Fernando Alonso has given some insight into his mindset and competitive edge when competing against others. The Alpine driver is currently in his 19th season in Formula 1, and his switch to Aston Martin for 2023 could see him competing until the age of 43. By the end of this season, he will have already surpassed Kimi Raikkonen's record for most F1 entries, and could be the first driver to have competed in over 400 Grands Prix. Alonso's speed and tenacity have rarely been questioned, and the two-time World Champion still provides examples of this on a regular basis. In an interview with Motorsport.com , it was noted how, prior to the French Grand Prix, Alonso had used the lap to the grid to put extra rubber down on the inside of Turn 1 and the outside of Turn 2 in order to create passing opportunities for himself at the start of the race. "Yeah, I mean, I'm that type of guy," Alonso told Motorsport.com . "I need to make 100 per cent of my thing, and I need to kill whatever strengths other people have."
Alonso provides non-F1 examples of competitiveness
Alonso added that this willingness to find a weakness in every opposition spills over into other sports. He explained how he tries to "maximise" his strengths in tennis, whilst "destroying" the opposition. "I do this in everything I practice, when I play anything," added Alonso. "I used to play tennis, and when I play with someone good, I would put the ball very high. Because, like this, you stop the rhythm of them because they are used to hitting the ball very hard. "Playing with professionals, the ball arrives very strong for them so they are used to that kind of shot. "But when you put the ball high, they make mistakes, because the ball arrives very soft. So I can play better tennis when putting the ball high. "Putting the ball high is my only chance to beat them. So I do that automatically. "It's not only on racing, I just need to destroy the strengths of the others, and try to maximise mine."
Most read
