Alonso will treat last race as "just another race"

Retiring McLaren driver Fernando Alonso has insisted he won't change his final race in the sport any differently than normal, with the two-time champion starting from P15 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Alonso dragged his MCL33 into Q2 at the last second of Q1, surviving the first round by only a few hundredths of a second and leaving teammate Stoffel Vandoorne behind him for the 21st time this season. In Q2, he never really stood a chance against his opposition and finished last in the round.

The 37-year-old legend, who is capping off his 17th season in Formula 1, still insisted that he wouldn't treat his final race any differently than normal.

“When you put the helmet car you jump in the car, do up the seat belts, it’s another race," he told RaceFans.

“You see the traffic light, you go for the green, you try [to be] safe the first couple of corners, if possible try to overtake someone. And then execute the race in the best way possible.”

With five places to make up to end up in the points, Alonso knows that it'll be unlikely that he can build on the 50 points he's scored so far this season. He currently mans the tenth place in the championship, with Esteban Ocon breathing down his neck in 11th with just one point less than him.