Latest news with #FernandoAlonso
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Are we nearing the end of Barcelona's run as an F1 city? Madrid addition puts race in doubt
Lewis Hamilton, of United Kingdom, rides a scooter at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Thursday May 29, 2025. The Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Haas driver Oliver Bearman of Britain steers his car on the pit lane during the second free practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain steers his car on the pit lane during the second free practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain steers his car on the pit lane during the second free practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Lewis Hamilton, of United Kingdom, rides a scooter at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Thursday May 29, 2025. The Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race will be held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Haas driver Oliver Bearman of Britain steers his car on the pit lane during the second free practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain steers his car on the pit lane during the second free practice ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Barcelona may be quickly approaching its end as a Formula 1 city after more than three decades of racing in northeastern Spain. The grand prix is under contract through next year, but the addition of a race in Madrid also in 2026 has put a bullseye on the event that has been held near Barcelona since 1991. Advertisement F1 has trended toward adding urban and temporary circuits, which offer spectators the services and attractions of a city and are not difficult to get to. That push was behind the announcement last year that Spain's capital would get its own race on a temporary circuit. Miquel Sàmper, who is president of the largely publicly-owned Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the regional minister for business and labor for Catalonia, visited the paddock ahead qualifying for the Spanish GP on Saturday. He told reporters that negotiations were ongoing with F1 to keep the race on the calendar in 2027 but they would take maximum discretion and, most importantly, time, just like 'the best cooking.' 'This will only go well if we are discrete,' Sàmper said. 'There are lots of possible options, and that is making this take longer. We are analyzing each and every one for its pros and cons, and keeping in mind the circumstances: there are more and more countries that want grand prixs.' Two races for Spain? Advertisement F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said during the presentation of the Madrid event in January 2024 that that the arrival of new race wouldn't rule out keeping the Barcelona event on the calendar. Spain did briefly host two races when it had the European Grand Prix on a street circuit in Valencia from 2008-12. But Italy appears set to lose Imola, leaving it just the Monza race, as F1 expands in the United States, where it now holds three races, and seeks out new fans beyond the already tapped-out European market. When asked by The Associated Press if F1 had slammed the hood on the possibility of having two races in Spain, Sàmper said he couldn't comment. Advertisement The Madrid race will become the Spanish Grand Prix, meaning that next year's race in Catalonia will have to get a new name. Sàmper said that is still being talked about with F1 as well. Drivers defend Barcelona Fernando Alonso made an impassioned defense of Barcelona on Thursday, going so far as to predict that it would stay on the calendar. 'It's good to have new countries as well that Formula 1 has moved to in the last decade. But at the same time, we need to keep some traditional circuits where the history of Formula 1 has been written and made,' the Spanish two-time champion said. Those bits of F1 history include a memorable duel between Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna as they jousted side by side down pitlane during the first Barcelona race. And for modern fans, current F1 champion Max Verstappen became the youngest race winner at age 18 on this track. Advertisement 'For F1 in general," Verstappen said this week, 'it would be a bit of a loss, of course, if this track goes.' The circuit is considered a good standard track with high-speed and medium-speed turns. It has been regularly used for winter testing as well. The thinking goes: if your car performs here, it should perform well in most fixed tracks. Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton both won six times on this circuit as they amassed world titles. Hamilton agreed it is a 'classic' race, while adding it would be difficult for Madrid to build a better track. 'Building a new circuit is hit or miss, and 95% of the time it is worse,' Hamilton said. 'But as long as we have a good as circuit then it is OK.' Advertisement Things to improve The 4.66-kilometer (2.89-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya layout is not conducive to overtaking. The best chance trailing drivers have is usually at the very start on the long run to the first turn. Officials have invested in recent years to improve facilities, but it still is difficult to get to despite being located on a hill above the working-class town of Montmelo some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Barcelona. Roads and commuter trains are overwhelmed by the more than 100,000 fans who come on race day. So next year could be the swan song for F1 in Montmelo. ___ AP auto racing:
New York Times
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
Fernando Alonso is point-less so far in F1 2025. But he isn't thinking of retirement yet
