.
"Now everything revolves around social media and things like that. Before, it was more in the real world. But we're in a good moment and Formula 1 is very popular all over the world - the teams are now very professional, with a lot of discipline, budget caps. So I think we're probably in the best moment for Formula 1.
"But it's true that in the past, especially the pitstops, they gave you a lot of possibilities for strategy—starting with high fuel loads, low fuel, doing three stops, one stop. Now, between the battery and the fuel load, sometimes in races we are seven seconds slower or something like that at the beginning of the race.
"And that's a little bit less motivating."
