Alpine driver Fernando Alonso has slammed those who bring up his age while asking questions.
Alonso celebrated his 40th birthday recently, and has showed no signs of slowing down After a two-year hiatus from F1, he returned to the grid, joining Alpine and teaming with Esteban Ocon. Although he initially struggled in the new car, he seems to have rediscovered his mojo. Over the last few races, he has been one of the fastest and most consistent drivers on the grid.
We always use the cliché of ‘age is just a number’ for Alonso. However, there are those who still doubt his credentials as a driver. Recently, he was quizzed again on his age. In response to it, he delivered a sharp response.
“It seems that the sport and how social media is now, we seem to get confused about the age or the performance that a sportsman can do,” Alonso said.
“This is not the Tour De France, this is not the Olympic Games, this is not football, where at 23 you are at the peak of your performance.
“If I race myself now against myself of 23, I will beat him with one hand. It’s not the same for myself only. I guess everyone will give you the same answer. It’s not the younger you are, the quicker you are. This is not how the stopwatch works in motorsport,” Alonso concluded.
40 years young
During the Hungarian GP, Alonso put in a masterclass, finishing P5. However, what people remember from the race was his duel with Lewis Hamilton. He held the Mercedes driver off for ten laps, and the assist helped his teammate Ocon win the first race of his career.
We can’t wait for more of Alonso’s statement performances during the second half of the season. Age is indeed a number, and Alonso is one of many examples for the age-old (pardon the pun) phrase.
Read more: Fernando Alonso can never come close to the likes of Max Verstappen: Tom Coronel