Alonso loses weight to improve car performance

A trimmer Fernando Alonso unveils the new Renault F1 car

Fernando Alonso has lost 3.5 kilograms since the last race of the 2008 season, according to the Spanish newspaper Diario AS.

Whereas last year he tipped the scales at more than 70 kilograms, the 27-year-old now weighs 67kg, after an intense training program designed to maximize his chances with the new regulations allowing relatively heavy KERS technology.

Alonso's training of choice was four hours of cycling per day, bringing him close to the team engineers' ideal driver weight of 65 kilograms, the newspaper said.

"I have worked with cyclists and Fernando is very strong, more than ever," his personal physio Fabrizio Borra said. "He cannot lose any more weight, because if he does he starts to lose strength and that is not what we want."

While F1 machinery has a minimum weight limit, they all build the car as light as possible and then add ballast in areas of the car that they believe will improve performance. Yahoo! Sports