Fernando Alonso is convinced that trying out different series during his time off from the premier class “made him a better F1 driver” after his return.
Alonso took a two-year break from his Formula One career, during which time he won the World Endurance Championship title with Toyota, including two victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a title at the 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as further attempts at the Indianapolis 500 after his first attempt in 2017 and a 13th place at the fearsome Dakar Rally.
Fernando Alonso: The diverse motorsport mix has made me a better F1 driver
In addition to Formula 1, Alonso now has endurance racing at the highest level, IndyCar and off-road racing on his schedule and still aims to win the Dakar Rally in the future. He explained that the experience of trying different cars has forced him to be “humble” as he has to “start from scratch” in each scenario.
His first foray away from Formula 1 came at the 2017 Indy 500, when McLaren allowed him to take part in the race as a one-off in lieu of the Monaco Grand Prix. He qualified an impressive fifth and led a significant portion of the race until an engine failure forced him to retire with 21 laps to go.
The two-time world champion has now become familiar with a wide variety of machinery and is already in the fourth season of his Formula 1 comeback. He is convinced that this extensive motorsport experience has made him a better driver.
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“I have learned a lot in other series and other categories,” Alonso said on Aston Martin’s official website.
“When you approach a new discipline like the Indy 500 or an endurance racing sport, you have to start from scratch.
“You have to start from scratch because what you learn in Formula 1 cannot be transferred in terms of driving style to races like the Indy 500, endurance races or an off-road rally.
“When you are well established in F1 or any other sport, it is easy to fall into the trap of not improving or not learning new things because you think you already know everything.
“You have to approach a new series with humility and when you do that, it’s like being a beginner or a newbie again: you’re ready to absorb all the information that the specialists in that series give you.
“My humility and the fact that I have taken everything I have learned from racing in these different series has made me a better F1 driver.
“I don’t know exactly which area or which specific part of an F1 weekend, but I am sure that my experiences and learnings from other series have made me a better driver.”
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