The countdown to the Abu Dhabi Grand Finale is getting tighter, with the final weekend of the 2025 season set to decide the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship. Who will claim the crown between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri? It is a question even a two-time world champion like Fernando Alonso struggles to answer.
The current Aston Martin driver, who reached the top of the world in 2005 and 2006, recalled during his media session the moments of tension he experienced in those years and in other seasons. He explained to journalists how complex it is for a driver to handle the stress leading into the weekend: “It’s difficult, because yesterday there were a couple of events and today there are the media. The question is always the same, and even if you want to disconnect and have a normal weekend, there are always inputs from the outside reminding you that this is a very special race. So yes, there is definitely more stress, more pressure, but at the end of the day I think that when you close the visor and leave the garage, your driving style and your desire to do well and win the race don’t change much, so it’s not like you drive differently. I think it will be a normal weekend inside the car, but different outside.”
Fernando Alonso, who raced for Ferrari in 2010, was one of the three contenders for the world title that season, which was ultimately won by Sebastian Vettel. A situation that, both then and now, makes it extremely difficult to predict who might become world champion: “The last time there were three drivers was 2010,” he recalled. “The prediction is difficult. You always think that the driver in the lead has an advantage because he has a margin in terms of results and can take it a little easier, but Formula 1 is unpredictable. In 2010 there was the Safety Car, and not taking advantage of it was the wrong choice. There was a Safety Car last week as well, and again not taking advantage of it was the wrong choice, but these things can happen in a Formula 1 race, so nothing is guaranteed even if you are leading the championship.”
Fernando Alonso also commented on a remark made by Max Verstappen, who stated that he would have won this year’s title if he had been driving for McLaren. Would the Spaniard be able to do the same? “You never know. There is always a hypothesis, but it’s difficult to answer. Max is an incredible driver and he manages to extract the maximum from the car. In my case, we would all say that we can win the championship with the best car. We all have this confidence in ourselves, but this is a question that cannot be answered.”
Fernando Alonso then replied with a joke when a journalist asked: “If Max Verstappen doesn’t win the world championship, will we have a champion who isn’t the best driver?” Staying true to his style, he referenced his last title in 2006: “This has been happening for 19 years now, so it will be the twentieth.”
Regarding the title fight, Fernando Alonso highlighted how mental games between drivers can also play an important role: “Yes, always. You see your opponents on track in FP1, FP2, or you try to put pressure. You meet at the drivers’ briefing, and there is definitely different body language for all three, but in the end it all depends on the performance of the car.”
His answers are heavily shaped by experience, as Fernando Alonso won his titles behind the wheel of Renault. And it is precisely in Abu Dhabi that Alpine will take to the track for the last time with French engines, which will be replaced by Mercedes power units next year: “Obviously the championship fight is involving all the protagonists of the weekend, but saying goodbye to Renault is an important moment for the sport, with all the success behind the brand and especially as an engine manufacturer with Williams and all the history. It’s sad: on Sunday I will definitely go to hug everyone there, and it will be emotional for me as well.”
Classic Fernando Alonso – razor-sharp, brutally honest and still carrying the flame 19 years after his last crown.
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