Alonso wants to finish his career at Ferrari, even after 2016
On the occasion of the Italian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso discussed his future with Ferrari. Tied to the Italian team until the end of 2016, the Spaniard knows only that if he continues in Formula One beyond that, it will be with the Scuderia. Until then, the championship leader hopes to win the 2012 title and experience the thrill of the Monza podium once again.
While, among all the drivers on the 2012 grid, Fernando Alonso is by far the most certain of his future, it remains that the Spaniard, who will then have celebrated his 35th birthday and completed his fifteenth Formula One season, is already discussing a possible retirement: « My contract with Ferrari extends until the end of 2016, and I don’t yet know how I will feel at that time. If I am motivated, if I am still hungry, I will continue, but only with Ferrari, that is certain. If, on the other hand, I am tired, I will make the necessary decisions. I have been racing for so many years, it’s exhausting, I know that sooner or later the time will come to say “Basta!”. »
But in the meantime, the native of Oviedo hopes to achieve new successes in Formula One, starting with this season where he once again counts among the contenders for the world crown. Yet, Fernando Alonso is wary of the competition as his lead has almost halved after the Spa-Francorchamps crash, dropping from 40 to 24 points ahead of his closest pursuer: « I don’t know if I will manage to win the title without winning other races. At the moment, the McLaren is very strong and if they were to win three or four races in a row again, their deficit in the standings could disappear. We must continually focus on whoever is second in the championship: today, it is Vettel, so this weekend, we will look to finish ahead of him, as we tried to do with Webber in previous races. We just need to progress over the course of the remaining three months, confident that sooner or later we will make good progress. »
But if he has to win before the end of the season, the Spaniard would like it to be this weekend in Monza: « Winning in Monza has a special value, even when you are not fighting for the title, thanks to the podium celebrations, with all the crowd on the straight. We will try to have a good race and see how many points we can earn. […] With the support we receive there, the Italian Grand Prix is undoubtedly the most beautiful race on the calendar in terms of emotions. Certainly, the 2010 race is my dearest memory when I won there for the first time with Ferrari. »
