Fernando Alonso’s love for Formula 1 can’t be questioned. The Spaniard has just signed a new contract at Aston Martin, one that will keep him on the grid until at least the end of 2026.
Alonso already holds the record for the most race starts in Formula 1 history with 381. Next year, he’ll surpass the 400-mark, and it’s conceivable that he pushes towards 450.
The Spaniard will be racing in F1 until he’s at least 45, still too passionate to hang up his helmet for good. But speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Peter Windsor has revealed that one of Alonso’s former teammates didn’t share his enthusiasm.
There are only three world champions on the current grid after Kimi Raikkonen quit in 2021 and Sebastian Vettel followed suit in 2022. That leaves Alonso, title holder Max Verstappen and the sport’s most successful driver in Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton will turn 40 at the start of next year but there’s no question of him calling time on his career just yet. Instead, the seven-time champion is headed to Ferrari in search for an unprecedented eighth crown.
Peter Windsor shares his conversation with F1 world champion
During a live stream, Windsor recalled that Raikkonen once told him that he ‘hated’ Formula 1 at a party in Brazil. The Finn sits second behind Alonso in the all-time Grands Prix list with 349, though Hamilton will demote him to third later this year.
Raikkonen, who tasted glory with Ferrari in 2007, took a break from F1 from the end of 2009 until 2012, when he returned with Lotus. His impressive stint at the Enstone team earned him a return to the Scuderia in 2014.
However, the move didn’t go as planned as he struggled mightily against Alonso and Vettel. Ferrari hired Charles Leclerc to partner the latter in 2019, and Raikkonen dropped down to Sauber.
He said: “I remember going to a nightclub – it was DC’s [David Coulthard’s] party actually – after a Brazilian Grand Prix one year, and it was a late party. There was a balcony overlooking the dancefloor and I went up to the balcony to look down on it, see who was there and what was going on, and Kimi was up there.
“He had his elbows rested on this balcony, staring into space. I stood next to him and we both stared in silence at this scene, and then suddenly Kimi turned to me and said, ‘I hate Formula 1’, and then just walked away.”
Will Sebastian Vettel emulate Kimi Raikkonen?
After Raikkonen, Alonso and Michael Schumacher (in 2010), there’s now talk that Vettel could be the latest icon to embark upon a second stint in F1. Vettel has refused to rule out a comeback and says he remains in contact with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Wolff, of course, has a vacancy to fill at Brackley next year, although the Silver Arrows may naturally be hesitant to sign the 36-year-old after two years away. George Russell says he’s ‘missed’ Vettel and would be ‘very happy’ to race alongside him.
The former Red Bull driver admits he’d need some time to readjust to F1’s G-forces, but generally remains in good physical condition. Former Aston Martin colleague Bernie Collins thinks he said he’d be ready to sign if an offer arrived from Wolff.
While Alonso has performed well enough to earn a lengthy contract extension, Raikkonen and Schumacher both struggled to hit their former heights even with the odd flashes of brilliance. Perhaps Wolff will see that as a warning sign.
The post ‘I remember going to a nightclub’: Peter Windsor says world champion privately told him he ‘hates Formula 1’ appeared first on F1 Oversteer.