“I’m just a fan, and I wanted to be here” – Kylian Mbappe on choosing between F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz
Footballers have been turning up at F1 Grand Prixes often in the last last two years, and Kylian Mbappe was the latest this week. He was in the paddock before the Catalunya GP, where he was asked to pick between Spanish drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.
The PSG star was quick to sidestep the question and simply said that he was an F1 fan and was there to enjoy the day. He was quoted by GP Fan as saying:
"Both are very good, it's difficult to choose one. I love F1, I'm just a fan and I wanted to be here, have a nice day and enjoy this sport."
Both Alonso and Sainz had a day to forget, as they did not end the way they wanted. The Aston Martin's Alonso finished his lowest this season at seventh, while Ferrari's Sainz settled for fifth after starting second.
Kylian Mbappe sets personal target for next season at PSG
Lionel Messi will leave PSG, while L'Equipe reports suggest Neymar's future at the club hangs in the balance. However, Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that he has no plans to leave and will honor the final year of his contract.
When asked by Canal Plus regarding PSG's goals next season, he said:
"What do I expect from PSG next season? No, nothing, I'm just here to play. I still have a contract, I come to play. The club is doing what it can, I'll just be happy with what the club is doing. The rest is none of my business."
However, Mbappe does have personal targets set for next season. The forward wants to win the Golden Boot for the sixth successive season and beat Jean-Pierre Papin's record of five. He added:
"My top scorer award? I'm very happy. We've won the championship. I'm still top scorer and top player. So that's great. It's true that it was at the end of the season, when we'd won the title, that it was a personal goal and I've achieved it. I'm going down in history and I'm happy. But I still have next year to beat Jean-Pierre Papin."
Real Madrid have been linked with a move for Kylian Mbappe, but Marca has reported that they want him to sign a pre-contract in January 2024.