Mansell failing to understand Alonso's WEC campaign

  • Published on 03 Mar 2018 10:47
  • comments 3
  • By: Fergal Walsh

Nigel Mansell believes there's a possibility that Fernando Alonso's World Endurance Championship operation will harm his form and results for McLaren in Formula 1. Earlier this year, Toyota confirmed that Alonso had joined them in the WEC, partnering Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.

At the end of the 2017 season, McLaren took the decision to part ways with Honda, who filed to produce a fast and reliable engine after three years in the sport. Now running with Renault power, it is expected that the Woking-based team will jump up the grid in 2018.

But 1992 F1 world champion Mansell is failing to see the appeal: "I don’t know what the motivation is," he told Sky Sports. "For me it bodes that the car isn’t going to be as competitive as we all hoped for, so he wants to be in a competitive car doing something else and having the opportunity to win. 

"When you are a winner you want to be competitive and you want to be able to win and compete at the front. I just think the rationale behind it - if you focus on trying to do a great job. I just hope they don’t score a home [own] goal."

Mansell seems to have forgotten the old days when drivers used to compete in various racing series in the same year, just look at Jackie Stewart, in his day he was back and forth across the atlantic day after day competing in many series.

  • 2
  • Mar 3 2018 - 16:56

Replies (3)

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  • People still talking about this? It's pretty simple actually.,it's just that most drivers would rather have much more free tims to hangout with friends and family. Alonso wants to be driving. This was normal several decades ago when drivers were only interested in driving. Besides, WEC is such a short championship.

    • + 0
    • Mar 3 2018 - 15:59
  • Mansell seems to have forgotten the old days when drivers used to compete in various racing series in the same year, just look at Jackie Stewart, in his day he was back and forth across the atlantic day after day competing in many series.

    • + 2
    • Mar 3 2018 - 16:56
  • xoya

    Posts: 583

    Have no fear. It won't bother him at all since McLaren will be firmly in the lower mid-pack.

    • + 0
    • Mar 3 2018 - 23:59

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