Football World Cup final in the spotlight: Surprising statement from Fernando Alonso

This Sunday sees the tenth Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season, and just hours later the Football World Cup final will take place, in which the national teams of Spain and Argentina will go head to head. And Fernando Alonso has no intention of missing this showdown. He knows that there is currently nothing for him to gain on the track – Aston Martin’s performance gap to the points-scoring positions is simply too great.

The 2005 and 2006 world champion insists, however: “Even if you’re battling at the back of the field, it’s fun to compete in a race. So I still really enjoy battling against other drivers during the race. When you’re a driver and you flip down your visor, you’re happy in the cockpit because you’re still competing against 21 other drivers. During the two hours or so that a race lasts, you block out the rest of the world and are in your own zone.”

At the same time, however, Alonso also makes it clear: “We can’t expect much from the race. That’s why the focus is on getting home in time to watch the football match. Outside the cockpit, that’s the main thing.”

The proud Asturian, who has won 32 races in his long Grand Prix career, knows, however, that it will be difficult to be home in time for kick-off. He admits: “That’ll certainly be tricky, as we’re flying back. But we’ll probably manage to be home in time for the second half.”

And Alonso emphasises: “Like all Spaniards, I follow the national team’s progress very closely. We support our team even from afar and provide the right boost when it’s needed. They know the whole country is behind them. And I’ve watched most of the matches; sometimes I’ve had to miss the second half because I had other things to do. But as I said, I’ll try to watch at least the second half of the final.”

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