Exclusive: Next goal is to win races with Aston Martin, says Fernando Alonso

Legendary Spanish F1 driver Alonso feels performance these days is more about dominant vehicles than driver skills
CHENNAI: When two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso said on Monday, "Speed is part of my life", he meant it. Hours after finishing a creditable eighth in the Singapore GP on Sunday, the Aston Martin driver made a quick trip to Chennai for an event organised by Cognizant, one of the F1 team's partners.
TOI later sat down with him for an exclusive interaction, where he assessed Aston's show so far this season, commented on the emergence of youngsters in F1 and spoke about his passion for football.
Excerpts from the interview:
What is your assessment of Aston Martin's season so far?
It is rewarding when you score points and secure fifth place in the constructor championship, which is the minimum target for us. But we are here to win, we are not here to finish fifth. Even though we are executing our races well and maximising what we have in terms of pace and packaging, we want to get better soon. It is not possible to be on the podium and to win races this year, we do not have that level yet. But we are reinforcing the team with the vision of winning races soon. There are things that we need to work passionately on.
You have said that your first and only priority is to win the F1 title for the third time. You are still going strong in your 40s. How do you stay motivated?
I hate losing, I am a very competitive person. It (competitiveness) is not down to just motorsport but everything in life. As a driver, I want to help the team and win again. This is enough to motivate me. I need not prepare myself differently, I need not do mental exercise or anything like that to keep me motivated. Every time I start a race, I think about winning it or imagine winning. It does not happen because we are not at that level yet, but I cannot wait for the next race to try again. It is not difficult to motivate myself.
How do you see the title race between leader Max Verstappen and chaser Lando Norris ending?
I do not know, it is difficult to say who will win. Both of them are extremely good and the best will win in the end. I will enjoy their fight like any other person.
How do you look at the emergence of youngsters in the last few years?
They are well prepared, it is a fantastic generation that is coming now. They have had F1 teams supporting them from a very young age, from the karting level sometimes. They have simulators, all the data and tools to learn how to drive these cars. We did not have data when we started, it was more about intuition and experimentation. Now they know what is best in their cars and how they need to drive it. This is a huge advantage. It is good for the sport to have young talent, it will make the sport better in the future.
Are the young drivers making life more difficult for seniors like you?
I do not think so, they still finish behind us (laughs). F1 and motorsport is about timing, you need to be fast. It is not about the age. In F1, we have different cars, so it (performance) depends on who has the dominant cars. If all of us have the same car, the veteran teammates of youngsters will be faster. They are still not as fast (laughs).
Tell us about your friendship with Rafael Nadal.
We meet at a few events and award functions. He is a great fan of motorsport, he has an Aston Martin Vantage from what I know. He is a role model for many people in Spain. The way he plays and the way he fights for every point is inspiring, he never takes any point for granted. He gives his 100 per cent every point and every match. This is part of our spirit in Spain, we like to express ourselves with determination in everything that we do.
You are officially an honorary member of Real Madrid. How passionate are you about the club?
The team is in an incredible moment now and has achieved a lot in the last few years. It has been 23 years since I got my membership. You need to complete 25 years to become eligible for the club president's role. In two years, I can become a candidate (laughs). But no, it is a very complicated thing. Football is a great entertainment for many and I follow the news. It is good to have something that can be a distraction from work. For me, it is football.