Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso returned to motorsport’s top flight last season with Alpine after a two-year break exploring other disciplines such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Indianapolis 500 and the Dakar Rally .
Alonso scored a podium finish and helped Alpine finish fifth in the constructors’ championship in 2021, as well as playing a key role in team-mate Esteban Ocon’s surprise victory in Hungary.
The Spaniard said earlier last season that he was enjoying his return more than expected, having overcome some initial complications adjusting to life in Formula 1.
Reflecting on the entire season with Alpine , Alonso spoke of the feeling that he was now more relaxed and happier than the last time he raced in F1 , noting that it was a recurring question he had faced on previous occasions.
“I probably don’t agree with all that, because when I joined Ferrari, you were asking me exactly the same questions,” Alonso said.
“I perfectly remember answering questions like: ‘Why do you feel so happy now? or Are you in an Italian team and you are Spanish, do you fit in better and do you feel happier?’ And I said yes, maybe it was because of that, we had the same sense of humor, we had the same Latino character, so maybe that’s why I was happy.”
“Then I went back to McLaren in 2015, and it was the same comments: ‘Why are you so happy now? At Ferrari , you felt a bit depressed the last two years and frustrated, but now it seems that even if you’re not fighting for the championship -these were the bad seasons for Honda-, you still look quite happy off the track, so why that change in Fernando?'”
“And then when I was at WEC races, Dakar or IndyCar: ‘Why are you so much more relaxed now? In Formula 1 , did you seem frustrated etc?’ And now it’s the same comments.”
Alonso then said he thought the misperception about his happiness in Formula 1 dated back to 2007, when he spent a tense season with McLaren alongside then-rookie Lewis Hamilton, which ended with their contract being terminated by mutual consent after that. year.
“I think that since 2007, when I was fighting with Hamilton in a team that was British, with a British environment, there was a wrong message that people perceived and spread about me: that’s why since 2007, everyone is surprised at how well I do. I feel and how happy I am,” Alonso said.
“So I think overall I didn’t change much. I’m happy today, but I don’t think I haven’t been in the last couple of seasons,” he added.
Separately, Alonso admitted he felt “tired” towards the end of his final F1 season with McLaren before making the decision to race in other categories at the end of 2018.
“That’s why I left Formula 1 , because I had other things on my mind. But I was still enjoying it and I had a fantastic season in 2018 as well. With Zak Brown , I remember we planned to race the Indy 500 in 2017, and then with Stoffel Vandoorne we had a fantastic relationship in 2018.
“So yes. I am a happy person, even if this message does not reach everyone,” he concluded.
