First Jenson Button, then Nico Rosberg and now it’s Fernando Alonso’s turn to stun the F1 world by announcing his retirement from the sport.
The two-time champion had made it pretty clear that he was fed up racing in an under-performing car and he’s finally said enough is enough.
While many expect Alonso to make a switch to endurance racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours, sources suggest he will pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a cameraman.
McLaren have already confirmed Pastor Maldonado as Alonso’s replacement, with a statement claiming they needed a proven race winner as well as someone who can bring a title sponsor to the team.
“The passion and dedication this extremely talented racer has shown, demonstrates the kind of fire we’ve been missing from the sport. Someone who’s not afraid to bulldoze his way to the front of the grid,” said Executive Director of McLaren, Zak Brown.
Leaked images had already appeared of a meeting between Maldonado and Alonso, kickstarting the rumours of the Venezuelan’s return to F1.
Maldonado’s return has been unsurprisingly well received in F1, with Lewis Hamilton in particular paying compliments to Pastor on his Twitter account.
It’s also great news for WTF1, with Maldonado’s return likely to give us a tonne of jokes and memes.
Welcome back, Pastor!