BARCELONA, Spain — Two years ago, Fernando Alonso arrived in Barcelona for his home Formula One race, the Spanish Grand Prix, renewed. His decision to leave Alpine for Aston Martin for 2023 was inspired — vaulting him from midfield mediocrity to podium contention once again. Only one botched pit call stopped him winning that year in Monaco. Scoring that elusive 33rd F1 win, a decade after his 32nd, seemed within reach. Advertisement Alonso returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week still stuck on 32 wins, having not stood on the F1 podium since November 2023. In fact, he's failed to score a point at all so far this year, making him one of just four drivers still on zero in 2025. The others? Axed Alpine driver Jack Doohan, his replacement Franco Colapinto, and Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. At 43, this might look like a driver nearing the twilight of his career; the undeniable talent behind the wheel that powered him to two world titles, and within a handful of points of another three, finally starting to wane. Yet Alonso does not see it that way at all. Instead, he points to the tricky position Aston finds itself in after regressing into the midfield and struggling to contend for regular points. 'We understand the situation,' Alonso said in a news conference on Thursday ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. 'We understand where we are in 2025, and whatever (car development) we bring to the track will just be a minimum change in terms of positions and finishing order.' It hasn't all been doom and gloom for Alonso so far this year. He has outqualified teammate Lance Stroll for all eight races so far — by an average of 0.382 seconds (although Stroll has returned all 14 of Aston Martin's points). Alonso also has three 11th-place finishes, one spot outside the points each time. In none of the attrition-filled races has he been the beneficiary sliding up to score. Aston's recent car updates that arrived at Imola appear to have given it a performance step. Alonso and Stroll both reached Q3 there — in part thanks to deploying an alternative tire strategy — only for Alonso to be left fuming at his misfortune in the race that followed. This was over the timing of a safety car period that dropped him out of the points. Then, when he was running a comfortable sixth in Monaco, his engine failed. Advertisement Curiously, Alonso seemed at peace with the prospect of failing to score any points at all this season when speaking at Imola, even if F1's competitive picture currently looks similar to arguably the lowest point of his F1 career — with McLaren in 2017, when he also had just two points on the board after eight races. It's only the third season in Alonso's long F1 career that he is without points after eight rounds. The others being 2001 — his rookie campaign, when he raced for the backmarker Minardi team — and 2015, when he rejoined what was then a badly struggling Honda-powered McLaren. Those struggles with Mclaren prompted Alonso to explore other racing categories, making appearances at the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans before taking two years out of F1 altogether. Looking back on that period at Imola, Alonso said he had been 'tired of being here and being just a secondary actor' in F1. He felt then he was 'not really a protagonist in 2016, '17, '18, and wanted to try something different outside F1.' So, what's different for Alonso now? He's again not a protagonist in the battle at the front of the field, limited by the capabilities of his car. The podium visits that returned through 2023 are now far in his rear-view mirror. Yet, he feels nothing like he did when he was eying an F1 sabbatical at McLaren. One factor at play is that Alonso is at a very different stage of his career. When he rejoined McLaren at 33, he was still very much in the prime years of his F1 time, with zero thought about when his career might end. He also hadn't gotten the chance to explore those other categories, an itch long since scratched through his forays at Indianapolis and Le Mans. Alonso won the latter twice and proved beyond doubt he is one of racing's all-time greats. But the bigger element for Alonso right now is the promise he still sees in the project Aston is building. From the moment his deal was signed in secrecy in the team's motorhome at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, just days after Sebastian Vettel announced his plan to retire from F1 and the squad, Alonso has been all-in on the vision projected by billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll. Advertisement With a state-of-the-art new factory and a Honda works engine supply arriving from 2026, the feeling has long been that Aston's foundations are coming together. And so Alonso is content to spend 2025 in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the 2026 Aston car design provides the step forward he desires. Tying into this potential is the arrival of Adrian Newey, the most successful car designer in F1 history, who started work with Aston in March after 19 years at Red Bull. Alonso and Newey always held a curiosity for working together, and came close in the past when Red Bull courted Alonso, while Ferrari made a move for Newey when Alonso was racing in red. Both in different career chapters, they've now realized that dream, which serves as a source of motivation to Alonso. Newey spent his first race on-site with Aston last weekend in Monaco, giving him a chance to see up close how his latest F1 team operates. Alonso said on Thursday in Barcelona that his presence was 'special' and could help lift the team. But it also leaves nowhere to hide. Newey has already publicly revealed there are correlation problems facing Aston's new wind tunnel, telling reporters in Monaco that 'some of our tools are weak.' It's a forthrightness Alonso has welcomed. 