MELBOURNE, Australia — After two races in back-to-back weekends to kick off the season, Formula One is Down Under for the third round of the championship.
While the series must contend with Max Verstappen obliterating the competition and winning for fun, and the cloud that continues to hang over F1 amid multiple issues that have highlighted a lack of transparency in the sport, this is not the place for those stories. This is our Paddock Diary, which looks to some of the lighter moments in the build-up to each F1 weekend, bringing you inside the paddock and telling the stories that might otherwise go under the radar in the sport’s rapid news cycle.
Fernando the politician
With a Lewis Hamilton-shaped hole still to fill at Mercedes, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso has been carefully answering questions on his future since the start of the year. Add into the equation the considerable speculation over Verstappen’s future at Red Bull and it has been an ongoing topic of discussion.
As he did at the launch of Aston’s AMR24 in February, Alonso — who hasn’t even decided whether he wants to race beyond 2024 yet — said first dibs on his services will go to Lawrence Stroll’s team.
“When I make that decision, the first office that I go will be Aston Martin office,” he said on Thursday. “That will be my priority.
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“My loyalty to them … I’m thankful for the opportunity they gave me two years ago. And if we get to an agreement, that will be the decision, if I keep racing and we get to an agreement. If we do not get an agreement with Aston I will look elsewhere, but that will be second opportunity.”
Alonso declined to comment directly on other questions about Mercedes or his future. He was then asked if he ever fancied racing in Aston Martin’s upcoming World Endurance Championship entry, which led to an answer on the Valkyrie supercar the company built under a previous partnership with Red Bull.
“Yeah, not now. I love the Valkyrie,” the two-time world champion said. “I receive mine in July. I’m waiting for so long, because it’s one year to deliver! So why not? Maybe, if I drive that car at home and then drive it on a circuit, that will be beautiful.”
With time for only one question left, one opportunistic journalist pointed out it would be the first time he could drive a car built by legendary Red Bull designer Adrian Newey. In response, Alonso laughed, stuck his thumb up in the air and said “Yeah,” before standing up and…
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