Among the guests at the FIA official press conference ahead of the French Grand Prix this Thursday, we could spot Romain Grosjean, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, three French drivers commenting on the return of Formula One to their country, and Fernando Alonso, the Spanish driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans last Sunday and holder of two F1 world titles (2005 and 2006) with Renault.

The McLaren driver was bombarded with questions. Has he recovered physically from the endurance classic? Is he still thinking about the Triple crown and a future outing at Indianapolis?  “I’m 90% recovered. After competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona last January, I had an idea of how to prepare physically. When you get in your car at Le Mans, you set off to drive the equivalent of two and half Grand Prix races, with just four hours rest instead of two weeks. Adrenaline is what keeps you going. I must have slept an hour and a half in the night from Saturday to Sunday, because I was keeping an eye on everything - the times, all the info. I had dreamt of racing at Le Mans for a long time and I got the chance to drive in a competitive car with an experienced team. And we won – it’s fantastic! Le Mans is a race in which anything can happen. It is tough and requires drivers, mechanics and engineers to work as a team because you cannot make a single mistake. It’s unpredictable. It’s a week-long show with an amazing atmosphere – take the drivers’ parade around town, for example. It takes place once a year and focuses everyone’s attention. It’s really quite unique. I’ve not had time to think about Indianapolis yet.”

Fernando Alonso has followed the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and now the French Grand Prix. “I’ve heard a lot of French spoken these past few weeks!” the former Renault driver smiles.