Source : @F1
AUSTIN — Fernando Alonso brought his own brand of style to the Circuit of The Americas on Thursday, with Formula 1 sharing photographs of the Aston Martin driver striding into the paddock in a sharply cut olive suit ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
The sport’s official X account posted two images with the caption: “FERNANDO”, alongside the hashtags #F1 and #USGP. The first shows the two-time world champion walking down the paddock in a double-breasted olive suit, a sand-coloured T-shirt, dark sunglasses and black-and-white trainers, with photographers and team camera operators in Aston Martin green around him. The second is a close-up of the Spaniard in the same outfit, half in shadow, glancing over his shoulder.
Alonso, who won his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, also appeared in Formula 1’s media-day montage, stopping briefly for the camera before continuing past the crowd of photographers. The same video shows Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and championship leader Kimi Antonelli among the other drivers arriving on the day.
The 45-year-old arrives in Texas after a difficult race in Singapore on Oct 11, where he finished 16th. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said the result had been disappointing and that the team had realised from first practice that it would be a tough weekend, Motorsport.com’s Spanish edition reported.
Even so, Alonso said he was optimistic about Austin, while joking that, as always, he feels more optimistic on Thursdays than on Saturdays and Sundays. He explained that the only thing he was sure of was that Las Vegas would be the team’s worst circuit, and that the remaining races were hard to predict. He added that teams can sometimes be pleasantly surprised by how a car suits a track, and that Aston Martin would learn on Friday whether the AMR26 and its Honda power unit could avoid the energy-management problems that hurt him in Singapore.
He also suggested the car will stay largely the same for the final six races of the season, with the focus on maximising every weekend and taking opportunities when they come.
Points have been hard to come by. Alonso is 17th in the drivers’ standings on seven points, level with Haas’s Esteban Ocon and Williams’ Carlos Sainz, while team-mate Lance Stroll has yet to score. At the front, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads on 340 points, 102 clear of George Russell, and can clinch the title in Austin if he wins with Russell ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower.
Motorsport.com noted that the Austin layout combines fast corners, changes of direction and demanding braking zones with two important straights, characteristics that could allow the AMR26 to compensate for some of its known top-speed difficulties. Alonso also named Mexico and Qatar as circuits that could offer Aston Martin opportunities later in the season.
The United States Grand Prix runs from Oct 23 to 25, with qualifying at 4pm local time on Saturday and the 56-lap race starting at 3pm on Sunday, which is 4am on Monday (Oct 26) in Malaysia. The original Formula 1 post can be viewed on X: https://x.com/F1/status/2113348160374399467.
About The Author
