Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, double Formula One world champion, said today that he has returned, eight years later, to McLaren to “finish” what he started and to “put number one back in the car.”
«I am happy to be back. In 2007 I experienced a very competitive year, fighting for the Formula One title, something that I now miss, “said Alonso, in a video posted by the British team on his Twitter account.
The 33-year-old Spaniard, who was announced as a new McLaren driver on December 11, raced for the Woking team in 2007, in a season in which he was third in the World Championship, behind Finn Kimi Raikkonen and his teammate. , the English Lewis Hamilton.
«I have returned to finish what I started and did not achieve then. I’m here to win the title and to put number one back in a McLaren; and I think it’s the perfect time to do it, “explained Alonso.
The two-time world champion (2005, 2006) is confident of achieving his third Formula One champion title, thus equaling his idol, Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who had three wins with McLaren-Honda in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
«My inspiration was always Ayrton Senna. When I was little and drove karts he and (Alain) Prost dominated Formula One with the McLaren-Hondas, “he said.
The British team, fifth in the last Constructors’ World Cup, will present its new racing car, the MP4-30, for the 2015 season tomorrow, in an event that can be followed online on the Woking team’s website.
Alonso will be in charge of testing the vehicle in the first official tests of the year, on the Spanish track in Jerez de la Frontera, from February 1 to 4.
The British team, which has Alonso and Button as official drivers and with Danish Kevin Magnussen as reserve, begins a new stage this year with Honda power units after many years with Mercedes engines. EFE