“I should have moved on from Formula 1 a few years earlier”: Fernando Alonso says that he should left the sport much earlier than he did in 2018

Fernando Alonso feels that leaving Formula 1 in 2015 or 2016 to pursue other things would have been a much better decision for his career. 

The Spaniard is a 2-time World Champion having won the title in 2005 and 2006 with Renault. He also drove for Ferrari, McLaren and returned to the French team subsequently in his F1 career but never won the title again.

Alonso came close to winning the title in 2012 but lost it to Sebastian Vettel by just three points. In a recent interview with L’Equipe, the current Alpine driver said he had no regrets at all in his career. However, he also admitted that he should have left F1 much earlier than he first did to pursue other ventures.

After fighting for the championship with Scuderia Ferrari from 2010-2015, Fernando moved back to McLaren. This was a time when McLaren had their engines made by Honda, who were struggling with reliability issues. As a result, he failed to feature on the podium even once in his time in Surrey before he decided to leave F1 in 2018.

Alonso tried other things after his F1 departure including stints at Indy Car, World Endurance Championships and even the Dakar Rally.

I should not have waited till 2018, says Fernando Alonso

“Perhaps there is one – that I left too late. I should have left Formula 1 earlier. It’s easy to say now, but I shouldn’t have waited until 2018.” “I should have left in 2015 or 2016, two years earlier, to try Dakar and endurance. I already had it in mind in 2015 but it took a while to mature. Maybe too long.”, he said.

Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 after a three-year absence when he signed with his former team Renault (now re-branded as Alpine). He continues his F1 career in the team that led him to 2 Championship wins.

Although the Oviedo-born driver is without a podium in 2021, he has performed consistently well for the Enstone-based team. In addition to his enjoyment at being back, Alonso has seen himself having verbal scruffs with the FIA stewards all year long.

Also read: “I can understand his frustration”: Michael Masi to hold conversation with drivers after Fernando Alonso shows his disappointment for FIA stewards’ “inconsistent call” over Kimi Raikkonen’s overtake

A few weeks ago, Alonso suggested that the nationality of a driver plays a big role in decisions made by the officials.

“I have always tried to fight against injustices,” he said. “That is not new, it was the same in the past. “There have always been inconsistencies based on nationalities, either with penalties or enforcement of a rule.

“I remember when I was fighting for the title against Red Bull. We knew they had a very flexible front wing and they won five or six races before it was banned. “I lost the championship in 2012 by three points.”

Fernando sits 10th in the Driver’s Championship right now with 58 points to his name.