Fernando Alonso has said he has now learnt to keep quiet when talking with F1’s journalists. “The less I say, the fewer problems I get,” Alonso said.
A famous Alonso soundbite was him declaring that F1 was “no longer a sport” after he was given a controversial penalty at Monza last season. He has also been accused of being ‘unprofessional’ in some quarters after declaring that the only thing he liked about his new McLaren was the colour.
Alonso has had regular clashes with media in his home country – he has accused them of intruding into his homelife so much that it is difficult for him to now return home. “F1 developed very fast in Spain,” he mulled. “In 2003, the first races were not even on television, but now the transmissions go on for hours. Before, there were maybe 2 or 3 specialised magazines but now there are 15 or 20.”
The Spaniard’s home grand prix at the Circuit de Catalunya is expected to be a sell-out on race day with 145,000 spectators attending.
