Alonso - becoming F1 champion again will be "difficult"

Alonso waiting at the pit wall — Photo: © LAT Images

Fernando Alonso

Alonso - becoming F1 champion again will be "difficult"

Alonso focused on building Alpine into race-winning contenders

Ian Parkes & Will Gray

Sunday 4 April 2021 14:20

Fernando Alonso has conceded that becoming a Formula 1 champion again could be “difficult” after revealing he has “no clear target” for his current comeback with Alpine.

Alonso, who won two titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, quit F1 in 2018 after a tough year with McLaren but has been lured back by the Enstone-based team this season.

Asked what he would see as a successful comeback, he said: “We all want to win but there is only one that can do that and at the end of the year only one can become champion. That is a difficult target to set.

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“F1, and sport in general, is not exactly mathematics where you can plan things ahead. You just try to make it as enjoyable as possible, your journey.

“At the same time, you are working hard to deliver the results and to get those dreams you have in your head.

“[I am] trying to make this comeback a good shot on trying to win races and to be as competitive as possible, but not with a clear target or a clear time set on things.

“What I want to do is test myself, try to help the team in this important moment of this transition from Renault to Alpine and the great future that I think it has.

“I am here to help the team with the experience and knowledge I have accumulated in the years and put the momentum into the team to carry on from 2022 and the future.

“I will be happy and consider it a success if we grow up together, the team and myself, in the next couple of years and we are contenders.”

At 39, Alonso is the second-oldest driver on the grid behind 41-year-old Kimi Raikkonen.

But the Spaniard has denied he is too old, adding: “The world champion, the guy dominating the sport, is 36, so it’s not that I am 20 years older or so.”

Asked if he is still just a driver or planning to move into higher management now, he firmly replied: “Just a driver.”