Fernando Alonso has dismissed rumours that he was the one who convinced Schumacher to quit the motorsport. Michael Schumacher, seven times World Champion, admitted several times that he would retire when a younger, faster driver came along. Alonso won both the 2005 and 2006 championships, prompting speculation that Schumacher quit because of his rival.
However, in an interview with Focus, Alonso said, “Michael stopped because different things motivate him now, such as his family. Anyway, he probably had already decided to retire before the start of the 2006 season.”
Alonso is also still backing his claim the Formula 1 is not a sport. He denounced the sport at the Monza circuit last year after the stewards gave him a contrversial penalty for allegedly blocked Ferrari driver Felipe Massa on one of his hot laps. “Formula 1 is business and glamour,” Alonso said. “In the way that I define sport, I do not see that you can say that this is F1. Whoever disagrees with me is not opening their eyes.”
Alonso also dismissed the idea that because he is the reigning World Champion, he has a larger responsibility to deliver a good image of F1 to the fans. “In that way, all drivers are equal,” he said. “If for example David Coulthard talks about safety, his views carry the same weight as mine or any other drivers’.”
