Fernando Alonso says the feeling you get driving a Formula 1 car cannot be matched and that is why he still races in the series, despite recent criticism of the rules.
The Spaniard has described recent rule changes "confusing" and says he will decide his F1 future after he's experienced a 2017 car, with Alonso stating that he could retire if he isn't "wowed" by the next generation of cars.
However despite his comments, Alonso says the speed of an F1 car still takes him by surprise and that's why he's still racing, even though he admits the competition maybe isn't as exciting as other series.
“It’s hard to explain what this feeling is like because nothing else comes close to F1," Alonso said in a McLaren feature.
"Your brain has to reset every time you get in the car because things happen so fast. If you haven’t driven an F1 car for a few weeks, the level of performance takes you by surprise.
"I go-karting to enjoy the competition; I drive in F1 for this feeling. The driving styles in karting and F1 are quite similar, but nothing unexpected happens in a go-kart. Your brain is never taken by surprise.
"You can predict everything that the kart is going to do. That isn’t the case in F1, where you’re taken by surprise all the time. When you hit the brakes, your brain takes 0.2s to catch up. That’s a very nice feeling; that is the feeling."
The lack of competition isn't a concern for Alonso who insists he can get that from other areas.
"I am a competitive person and competition is important in F1, but I don’t race in F1 for the competition.
"I can get that in other areas of my life, like cycling and playing tennis – or racing my mother to the supermarket.
"The reason I race in F1 is because the cars give me a feeling that I can’t get anywhere else. It’s unique."
