Alonso's poisoned dart: "Some circuits will only be on the calendar momentarily."

Fernando Alonso arrives at the Spanish Grand Prix as the new ambassador for Montmeló and its continued presence in Formula 1. A move that was perhaps difficult to accept just a few years ago, and today is subject to conjecture behind the scenes, ranging from possible economic motivations to rivalry with Carlos Sainz 's position in Madrid.

Alonso certainly acted as an ambassador at the official press conference. He defended a position every fan would want: the future continuity of Montmeló, something currently being negotiated. The Asturian was completely committed to the Catalan track. " I don't think we'll lose Barcelona. That's my opinion and also my wish."

Responding to numerous questions, including the controversial Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso had a field day . He even let the ball bounce, which is open to interpretation.

"We can't lose Barcelona"

"I think it's good to have new circuits. It's also good to have new countries where Formula 1 has moved over the last decade. But, at the same time, we need to maintain some traditional circuits where the history of Formula 1 has been written and forged," declared the new ambassador for Montmeló, a position formalized last week.

Alonso went into detail defending Montmeló in every way. "I think Formula 1 and Montmeló are very closely linked. We've been testing here for decades. I think all the teams choose Barcelona when they have to choose a test track . We're coming back next year in the winter because we have new regulations, new cars, and, once again, the teams chose Barcelona because, in a way, it's the Formula 1 circuit."

He also recalled the financial effort to update its facilities, a requirement from Liberty. " I think the circuit has made some changes to bring it up to Formula 1 standards. So, in the last two or three years, all the paddock facilities, the grandstands, everything has reached a new level ." Alonso was alluding to the ongoing debate regarding the calendar expansion and the long list of candidates that will force a rotation of some of the classic circuits. Among them could be the Catalan track.

Alonso is known to have made few public statements or positions regarding the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. He hasn't been present at any of its public events either. "Barcelona has been here for the last two or three decades, and it will be here for the next 10, 20, 30, or 40 years . Some circuits will be on the calendar only momentarily and then will probably disappear. So we can't lose Barcelona." Was he referring to the IFEMA circuit, which is not permanent, or to all the circuits that have been added in recent years, none of which are permanent?

Regarding the Spanish event, Alonso also referred in the official press conference —which both drivers attended separately—to the differentiating element of competing in front of their home crowd, accentuated by the extraordinary reception the day before from the fans in Barcelona. "It's different for all drivers to race in front of your home crowd, you know. Friends and family are usually in the stands or in the paddock. And yes, you always want to make a special splash at home."

A touch demonstrated in Monaco, but it will be difficult to achieve at Montmeló to get into the points . He still has zero points. "I think Barcelona will tell us a bit more about the new package . Imola was a step forward, no doubt, but I also think we used medium tires and that helped us in qualifying," he explained about fifth place on the grid.

" Monaco is a very special place and Saturday is obviously a key moment of the weekend, and we also put in some good laps. So, in Barcelona, ​​with a more normal weekend, we'll find out where we are in terms of performance . But yes, I think everyone will bring improvements, especially with the new front wing regulations, and we'll see how much it affects the grid."

Another of the most interesting topics about Alonso's current experience at Aston Martin It's working directly with Adrian Newey, with the first contact on the track and in the engineers' meetings. Alonso provided some very interesting details in this regard. "It was fantastic. I think the way he sees things in the car, even statically in the pits or on the grid, also in the garage, he detects some things we could have done better or that we could do better in the future," explained the Asturian, surprised by Adrian Newey's vast experience and unusual dimension, now experienced firsthand.

“But also his presence in the meeting room is always special. And I think, without being intimidating, the team's level was higher thanks to his presence, because everyone was more focused, more attentive to the details of the car ," explained the Asturian. "Those who were talking in the meeting knew they couldn't say anything that was too far from the truth, because he would spot it. So I think it was fantastic to witness him, and I hope that next year, with more races, we can continue to learn from him and improve as a team." Somewhat surprisingly , Newey made a statement in Monaco about problems with the simulator and other tools, far from the official discourse of these times.

"I think all simulators will have some kind of correlation issue with the real car. And I don't think any team has a perfect simulator that you can rely on 100%, because the car, both on the real track and in real life, is very dynamic and constantly changing, corner by corner and session by session. No two laps of the weekend are exactly the same , because of the wind, the temperature, the traffic in front... all kinds of factors. So when you try to replicate that in a simulator, in a consistent and perfect environment, I think it's very different," Alonso noted.

Alonso echoed Andy Cowell 's response to the British engineer, Aston Martin's overall technical leader. "I think it will take us less than two years to improve our simulator. It's not new. It might be the first time Adrian said it in Monaco during the interview. But the drivers, we've already mentioned it a couple of times."

The controversial Monaco Grand Prix swirled around the paddock on Thursday. In his case, Alonso was clear on the matter. "There's constant talk about how bad something is, instead of how good it is. And this is Monaco. Perhaps there are a couple of ideas that, among everything involved in the sport—drivers, FIA, teams—we can think of for Monaco, but I don't think it's necessary to think of anything."

The Asturian concluded with a compelling argument. "It's just because there's so much content to create these days, and we drivers are too polite . So we answer every question. Because if 40 years ago you asked Senna and Prost about Monaco after a week, and they were fighting for the championship, they would be less polite than we are now."