Alonso stated early this year that he had enjoyed his return to Formula One more than he had anticipated, and that the season had been good.
Follow Us
Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, returned to Formula One last year following a two-year hiatus to pursue other interests. Alonso raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500, and the Dakar Rally after departing Formula One at the conclusion of 2018 after a four-season run with McLaren. The Spaniard had a good comeback season with Alpine, scoring one podium finish in Qatar and assisting teammate Esteban Ocon to a surprise victory in Hungary. Alonso stated early this year that he had enjoyed his return to Formula One more than he had anticipated, and that the season as a whole had been good.
“On-track and off-track, I did enjoy the time with the team, and in this comeback, I was super happy,” Alonso said.
“I had the luxury to come back to the sport when I decided. When I decided, I stopped. When I decided, I came back. This is a very high luxury. Normally it is a very small group of drivers that can drive in Formula 1, and it’s not easy to have these kind of possibilities. I felt thankful for this. And also the way that the season has been for me, from improving every time and finishing very strong, it was the best way to prepare for 2022,” he added.
Alonso admitted that it took him a few races to get back up to speed and acclimate to life in Formula One, claiming that the front tyres were particularly difficult to master.
“The biggest challenge was probably the front tyres and the philosophy that every team has in terms of front suspension, front power steering, feedback that you get on the steering wheel,” Alonso said.
Read More – Fernando Alonso news: Spaniard denies he is happier now than in 2007 in F1
“That’s obviously very unique for each of the teams. And the front tyre construction did change from 2020 to 2021, and that was a challenge, I think, for everybody. But it was a challenge apparently for the people that changed teams, we saw at the beginning of the year, and for me as well, because I was two years out of the sport.”
“The most rewarding moments were for sure the highs, and the moments that we performed a little bit better. Obviously the victory from Esteban in Hungary, that was the best moment for us as a team. My podium in Qatar was obviously a very nice feeling,” the two-time world champion added.
