Fernando Alonso says he is happy and content with his decision to not race in Formula 1 in 2019 but he is not going to stop fighting throughout the remainder of the current campaign, starting this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix.
The McLaren F1 Team racer heads to Belgium after scoring eighth place finishes in three of the four races before the summer break, although he will have to wait until the second practice session on Friday afternoon to get in the MCL33 as test driver Lando Norris gets his maiden opportunity to run in the morning session.
“Even though Formula 1 has been on its summer shutdown, it feels like a lot has happened since Hungary!” said Alonso. “I’m pleased to finally confirm my decision for 2019, but that doesn’t in any way deter from what me or the team will be focusing on for the rest of the year.
“We still have a lot of work to do and I’m really looking forward to being back in the car from FP2. Although I’ve raced more recently that anyone else on the grid, at Silverstone in WEC last weekend, I still can’t wait to get behind the wheel at Spa.
“It’s one of the best circuits on the calendar and usually a lot of fun.”
Alonso admits he is expecting a tough weekend for McLaren thanks to the amount of time spent on full throttle around Spa-Francorchamps, but even after his FIA World Endurance Championship experience with Toyota Gazoo Racing last weekend, he is feeling refreshed and ready to get the second half of the season underway.
“Spa is the longest track we race on and a lot of it is at full throttle, so it will be a challenging weekend for us,” said Alonso. “But, I feel fresh, motivated and ready to attack the weekend and the second half of the season.”
