Fernando Alonso left Formula 1 in 2018 in search of new challenges. After two years away, he returned to the ‘Great Circus’ for the 2021 season. Speaking to ‘Motorsport’the Asturian has acknowledged that he was not sure of being competitive again on his return to the championship.
The return to Formula 1 cost him several races to adapt, although he went to Alpine and has led to a great 2022, which despite reliability problems, has ended with the best level of his career according to Alonso himself.
“When you return to this category, there is no guarantee that you will be okay. and you will be competitive, or that you continue to enjoy everything in Formula 1. So really was there a moment of concern two years ago, when I did a private test (in Abu Dhabi) before the young drivers test in 2020,” Alonso said.
In addition, he recognized that in 2021 he did not end up totally happy with his performance, something that he can say about this season: “Last year I was not 100% happy with the performance and how the course went. This year I am much happier with the car and the performance itself, and also much more prepared for the next challenge.”
The Asturian lived his return to the ‘Gran Circo’ with enthusiasm, but with the doubt of what level of competition he could reach: “I came back not knowing how competitive it would be after two years. I had in mind the return of Michael Schumacher, maybe he wasn’t 100% or that’s what we felt. For Kimi Raikkonen, in his last two or three years, he wasn’t really motivated. So he wasn’t sure. I am very confident in myself, but not enough to be 100% sure that I was going to be fast enough to be fighting with the best”.
“Therefore, a return to F1 cannot be underestimated. You need a few races or even a full season to feel 100% again and that’s what happened to me. But now I’m happy, because I see myself at a very good level”, concluded Alonso.
