Alonso’s coach reveals keys to his ‘eternal youth’

Fernando Alonso he shines again in Formula 1 at the age of 41 (he will be 42 in July). And they all ask the same question: How is this possible? The Spaniard has repeatedly stated that age is nothing more than a number, that he rides better than ever. And physically, he is like a bull. Everyone in F1 was surprised, except for one man, one of its pillars, one of its two trusted trainers since it started in F1, Edo Bendinelli.

The Italian attends MD yesterday at the preview of the Spanish GP to explain the secrets that lead Fernando to continue being one of the best drivers on the grid. Obviously, the first key is the physical, but there are many more.

“He decided to start a new season with a new team with the idea of ​​having expectations. Therefore, in the preseason we had preparation not only to lay foundations and stay, but also to look for improvement “said.

“Fernando put his typical ingredients: great concentration, great response to training and stimulating motivation. We created a training program based on the characteristics it had in the past, because we have all the parameters of all the years since it started”disclosed in this newspaper.

Alonso’s motivation to prepare for this season is that the Asturian and Edo trained below zero for many days in winter in the Italian Dolomites, in Selva di Val Gardena. There, the physical beating was enormous: “We cross-country skied almost every day, with about 1,200 meters of unevenness with two hours of climbing, every morning. And in the afternoon, in the gym with a lot of muscle and reaction training, among other things. For example, we did a physical exercise and immediately afterwards, another reaction, so that he exhibits his reflexes when he is tired, with his mind prepared to act”, he commented.

When I’m not doing cross-country skiing, they run for an hour and a half with a lot of unevenness, at 5 or 6 degrees below zero. All, to reach 120% at the beginning of the course.

“We have all your data from every year. We go to the base of 2005. Fernando is a reactive person as a muscular quality, he can absolutely be a 100-meter sprint runner, he is really capable of squeezing a lot of power and having a lot of speed. That’s an inborn muscle trait that inevitably fades a little over the years. And although this defeat was very small, he made up for it with his enormous capacity for resistance”, commented Edo.

“He has transformed one muscular characteristic to improve another. It’s like he became a 100-meter runner, until now a long-distance runner, in the half marathon,” added Bendinelli, who revealed that, according to the studies carried out, “Fernando Alonso’s metabolic age is approximately 30 years, 10 years less than he is 41. It can be confused with a 30-year-old man. And the spirit… that’s good”, he added.

The mind, the great key

And it is that regardless of his physique, Bendinelli makes it clear that the most important thing is another element: the mind. “The mental aspect is fundamental. The mind drives everything: the car, the benefits and the attention. The problem is that the brain is hard to train. That is why I say that, in a certain sense, training the body is a little easier. If you keep it healthy, if you train it, it will always react and you will see the benefits quickly. But the desire to practice, strength, cunning, is something very difficult. You either have it, or you don’t. And the stimuli that you have to create for yourself, you must see and deal with them. And this is something that Fernando has. He has an iron mentality. And this year even more. And it’s not easy, at his age and all his history.”point.

If there is one thing that amazes Edo, it is his desire to “put himself back in the spotlight”, wanting to “fight against the youth who put themselves out there like animals in the savannah” when another one of his place, along with his name and history, will have to surrender. defeated.

“What surprised me the most was their enthusiasm. The desire to still be here, to do things. Really, it’s incredible. And after many years, he kept asking me things every day, saying that you have to do this and that. And see all the parameters, food, recovery and rest. Yes, it’s his job, but there are people who would have finished his story in his place. Christmas. It’s like it’s his first season in F1”, added Edo, comparing him to “Incredible Hulk”, but in this case, “with a head”with the ability to use all his qualities with the sole purpose of succeeding again.

“Even after a few years, someone repeats what they did. But for now, Fernando’s is unique ”, he pointed out before making sure that the Oviedo player has some rope left for a while: “If his physique and his passion continue, he can continue in F1 as long as he wants.”