Fernando Alonso says Formula 1 drivers must accept they are role models and act accordingly even when they don’t want to.
The two-times world champion also revealed he did not choose to become a racing driver, claiming it was something his father led him into.
F1’s most experienced driver of all time, who has started 395 races, made the remarks on the day after the Singapore Grand Prix, in which Max Verstappen was drawn into a conflict with the FIA over his use of a swear word during an official press conference.
Speaking at an event for an Aston Martin sponsor in Chennai, India, Alonso said the huge public interest in F1 means drivers must remember to present themselves correctly.
“What the fans bring to the drivers and the sportsmen, I think, is a huge responsibility because you are a role model for many people,” he said. “So you have to behave properly.
“You have to be ready to be a role model when you want to do it, and when you don’t want to do it, you still have to do it. When you want to say something that is not correct you have to hold yourself and be political[ly] correct.”
Alonso said the same discipline extends to how drivers prepare for competitions. “When you are in a day that you don’t want to train, or you don’t want to prepare yourself for the next grand prix, you have to do it. In the days that you are ready to do it okay, when you are not ready to do it, you still have to do it, because you have that responsibility towards your fans and the people that believe [in] you.
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“I meet a lot of fans around the world that are obviously following Formula 1, but they will always say ‘you are my inspiration, you are never giving up, you are a fighter’. These kind of things remind you for yourself that there are a lot of people watching you and how you approach things.
“So [when] you are a driver or you are in the public spotlight you need to behave properly. So I think the fans give you a lot of love, give you a lot of motivation, but also a huge responsibility to do what they expect from you.”
Verstappen said he disagreed with the FIA’s requirement for drivers not to swear in press conferences. Since being told to perform a day of “public work” as a punishment, Verstappen limited his participation in FIA press conference to brief remarks.
Alonso also said he never made a…
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