Fernando Alonso reveals he is not at 100% on F1 comeback with Alpine

Alonso

Alonso reveals he is not at 100% on F1 comeback

Alonso claims he will require five-to-six races to get up to speed

Ian Parkes & Will Gray

Friday 26 March 2021 09:29

Fernando Alonso has revealed he is not yet at 100 per cent as he prepares to make his Formula 1 comeback with Alpine this weekend.

The two-time world champion left the sport at the end of 2018 after a tough year with McLaren-Honda but was tempted back this season by the team he won his two titles with in 2005 and 2006 when it was known as Renault.

Alonso confirmed his comeback before the start of last season and despite working hard to get back up to speed ever since he still feels he will be rusty when he returns to competition this weekend.

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“It always takes time and I’m not 100 per cent yet,” confirmed Alonso. “I am happy where we are now but I think in a couple of more races I will feel more comfortable.

“Even in the cockpit, the seat, we are still making small modifications, better position, there are things that we will keep adjusting.

“I think it’s the same for many people and for many drivers that have changed team. Some just need to re-adapt a bit to the new aero regulations, the tyres. You always feel more comfortable after five or six races. For me, it is no different.”

Alonso scored 50 points and finished 11th in the drivers' standings in his last season with McLaren.

During his time away, he raced in WEC for Toyota, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2019, and also finished 13th in the Dakar Rally with co-driver Marc Coma in 2020.

The 39-year-old spent the second half of last season in the F1 paddock building a rapport with the engineers and becoming accustomed to the sport’s technology before clocking up over 200 laps in pre-season testing.

Despite such preparation, he added: “There are no guarantees that I will be as in 2018, but I hope so.

"When I was preparing to come back I was trying to focus not only physically but also technically, trying to be up to speed in F1 language, which is sometimes more technical than some other categories.

“It was nice to be back with other people on track [in pre-season testing]. I did a couple of tests with the 2019 car [last year] but I was alone on track so it was nice to have that small competitive feel about you.“