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Alonso interview, part 2: He says F1-Indy crossovers boost racing

Fernando Alonso said his racing in this Sunday's Indy 500 spurred great interest in Spain and that other Formula One drivers crossing over would benefit both U.S. racing and Formula One. "I think Formula One needs North America and maybe North America needs more of Formula One than what we currently have," Alonso told Reuters on Tuesday. "I think its a win-win situation," the Spaniard said about the potential impact of more F1 drivers following his example and crossing over between the circuits. Alonso said he understood that interest back home in the Indy 500 had spiked by 800 percent. "For the fans, from what I see now in Spain and Europe, it is amazing the interest in the Indy 500 this year compared to any other year," he said. "Everyone in Spain, they are waiting for May 28 to watch the race. I received many messages from fans in social media saying, 'thanks for showing us this race because I never watched it before and I absolutely love it.'" Alonso also believes U.S. fans will become more intrigued by Formula One as they get to know those drivers. "Hopefully from now on the interest in Formula One in the US will be growing," he said. "We have new owners of Formula One, (U.S.-based) Liberty Media, and I think they have some good plans to build interest here." Alonso decided to skip this week's Monaco Grand Prix, which he has won twice, to try and add the Indy 500 as his second leg to a rare Triple Crown of Motorsport. The Spaniard hopes to emulate Graham Hill, who in 1972 became the first to complete the Formula One championship, Indy and Le Mans 24 Hours collection of titles. "The Triple Crown, I think that's the ultimate goal of any racing driver," said Alonso. "Only one man has achieved that in motor sports and that shows how difficult it is to do that." Alonso said he expects no problem adjusting back to Formula One after his Indy sojourn. "My skills, and my driving techniques are developed in Formula One cars. I think when I get back there it will be an immediate adaptation." With his contract up after this season with the poorly performing McLaren-Honda team, Alonso remained tight-lipped about his future. "After the summer I will consider what are the options out there," he said.Part 1 of this interview: F1 veteran gears up for his rookie run at Indy Reporting by Larry FineRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Drive A McLaren | The List #650

Formula One speeds towards radical thousand-horsepower shakeup

The teams, the drivers, the fans, the circuits... few, if any, were satisfied with how Formula One has shaped up since the current regulations took hold last year. But that doesn't mean they aren't working on it. At a recent meeting of the F1 Strategy Group, the leading parties in the sport outlined a new framework that would radically shake up the cars themselves while keeping costs in check. And the biggest change could see the engines producing around 1,000 horsepower. Although a proposal put forth by Ferrari to ditch the current V6 hybrid engines in favor of new twin-turbocharged units was rejected by Honda and Mercedes, the members of the group approved in principal to increase the fuel flow in the existing engines to dramatically boost output. As it stands, the current 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engines develop around 600 horsepower, with an additional 160 or so kicked in by the electric Energy Recovery System, for a combined output of about 760 hp. What's not clear at the moment is whether the increased fuel flow would necessitate either the return of mid-race refueling (currently banned) or the installation of larger fuel tanks. Red Bull and McLaren also submitted proposals to radically redesign the shape of the cars as well, however a more evolutionary approach was adopted instead. Though far from finalized, the new design would keep the same basic form of the current chassis, but with adjustments to make them more aesthetically pleasing while producing more downforce. Wider tires are also said to be part of the mix. With more power and more grip from the tires and aero, the resulting cars would most certainly end up going much faster than the current ones, which are already starting to nudge the lap records at some of the circuits, many of which were set during the V10 era. The F1 Strategy Group is made up of representatives of the FIA, Formula One Management and six leading teams. The next step will be for the teams' technical directors to iron out how to implement what their bosses have agreed to. If they settle the details fast enough, the revised regulations could be pushed through in time for next season. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Motorsports Ferrari Honda Infiniti McLaren Mercedes-Benz F1

Henrik Fisker interview, and driving the Polestar 2 | Autoblog Podcast #643

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They've been driving the updated 2021 Honda Odyssey, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 and the new Polestar 2 electric sedan. After reviewing those, they talk about how the Chrysler 300 appears to be withering on the vine. Next, they take time to talk to legendary automotive designer and eponymous Chairman & CEO of Fisker Inc., Mr. Henrik Fisker himself, about jeans, horses and, of course, electric cars. Finally, they help a listener pick a $100,000 supercar in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #643 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2021 Honda Odyssey 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 2020 Polestar 2 Chrysler 300 soldiers on for 2021 with pared-down range, higher price Henrik Fisker interview Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: