Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok couldn’t resist the urge to joke about the rumoured relationship between Fernando Alonso and Taylor Swift during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
During Alonso’s qualifying lap, the Spaniard sought to deploy a tactical approach to open up a gap between himself and his rivals, sparking a humorous remark from Chandhok.
“Fernando Alonso’s found a bit of blank space there ahead of him… with Lewis Hamilton half a straight ahead,” Chandhok said, in reference to Swift’s 2014 hit.
“Alonso is currently the fourth fastest car, perhaps some would say he is driving a getaway car, maybe that might cause some bad blood,” commentator David Croft added.
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Throughout the coverage, there were other references to Swift’s hits, such as ‘Don’t blame me’, ‘Style,’ ‘22’ and ‘Mastermind.’
Alonso has fuelled speculation, as he refused to dispel the rumours when asked directly about the situation during Thursday’s press conference.
“I am just focused on Baku, and racing. Let’s see,” Alonso stated.
“I usually keep my personal and professional life apart. I prefer not to comment on it,” Alonso previously told Marca.
Some have suggested the rumours are an example of silly season starting early, others blamed it on the extended April break leaving Formula 1 fans with little to discuss.
Alonso has had a number of high-profile relationships, having been married to singer Raquel Del Rosario from 2006-2011.
He later dated Miss Switzerland runner-up Xenia Tchoumitcheva and Italian model Linda Morselli.
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Most recently, Alonso was engaged to journalist Lara Alvarez but the pair split before their wedding.
With Alonso not one to shy away from the spotlight, he’s sure to have fun with the rumours, enjoying a humorous social media post or two.
The two-time world champion poured fuel on the fire with a TikTok, captioned ‘Race Week Era’ in reference to Swift’s Eras tour.