Alonso issues Vettel with F1 retirement warning

Ewan Gale
Wednesday 7 December 2022 05:30

Fernando Alonso has provided Aston Martin predecessor Sebastian Vettel with a word of warning in case he wishes to make a U-turn on his retirement from F1.

Four-time champion Vettel departed the sport after a stellar career that saw him also win 53 grands prix and score an additional 122 podiums across stints with Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Alonso fills the void being created by Vettel next year in what will be the Spanish driver's third season back in F1 after a two-year sabbatical.

Alonso's time with Alpine yielded promise but ended under a cloud with attacks against the team over its reliability record this year, with the two-time champion suggesting issues were directed at 'car 14'.

But when asked how he could sum up the two-year stint with Alpine, Alonso replied: "Great, obviously. Coming back to the sport is never a guarantee that you will be okay and competitive and you will still enjoy everything in Formula 1.

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"So I had some concerns, obviously, two years ago, when I did the demo [in Abu Dhabi] before the young driver test in 2020. Last year I was maybe not 100 percent happy with the performance and with how the season went.

"This year, I'm much happier with the car and with the performance itself and much more ready for the next challenge.

"So, you cannot underestimate coming back to the sport - in case Seb wants some advice.

"But you need a few races, or even one full season to feel 100 percent again. It is what happened to me but I'm happy now that I feel at a very good level."