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Fernando Alonso reveals second stint at $750 Million team had him mentally exhausted

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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Fernando Alonso reveals second stint at $750 Million had him mentally exhausted

Fernando Alonso took two years of retirement from Formula One before making a comeback in the 2021 season with the Alpine F1 team.

Fernando Alonso spent two years away from F1 before rejoining the sport in 2021 with the Alpine F1 team. Before retiring, the Spaniard drove for McLaren from 2015 to 2018 and revealed that he was mentally exhausted at the Woking-based team.

The two-time world champion had previously driven for McLaren for only one year in the 2007 season and had an intense rivalry with Lewis Hamilton for the title battle. But his second stint with the team did not prove successful.

In 2015, Alonso joined the Woking-based team when they were at their worst with a downwards trend and poor car performance.

The Spanish driver stayed with the team until 2018 during which time his frustration with Honda[engine supplier] grew stronger. It reached a point where Alonso would even publicly insult the Japanese firm.

This along with other factors combined led to Alonso’s retirement from the sport at the end of the 2018 season. At the time, the Spanish driver cited a lack of competition in the sport as a reason for his retirement.

Now, being the oldest driver on the grid, Alonso believes that time away helped him as an F1 driver as it healed him after becoming “mentally exhausted.”

Also Read: 2-time world champion Fernando Alonso reveals his aggressive tactics in Formula 1

Fernando Alonso is 41 and in control of things

Six years younger than Alonso, Sebastian Vettel recently announced his retirement from the sport saying he wants to spend time with family. Alonso would replace the German driver at Aston Martin as he signed a two-year contract.

Despite his age, Alonso is going stronger in the sport. He secured a P2 in the qualifying of the 2022 Canadian GP.

When asked if age had any negatives, Alonso told Motorsport.com, “In terms of the downsides, it’s difficult to say anything because I don’t feel that I’m missing anything that I had when I was younger.”

Alonso said that in 2018, the $750 Million worth McLaren team had him exhausted mentally by all the marketing and travelling. And he felt like he needed out.

“Now I feel okay. So I don’t know if it is just those two years that helped me out. Or it’s just a different approach that I have now.”

Also Read: Fernando Alonso forgot 20 years of his life after a 200 km/h crash in Pre-season testing

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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