<
        >

          Fernando Alonso says WEC races more enjoyable than 'predictable' F1

          play
          Why was Ferrari slower than Mercedes in Spain? (2:08)

          Jennie How and Craig Scarborough look at how weather and the tyres may have been a factor in why Ferrari was slower than Mercedes at the Spanish Grand Prix. (2:08)

          Fernando Alonso was happy to add World Endurance Championship races to his 2018 calendar because he finds them more enjoyable than Formula One.

          Alonso once said a 25-race season would prompt him to quit F1, but his 2018 schedule stands at 27 races -- that includes 21 F1 races, his commitments with Toyota, including the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, and the Daytona 24 Hours he contested at the start of the year.

          When asked why he has had a change in philosophy about how many races he is willing to participate in with WEC, he replied: "Because they are fun races!"

          He went on to say: "Formula One is predictable, Formula One is demanding. Formula One is about constructors' championship. There are different teams in different rows of the grid, but there is not much more that the driver can do. That's the sad thing."

          Alonso won on his Toyota debut at the Six Hours of Spa, his first win in nearly five years. During the Spanish Grand Prix he passed the five-year anniversary since his last grand prix win.

          The two-time world champion is still getting used to the demands of racing in WEC's LMP1 category.

          "I struggle a bit more when I go from F1 to WEC, because the driving styles are so different. When I come back to F1 I'm comfortable straight away because this is my natural driving style.

          "I'm closer to the limit in F1, you need to maximise and get perfection every lap. In WEC you have to be super flexible and open mind in anything. You will not repeat laps in six hours, because of traffic, tyre age, everything. That's quite good for me, because you have to adapt really quickly. It's part of what makes WEC special -- how much you have to adapt every lap."

          Alonso's next WEC race will be the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16-17. The Spaniard wants to complete the Triple Crown before he retires, meaning he would need to win at Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500 at some point in his career. He has already won the third part of that accolade, the Monaco Grand Prix, on two occasions. Last year an engine failure cut his Indy 500 short 29 laps from the end.

          Alonso's 2018 race calendar in full:

          • January 27/28 - Daytona 24 Hours (IMSA)

          • March 25 - Australian GP (F1)

          • April 8 - Bahrain GP (F1)

          • April 15 - Chinese GP (F1)

          • April 29 - Azerbaijan GP (F1)

          • May 4 - Six Hours of Spa Francorchamps (WEC)

          • May 13 - Spanish GP (F1)

          • May 27 - Monaco GP (F1)

          • June 10 - Canadian GP (F1)

          • June 16/17 - 24 Hours of Le Mans (WEC)

          • June 24 - French GP (F1)

          • July 1 - Austrian GP (F1)

          • July 8 - British GP (F1)

          • July 22 - German GP (F1)

          • July 29 - Hungarian GP (F1)

          • August 19 - Six Hours of Silverstone (WEC)

          • August 26 - Belgian GP (F1)

          • September 2 - Italian GP (F1)

          • September 16 - Singapore GP (F1)

          • September 30 - Russian GP (F1)

          • October 7 - Japanese GP (F1)

          • October - Six Hours of Fuji (WEC)

          • October 21 - U.S. GP (F1)

          • October 28 - Mexican GP (F1)

          • November 11 - Brazilian GP (F1)

          • November 18 - Six Hours of Shanghai (WEC)

          • November 25 - Abu Dhabi GP (F1)