How much are a pair of thumbs worth? If you are a championship Formula 1 driver, apparently it’s quite a bit. Reuters reports that former World Champion Fernando Alonso has recently had his thumbs insured by Spanish bank Santander for $13.3 million.

While thumbs are important to a top-level race car driver, the idea of having them insured might seem excessive. If you are suspicious about the story, you have good reason to be: it’s primarily a publicity stunt set to coincide with a new marketing campaign from Santander featuring the Spanish driving ace.

“Alonso’s thumbs are a symbol, as well as being essential for driving a Formula One car, in that they make a sign of victory and show that everything is under control and well protected,” the bank said in a statement.

Alonso has more than his thumbs to worry about – the next race on the calendar for the Ferrari driver is his home Spanish Grand Prix, and he needs a strong finish to prove that he can be a title contender this season.

Related articles by Zemanta

• All Thumbs: Fernando Alonso’s opposables reportedly insured for £9M (autoblog.com)
• Fernando Alonso ready for F1 mini-break (guardian.co.uk)
• North Europe flight ban leaves Formula One circus stranded in Shanghai (guardian.co.uk)