'The level of the team was higher thanks to his presence because everyone was more focused, (looking) more into the details of the car,' Alonso said. 'People that were talking in the meeting knew that they could not say anything too far from the truth, because he would spot it.' Aston has been clear it will keep Newey focused on the car design plans needed for the coming major 2026 rule changes, given the gains it could make with its current won't be of huge benefit in the long-run. Alonso is fully onboard, acknowledging that the performance of next year's car may well decide how his F1 career ends. 'I need to see how next year starts and how motivated I am,' Alonso said. 'Every year, there is a different mood (going) into the season. There is a different feeling on how you perform, how competitive you feel yourself, how motivated you are to keep your fitness at the high level. Personal situation, family situation — all these things play a role in some important decisions in life.' Alonso remains one of the most physically dedicated drivers. He made significant adjustments to factors including his diet and sleeping patterns as he got older. He's also raised concerns over the demands of F1's calendar length in recent years, as it has grown to 24 rounds that include six sprints. Advertisement The call to hang up his helmet is going to be momentous, whenever it arrives. Alonso was conscious of this when speaking on Thursday in Spain. 'For 40 years, I have had a steering wheel in my hands, and I know that one day I will have to stop,' Alonso said. 'And that's an important decision that I will think (about) carefully. I did stop Formula One already once in 2018 and I came back because I needed it. So, the next one that I take has to be 100 percent sure.' But right now, even while battling down the order and failing to score points, the lure of 2026 and Aston's potential future results, particularly with Newey on board, continue to spur Alonso on. He has a long-term agreement in place with the team that will go beyond his time racing on track, making him eager to invest heavily into the project. He still needs F1. 'You need to feel when it's time and I don't feel it yet,' Alonso said. 'I jump in the car and on Sunday, (when) I'm on the grid, I'm just so happy to be there — motivated and performing well.' Neither the stopwatch nor Alonso's body are telling him his choice could be close. 'When I finish the race on Sunday, even if the results are not nice at the moment, I'm so motivated to go to the next race and try to overcome the bad race and have a better one,' Alonso said. 'All these kinds of things are very alive now. But there is no guarantee that this will be forever.' (Top image: Clive Rose / Getty Images)
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
F1: Alonso says Aston Martin's big bet on 2026 season will weigh heavily on his driving future
Fernando Alonso says that Aston Martin's all-in bet on next season will play a large part on the looming decision of when he definitely calls it quits from Formula 1. 'It will be very important,' Alonso told reporters on Thursday ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. 'I need to see how motivated I am. 'Every year has its own mood and feeling, how competitive and motivated you are to keep your fitness at a high level,' he said. 'Your personal and family situations, all these things play a role. I know that very important decisions will come when I stop racing.' After winning two F1 titles back in 2005 and 2006, Alonso eventually stepped away from F1 in 2018 when his stint with Ferrari failed to deliver more successes. Seeking new challenges, the Spaniard tried his hand at the 24 Hours Le Mans, Indy 500 and the Dakar rally race, only to return to F1 in 2021. 'For 40 years I have had a steering wheel in my hand and I know that one day I will have to stop,' Alonso said. 'I did stop F1 once in 2018 and I did come back because I needed it, and the next time I do that I will have to be sure.' The former Renault champion is enduring one of the worst seasons of his long and topsy turvy career. He has failed to finish three races, including last weekend's Monaco GP, and has yet to finish in the top 10. The last time he failed to score a point through the first eight races was 2015. ALSO READ | Thailand plans to submit bid for Formula One race in 2028 The context matters, however, and Alonso and his Aston Martin team lowered expectations from the start of the season. They are all concentrated on working with former Red Bull top designer Adrian Newey to put all their energies into making a good car under the rule changes coming for 2026. But sacrificing a year is a big ask for a driver who turns 44 in July and has little tolerance for teams that don't give him a competitive car. The last time Alonso won an F1 race, he did so right here on the same track back in 2013 with Ferrari when he claimed victory No. 32. He also won the Spanish GP in 2006 with Renault. Aston Martin had given him a good car in 2023, when he arrived to the Spanish GP with hopes of winning that allusive 33rd race, but it was not to be. This time he realistically is just hoping to be in the points with his green car struggling and McLaren and Red Bull far, far ahead. That said, this year can't be a total wash, according to Alonso. 'The focus is on 2026, but in order to be confident with 2026 you have to build momentum in 2025 and deliver some parts on track to make the car faster,' Alonso said. 'The biggest steps can only happen in 2026. That is where the hopes are.'
New York Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
Spanish GP track breakdown: Laps at the Barcelona circuit gobble up F1 tires
The Spanish Grand Prix may be the home race for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, but it's familiar territory for much of the grid as the teams often spend winter testing (and in some cases filming days) here at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Not that those filming days create too big an advantage. 'There's only a [set] amount of laps you can reach, and I think you get one or two push laps and that's it,' Sauber's Zhou Guanyu said in 2023. 'I'm sure everyone knows the track, and it's more about the details and how much confidence you feel on the high-speed tracks.' Advertisement The track changed ahead of the 2023 grand prix. One of the biggest was the axing of a chicane introduced in 2007, partly to slow down the racing for safety reasons. The track has returned (mostly) to its previous layout, with a pair of high-speed right-handers to lead the drivers back to the start/finish straight. But even with overtaking improving in 2023, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya's days look numbered. As things stand, Barcelona is at risk of being dropped from the Formula One calendar in 2026, when the Spanish Grand Prix moves to Madrid. As F1 prepares for a grueling run of five races in six weeks, here's what you need to know about a circuit that's known for eating up tires. Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1992, and as part of the development program, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was constructed. The first cars to hit the track in 1991 were racing in the Spanish Touring Car Championship, and two weeks later, Formula One took it for a spin. Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna ended up in a drag race of sorts, going wheel-to-wheel down the straight. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya features a mix of low- and high-speed corners, such as the final sequence and Turn 3, a spot where teams can better understand the car's balance. It's a familiar track for the grid as drivers have competed, tested and done filming days in Spain, but ahead of the 2023 race, only two drivers had experience with the pair of high-speed final corners: Alonso (in a F1 race) and Lewis Hamilton (in testing). 'I do remember testing here in 2006, my first test here in a McLaren, and that was, I think, two or three or four days of the high-speed last corners. I remember I couldn't hold my head up,' Hamilton said in 2023. 'The team asked me, I think Gary Paffett was one of the test drivers, they were like, 'Gary uses the pad, do you want the pad?' I was like 'No no no, my neck's strong!' Advertisement 'I remember getting to Turn 1 and just straight away not being able to hold my head up. I'd come back in and say, 'No, no, my neck is good,' but I was in so much pain, struggling to sleep at night.' The chicane was initially introduced as a safety measure, but today's cars should be able to handle the faster turns, according to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. 'At the time, I think Formula One cars were like go karts with a lot of power, a little bit of aerodynamic forces, and very, very light cars,' Stella said when discussing the cars of 20 years ago compared to 2023. 'They were 200 kilograms (441 pounds) lighter than these cars. In this generation of Formula One cars, the second-to-last corner is easily flat in all conditions. 'At the time, it was a challenging corner, but they are much quicker, even if they are 200 kilograms heavier, because of an enormous amount of downforce, much bigger tires and much more grip as well, and still quite powerful engines.' One other turn to keep an eye on is Turn 9, Campsa. It's a speedy right-hander to head onto the back straight, making it a trickier corner. Back during the 2008 grand prix, Heikki Kovalainen flew straight into the barriers. Compared to the recent run of Monaco and Montreal, the paddock is headed back to a more conventional circuit. 'It's a proper race track, and this is where a Formula One car comes alive,' Verstappen said last year. