David Alonso is crowned the Moto3 World Champion after winning the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.
In only his second year in Moto3, David Alonso has been crowned the Moto3 World Champion.
Alonso is the first Colombian rider to win a Grand Prix World Championship as he won 10 races in 2024 on his way to the title.
The 18-year-old was overwhelmed with joy after the Japanese Grand Prix but was confused as to why he was not crying after the race.
"I don't know what to say just because I feel strange," Alonso told MotoGP.com. "I don't know why I am not crying now and why I cried yesterday night and now it's so strange. When I crossed the finish line I didn't see the board saying 'World Champion'. I said 'Oh my god maybe I touched the green and I am out of the victory!' When I stopped and all my rivals stopped I was asking them if I was World Champion. It was like I didn't believe them, I couldn't see any TV around to check if I was World Champion. So, it was really strange but really nice."
"It is so nice for Colombia, for the country of my mother" - David Alonso
Alonso was then asked about his emotions throughout the weekend. The 18-year-old explained that although he had a lot of pressure on him he was relaxed during the weekend.
"Honestly, all weekend I have been really relaxed," Alonso revealed. "I am not just saying that for the cameras, but I was really relaxed and focused on my job.
"I don't know why but when we made our plan on Saturday afternoon I started feeling strange. Then I was asking people for advice like Albert Arenas and Marc Marquez, it was difficult to go to bed yesterday. Marquez told me that it is normal and when you are closer you are more tense, but it is normal."
As the first Colombian Grand Prix World Champion Alonso wanted to dedicate his victory to his mother's country, but also to his father's home country of Spain.
Alonso said: "It is so nice for Colombia, for the country of my mother, and also for Spain. I said I wanted to ride around the track with both flags, the Colombian and Spanish flag for my mother and my father. I said I would do it if I became World Champion one day, so today was the perfect day."
