F1 News
Alonso blames "friendlier cars" for achieving milestone 400th GP weekend
Fernando Alonso has revealed the secrets to his career longevity as he hits an unprecedented milestone at the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. Alonso will make his 400th Grand Prix weekend appearance in Mexico. He puts the blame on "friendlier cars" for being able to have an F1 career spanning two decades.
Despite turning 43 in July, Alonso will continue to race in F1 during the 2025 and 2026 Formula 1 seasons at least. There are no signs of the Aston Martin driver slowing down.
How has Alonso managed to continue racing for 400 Grand Prix weekends?
"I think modern F1 is easier on the body than previous eras and that allows you to compete for longer. Of course, it's still a huge physical challenge, but the technology in F1 has changed so the cars are a little friendlier to the drivers. Seat comfort, safety equipment, helmets – everything has evolved into a better place," Alonso said.
In 2024, Alonso competed against Oliver Bearman, the British driver born in 2005. That was not even during Alonso's debut season, but the year in which he toppled Michael Schumacher to win his first Formula 1 World Championship.
"The pace of the cars on Sunday is kinder to us than in the past as well. These days the cars start the race with full fuel, and we have to save tyres and energy throughout a race, so we're not at the full performance of the cars for long durations. The only really physically demanding time in the weekend is normally Qualifying and that's very short, so I don't have a problem keeping up with the youngsters in terms of physical condition," Alonso continued before reiterating he would've liked to have added more titles to his name.
"It's nice to achieve. Obviously, championships and race wins are what matter most to us as drivers but, at the same time, it shows my love for the sport and the discipline I've had to perform at a very high level for more than 20 years. In that time, I've achieved what every racing driver dreams of doing: becoming World Champion, and I've had some incredible experiences racing against some of the best drivers in the world on the greatest racetracks. I don't think I'll be adding another 400 to my total, but hopefully I've got at least another 40 or 50 more races to come in the next couple of years," Alonso concluded.