Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

Alonso: 'I've never felt better'

Fernando Alonso says he has "never felt better" ahead of an F1 season than he does approaching his second spell at McLaren.

McLaren launched the MP4-30 on Thursday, with Alonso set to drive the Honda-powered car first at Jerez on Sunday. Having himself rejoined McLaren from Ferrari over the winter, Alonso said he's never been more motivated to start a season than this year as he looks to help the team return to winning ways.

“Although the winter period is a time for rest and relaxation from racing, my motivation could not be stronger for the new season," Alonso said. "I’ve done a lot of training during the winter break, to reach my peak physical fitness, and I’ve been working hard in preparation for this new era of McLaren-Honda. I’ve never felt better, or more ready for a new season.

“Of course, we’re prepared for a steep learning curve, but it’s clear to see that inside McLaren-Honda there’s total commitment, and a real change in feeling, as we start this new partnership. We’re all focused on the challenge ahead, and I feel extremely honoured to be part of a relationship that has shared so much history together.

"My aim is to help write a new chapter in the history of McLaren-Honda. We understand the effort and teamwork required to take McLaren-Honda back to where it should be, at the front of the grid, and all our energy as a team is focused on that goal."

Click here to see the full gallery of the first McLaren MP4-30 images

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

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.