After two seasons away from Formula 1, Fernando Alonso returned to the top category last year wearing the Alpine colors and bringing to the French team all the experience accumulated in his different experiences.
In 2021 the two-time world champion managed to get third place in Qatar as his best result, while this year he was targeted by bad luck. In four races Alonso was forced to retire and in qualifying for the Australian GP he saw the possibility of fighting for pole disappear due to a trivial hydraulic problem.
In the last round of Imola his race lasted a few laps. A contact at the start with Mick Schumacher’s Haas irreparably damaged the bottom and the right belly of his Alpine and also in this case he was forced to retire.
Despite being 40 years old, and being the oldest rider on the grid, the idea of hanging up his helmet doesn’t touch him in the least and on the contrary he wants to extend his contract with Alpine which expires this year.
Although this start to the season was particularly unfortunate, when asked what keeps him still so motivated Alonso replied dryly: “Because I feel better than the others”.
“When someone comes along and will fight me just for his skills behind the wheel, or if I see that I’m no longer lightning-fast and good at preparing the car, or if my teammate will be faster than me by a second then I’ll raise my hand and think about stopping and doing something else ”.
“At the moment, however, I don’t feel I am in this situation. I love to run “.
Debris flew by as Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13, battles Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Looking at the drivers’ standings, the gap in points between Esteban Ocon and the Spaniard cannot fail to be noticed. The former, in fact, scored 20 points in the first four rounds of the season against Alonso’s 2, but Fernando himself admitted how the balance could have been much better without all the inconveniences that occurred.
Furthermore, Ocon can boast a contract with Alpine that binds him to the French team until the end of 2024 and forwards the transalpine team has among its ranks an Oscar Piastri who paws to make his debut in Formula 1 next year after dominating the season. 2021 of Formula 2.
Alpine has opened up for a loan from the Australian to a rival team next year and this would entail the renewal of Alonso. The Spaniard, however, did not unbalance and admitted that news on this could probably arrive in the summer.
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