Despite skipping the Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso insists that Formula 1 is his number one priority and a third word title is his main target.
The two-time world champion missed the recent race in the Principality to compete in the Indianapolis 500 as part of his bid to claim the Triple Crown of motor racing (Monaco Grand Prix, Indy 500 & 24 hours of Le Mans victories) but he was denied a top result when his engine failed 20 laps from the finish.
Alonso returns to Formula 1 this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix where he is likely to be confined to the midfield as the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 Team continue to struggle. Despite the recent poor form, Alonso has stressed that F1 is where is immediate future lays.
“My first priority is Formula One and to win my third world championship,” Alonso told The Mail on Sunday. “My second priority was to enjoy the experience of Indy 500, and I managed to do that.
“I’m happy but for one thing. The only thing missing is being competitive. It is all you can ask for as a driver and it is frustrating when you do not have that.”
Alonso’s contract with McLaren expires at the end of 2017 and thoughts among paddock personnel and fans have turned to where Alonso will end up in 2018 and beyond. The Spaniard joined McLaren in 2015, at the start of a tough period for the once mighty outfit; it’s not the first time Alonso has made questionable team moves, but the man himself has no regrets.
“I made each move from one team to another because I felt it was right in my heart,” Alonso said. “And if you go back 17 or 18 years, I was travelling in my dad’s van to go-kart races in Italy. I could have been working in a supermarket at home in Oviedo. And now I come to America and the people follow me everywhere.
“I don’t agree with: ‘What a shame. Alonso should have done this or that’. I have won 97 podiums and two titles. I think I’m doing OK.”
