A gradual comeback for Alonso with Alpine
Spanish Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso makes his return to the premier class this season. After a two-year absence, the two-time world champion will have to get back into the swing of things and find his feet. He himself says he has plenty of room for improvement.
In addition to making his return to F1, which is already quite a challenge in itself, Fernando Alonso will drive for a team undergoing significant changes, Alpine, owned by the Renault manufacturer. The expectations surrounding these changes are high, however, it’s hard to imagine the real extent of their potential.
After defending himself during the FIA press conference in Sakhir, against questions about his age that somewhat upset him: « We are making a big deal about my age and I am a bit surprised, I am not that old. The guy dominating the discipline is 36 years old. I am not twenty years older than him! » Fernando Alonso confided to the BBC: « I don’t have a clear objective for this comeback, what I want to do is test myself and try to help the team in this important moment of transition from Renault to Alpine. We would all like to win but there is only one capable of doing it on Sunday and there is only one champion at the end of the year. »
« The guy who dominates the discipline is 36 years old. I’m not twenty years older than him! »
A Bahrain Grand Prix with mixed feelings
For this first weekend of racing at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Spanish driver first managed to make it to Q3 during qualifying, thus securing the ninth position on the starting grid for the race the next day. However, despite some interesting battles and a chance to score points, the Alpine driver is forced to stop prematurely after a plastic bag blocked one of the brake ducts of his car.
Following this mixed race, Fernando Alonso makes an objective analysis of his race: « I had some good battles and some of them ended well when we weren’t overtaken. But I need to find more pace and more confidence, I need to extract more from the car, the brakes, and do better at the start. There are small things and mistakes that I have been making since the winter tests, but I hope that by the second or third Grand Prix, I could be more efficient. »
Fernando Alonso remains positive.
It’s a race to forget for Alpine, between Fernando Alonso’s retirement and Esteban Ocon’s finish outside the points, poorly positioned on the starting grid, starting only sixteenth and then being involved in a collision with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. Despite this disappointment for the French team at this very first Grand Prix, failing to score any points, Fernando Alonso remains optimistic for the rest of the season. “We always said, from the beginning, that it was very interesting, and Alpine is in F1 to do great things. Maybe 2021 is a continuation of 2020, and we are building momentum for something bigger before we get to 2022,” as Alonso says after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Regarding the various questions concerning the midfield battle that have sparked numerous debates, Alonso is being realistic and believes it is still too early to define a true hierarchy. We have seen different results, and mixed feelings from everyone, including ourselves. Sometimes we seem to be better, sometimes we seem to be a bit behind. It will take a few Grand Prix to have a more established hierarchy. Our job is to work as much as possible and identify our weaknesses if any, work on them, while maintaining our strengths.
