Formula 1: Fernando Alonso still targeting third title

The BBC Sport website has audio and text coverage of this year's Italian Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso insists that his primary goal is to win a third Formula 1 World Championship, but admits that it might not be possible.

The 40-year old Formula 1 driver, who was back in Formula 1 this season added that he believes he can keep going for many years.

Alonso stated that he has the same spirit as Alonso and the same racing ambitions. Winning the third championship is what motivates him.

"But time will show you that not everything is within your control and there are things you can't possibly overcome.

"Even if you don't win, you still tried and got as close as you could to the third championship."

Alonso spoke in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, where he talked about a variety of aspects of his return to the sport.

His "love/hate" relationship to the sport

Why he cares so much about his legacy and his reputation

His relationship to the new generation drivers

How long he'd like to go on

He is so close to his highest level

Alonso, world champion with Renault in 2005/2006 and winner of 32 grand prix, left F1 at 2018 to pursue other motorsport ambitions.

He was however tempted by the Alpine team, formerly known under Renault, to come back to the track this season on the grounds that the new rules for next season, which were aimed at bringing all the fields closer together, offered an opportunity for them both to return to competition.

Alonso will be 41 years old in the middle of next-year, but he wants to keep going for some time.

The Spaniard said, "I will see year after year." "It is important that I enjoy F1 and feel fast enough. If I ever feel that I'm not competitive, don't feel the car or enjoy the racing, then I will raise my hand to offer an opportunity to another guy.

"But I hope that doesn't happen so that I can continue racing for, I'm not sure, at least two to three or four years."

"I don’t believe age is a problem. You can go faster in corners if you have less downforce. If you have more power you can go faster on the straights. This doesn't change much if you are older than 40 years.

Team player: Ocon was the first to congratulate Alonso, his team-mate after his victory in Hungary

"You must have a sense for humor."

Alonso is a motorsport legend for his accomplishments over the past twenty years. His return has been welcomed with open arms by many of the new drivers, some of which had never raced against him before.

They were happy to express their admiration and have the opportunity to race against him on the track.

After the pair swapped their helmets, George Russell, a new Mercedes signee, recently called Alonso "one the greatest racing drivers of all time".

Alonso also added Lando Norris, McLaren driver,'s helmet to his collection in Oviedo and sent a message to Norris stating that the Briton was a "rock star".

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo celebrated the 200th race in F1 last month. The Australian also cited his battle with Alonso at this year's German Grand Prix as one the highlights of their career.

Is Alonso feeling like he is a living legend or an elder statesman?

He giggles. He says, "I have never thought about that." "I dunno. It's just that there is a new generation who watches the television. They see all the helmet swaps, and are shocked. They make jokes about it and then ask if they came back to swap helmets.

"I have over 50 helmets in the museum. Many people didn't know anything about F1 until two or three decades ago. These people are now on social media, making all of this possible. It is important to have a sense of humor, as you can get mad.

"No, I treat everyone the way I think they deserve. Lando is a great guy. The same goes for Daniel. And those people I don’t get along with, or don’t understand their race or behavior as individuals, I try to not get too involved."

However, he admits that his reputation and legacy are very important to him.

He says, "I do care." He said, "I would lie if i said 'no'. Here, we race and are completely focused on the day to day, the performance and the weekend.

"But, in the long-term it would be nice when eventually your retirement or are at home there isn't the wrong perception about how you were as an driver or how some of the results you achieved.

"In a way you work on positive messages that hopefully will stay with you for a longer time after your retirement.

"There are many new fans in the sport, a lot (the) younger generation, through the Netflix documentary (series). These people have never seen some of my races and some of my championships.

They only have an outdated view of the past few years, and they have a totally wrong understanding of who each one of us really is.

Alonso's relationship to Lewis Hamilton, his rookie McLaren team-mate, became fraught in 2007.

F1: A love-hate relationship

Alonso said that he is enjoying his return and that he is trying to minimize distractions from events and other concerns.

He says that F1 is a "love-hate" relationship. "I love racing. I love the cars. I love the technology and the cleverness of the engineers and the entire team. These people are a great source of information.

"At the end of it all, you feel that it is both a business and a sport. It is not possible to compete in the same conditions as your competitors. There are also a lot media activities and a lot sponsor activities surrounding the grand prix.

You need to be 100% when you're in the car, so you can save energy. Outside the car, I try to conserve as much energy as I can. Maybe that is why you get the impression that I am quiet.

Alonso celebrates his first title at the 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix

There were many questions after Alonso's announcement of his return, including whether he would still be the same driver he was in his fifth decade.

Alonso admitted that he had a slow start to the season, and that he struggled with qualifying sessions. But he is now stronger.

He is the most successful Alpine driver in the championship, despite Esteban Ocon's unexpected win in Hungary. He has also put in some stellar performances.

They included:

He was 11th on the grid when he took six cars to the Silverstone Sprint race. In nine corners, he moved up to fifth.

Ocon won the race with a masterclass in defensive driving, holding Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes back for 11 laps in Hungary.

He took sixth place in the Dutch GP with a masterful race of tyre management, pace and speed.

Alonso, who is known for his high standards and expects the best from himself, says that he is still 10% or so (from being) at my highest level."

He says, "You will be totally satisfied at one time when you feel that every single time you get in the car there isn't much (more) in them." You feel like you have squeezed every tenth of a second from the car when you stop in the garage. Although I'm not in that exact position, it is close.

Alonso states that there are still a few things to improve on: adaption to your car, understanding the tyres and different track conditions.

"With all these things, it seems that I still need to do a few laps to maximize the potential of my car. That's something new and part of this comeback. Overall, I'm happy with the way things have turned out.

He claims that the complexity of the F1 cars has accelerated the process of adaptation.

Alonso states that cars have become more important in terms of how they deliver downforce. These cars are already very advanced after years of following the same rules, so the way they deliver downforce is very 'peaky'.

"And then, the tyres work the same way. The way they work is very digital. They can be switched on and off. It is impossible to manage them when they aren't at the right temperature. It became more difficult to drive your car at peak performance after all of these factors.

Listen to Fernando Alonso's interview in the 5 Live Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix preview starting at 21.30 BST Friday, September 10th.