Nando’s 500

I am a well established fan of motor sport. I am also a great fan of Fernando Alonso since his Renault days. Mutual expressions of esteem we call it: I like the driver, he likes the manager. Alonso has now become my next door neighbor in Lugano and I am looking forward to spending some time with him, as a friend, out of the paddock. I was happy to hear of his Indianapolis challenge and congratulated him on his decision shortly after it was made public. I love Indycars. I spent five years in the US following the deeds of Tomas Scheckter, the youngest son of Jody, a serious player in that series. For this I went through all the initial steps Fernando experienced so far, such as familiarizing with the new car and undergoing the rookie test. I can assure you that that part of the story is the most boring: nothing happens at a rookie test. It’s a simple, first time trial for a new beginner. Just like a lap around the block with your papa’s car the day before taking your driving license’s test. Boring? For me yes, but not for those TWO million fans who watched Alonso’s debut on stream tv. This outstanding result of mid week tv audience should give a couple of useful tips to Liberty Media, the new owners of Formula One. Tip number one: motor sport should be made widely and professionally available on social media and video stream. Tip number two: failure to entertain in F.1 can divert interests to other forms of racing, where the content is CHALLENGING and DANGEROUS. A strong message has been delivered yesterday. Thank you Fernando!!!!