Fernando Alonso has defended his decision-making during his Formula 1 career, insisting almost all other drivers would have done the same.
The Spaniard ended his stint on the grid after 17 seasons at the end of 2018, and the overwhelming evaluation was that Fernando’s achievements didn’t match his immense talent.
Sure, his two world championships and 36 wins are very notable, but more often than not he had to watch on as other drivers and teams dominated.
“I think in F1 there is always one winner, and all the others are not winning,” Alonso was quoted by PlanetF1. “I’ve been unlucky in some of the races, but without a crystal ball, it’s difficult to make decisions.”
What was frustrating, however, is that Alonso had the chance for 2008 to join Red Bull, the team that would go on to achieve success with Sebastian Vettel between 2010-13, but instead went to Renault before making another significant move two years later.
“After you finish your chapter, it’s easy to say, but when I joined Ferrari in 2010, I think 10 of 10 [drivers] would have gone in that direction,” he claimed.
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Having come up short with the Scuderia though, agonisingly so on two occasions, Alonso’s judgement led him to leave Ferrari just before they became competitive again with Vettel in his place.
“All 2014, I’d been hearing that it was a very good decision [to join McLaren] because the turbo engine from Ferrari was not good,” he explained.
“McLaren and Honda had one year of development for free as they were not racing in 2014, and that was a mega decision.
“I’d been hearing good things, and I think nine out of 10 [drivers] would have gone in that direction,” Alonso concluded.