“Fernando Alonso has changed the way he behaves”: Four-time World Champion says that the Spaniard’s approach to his return to F1 has left him surprised

Alain Prost says he has been impressed by Fernando Alonso and his approach to things ever since he returned to Formula 1 in 2021. 

Alonso is arguably one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He won two World Championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Following his spell with the French team, Alonso raced for Ferrari and McLaren before leaving the sport to pursue other things in 2018.

He made a return to F1 in 2021 with the Renault owned Alpine team. Since then, he has performed consistently well  and even finished 3rd in last week’s Qatar GP. His podium finish in Lusail was his first since Hungary in 2014.

Alain Prost has been a key member of the Renault/Alpine team for quite a few years now. The 4 time World Champion admitted that he had doubts over Alonso’s return to the Enstone based team but has since been proved wrong.

“I think Fernando was a big surprise.” Prost said. “I mean, especially for me. We talked a lot in the last two years before he decided to come back to Formula 1. I must say, it’s a very good surprise, the way he behaves.”

“He told me, he told everyone, that he’s changed, and it is true that he has changed a lot. He has changed the way behaves, the way he is in the team. It is a big help for the whole team, the way he is working, the way he is thinking.”

Also read: Fernando Alonso defends his F1 record by saying he seldom drove the best car in his long and illustrious career

Fernando Alonso fights for every single point he can score, says Prost

The 40 year old driver recently admitted that he left F1 in 2018 because he was driving a car that wasn’t capable of winning races. Therefore, it was a surprise when he signed for Alpine just 3 years later, considering the fact that they are a bonafide midfield team.

This was one of the things that Prost said he loves about Alonso’s return. The Spaniard now understands his role and fights for whatever objective the team has in mind.

“He is very professional. He is always thinking about the car, himself, how we can improve the team. Even if you are fighting for a point, two points, you know, that is Fernando.”

Also read: Fernando Alonso determined to win a third world title and cement his legendary status

“Alonso is like a young guy, we don’t think about his age”

The Alpine driver said that he wanted to challenge for the title next year onwards. He will turn 41 in 2022, so a lot of people have been questioning his age and whether he can perform at the same level we saw him perform at a decade ago.

Prost insisted that the team is not worried about how old Fernando is. Instead, they were shocked to see the kind of level he was at, despite being out of the sport for 3 years.

“The age? We don’t think about the age at the moment, you know,” added Prost. “He is like a young guy, and it’s a dream having Fernando in the team.”

“But being outside Formula 1 for a few years and coming back, I cannot imagine that Fernando would be so competitive and so good with the team.

“What is good also is if you look back at what he has done across the season, he said, ‘I’m going to need four or five races’. We always said, let’s wait for the French Grand Prix to see the performance of Fernando”.

“That is exactly what happened and he is getting better and better.” he concluded.