Alonso: Each race type has its own characteristics

The historic circuit Circuito del Jarama, near Madrid, from 1968 to 1981. Nine times it hosted the Grand Prix of Spain, but on Wednesday the racing engines roared again.

On the Jarama circuit a fun event was organized by Finetwork, a major Spanish mobile phone provider, with Fernando Alonso speaking to fans who enthusiastically greeted his idol, and driving the local press in a previous generation Aston Martin DTM with a powerful engine with more than 500 hp

“This sports car is the closest to Formula 1 in terms of characteristics. They almost resemble a single-seater car,” said the two-time world champion.

Alonso has only driven three journalists around the track having won such a right in a special lottery, but before that he has been given the chance to get used to the car and set it up as he needs to enjoy it to the fullest . In total he drove 51 laps on the 3.85 km circuit.

Several thousand Spanish motorsport fans gathered in Jarama chanting “Thirty-three! Thirty three! Singapore! Singapore!”. These were, of course, sincere wishes for Alonso to take his thirty-third victory in the next phase of the season.

“In Monaco we were very close, and I think we had a chance in Canada as well,” says Fernando, a writer for the Spanish newspaper AS, who was lucky enough to be one of the passengers of the Aston Martin F1 driver . – In Zandvoort it was also possible to fight for victory at the end of the race, but our car was not as fast there as in Monaco and Canada.

Why didn’t I attack Verstappen at the restart? There was such a thought, but I did not manage to get close enough to him. I was hoping I could try, but when the safety car left the track, Max went straight ahead.

Alonso is one of those universally trained racers who has put his strength to the test in various categories and championships, including winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and participating in the Dakar rally raid.

“Each type of motorsport has its own characteristics,” he stressed. – Karting is the purest form of racing, learning the basics of skills from childhood. Maybe that’s what I love most.

Endurance races are interesting because you compete with two partners in one team and a marathon can last 24 hours. Indy 500 is another story, in this race everything depends on many nuances, because everyone has the same cars there.

And in Formula 1 it may not be so much fun now, because there are too many races and you are busy all year, but this championship is the most popular, this is the royal category. When we talk about Dakar, this is not just a race, it is also a very special experience.”