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.”
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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.”
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