Six years ago, an aging Fernando Alonso thought it would be best to call time on his F1 racing days and shift focus to other motorsports events. Having done the same, the Spaniard went off to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championships. However, none of that was enough, as the now 42-year-old wanted to return to the world of F1, specifically because of one thing. Speaking to GQ Magazine, Alonso spoke about always following F1 despite leaving the sport to compete elsewhere.
“I was not thinking to come back to Formula One. I left a small door open, because of the new regulations and this new generation of ground-effect cars [which came in from 2022]. It was maybe something that could be attractive one day in the future. While I was doing different series and projects, I was always looking at what Formula One was doing.”
Alonso added that as the pandemic went on, he sat at his table and took the time to gauge his opportunities for the upcoming years. While doing the same, the 42-year-old thought that given the stability of the sport despite the pandemic, it would be best for him to think about making a comeback. Furthermore, the challenge of coming back to F1 and fighting at the front of the field excited him the most.
Impressionante como Fernando Alonso transcende as eras da Formula 1 de Schumacher a Verstappen #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/GuEQoN8js7
— Papai Ragazzi (@PapaiRagazzi) November 5, 2023
Alonso’s famous return to F1 was made even more special as he decided to join Alpine, which was previously known as Renault. The team was responsible for helping Alonso win both his world championships. However, the return was far from optimum as in the first two seasons of his return, the Asturian’s best finish was a third place at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. However, his next stint has been far more successful.
Fernando Alonso leading Aston Martin’s revival
Having struggled at Alpine, it was either a switch to another team or another retirement for Alonso. In came Lawrence Stroll to sway the Spaniard towards his team with the help of several big-name signings. With Sebastian Vettel’s retirement imminent, the Stroll and Alonso talked about the driver replacing Vettel. Alonso revealed that Stroll did a great job of selling the project, and as they sat in the design office, he saw several big names joining the team.
🚨 | Fernando Alonso DENIES suggestions he will retire.
Alonso is still committed to racing with Aston Martin next season.
His full response below:https://t.co/cUWQSXG0K8
— formularacers (@formularacers_) November 1, 2023
The new additions were off to a flier as they set their team on a path to become the dark horse of the season. Achieving podium after podium, Aston Martin soon found its way to the second position in the constructor’s championship, with Alonso vying for a top-three finish in the driver’s standings. However, the team soon lost its rhythm and fell behind in the development race, giving way to other teams to catch up with them.
After experiencing a strong season with Aston Martin, Alonso’s belief in their project has only gone up. The Asturian claims he wants to stick with the team as they continue to grow and wants to work with them to bring home a constructor’s championship while also hoping to bag another driver’s championship. If the latter were a distant dream, the immediate remains achieving the ever-elusive ‘number 33.’
