35: How Alonso’s F1 Fire Still Burns Within

The first F1 Australian Grand Prix in three years is upon us, and the latest Flat Chat podcast from GP Racing magazine kicks off the excitement.

GP Racing editor Ben Anderson and columnist Mark Gallagher join host Stuart Codling to discuss the latest developments in F1, and not just the recently announced Las Vegas Grand Prix. After several years of uncertainty Melbourne committed to host the Australian GP for the long term – but several other cities are believed to be contemplating bids. Could Australia, like the USA, host more than one race per season as F1 edges towards a 25-round calendar?

Fernando Alonso is the cover star of this month’s GP Racing magazine and, in an exclusive interview, he explains how the fire to win grands prix still burns within him. As our panel notes, he seems more mellow and philosophical nowadays when discussing his career. There’s no doubt he’s still one of the fastest drivers on the grid but, at 40, he’s well aware that time is no longer on his side – and that the last two management shake-ups at Alpine have removed the people responsible for hiring him. For all his star quality, now is the time to deliver.

One driver particularly coveting Alonso’s seat is F2 champion Oscar Piastri. The Australian’s sole contribution to his home grand prix will be to act as Alpine’s reserve driver. This month’s GP Racing features an exclusive interview with Piastri, who is rightly considered to be the best driver not on the current F1 grid. His lightning ascent of the junior ladder has certainly taken his patron team by surprise – and puts him in the same firmament as the likes of George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

The opening races of the 2022 season have presented an abrupt shift in the competitive order as the previously dominant Mercedes team struggles. How much of this is down to competitive over-reach – trying too hard to find gains that are too big? And is the W13 a fundamentally flawed car, or one with knockout potential waiting to be accessed?

Next year the F1 calendar will include a third US-based grand prix. Las Vegas will host a Saturday-night race on the iconic Strip. Our panel weighs up the significance of this and what it means for other races. Significantly, F1 is acting as promoter – is this a case of the commercial rights holders competing with its own customers? And even if not, what can we read in to the move? Two years ago the race promoters were able to band together to get a better deal from F1 – now they might not be so lucky.