Belgium GP? Nope! Fernando Alonso Racing Against Time To Watch FIFA World Cup Final

Last Updated:July 17, 2026, 00:37 IST

Alonso says his main priority after the Belgian Grand Prix is getting home in time to watch Spain face Argentina in the World Cup final, admitting F1 comes second this weekend.

Fernando Alonso has made one thing clear ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix — his biggest race on Sunday won’t be at Spa-Francorchamps.

Instead, the two-time Formula One world champion is counting down the hours until Spain face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final.

With Aston Martin enduring a miserable 2026 campaign, Alonso admitted his priority is simply getting home in time to watch La Roja bid for a second world title against Lionel Messi’s defending champions.

“The Main Focus Is Getting Home"

Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Alonso acknowledged that Aston Martin heads into the final race before Formula One’s summer break with modest expectations.

The Silverstone-based team has managed just one point through the opening nine races and remains rooted near the back of the grid, although a significant chassis upgrade is expected after Belgium.

“As we don’t expect much this weekend," Alonso said, “the main focus on Sunday will be to get home and watch the match, to be honest."

Race Against The Clock

The timing leaves Alonso facing a logistical challenge.

The Belgian Grand Prix begins at 3 p.m. local time, while the World Cup final kicks off at 9 p.m. in Europe.

With travel immediately after the race, Alonso expects to miss part of the showpiece.

“It’s going to be tricky because we are flying back home," he admitted.

“So maybe on Sunday the second half will probably be the moment that I will watch the game. The first half, I’ll probably miss."

The contrast with 2010 could hardly be greater.

The last time Formula One and the World Cup final fell on the same day, Alonso was fighting for victories with Ferrari while watching Spain lift their first World Cup in South Africa.

Fifteen years later, Spain return to the final as reigning European champions, hoping to add a second star to their shirt.

Colapinto Already Feeling The Pressure

Alpine’s Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto is equally invested — although for very different reasons.

“I’m definitely going to be much more nervous about the match than the race," he said.

Reflecting on Argentina’s dramatic semi-final victory over England, Colapinto added: “Yesterday we had a lot of fun, a lot of suffering. But if you don’t suffer a bit, you’re not Argentinian."

“It was one of those matches where you’re really nervous, but then you celebrate a lot. So it was a long night, but very fun."

Williams driver Carlos Sainz also faces the same race-day scheduling dilemma, with all three drivers hoping they can catch football’s biggest game once their work at Spa is done.

(with Reuters inputs)

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Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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