Growing and developing in a “rich world” like motorsport is not easy. Let them tell you Alexandre Iribas (Madrid2004), who, after only two test sessions, climbed onto his Renault Clio V to end up proclaiming himself champion of Spain in class 3 and division 4 of the Spanish Endurance Touring Car Championship.
With the clear influence and training that the family offers Sainzespecially Junior, with whom he shared intense sessions of karting, The 19-year-old driver sees his “destiny” far from racing cars. Formula 1but dreams of “running in the Endurance World Cup and win the 24 hours of Le Mans“.
Fresh out of class, since he combines the world of motor racing with university studies, Iribas or Jandro as he likes to be called, he takes care of OKDIARIO at the office of Juanjo Lacallelegendary manager of Carlos Sainz father and son, where you can see all kinds of helmets and trophies of the most important pilot family in Spain. His father, Javier Iribasand Lacalle himself asks him to turn off the phone in case it “beeps”, to which he replies that he always silences it and turns it away.
QUESTION: Aren’t you very attached to the phone?
ANSWER: When I’m not using it, I mute it and turn it over.
Q: How many hours do you use it per day?
A: At least six or seven.
Q: Is this common for pilots your age?
A: At our age and younger, yes, but a little older, they are more focused.
Q: Young drivers are very fashionable.
A: I think so. People like young drivers.
Q: And to the teams.
A: Also. We are the most attractive.
Q: For the general public who usually follow F1, tell us who Alejandro Iribas is.
A: I am 19 years old, I was studying mechanical engineering at the Francisco de Vitoria University and now I am studying a higher degree in automotive. I started competing at the age of 13. karting, in the Madrid championship. I didn’t race for two years, COVID-19 arrived and I had to leave for another year and in 2021 I did my first race with touring cars in Jarama.
Q: How did it go?
A: The first race was a bit strange because in free practice I had a little accident. I went racing, it went well and in a moment of lucidity I spun and didn’t finish. And then I did another race later, in September, if I remember correctly, again in Jarama and the car was broken, it wouldn’t accelerate or anything. I did what I could and went home. And in 2022 we change cars. We took a Clio CUP V and I competed in the CER, the Touring Car Endurance Championship, and I finished third in my category. And then last year, in 2023, I ended up being Spanish champion in my category.
Q: Comparing your first race in Jarama with the one in Montmeló, the difference is spectacular.
A: I don’t say this to many people, but in Jarama, from the first lap I did, I was a little scared and every time I fell asleep I couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t my thing, that I had done it. I don’t like it. And nothing, as I gained confidence in the car over the last two years, I realized how this little world worked. (An accident in the Bugatti curve that, finally, Lacalle admits, was identical to the one Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered in his time with a Ferrari).
Q: With the misfortune that to his two-year break was added another constraint by COVID-19, from which he came back stronger to become champion of Spain.
A: Yes. We were unemployed for three years and we couldn’t do anything. I arrived, I did a test with the Clio and I participated in the first race without any experience.
Q: You are now competing in the Clio National Cup with the Chefo Sport team.
A: For now we will continue and for next year we have planned a new project which would be to take a Ligier, a Gt4 and that would be the idea for next year: to continue with Chefo Sport.
Q: And you will want to cross the borders of Spain, as is logical.
A: Yes. Next year we would race in Spain with a new car and next year we would make the big jump to Europe. Maybe it would be in the European Series or the European Series in Germany.
Q: Is your future in the Resistance or do you imagine a jump to single-seaters?
A: No. I have the cars of my destination because I am already very late. The youngsters who are currently in Formula 4 are about 15 or 16 years old. They have quite a lot of financial support and they can climb the F3 and F2 categories and try to reach Formula 1. But the Resistencia and the GTS and all the championships that exist DTM, GT Open have much more possibilities.
Q: What drew you to this modality as a child?
A: I just didn’t plan on becoming a driver. I wanted to play football and I saw that I wasn’t good at it and one day my dad asked me if I wanted to go to a karting camp and I said yes.
Q: In karting, he swept.
A: Little by little here in karting, by doing so many laps at the camp and all that, because I already had the track which was very familiar to me.
Q: Were you banished here to Carlos Sainz for fasting?
A: No, man. I come here a lot. I come here to teach younger kids, who are looking for a way to get started. We teach them here and then, if they like it and want it, we introduce them to competitive karting to help them out.
Q: You are leading by example. Can you combine studies and careers?
A: It is not so difficult to combine studies and racing by organizing a championship at the national level because they do not usually have many events like a European that can have 12 events, but in the Spanish championships that currently exist, they have five or six tests and there are six weekends in a whole year. Then it can be combined well. You skip five or six days of classes and you have no problem finishing the course.
Q: You didn’t have a driver’s license recently, did you?
A: Yes, yes, but I was without a driving license for a year. I passed the theoretical and practical exams first time.
Q: Recently, Alex Palou was proclaimed a triple IndyCar champion this Sunday. There is no better example of success outside of F1. What do you think of his silhouette?
A: Well Palou, listen, I have a friend who is very close to him and he introduces me a lot to the world of IndyCar. I watch all the races lately. And Palou seems to me to be a star because he teaches everyone that Formula 1 is not the center of the world, but that there are also other categories like IndyCar, which are incredible, that there is a very high level. Many drivers do not manage to get to F1 and ask themselves “What other alternative do I have?” And they go to IndyCar. And Palou is an example to follow. Quite big.
Q: Do we see it in the United States?
A: I don’t know because I’m not very convinced by the world of motorsport in the United States, I prefer IMSA (motorsport championship for touring cars which has been held in North America since 2014).
Q: We can see that you have your feet on the ground, but for a guy like you, your goal could be to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. No?
A: Yes, it’s my dream. I want to race in the World Endurance Championship at all costs and especially win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Q: Have you ever been there?
A: No, but I want to try and go on a caravan. I also want to race the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.
Q: What can we expect from Alejandro Iribas in late 2024 and early 2025?
A: With the Clio we do not aspire to a good result because of the technical problems we have encountered, but we are also racing the CER again this year and there are only two tests. We will be able to fight for the championship on November 23 and 24 at the Barcelona circuit.
Q: I think they are clear, but what are their influences?
A: Carlos Sainz Jr. I also have great respect for the father, but I am closer to the son because he is my size and age.
Q: Any advice Sainz Jr. gave you?
A: I speak with Carlos through Juanjo Lacalle, who has helped me throughout my racing career, and I have been with Carlos on a few occasions, but there was one time when I was training with him in karting and he gave us some advice on how to take the lines, be more aggressive…
Q: How would you define your driving style?
A: I couldn’t tell you. I’m passive, I like to observe my rivals and when I’ve analyzed them well, I like to attack them. If you have to fight, you fight.
Q: Finally. Is Alejandro Iribas’ goal to be able to live in this world where sponsorship for young people is essential?
A: All riders have the same problem if you want to have resources to be able to race. And me, thank God, at the moment they trust me. Without a sponsor, any rider is doomed because it is such an expensive world that you cannot continue your career without the support of one or more sponsors. For example, I race thanks to Tierra de Sabor, La Factoría, Conurma, Vuelta Rápida and GT, who are my greatest support at the moment, because without them I could not race at the moment.