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known for its high tire degradation, due to its high-speed nature and abrasive track surface. Even with the layout adjustments, it's safe to expect tire wear to remain an issue, especially on the left side. But that degradation issue opens the door to differing strategies, pace differences among the cars and potential overtaking opportunities. Advertisement Traditionally, the Spanish Grand Prix is a two-pit stop race, but it could shift to a three-stop plan depending on tire degradation. The race is being held a few weeks later than in 2023, which means the temperatures could be hotter and affect tire management. Heading into last year's race, some believed the removal of the slow-speed zone could facilitate better racing. Williams' Alex Albon pointed out how the cars stayed close through turns 10 and 12 in 2022 because of the racing lines, but when they hit the stretch from Turns 13-15, they fell into a single-file line. He felt the change could help with overtaking. Hamilton said, 'I hope that we're able to follow, with the cars we have, a bit better through the last two corners than we have (through) the little Mickey Mouse chicane.' Overtaking did improve last year, but is it enough to shake the criticism of it being a more processional race? Pirelli noted how qualifying is fairly important at this track in its preview: 'In no fewer than 24 races here, the pole sitter has gone on to be first past the chequered flag and adding to the importance of this statistic is that on four other occasions the driver who was quickest in qualifying retired from the race.' (Track video courtesy of EA Sports F1 — learn more about 'F1 25″ here.) (Lead image: Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images, David Ramos/Getty Imgaes; Design: Drew Jordan/The Athletic)
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alonso says Aston Martin's big bet on 2026 F1 season will weigh heavily on his driving future
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Fernando Alonso says that Aston Martin's all-in bet on next season will play a large part on the looming decision of when he definitely calls it quits from Formula 1. 'It will be very important,' Alonso told reporters on Thursday ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. 'I need to see how motivated I am. "Every year has its own mood and feeling, how competitive and motivated you are to keep your fitness at a high level,' he said. 'Your personal and family situations, all these things play a role. I know that very important decisions will come when I stop racing.' After winning two F1 titles back in 2005 and 2006, Alonso eventually stepped away from F1 in 2018 when his stint with Ferrari failed to deliver more successes. Seeking new challenges, the Spaniard tried his hand at the 24 Hours Le Mans, Indy 500 and the Dakar rally race, only to return to F1 in 2021. 'For 40 years I have had a steering wheel in my hand and I know that one day I will have to stop,' Alonso said. 'I did stop F1 once in 2018 and I did come back because I needed it, and the next time I do that I will have to be sure.' The former Renault champion is enduring one of the worst seasons of his long and topsy turvy career. He has failed to finish three races, including last weekend's Monaco GP, and has yet to finish in the top 10. The last time he failed to score a point through the first eight races was 2015. The context matters, however, and Alonso and his Aston Martin team lowered expectations from the start of the season. They are all concentrated on working with former Red Bull top designer Adrian Newey to put all their energies into making a good car under the rule changes coming for 2026. But sacrificing a year is a big ask for a driver who turns 44 in July and has little tolerance for teams that don't give him a competitive car. The last time Alonso won an F1 race, he did so right here on the same track back in 2013 with Ferrari when he claimed victory No. 32. He also won the Spanish GP in 2006 with Renault. Aston Martin had given him a good car in 2023, when he arrived to the Spanish GP with hopes of winning that allusive 33rd race, but it was not to be. This time he realistically is just hoping to be in the points with his green car struggling and McLaren and Red Bull far, far ahead. That said, this year can't be a total wash, according to Alonso. 'The focus is on 2026, but in order to be confident with 2026 you have to build momentum in 2025 and deliver some parts on track to make the car faster,' Alonso said. 'The biggest steps can only happen in 2026. That is where the hopes are.'
