Fernando Alonso has pushed back against criticism from current world champion Nico Rosberg that only he was to blame for not adding to his two Formula 1 championships and having failed to win a race since 2013.
The German made the comments to Spanish media when it was suggested Alonso simply had “bad luck” where he went, while present at the Japanese Grand Prix just over a week ago.
However, the 36-year-old, who had success without achieving the main goal at Ferrari before a disastrous three years at McLaren as he re-joined in 2015 to be a part of the Honda project, insisted at the time the moves made the most sense to him.
“I don’t regret any of the decisions I took,” he stated. “I’ve often said it: every time, I chose the best option, the most logical one. Unfortunately, I also don’t have a crystal ball.”
Instead, he compared his experiences to those of other world champions who took the plunge by taking on new challenges.
“What has happened to me is similar to what happened to Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, where things didn’t go too well,” Alonso claimed. “Or even Lewis Hamilton, who didn’t have a very good first year at Mercedes.
‘I’m proud to have driven for Renault, McLaren and Ferrari,” he declared. “When I joined those teams, nobody criticized my choice or told me it was a bad decision. In hindsight, it’s different but I’m proud of where I’ve been.”
This week could well see the next big career decision for Fernando as he is expected to decide whether or not to remain with McLaren in 2018 as they look to get back on track after signing a new engine deal with Renault.
Expectations are he will indeed stay on but there are thoughts he may be set for another venture outside F1 with an attempt at the Le Mans 24 Hours as he looks to add another leg of motorsport’s Triple Crown to his name.
