Fernando Alonso has defended himself amid the criticism he received over his decision to leave the track after the first practice session yesterday, where he only made three corners before his McLaren-Honda hit an oil leak, causing him to end his session early.
The Spaniard was then seen departing the track to go play tennis, however he was back for the second session later in the day. Some have criticised his commitment to F1 after the incident, but the double world champion has backed himself up.
"There are busy days ahead with all the travelling between America and Europe, I cannot train a lot, so I said I'd rather train than sit around in the paddock for two hours," Alonso explained afterwards. "What am I to do?
"Maybe some people misunderstood my action, but it was not about making fun of the work of the team. It was about doing a little bit of training and getting my head clear. And that's exactly what I did," Alonso added.
Despite the clear issues that have plagued McLaren-Honda for the past number of seasons, Alonso remains determined to helping them improve to create a race-winning car.
"It is not about my career, my skills and my reputation," he insisted. "It is about Honda and their money and their image," he said. "I try to support the team as much as possible and give everything in the car. I think the problem is bigger for Honda than for me."
Fergal Walsh
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