Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso ended — at least for now — his illustrious Formula 1 career just outside the points with an 11th-place finish at Abu Dhabi on Sunday after a career spanning 311 Grand Prix starts over 17-years and 18,999 points.
For the most part, when a driver exits Formula 1, there is no real sense of occasion — just ask Stoffel Vandoorne, Marcus Ericsson, Sergey Sirotkin or Esteban Ocon who will also not be racing in F1 next year — but Alonso is a special case.
A driver who’s career will be forever remembered as one that could have been so much more. Small changes and better decision making could have seen him up there with Hamilton on five championship titles and few would disagree that he still remains one of the best drivers in the field.
“It’s going to be a good memory,” said Alonso. “The whole package in Formula 1 has been a fantastic journey from a young age till now, fighting always in any circumstances, in any car and I think achieving a lot of success that I never expected.
“I came from a country with no tradition for drivers, my father was not a racing driver so it was all by surprise and it was all welcome so I’m happy for that, happy to keep even the last weekend very emotional with a lot of things that Formula 1 prepared for me and also my team so yeah, we will come back maybe one day as a tourist, as a commentator maybe and try to enjoy Formula 1 in a different way.”
So what of the future? We know that Alonso will be competing in the Indy 500 as well as the remaining rounds of the World Endurance Championship — the ‘Super-Season’ running up to the 2019 Le Mans 24-Hour, but will he return to Formula 1 in the future?
“I don’t know,” said Alonso. “Right now I am not thinking to come back. That’s for sure but I don’t know how I will feel next year. I think I need a break now, I need different challenges, I want to fight for the triple crown, the Indy 500. I love the iconic races, maybe Daytona – all the things that will come.
“But for 2020 maybe I feel the need to do a full calendar in something. Maybe a full IndyCar, mayber a full Formula 1 and maybe that’s the time to come back or maybe I enjoy so much next year that I will not come back.”
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