Emotions emerge as Alonso winds down F1 career

Fernando Alonso admits the thought of leaving F1 at the end of the season is starting to sink in, and it's having an emotional impact on his race weekends.

It's been a dismal four-year period for the Spaniard marked by McLaren's seemingly endless drop into a performance abyss from which it from which it has yet to pull itself out of.

While Alonso has lost nothing of his fighting spirit, even as he spends his time stuck in the lower tier of F1 midfield, the 37-year-old has decided to throw in the towel and move on to hopefully greener pastures at the end of the year.

However, with just four race left on his schedule, his final few stints in F1 have become a somewhat emotional affair which he wants to savour.

"I've found myself recording the parade laps in the last couple of races with my phone," Alonso told CNN.

"I've never done that in my life, but now it's like I want to record everything. I want to have that last memory of each race.

• Former Ferrari boss Domenicali rates Alonso relative to Schumacher

"From August, when I decided to announce the retirement, every single race has been a little more emotional than normal.

"Every driver's parade, every fan session has been a little bit different... it gets even more difficult."

The two-time world champion has yet to decide where or what he'll be racing next season, with IndyCar seen as his most likely destination. Regardless of what the future holds, challenges abound.

"I achieved much more than what I dreamed of when I started," he said.

"I think it's the right time now because there are some other challenges out of Formula 1 that I'm very, very interested in now.

"My idea is to win all the iconic motor sport races in the world."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter