Fernando Alonso makes admission about returning to Formula 1

It’s safe to say Fernando Alonso won’t be looking back on 2022 anytime soon, with the season having been one big disappointment for the double World Champion.



The first season of the new regulations failed to offer the Spaniard what he’d been hoping for during his time away from the sport, with the new era having been a huge reason as to why he returned to Formula 1.



Alonso left the pinnacle of motorsport at the end of 2018, after a fourth woeful season with McLaren.



The 41-year-old’s desire to race elsewhere whilst also being competitive was something Alonso wanted to explore, with the driver having long had his eyes on the ‘Triple Crown’.







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To claim the so-called ‘Triple Crown’, a driver needs to win the Monaco Grand Prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Indianapolis 500, with the latter being the only one that continues to elude the Spaniard.



It isn’t through trying, though, with the veteran having given the Indy 500 multiple attempts, with further attempts incredible likely.



After spending some time away from F1, Alonso soon began to miss the series that he has been so incredibly successful in.



He has since revealed, however, that he wasn’t even sure if he actually could return to the sport, due to a fear of not being competitive enough due to having spent time away from the sport.



“Coming back to the sport is never a guarantee that you will be okay and competitive, and you still enjoy everything in Formula 1,” he said.



“So I had some concerns, obviously, two years ago, when I did the demo [in Abu Dhabi], before the young driver test in 2020.



“And I think last year I was not maybe 100 percent happy with the performance and with how the season went.



“This year, I’m much more happy with the car and with the performance itself, and much more I think ready for the next challenge.



“So, you cannot underestimate coming back to the sport. But you need a few races or even one full season to feel 100 percent again, and it is what happened to me. But I’m happy now that I feel a very good level.”



Alonso has expressed several times how much he enjoyed his time away from the championship, but that he became very interested in the sport’s new aerodynamic regulations.



When F1 became something he wanted to be a part of again, the driver managed to get a two-year deal sorted with Alpine, despite the new regs having been pushed from 2021 to 2022.



The driver added that he knew the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix wasn’t going to be his last, with his front-wing at the Yas Marina Circuit four years ago having said “see you later” rather than “bye-bye”.



“In 2018, for me, even the front wing, I don’t know if you noticed, it was written ‘see you later,’” he said. “It was not a bye-bye.



“So in a way, in my head, it was always the 2021 rules, an opportunity to come back.




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“I had in my head different challenges at that point. I wanted to race in Daytona, in Dakar, in Le Mans. I wanted to fight for a World Endurance Championship. I don’t know, I had different things, and Formula 1 was not a priority, or I didn’t have my head in Formula 1 anymore.



“But I love Formula 1. And I felt that in 2021 it could be an opportunity with the new rules and maybe everything re-shuffles a little bit, in terms of how the teams are, or the competitiveness of them.



“So I fulfil all my boxes in those years away from Formula 1, and I still watch the races at home. And yeah, the rules. They postponed the rules one year for 2022. But I came in 2021 anyway.”
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