Fernando Alonso Wants Trouble-Free Race Weekends Before F1 Exit

Fernando Alonso has two more races remaining before he bids farewell to Formula 1 and after his initial frustrations with the sport, the Spaniard is showing signs that suggest he will miss the sport.

The 37-year-old announced in August he will leave the sport at the end of the 2018 season after 17 seasons in the sport. He won back-to-back F1 Drivers’ world championships in 2005 and 2006, but has since been unable to add to his tally despite being regarded as one of the best the sport has witnessed.

Alonso hinted recently he could return to F1 in 2020, but it remains unlikely with teams now moving on to give the younger upcoming drivers an opportunity to impress.

The Spanish racer penultimate race in F1 will be at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend and he admitted he is looking forward to racing in Interlagos – a scene of many a great race in the past. Alonso revealed he enjoys the unpredictable nature of the race and is hoping to have at least a few more on-track battles before he departs F1.

"I’m excited to return to Interlagos because it’s an incredible circuit and I’ve always enjoyed racing there," Alonso said ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, as quoted on F1i.com. "It’s a track where many great races have taken place and it’s always a little bit unpredictable.

"I’m also looking forward to putting the last two race weekends behind me and focussing on extracting the performance we have been working hard to maximise in our car, but haven’t been able to show,” he added.

The last four seasons have by far been Alonso’s worst in the sport at least in terms of performance. He joined McLaren in 2015, but has spent the last four campaigns fighting on the wrong end of the grid with his last podium finish coming way back in 2014 with Ferrari.

Alonso final few races in the sport are also not going according to plan after he failed to complete even the first five laps in the last two races in Austin, Texas and Mexico. In the former he was taken out by Lance Stroll in the opening lap, while in the latter a piece of debris caused overheating in the car and ensured he could not go further than three laps.

The veteran F1 racer is hoping for two clean race weekends – in Brazil and Abu Dhabi - as he is keen to maximize the performance of the McLaren car and have a competitive end to his F1 career.

"I haven’t had the chance to fight for a couple of grands prix now, so I hope we can have a clean battle and show what’s possible," the Spaniard said. "The Brazilian fans are always super passionate and it’s clear Interlagos is one of those legendary tracks that is so famous in the motorsport world. Great champions have driven on this circuit, and with this year’s cars it’ll feel even faster and more exciting than before."