“The vehicle was not competitive at all and things were getting more and more sad”, he told CNN.
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Asked if he should have departed Maranello sooner instead of enduring the continuing struggles, the Spaniard said: “Probably, yes”.
“At Turn One you never really know what’s going to happen”.
I know there is some doubts but I think for next year or the following years will be more different.
A tweak in the rules about the penalties handed out for additional engine changes means the worst the two McLaren drivers can suffer is to be put to the back of the grid in Belgium, with Honda set to utilise their seventh and eighth power units of the season.
Having confirmed that he will be “beefing up” his, and his wife’s, personal security, the Briton, who was lucky to escape unscathed from a hold-up in 2010, when his vehicle was attacked by armed criminals in Brazil, also admitted that he will be more careful in future when taking to social media.
Twice he was still a contender for the championship going into the final round of the season, but both times he missed out at the expense of Sebastian Vettel, who was then at Red Bull Racing but has now replaced Alonso at Ferrari, where he has won twice this season already.
“With Ferrari sometimes, you win or you lose depending on what the mood of the team in general, of the group in general”, he said.
“Last year, I realised that with the Mercedes domination it was not possible to win in the short term for Ferrari and a new project was the best idea”.
“We take the punishment on a track that will not hurt us as much as Hungary or Singapore”, he added.
Much has changed in the decade since Alonso became F1’s youngest champion – a record taken by a 23-year-old Vettel in 2010.
There is a sense that the enjoyment which was once so prevalent has begun to subside at a time where the sport has been hit by declining viewing figures and accusations that races have become boring.
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As he prepared for the Belgian Grand Priz in Spa, McLaren driver Jenson cleared up confusion over a story that they were gassed in the raid, a claim police said had come from the couple. To do this, it has used three of its engine upgrade tokens and this required a new ICE to be fitted to both cars.
