In his third season after returning to Formula 1, Alonso finally seems to be on the path of success. Alonso, however, says that a lot of sacrifices have been made for the new successes and his F1 comeback.
In Bahrain, Fernando Alonso was back on the F1 podium for the first time in a long time. The two-time world champion silenced his critics. After all, many people publicly questioned his switch from Alpine to Aston Martin, but during his first race for Aston Martin Alonso was immediately on the podium.
At the end of 2018, a tired Alonso closed the door of McLaren and Formula 1 behind him. After a detour via the Dakar Raly and the Indy 500, however, an F1 comeback at Alpine followed in 2021. However, Alonso says he had to make a lot of sacrifices to relive his passion.
I am still motivated to fight, even when I tried to retire from Formula 1 in 2018, said Alonso. But I couldn’t do that and I raced different cars every weekend, the World Endurance Championship, the Dakar, Indy, or whatever.
When I returned to Formula 1 I knew I had to sacrifice other things in life and I knew I had to dedicate myself to this sport for another three, five or maybe even seven years.
There are no secrets, you dedicate yourself to your passion, you also know your body better, you train better, eat better and make your career last longer.
At 41, Fernando Alonso is currently the oldest driver on the F1 grid, but the two-time world champion is confident he can still compete at a competitive level.
It is a privilege to still be racing here better than ever, said the Spaniard. I don’t worry about my age, I will be the first to notice when something is not going well or is missing. Or when I’m no longer motivated to travel or get up in the morning to train, or just for testing.
So far I only see benefits because I know the car, I know the tyres, and I’ve already driven on some of the circuits we will be racing on later this year, I can only see benefits, Alonso concludes.